Verses 41–50
The verses refer to a selection from Abraham’s story, namely his argument with his father over the matter of the idol worship, an argument based on the innate (fiṭrī) guidance and certain knowledge given to him by God, and Abraham’s withdrawal from him, his people and their gods. Thereafter, God granted him Isaac and Jacob. He bestowed upon him an eternal word (kalimah) in his progeny and made a beautiful remembrance of him and his offspring to remain throughout eternity.
Commentary
وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ۚ إِنَّهُ كَانَ صِدِّيقًا نَبِيًّا ٤١
(19:41) And mention Abraham in the Book; surely he was a truthful man, a Prophet.
It is likely that ṣiddīq is the hyperbolic form of the noun, meaning someone who is exceptionally truthful—he says what he does and he does what he says without any contradiction between His Words and his deeds. That is the way Abraham was. He ascribed to monotheism (tawḥīd) in an idolatrous world even though he was alone and presented arguments to his father and to his people [to dissuade them from idol worship], resisted the king of Babel, smashed the idols, and remained firm in what he said until they threw him into the fire. He then withdrew from them and what they worshiped as he had promised his father from the beginning. Thereafter, God gave him Isaac and Jacob along with all the other gifts recounted by God.
It is claimed that ṣiddīq is an hyperbolic noun derived from taṣdiq and means someone who often confirms the truth, who confirms it with word and deed. Even though in essence this interpretation conforms with the first interpretation, it is unlikely due to the rarity of hyperbolic nouns [, in this case, ṣiddīq,] being derived from morphological verbal forms [, in this case, taṣdīq,] other than the first form [, in this case, ṣadaqa].
The word nabī, meaning Prophet, is of the faʿīl morphological pattern derived from nabaʾ, meaning a tiding. A nabī is so-called because he has tidings of the unseen through revelation from God. Alternatively, it is claimed that it is derived from al-nubuwwa, meaning sublimity and that a nabī is so-called because of the sublimity of his standing.
إِذْ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ يَا أَبَتِ لِمَ تَعْبُدُ مَا لَا يَسْمَعُ وَلَا يُبْصِرُ وَلَا يُغْنِي عَنْكَ شَيْئًا ٤٢
(19:42) When he said to his father; O my father! why do you worship what neither hears nor sees, nor does it avail you in the least.
The clause, When he said to his father is an adverbial noun of time (ẓarf) for Abraham (Ibrāhīm). The manner in which the mention (dhikr) of Abraham and the mention of his Prophethood is introduced in verses 41 and 42 matches the introduction of Mary in, and mention Mary in the Book, as explained in the exegesis of verse 16. As for the claim that it is an adverbial noun of time for “a truthful man” (ṣiddīqan) or “a Prophet” (nabbiyyan), it is a contrivance unpleasing to good taste.
Abraham alerted his father of two things. First, he told him that the path he was traveling—worshiping idols—was futile and wrong. Second, he asserted that he had knowledge which his father did not have. Abraham’s father being in danger of accepting Satan as a guardian, he called his father to follow him so that he could guide him to the path of truth. His Words, why do you worship what neither hears nor sees are a rebuke and disavowal of his father’s worship of idols. He switched from referring to idols to referring to their characteristics—what neither hears nor sees, thus loading the evidence of their futility and powerlessness upon his very reference to them. He proved the particulars of the claim, that is, that worshiping idols is futile and wrong, by [citing] two reasons:
(1) Worship means the worshiper shows subservience to and acts submissively before the object of worship. That can only work if the object of worship has knowledge of this [behavior]. Idols are inanimate representations that have no feelings, cannot hear and cannot see. Worshiping them is futile and has no effect. This is what he is referring to when he says, what neither hears nor sees.
(2) A worshiper only worships, prays, and submits his need to something to gain a benefit or prevent harm. The guarantee that this goal can be fulfilled then depends on the object of worship’s ability to do so. Idols cannot do anything so they are of no use in providing benefit or preventing harm to those who worship them. Hence worshiping them is futile and has no effect. This is what he is referring to when he says, nor does it avail you in the least.
It was said in the exegesis of Sūrah al-Anʿām [The Cattle] that the person Abraham was addressing when he said, O my father!… was not his father but rather his uncle, maternal grandfather or stepfather whom his mother married after his father’s death. The reader should refer back to that.
The position taken by grammarians is that the letter tāʾ at the end of yā abatī (O my father!) has been substituted for the first person possessive yā (which means “my”). The same applies to yā ummatī (O my mother!). This substitution is exclusive to the vocative (nidā’). Hence, it is incorrect to say, for example, qāla abatī to mean ‘my father said’ or qālat ummatī to mean ‘my mother said’.
يَا أَبَتِ إِنِّي قَدْ جَاءَنِي مِنَ الْعِلْمِ مَا لَمْ يَأْتِكَ فَاتَّبِعْنِي أَهْدِكَ صِرَاطًا سَوِيًّا٤٣
(19:43) O my father! truly the knowledge has come to me which has not come to you, therefore follow me, I will guide you on a right path.
Having explained to his father the futility and invalidity of worshiping idols, implying his father was following the wrong path out of ignorance, Abraham pointed out to him that he had knowledge of this matter which he (his father) did not. Thus his father should follow him to be guided to a straight path (ṣirāṭan sawiyyan), a way that is so clear that anyone traveling on it cannot get lost. It is a path of which his father was ignorant. That is why Abraham chose to refer to the path (ṣirāṭ) in the indefinite: I will guide you on a right path (ṣirāṭan sawiyyan) instead of “I will guide you on the straight path (al-ṣirāṭ al-sawiyy)”. It is as if he is saying: “If you traverse a path, and, it is inevitable that you do so, do not ignorantly traverse this path which is not straight. Rather, follow me—I will guide you to a path that is straight, for I have knowledge of this matter”.
There is evidence in the clause, truly the knowledge has come to me that he was given knowledge of the truth before he began his Prophetic invitation and before this discussion with his father has taken place. There is in these words confirmation of what we said with regard to his story in Sūrah al-Anʿām [The Cattle], that is, that he was given knowledge of God and experientially beholding (mushāhada) the dominion (malakūt) of the Heavens and the earth before he came before his father and his people with his arguments. Guidance in the clause, I will guide you on a right path means showing them the way, as opposed to taking them to the destination because the latter is the job of an Imām. At this point he had not yet been made an Imām. This was discussed in detail during the exegesis of the verse: … He said: Surely I will make you an Imam of men ().
يَا أَبَتِ لَا تَعْبُدِ الشَّيْطَانَ ۖ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ كَانَ لِلرَّحْمَٰنِ عَصِيًّا ٤٤ يَا أَبَتِ إِنِّي أَخَافُ أَنْ يَمَسَّكَ عَذَابٌ مِنَ الرَّحْمَٰنِ فَتَكُونَ لِلشَّيْطَانِ وَلِيًّا ٤٥
(19:44-45) O my father! serve not Satan, surely Satan is disobedient to the Beneficent. O my father! surely I fear that a punishment from the Beneficent should afflict you so that you should be a friend of Satan.
The idolaters believed in the existence of the jinn—Iblīs being one of the jinn—and worshiped idols representative of them. Similarly, they worshiped idols representing Angels and holy people. Notwithstanding, the “worship of Satan” pointed to in the verse is not a reference to the idol worship as practiced by Abraham’s people, since there is no reason to restrict the prohibition to idol worship of jinn. Instead, what is meant by worship is obedience, as in: Did I not charge you, O children of Adam, that you should not serve Satan? ().
Thus the instruction not to engage in ʿibāda of Satan is an instruction not to obey his orders. One of these orders is to have objects of worship other than God.
When he invited his father to follow him to the straight path, he wanted to give him an incentive to follow [him] by rooting him out from his false belief. Accordingly, he alerted him to the fact that worshiping idols was not just futile, without either being of any harm or benefit, but it also puts the worshiper at risk of doom and puts him under Satan’s guardianship. Once this happens, the worshiper loses all prospects for goodness and success or hope of peace and happiness. That is because worshiping them—when the One worthy of worship is God, The Merciful to Whom all mercy (raḥmah) is attributed—and currying their favor is only a result of Satan and his enticement. Satan is disobedient to the Beneficent. He [Satan] does not command a thing that is pleasing to Him. He only whispers instructions to do what involves disobeying Him, which will lead to punishment from Him, His wrath, and persistent disobedience, especially with regard to the duties most exclusive to Him, that is, worshiping Him alone. There is in this a risk that the person who is disobedient will be rendered cut off from His beneficence, manifested in guidance toward felicity. The punishment of abandonment (khidhlān) will descend on him and God will no longer be his guardian. Instead, Satan will be his master and guardian (mawlā) and he will be Satan’s bound subordinate (waliyy), which is tantamount to destruction and doom. Thus the two verses mean:
“O my father! Do not obey Satan’s orders to worship idols because Satan is disobedient—set on disobeying God who is the source of all beneficence (raḥmah) and blessing. He (that is, Satan) only commands that which entails disobedience of Him and being deprived of His beneficence. The only reason I tell you not to disobey Him by obeying Satan is because I am afraid that some of the punishment of His forsaking you will follow you and you will be deprived of His beneficence, leaving no one to look after you apart from Satan. You will be a bound subordinate (waliyy) of Satan and Satan will be your custodian and master”.
The following is clear from the above:
(1) “Worship” (ʿibāda) in, worship not Satan means worship by way of obedience. The qualification of the worship as being “the worship of Satan” expresses that it inherently takes on the evil associated with Satan.
(2) The reason for substituting the word al-Raḥmān, meaning the Beneficent, for the word Allah, termed in Arabic as the word of Majesty, or lafẓ al-jalāla, in two places is because absolute beneficence (raḥmah) has an effect on the two predicates. In the first place, His being the source of all beneficence (raḥmah) and blessing (niʿmah) makes it despicable to persist in disobeying Him and makes it right to tell people not to obey the one who insists on disobeying Him. Secondly, His being the source of all beneficence is the incentive to fear His punishment which follows from His beneficence being withheld, letting divine retribution (naqmah) and individual wretchedness (shaqwah) take over.
(3) The punishment (ʿadhāb), in verse 45, means abandonment (khidhlān) or the equivalently the withholding of beneficence (raḥmah) as if to leave a person to his own devices. The context does not support the claim made by some exegetes that it means punishment in the Hereafter.
قَالَ أَرَاغِبٌ أَنْتَ عَنْ آلِهَتِي يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ ۖ لَئِنْ لَمْ تَنْتَهِ لَأَرْجُمَنَّكَ وَاهْجُرْنِي مَلِيًّا ٤٦
(19:46) He said: Do you dislike (ʾa rāghibun ʾanta ʾan) my gods, O Abraham? If you do not desist (laʾin lam tantahī) I will certainly revile (la ʾarjumannaka) you, and leave me (wa-hjurnī) for a time (maliyyan).
According to Majmaʿ al-bayān, raghiba ʿan something means to dislike it and is the opposite of raghiba fī something which means to desire it. Intihāʾ means desisting from doing something after being told not to do it. Rajm means stoning and usually signifies stoning to death. Hajr means leaving and separation. Maliyy means a long period time. The verse relates a threat to Abraham to kill him in the most ignominious and humiliating way, that is, stoning, which is the method used to put to death those who have been cast out. It also refers to Azar’s casting Abraham out.
قَالَ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكَ ۖ سَأَسْتَغْفِرُ لَكَ رَبِّي ۖ إِنَّهُ كَانَ بِي حَفِيًّا ٤٧
(19:47) He said: Peace be on you, I will pray to my Lord to forgive you; surely He is ever affectionate (ḥafiyy) to me.
According to al-Raghib, ḥafiyy means one who is dutiful and kind, who attends to the tiniest needs of others with goodness and sees to [each need] one after the other. It conjugates as follows: (third person singular perfect) ḥafa; (third person singular present) yaḥfu; (gerund) ḥafyun or ḥafwa. Iḥfāʾ means asking, but iḥfāʾ fīhi means insistence with regard to something or applying oneself assiduously to something.
Abraham reciprocated his father’s bad behavior and threats that threatened his safety by invoking peace on him; this entails beneficence and giving assurance. He promised to pray to his Lord to forgive him, and to withdraw from his people and from what they called on instead of God, as per his father’s request to leave him alone for a long time.
Peace is the way of the noble-minded. He confronted his father’s ignorance—when he threatened to stone him and cast him out because of a true word which he had spoken. As He says: … and when they pass by what is vain, they pass by nobly (); … and when the ignorant address them, they say: Peace ().
Some exegetes have said that “peace” is a farewell, said upon leaving and departing, pursuant to his father’s saying: and leave me for a time. However, he withdrew from him and his people after a period of time which was not short.
As for his seeking forgiveness for his father, even though he was a polytheist, the apparent meaning of: O my father! surely I fear that a punishment from the Beneficent should afflict you so that you should be a friend of Satan is that he was not certain at that time that his father was a friend of Satan—that is, that polytheism was imprinted on his heart and that he stubbornly rejected the truth and was an enemy of God . If he had been certain, he would not have said something like, surely I fear. Rather, he thought that it was possible that he was ignorant and weak and that if the truth became clear to him he would follow it.
In fact, it is possible that divine mercy can apply to the likes of Abraham’s father as He says: Except the weak from among the men and the children who have not in their power the means nor can they find a way (to escape); So these, it may be, God will pardon them, and God is Pardoning, Forgiving ().
He sought to soften the heart of his father by promising to seek forgiveness for him. He did not claim that forgiveness was inevitable for him. Rather he showed hope of that as evidenced by, surely He is ever affectionate to me and … but not in what Abraham said to his father: I would certainly ask forgiveness for you, and I do not control for you aught from God … ()
This interpretation is supported by: It is not (fit) for the Prophet and those who believe that they should ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even though they should be near relatives, after it has become clear to them that they are inmates of the flaming fire. And Abraham asking forgiveness for his father was only owing to a promise which he had made to him; but when it became clear to him that he was an enemy of God, he declared himself to be clear of him; most surely Abraham was very tender-hearted forbearing ().
Abraham’s disassociating himself from him after his enmity became apparent is evidence of the fact that before that—at the time when he made the promise—he hoped that his father would not be an enemy of God even though he was a polytheist. That could apply to none other than someone who is ignorant but not one who is set on opposing the truth (muʿānid). This view is further supported by His words: O you who believe! do not take My enemy and your enemy for friends: would you offer them love … God does not forbid you respecting those who have not made war against you on account of (your) religion, and have not driven you forth from your homes, that you show them kindness and deal with them justly; surely God loves those who do justice ().
Claim: His praying for forgiveness for his father even though he was a polytheist was because he promised to pray for him and did so, as reason dictates. Reason does not deny the permissibility of doing so. It is only textual evidence that forbids it. It is not proven that it was unlawful under the religious law at that time. Then, when it was made unlawful, he disassociated himself from him.
Reply: This interpretation is incompatible with the verses of the Qur’anic story, as is obvious upon reflection on the above discussion
Claim: His praying for forgiveness for him was conditional upon his father’s repenting and becoming a believer.
Reply: The problem with this interpretation is obvious.
Claim: I will pray to my Lord to forgive you means: “I will pray to God not to punish you in this world”.
Reply: Like the above, this is a particularization of the meaning without evidence for it.
Claim: By promising to pray for the forgiveness of his father, he was necessarily also praying for the prerequisites to his father’s forgiveness. Since the prerequisite for forgiveness is repentance, he was therefore promising to pray for his forgiveness as well as his repentance. It is as if he said: “I will ask God to forgive you. I will ask Him to grant you the success to repent and guide you to become a believer so that He will forgive you”. Asking for forgiveness could be interpreted as a metonymy for asking for the success to repent and be guided to faith.
Reply: Even though this is the best of all the alternative explanations it is still far-fetched. The words in the verse hold an entreaty to soften the heart of his father and render him responsive to his call. For this end, it is more appropriate to petition for his forgiveness rather than to petition for his success and guidance. The reader should give this some careful thought.
His supplication for his father is similar to his supplication for the polytheists generally, as in: … and save me and my sons from worshiping idols: My Lord! surely they have led many men astray; then whoever follows me, he is surely of me, and whoever disobeys me, You surely are Forgiving, Merciful ().
وَأَعْتَزِلُكُمْ وَمَا تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَأَدْعُو رَبِّي عَسَىٰ أَلَّا أَكُونَ بِدُعَاءِ رَبِّي شَقِيًّا ٤٨
(19:48) And I will withdraw from you and what you call on besides God, and I will call upon my Lord; maybe I shall not remain unblessed in calling upon my Lord.
This is a promise [from Abraham] to withdraw from his people and keep his distance from them and from their idols, to be alone with his Lord and make his prayer to God, sincere in the hope that he will not be unblessed even after his continued prayers. The only reason he was hopeful, and not certain, about the outcome of his prayers and supplications was because these causes—prayer, devotion to God, and so on are not causes which make anything incumbent upon God. On the contrary, rewarding, making others happy, and so on are a favor from Him alone. Furthermore, ultimately all things are known by their final outcomes and no one but God knows the unseen. A believer always has to steer between fear and hope.
فَلَمَّا اعْتَزَلَهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَهَبْنَا لَهُ إِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ ۖ وَكُلًّا جَعَلْنَا نَبِيًّا ٤٩
(19:49) So when he withdrew from them and what they worshiped besides God, We gave to him Isaac and Jacob, and each one of them We made a Prophet.
The reason only Isaac is mentioned [among his two sons] may be that the intent is contingent upon mentioning Prophetic succession in the Israelite family tree. That is why Jacob is mentioned after Isaac—there are a large number of Prophets in his line. It is also supported by, … and each one of them We made a Prophet.
As for, And We granted to them of Our mercy (), it is possible that this means Imamate, as in: And We gave him Isaac and Jacob, a son’s son, and We made (them) all good. And We made them Imams who guided (people) by Our command … () or support by the Holy Spirit (rūḥ al-qudus) as in: … and We revealed to them the doing of good (), as will be presented in the exposition of Sūrah al-ʿAnbiyāʾ.
Alternatively, it could mean general divine guardianship (muṭlaq al-wilāyah al-ʾilāhiyyah).
وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُمْ مِنْ رَحْمَتِنَا وَجَعَلْنَا لَهُمْ لِسَانَ صِدْقٍ عَلِيًّا ٥٠
(19:50) And We granted to them of Our mercy, and We left (behind them) a truthful mention (lisān a ṣidqin) of eminence (ʿaliyyan) for them.
According to exegetes, the word lisān can mean either laudatory or disparaging mention among the people. When annexed to ṣidq which means truthfulness, it is beautiful praise devoid of lies. ʿAliyy means high in rank and quality, distinguished. Together it means: “We made for them beautiful, truthful and highly distinguished praise”.
The author later mentions that the person Abraham was addressing when he said, O my father!… was not his father but rather his uncle, maternal grandfather or stepfather whom his mother married after his father’s death. (Ed.) ↩︎