Surah Maryam 19:41-50 - Quran Translation Commentary

(19:48) And I renounce you all, and those that you call upon apart from Allah.⁵⁴ And I shall supplicate my Lord. Perhaps I shall not be, in my supplications to my Lord, unblessed.’⁵⁵

(19:49) Then, when he had abandoned them and what they worshipped apart from Allah, We bestowed on him Is-haq and Ya`qub,⁵⁶ and each We made a Prophet.⁵⁷

(19:50) And We bestowed of our mercy on them and granted them praise,⁵⁸ lofty.⁵⁹

Commentary

47. Majid gives us the definition of Siddiq: “Siddiq is the intensive form of saduq ‘the truthful,’ and implies an invariable habit of veracity and imperishable love of truth.

He was not simply a truthful man, but a man of truth, in the sense that he stayed true to his mission. In contrast, the Torah alleges that he was a liar (Au.).

48. Majid comments: “The religion of Ur was a polytheism of the grossest type. ‘Written texts preserve for us the names of about five thousand Sumerian gods, great and small’ (Woolley, Abraham, p. 192).”

49. Yusuf Ali has a nice point about why the epithet “the Most Merciful” has been placed here: “The rebellion is all the more heinous and inexcusable, considering that Allah is Most Just, Most Merciful, Most Gracious.”

50. The translation is literal. Otherwise, Suddi, Dahhak, Ibn Jurayj and others have said that what Ibrahim’s father meant to say is that he will stop talking to him (Ibn Jarir, Ibn Kathir).

51. The translation reflects both the literal meaning as well as the understanding of Mujahid, Hasan, Suddi and others. Ibn `Abbas however, as well as Dahhak and Qatadah understood the term “maliyy” as meaning, “in good shape” or, “unharmed.” That is to say, “Leave me alone O Ibrahim, with yourself in good shape, unharmed – before I take some action against you” (Ibn Jarir). This latter interpretation of Ibn `Abbas is preserved in Ibn Abi Hatim (Shawkani).

Many commentators have pointed out the difference in the tones of Ibrahim and his father. In Yusuf Ali’s words, “Note the gentle persuasive tone of Abraham in his speeches.. contrasted with the brusque and repellent tone of the father’s reply in this verse. The one was the outcome of the true Light which had come to Abraham from Allah, as the other was the outcome of Pagan ignorance and the worship of brute force.”

52. That was Ibrahim’s reply in response to his father’s threat, meaning, “Although you threaten to attack me, I leave you in peace, out of respect due to a father.” The statement also reflects the general behavior of the believers, who, when confronted by course men respond in words (28: 55),

وَإِذَا سَمِعُوا اللَّغْوَ أَعْرَضُوا عَنْهُ وَقَالُوا لَنَا أَعْمَالُنَا وَلَكُمْ أَعْمَالُكُمْ سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ لَا نَبْتَغِي الْجَاهِلِينَ [القصص : 55]

“When they hear useless talk, they withdraw from it and say, ‘To us our deeds and to you your deeds. Peace unto you. We seek not (the way of the) ignorant’” (Ibn Kathir).

But it is obvious, Qurtubi writes, that these were Ibrahim’s parting words. For, greeting an unbeliever with an Islamic greeting is not desirable. We have a hadith of the Prophet in the Sahihayn. He said,

لَا تَبْدَءُوا الْيَهُودَ وَلَا النَّصَارَى بِالسَّلَامِ فَإِذَا لَقِيتُمْ أَحَدَهُمْ فِي طَرِيقٍ فَاضْطَرُّوهُ إِلَى أَضْيَقِهِ

“Do not initiate Salam with the people of the Book. And when you meet one of them in a lane, push them to the constricted sides.” (But perhaps this applies to those fighting against Islam for), some of the Salaf used to initiate the greeting when they passed by the people of the Book. Ibn Mas`ud himself greeted someone who was traveling in a caravan in his company. `Alqamah reminded him, “O Abu `Abdul Rahman, is it not undesirable to initiate Islamic greeting?” He replied, “Yes. But a co-traveler has his own rights.” Abu Umamah would not pass by a Muslim or a Christian but say Salam to him. Awza`i was asked about a Muslim who passes by an unbeliever. Should he greet him? He answered, “If you greet them, then the righteous people greeted them before you. But if you did not, then the righteous people before did not do before you.”

53. (Following his promise, Ibrahim kept seeking his father’s forgiveness until it became clear that the man would not change). And so did the followers of the Prophet until the following Qur’anic statement prevented them. That is, until prevented, they supplicated for their pagan relations. The following verse in question is (9: 114):

وَمَا كَانَ اسْتِغْفَارُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ لِأَبِيهِ إِلَّا عَنْ مَوْعِدَةٍ وَعَدَهَا إِيَّاهُ فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ أَنَّهُ عَدُوٌّ لِلَّهِ تَبَرَّأَ مِنْهُ إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ لَأَوَّاهٌ حَلِيمٌ [التوبة : 114]

“Ibrahim’s invocation for his father was only because of a promise that he had made to him. But when it became clear that he was Allah’s enemy, he disassociated himself from him. Surely, Ibrahim was very invocative, clement” (Ibn Kathir).

54. Perhaps he was also announcing his departure from Chaldea (Iraq) to Syria and then to Palestine (Au.).

55. The addition of “perhaps” at the beginning was by way of humbleness and to impress that answering a supplication is not an obligation on Allah, rather, a measure of mercy (Alusi).

56. Alusi explains that since Isma`il has been separately mentioned in the Qur’an, ref. (37: 101),

فَبَشَّرْنَاهُ بِغُلَامٍ حَلِيمٍ [الصافات : 101]

“So We gave him the glad tiding of a clement son,” his mention has been left out although first born. Yusuf Ali further elaborates: “Isaac and Issac’s son Jacob are mentioned here as carrying on one line of Abraham’s traditions. The other line was carried by Isma`Il, who is mentioned independently five verses lower down, as his line got special honour in the Holy Prophet of Islam. That is why his mention comes after that of Moses. Cf. xxi. 72.”

In fact, whenever Isma`il and Is-haq have been mentioned together in the Qur’an in one verse, it is Isma`il who has been mentioned first, e.g., ref. 2: 136 and 4: 163.

57. The implication hidden is: righteous progeny is the reward of righteous living. And, greater the commitment, more significant the reward. When Ibrahim had completely abandoned false gods and devoted himself wholeheartedly to one God, without any reservation whatsoever, the reward followed was also of the highest kind possible (Au.).

58. Ibn Jarir and Zamakhshari quote poetical lines to demonstrate that lisana sidqin is used in Arabic to mean “good praise.”

59. That is, lofty praise on all tongues of the followers of great religions (Ibn Kathir).