وَقَالُوا۟ كُونُوا۟ هُودًا أَوْ نَصَـٰرَىٰ تَهْتَدُوا۟ ۗ قُلْ بَلْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمَ حَنِيفًا ۖ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ
Wa qaaloo koonoo Hoodan aw Nasaaraa tahtadoo; qul bal Millata Ibraaheema Haneefanw wa maa kaana minal mushrikeen
Dan mereka berkata, "Hendaklah kamu menjadi penganut agama Yahudi atau Nasrani, niscaya kamu mendapat petunjuk". Katakanlah, "Tidak, bahkan (kami mengikuti) agama Ibrāhīm yang lurus. Dan bukanlah dia (Ibrāhīm) dari golongan orang musyrik".
And they say, "Be Jews or Christians, and you will be guided." Say, "Rather, the way of Ibrahim, who turned purely to God — and he was not among those who associate others with God."
Hanif names a person leaning away from everything worshipped around him and inclining toward one direction alone, and the reply offers that description in place of the two communal labels just proposed. Grammarians note that millata Ibrahima stands in the accusative with its verb left unspoken, follow or take, so the answer arrives as something to do rather than a name to adopt.