وَإِذْ بَوَّأْنَا لِإِبْرَاهِيمَ مَكَانَ الْبَيْتِ أَنْ لَا تُشْرِكْ بِي شَيْئًا وَطَهِّرْ بَيْتِيَ لِلطَّائِفِينَ وَالْقَائِمِينَ وَالرُّكَّعِ السُّجُودِ ﴿۲۶﴾ وَأَذِّنْ فِي النَّاسِ بِالْحَجِّ يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالًا وَعَلَى كُلِّ ضَامِرٍ يَأْتِينَ مِنْ كُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِيقٍ ﴿۲۷﴾

﴾26﴿ Wa iz bawwaanaa li Ibraaheema makaanal Baiti allaa tushrik bee shai'anw wa tahhir Baitiya litaaa'ifeena walqaaa' imeena warrukka 'is sujood
﴾27﴿ Wa azzin fin naasi bil Hajji yaatooka rijaalanw wa 'alaa kulli daamiriny yaateena min kulli fajjin 'ameeq

﴾26﴿ And [mention] when We assigned to Abraham the site of the House [saying], Do not associate anything with Me and purify My House for those who perform Tawaf, and those who stand [in prayer], and those who bow and prostrate
﴾27﴿ And proclaim the Hajj to the people—they will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every distant pass

[26] From this verse up to verse 38, it is considered the second section, in which there is a transmitted (naqlī) proof from Ibrahim (peace be upon him) to refute practical shirk. It also provides a detailed explanation of the rituals of Hajj, which reinforce practical tawḥīd by honoring Allah’s sacred rites, permitting what Allah has permitted, forbidding what He has forbidden, and glorifying the symbols of Allah. It also contains warnings against directing attention to anything other than Allah, and describes the destruction of the polytheists, using examples.
In verse 26, the transmitted argument from Ibrahim (peace be upon him) is presented to refute shirk. Since the previous verse warned against deviation within the Haram, these verses mention acts of obedience specific to the Haram.
And since the main objective of building the House of Allah is to eliminate shirk, the command “Do not associate anything with Me” is mentioned alongside it.
The verse is a rebuke to the polytheists of Makkah, as they contradict their own forefather Ibrahim (peace be upon him).
The command “Purify My House” (وَطَهِّرْ بَيْتِيَ) is general—it means to cleanse the Ka‘bah from shirk, disbelief, innovations, and all types of filth. The goal is to proclaim tawḥīd, so no one contaminates the House of Allah with shirk.
A similar verse occurs in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:125), where i‘tikāf (seclusion) was also mentioned, because after ṭawāf, i‘tikāf is a higher form of worship. However, in this Surah, “‘ākif” (one staying in the mosque) was mentioned in the previous verse, so it is not repeated here.
Regarding “لِلطَّائِفِينَ”, Ibn Kathir says: ṭawāf is a unique act of worship that is only valid around the House of Allah and cannot be performed at any other place on earth.
[27] After the proclamation of tawḥīd, the proclamation of Hajj comes.
This sequence indicates that a pilgrim must abandon shirk before performing Hajj, and it also suggests that Hajj is a form of worship that teaches practical monotheism—because the entire journey to the House of Allah is done with the intention of worship, including making ṭawāf (circumambulation), dedicating sacrificial animals in the name of Allah, and slaughtering them solely for Him. All these actions are expressions of pure tawḥīd.
The word “ضَامِرٍ” refers to a lean riding animal that, despite its thinness, does not tire during travel—or it can refer to animals that have become skinny due to long-distance travel.
The sea routes are not mentioned here, because the sea is not directly connected to Makkah. Even if someone arrives by sea, they must continue the journey over land to reach the House of Allah.
The word “فَجٍّ” refers to a broad path between mountains, and every route that leads to Makkah fits this description.