Surah Al-Anbya 21:51-75 - Quran Translation Commentary

(21:56) He replied, ‘Rather, your Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth - He who originated them. And I am to you of those who bear witness.⁷¹

(21:57) And, by Allah, I will surely plan against your idols after you have turned and gone away.’⁷²

(21:58) So he rendered them to pieces,⁷³ except the largest among them,⁷⁴ that they may return to him.⁷⁵

(21:59) They exclaimed, ‘Who has done this to our gods? Surely, he is of the wrongdoers.’

(21:60) They said, ‘We heard a youth mention them (contemptuously). He is called Ibrahim.’

(21:61) They said, ‘Bring him before the people’s eyes so that they may bear witness.’⁷⁶

(21:62) They asked, ‘Are you the one who did this with our gods, O Ibrahim?’

(21:63) He replied, ‘Rather, it is this – the chief one - who did it.⁷⁷ Ask them if they can speak.’

(21:64) So they turned to themselves and said (to each other), ‘Surely, you are the ones who are in the wrong.’⁷⁸

(21:65) Then they were thrown into confusion.⁷⁹ (They said), ‘You know very well that these do not speak?!’

(21:66) He said, ‘Do you then worship other than Allah that which is neither of any profit to you nor of any harm?

(21:67) Fie upon you and upon what you worship other than Allah. Will you not use reason?’

(21:68) They said, ‘Burn him and protect your gods, if you are to act.’

(21:69) We said, ‘O fire! Be cool and safe for Ibrahim.’⁸⁰

(21:70) And they intended a (secret) plan against him. But We made them the greater losers.⁸¹

(21:71) We delivered him, and Lut,⁸² unto the land in which We have placed blessing for all beings.⁸³

(21:72) And We bestowed on him Is-haq and, in addition,⁸⁴ Ya`qub.⁸⁵ And We made all of them righteous.⁸⁶

(21:73) And We made them leaders⁸⁷ guiding by Our command. And We inspired to them doing of good deeds, proper performance of Prayer and giving of charity. And they were devoted to Us.⁸⁸

(21:74) And Lut: We gave him Judgment and knowledge, and We delivered him from the township that had been practicing abomination.⁸⁹ Truly, they were an evil people given to wickedness.

(21:75) And We admitted him into Our mercy. Surely, he was of the righteous.⁹⁰

Commentary

66. “Min-qabl” of the text has been understood by Mujahid, Qatadah and others as referring to Ibrahim’s youth. That is, he was given at a very young age. An alternative meaning is, “We gave Ibrahim his rectitude before Musa” (Tabari, Razi, Qurtubi and others).

Asad comments, “The possessive pronoun ‘his’ affixed to the noun rushd (which, in this context, has the meaning of ‘consciousness of what is right’) emphasizes the highly personal, intellectual quality of Abraham’s progressive realization of God’s almightiness and uniqueness (cf. 6: 74-79); while the expression min qabl – rendered by me as ‘long before [the time of Moses]’ – stresses, once again, the element of continuity in man’s religious insight and experience.”

67. That is, Allah knew Ibrahim’s (moral and spiritual) condition to declare him a Messenger and His Friend. In Mawdudi’s words: “(The words) signify that God’s favour was not arbitrary. He knew well what kind of man Abraham was and so He lavished His favours on him in consideration of that merit.”

68. Majid comments: “Images and idols are looked upon by the idolaters not only as visible symbols and representation of some higher beings but as tenements or veritable ‘bodies’ of their gods and fraught with divinity.”

Thanwi clears a misconception: “Sheikh Shaheed Dehlavi (perhaps Sheikh Isma`il: Au.) has cited this verse to criticize the practice or efforts at ‘Sheikh-imagery’ recommended by certain extreme-going Sufis. (It is to imagine, on the part of a novice, the presence of the Sheikh before himself; and in a few extreme cases, even during prayers: Au.). However, if that happens without volition, and is not cloven to, then it is similar to other passing thoughts that could be forgiven.”

69. In simple words Ibrahim pointed out to an error which pagans of all times fail to see: a practice does not become valid if previous generations adopted it, and, secondly, as Razi put it, the acceptance by a large number of people does not convert a false idea into a true one.

70. “Abraham looked at life with a serious eye, and his people took it light-heartedly. He was devoted to Truth, and they cared more for ancestral custom. In the conflict he seemed to be in their power. But he was fearless, and he triumphed by Allah’s Grace” (Yusuf Ali).

71. What he meant to say is that it was not an idle statement that he was making, but rather, he could offer sufficient proofs (Razi).

72. Qatadah said, “I believe Ibrahim said the words, ‘I will plan against your idols after you have turned and gone away,’ actually after they had turned and gone away.” Some reports suggest a keeper who had delayed departure heard the words from him (Ibn Jarir).

Yusuf Ali has another opinion: “He wants to convince them the powerlessness of their idols. But he does not do it underhand. He tells them that he is going to do something when once they are gone and their backs are turned to the idols, - as much as to say that the idols are dependent on their care and attention. Apparently the people are amused and want to see what he does. So they leave him to his own devices.

73. Before leaving for their religious festival outside the town, the pagans had left food items in the hands of the idols hoping to receive blessing by the time they returned. So Ibrahim said, sarcastically, as they left (37: 91), “Why do you not eat?” Then he added (37: 92), “What is the matter with you? Why do not you talk?” and (37: 93) “.. began to strike them with his right hand.” Done with them, he hung the axe by the neck of the chief idol (Ibn Jarir).

74. The words “kabirul lahum” has also the indication of “the most important among them” as Ibn `Abbas understood it (Ibn Jarir).

75. Tabari understands the pronoun in “ilay-hi” as alluding to Ibrahim meaning, “hopefully they would return to him and to his message.” Others however, such as Zamakhshari, Ibn Kathir and others see the possibility that the allusion is to the chief idol. That is, they might return to him and realize that idols have no power over anything.

Yusuf Ali again, “He was enacting a scene, to make the people ashamed of worshipping senseless stocks and stones. He left the biggest idol untouched and broke the others to pieces, as if a fight had taken place between the idols, and the biggest had smashed the others. Would they turn to the surviving idol and ask him how it all happened?”

76. Yusuf Ali provides the missing links that some people have difficulty inserting: “Different groups of people are speaking. Those who were not present at Abraham’s speech in verse 57 ask, ‘who has done this?’ Those who were, at once name him, whereupon a formal council of the people was held, and Abraham was arraigned.

(Although convinced of his crime) they did not wish to punish Ibrahim without due trial held in public (Ibn Jarir).

77. Yusuf Ali writes: “(This was happening in) a place – known as Ur of the Chaldees – on the lower reaches of the Euphrates, not a hundred miles from the Persian Gulf. This was the cradle, or one of the cradles of human civilization. Astronomy was studied here in very ancient times, and (along with idol-worship: Au.) the worship of the sun, moon and stars was the prevailing form of religion .. Nimrod’s capital was in Assyria, near Nineveh (near modern Mosul), we may suppose that either the king’s rule extended over the whole of Mesopotamia, or that Abraham wandered north through Babylonia to Assyria."

Ibn Jarir reports Ibn Is-haq’s explanation, “They presented Ibrahim to Nimrod the king of the land. The king sought confirmation that it was he who broke them. Ibrahim said that it was the biggest of them who did it. He (the chief idol) was angry that although it was the biggest, the little ones were still being worshipped. So he broke them (Ibn Jarir).

In Yusuf Ali’s words, “They asked him the formal question. There was no mystery about it. He had already openly threatened to do something to the idols, and people who had heard his threats were there. He now continues his ironic taunt to the idol-worshippers. ‘You ask me! Why don’t you ask the idols? Doesn’t it look as if this big fellow has smashed the smaller ones in quarrel?’ If they do not ask the idols, they confess that the idols have no intelligence enough to answer! This argument is developed in verse 64-##67. Note that while the false worshippers laughed at his earnestness, he pays them out by a grim joke, which at the same time advances the cause of Truth.”

The above stated, Ibn Jarir protests that those who do not like to accept the reports that have come down from the elders, hold that what Ibrahim meant is that if the idols were capable of speech, then the big one broke them. In other words, since the idols are not capable of speech, the big one did not break them. This they say because they think Ibrahim could not have spoken a lie. But the rationalists forget that this is in the same vein as the words of Yusuf’s caller who accused the caravan by saying, “O caravan! Indeed you are thieves” – although they were not. They also forget the hadith which says that Ibrahim did not lie but on three occasions, and all of them were for the sake of Allah. First, when he said, “Nay, it is this – the chief one - who did it,” second, when he said (37: 89), “Indeed I am unwell,” and third, about his wife to the ruler of a land that she was his sister.

The hadith of above reference, reported by Abu Hurayrah, is in the Sahihayn as well as Tirmidhi (Qurtubi).

But the Sahihayn version is slightly differently worded (Au.). The Prophet (saws) said,

لَمْ يَكْذِبْ إِبْرَاهِيمُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام إِلَّا ثَلَاثَ كَذَبَاتٍ ثِنْتَيْنِ مِنْهُنَّ فِي ذَاتِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ قَوْلُهُ {إِنِّي سَقِيمٌ} وَقَوْلُهُ {بَلْ فَعَلَهُ كَبِيرُهُمْ هَذَا} وَقَالَ بَيْنَا هُوَ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ وَسَارَةُ إِذْ أَتَى عَلَى جَبَّارٍ مِنْ الْجَبَابِرَةِ فَقِيلَ لَهُ إِنَّ هَا هُنَا رَجُلًا مَعَهُ امْرَأَةٌ مِنْ أَحْسَنِ النَّاسِ فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَيْهِ فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْهَا فَقَالَ مَنْ هَذِهِ قَالَ أُخْتِي فَأَتَى سَارَةَ قَالَ يَا سَارَةُ لَيْسَ عَلَى وَجْهِ الْأَرْضِ مُؤْمِنٌ غَيْرِي وَغَيْرَكِ وَإِنَّ هَذَا سَأَلَنِي فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ أَنَّكِ أُخْتِي فَلَا تُكَذِّبِينِي فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَيْهَا فَلَمَّا دَخَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ ذَهَبَ يَتَنَاوَلُهَا بِيَدِهِ فَأُخِذَ فَقَالَ ادْعِي اللَّهَ لِي وَلَا أَضُرُّكِ فَدَعَتْ اللَّهَ فَأُطْلِقَ ثُمَّ تَنَاوَلَهَا الثَّانِيَةَ فَأُخِذَ مِثْلَهَا أَوْ أَشَدَّ فَقَالَ ادْعِي اللَّهَ لِي وَلَا أَضُرُّكِ فَدَعَتْ فَأُطْلِقَ فَدَعَا بَعْضَ حَجَبَتِهِ فَقَالَ إِنَّكُمْ لَمْ تَأْتُونِي بِإِنْسَانٍ إِنَّمَا أَتَيْتُمُونِي بِشَيْطَانٍ فَأَخْدَمَهَا هَاجَرَ فَأَتَتْهُ وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ يُصَلِّي فَأَوْمَأَ بِيَدِهِ مَهْيَا قَالَتْ رَدَّ اللَّهُ كَيْدَ الْكَافِرِ أَوْ الْفَاجِرِ فِي نَحْرِهِ وَأَخْدَمَ هَاجَرَ قَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ تِلْكَ أُمُّكُمْ يَا بَنِي مَاءِ السَّمَاءِ

“Ibrahim did not lie but thrice. Twice of them about Allah, the Mighty, the Honorable. (First), when he said, ‘Indeed, I am unwell;’ (second), when he said, ‘Nay, it is this – the chief one - who did it.’ (Third), one day he and Sarah passed by a tyrant – one of a dynasty of tyrants. A man told him (the tyrant), ‘A man (has broken his journey in your land who) has an extremely beautiful woman in his company.’ So he sent to him (Ibrahim) and asked him about her as to who she is?’ He said, ‘My sister.’ He went to Sarah and told her, ‘O Sarah. There is no believer on the face of the earth except me and you. This man (the tyrant) asked me about you and I said that you are my sister. Therefore, do not lay the lie on me.

“He (the tyrant) sent for her. When she entered upon him, he desired after her and tried to take hold of her. But he was seized, strongly. He said, ‘Pray to Allah for me and I shall do you no harm.’ She prayed for him. He was released but again desired her and again tried to take hold of her. But he was again seized, strongly, or even more. He pleaded, ‘Pray to Allah and I will do you no harm.’ She prayed and he was released. He called in his attendant and told him, ‘You haven’t brought me a human. It’s a devil. Send her away. He gave her Hajar (as a gift).’

She came back to him (Ibrahim). He was in Prayers. He signaled with his hand – ‘what happened?’ She said, ‘Allah proved sufficient against the mischief of the unbelieving tyrant, and he gave me Hajar for services.’”

Abu Hurayrah said, ‘That was your mother O men of the heavenly waters’” (Ibn Kathir).

(Note: As pointed out by some scholars, the rule that the tyrants followed was that when one of them desired after a woman, and she was married, he killed her husband before seizing her: Au.).

Qadi Abu Bakr b. al-`Arabiyy has a point worthy of note. The Prophet said that Ibrahim did not lie but thrice and twice it was in Allah’s path. He did not count his statement about Sarah as a lie in Allah’s path, for, after all, it was for her and his own sake. A deed is truly in Allah’s path when it is not affected by any worldly consideration whatsoever. If it was we who had been involved, it could be referred to as being in the way of Allah. But, considering Ibrahim’s high position, for him, no (Qurtubi).

Among the commentators of old, Imam Razi does not accept the above report – even though in Bukhari and Muslim - as trustworthy since it attributes lies to a Prophet. He thinks it is easier to attribute a lie to the narrators rather than to a Prophet. One or two Qur’anic commentators of our times have followed suit. But others have pointed out that firstly, rejection of the hadith that speaks of Ibrahim’s lies, leads up to another dilemma. There is another report, which confirms its trustworthiness. It is found in all major works and is none other than the famous Hadith al-Shafa`ah which speaks of mankind going from one Prophet to another on the Day of Judgment seeking their intercession with Allah to start off the Reckoning. They will all refuse referring to one of their errors of the past life. Ibrahim will cite his lies as the reason why he would not be able to help. And this one is a mutawatir report. (Mutawatir is a report, which is narrated by so many that their consensus to lie could not have been achieved: Au.).

Incidentally, it is overlooked that rejecting the hadith is tantamount to rejecting the above Qur’anic verse, which states first of the three lies (Au.).

Secondly, the scholars say that the hadith concerning Ibrahim’s lies has not been understood properly. For although the hadith uses the word “lie” it does not state anything that we can ordinarily consider as lies. Can any of the three lies be treated as lies? Aren’t they of the allegorical nature? When Ibrahim said that the chief idol broke the rest, did he think they would buy that from him? Was he doing anymore than demonstrating the powerlessness of their hand-carved deities? When he said he was unwell, was he perfectly hale and hearty? Is not the word “saqeem” used for feelings of depression, distress, anxiety, and sadness as well? Or, when he said Sarah was his sister, was he absolutely wrong? Isn’t it reported that she was his cousin? Even today, don’t the people refer to an uncle’s daughter as “my sister,” adding up “a cousin” only when asked if she is a real sister?

What then is the meaning of the term “lies” as used in the hadith? Well, we must once again recall that great men enjoy high status with Allah. And high status demands moral rectitude of an extremely high order. A minor error coming from such men is major in the sight of Allah. Hasn’t Allah reproached our own Prophet in very strong terms for his minor errors? (This writer felt amused when – in a different context - a Hindu began to actually defend our Prophet over his attitude with Ibn Umm Maktum. That is, he thought the error was too minor for rebuke). [Hasn’t Adam’s minor error been referred to as “`Asa” and “Ghawa” in the Qur’an: Shafi`]? In short, although the three statements of Prophet Ibrahim were no lies at all, the term was used because of the status he held following the rule:

حسنات الأبرار سيئات المقربين

“Good deeds of the pious are evil deeds of those brought nigh (Au.).

Finally, warns Shafi’, it is worthwhile reminding that although Allah or his Messenger used strong terms against Prophets, such as, in this instance, “kadhib” (lies), Muslims are not allowed to use similar terms when referring to the Prophets of Allah. They might directly quote a Qur’anic verse or hadith but never attribute any such thing to them himself.

78. Yusuf Ali comments: “Abraham’s biting irony cut them to the quick. What could they say? They turned to each other. Some among them thought he had the best of the argument. They were not keen on idolatry, and they told their fellows that it was useless arguing with Abraham. They all hung their heads in shame. But presently they thought they would face out Abraham, and take his words literally. They said, ‘You know quite well that idols do not speak!’ This was precisely what Abraham wanted them to say, and he delivered his first blow!”

79. The translation of “nukisu `ala ru’usihim” expresses the understanding of the Salaf. Nakasa implies ‘to turn around,’ ‘turn upside down,’ etc. Of course, it was not they who had turned upside down, but instead, it was their argument that was turned upside down by Ibrahim, to which in truth is the allusion here. In Yusuf Ali’s words, it denotes their “mental somersault.”

Another possible meaning is, “Then they reverted to their folly and belligerent ways of old" (Qurtubi).

80. The story goes that they dug a huge pit and filled it with fire. The fire was so intense that a bird flying over would fall dead. It is said that it was lit for several weeks. Of the animals it was only chameleon that was blowing at the fire to intensify it. Hence the Prophet has asked us to kill it. (The report about the chameleon is in Ahmad, Ibn Hibban and Ibn Majah, declared Sahih by Albani: S. Ibrahim). Then Ibrahim was hoisted on a tall structure. (The Qur’an said, “They said, ‘Build for him a building and then throw him into the blazing fire’”: Alusi). Thereafter he was hurled in with the help of a catapult.

كَانَ آخِرَ قَوْلِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حِينَ أُلْقِيَ فِي النَّارِ حَسْبِيَ اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ

Ibrahim’s last words before he was hurled into the Fire were, “Enough for me Allah, an excellent Trustee”. When he was hurled in, it was said,

يَا نَارُ كُونِي بَرْدًا وَسَلَامًا عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ [الأنبياء : 69]

“O fire. Be cool and safe for Ibrahim.” If the words, “safe for Ibrahim” were not added, the fire would have frozen him. He came out unhurt. He was then sixteen. (Al-Mawardi has said that he was twenty-six: Qurtubi).

It is reported that he stayed in the fire for several days or weeks. When they found that Ibrahim was safe in the pit, one of the men claimed that it was he who had overpowered the fire with his magic. So they threw him in to test his claim. He was reduced to ashes (Ibn Jarir, Kashshaf, Alusi).

The report about Ibrahim saying My Trustee is Allah, and excellent Trustee He is, is in Bukhari (Ibn Kathir).

As to the doubt concerning how Ibrahim could escape unhurt, Zamakhshari answers that one probability is that his skin was turned fireproof, like the skins of the Keepers of Hellfire.

Alusi adds that except for what is reported in the hadith, most other parts of the story as mentioned above come through the Salaf. Only that can be fully trusted which happens to be in the Qur’an or hadith. He also deals with the juggling of the con-sufis. He writes, As regards the feats performed by the followers of Sheikh Rifa`i, it must be noted that they are not preformed by the true followers of the Sheikh - such of them as who adhere to the Qur’an and the Sunnah. But rather, by those who are closer to kufr than Islam because of their corrupt lives. “I have seen,” writes Alusi, “one of them enter into fire, sit there coolly sipping wine, and emerge unscratched.” Apparently, these are magical feats or what is known as Istidraj. Sheikh Rif a`i himself, or his true followers never entered into fires, nor played with snakes, nor rode upon ferocious beasts.

81. Probably Ibrahim did not leave the town immediately and so some other methods of getting rid of him were devised but which failed. In Yusuf ‘Ali’s words, “As they could not get rid of him by open punishment, they tried secret plans, but were foiled throughout. It was not he that lost, but they. On the contrary he left them and prospered and became the progenitor of great peoples.”

82. Lut (asws) was his nephew. The two, along with Ibrahim’s wife Sarah left Iraq for Syria.

83. There are a few varying minor opinions about the identity of the region, but most scholars such as `Ubayy b. Ka`b, Qatadah, Hasan and others have said that the allusion is to Syria (which, in its widest connotation includes present day Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon, a region which has been, as Yusuf Ali put it, “a bone of contention between all the great kingdoms and empires (Au.).

Qatadah has a rather intriguing remark about the area: “Syria is known as the pillar (`amud) of emigration. The earth is not reduced from any part of the world but is added to Syria, and no part is reduced from Syria but is added to Palestine. Syria is also the place where people will be gathered, the place where Resurrection will take place, where `Isa ibn Maryam will descend, and where Dajjal will be destroyed. The Prophet has said,

رَأَيْتُ عَمُودَ الْكِتَابِ انْتُزِعَ مِنْ تَحْتِ وِسَادَتِي، فَأَتْبَعْتُهُ بَصَرِي، فَإِذَا هُوَ نُورٌ سَاطِعٌ حَتَّى ظَنَنْتُ أَنَّهُ قَدْ هَوَى بِهِ، فَعُمِدَ بِهِ إِلَى الشَّامِ، وَإِنِّي أَوَّلْتُ أَنَّ الْفِتَنَ إِذَا وَقَعَتْ أَنَّ الإِيمَانَ بِالشَّامِ

“I saw in a dream that the mainstay (`amud) of the Book was being withdrawn from underneath my pillow. I followed it with my eyes, and lo, it was a bright Light; until I thought it might be taken away. It was planted in Syria. I interpret it as meaning that faith (iman) will be in Syria at the time tribulations descend.”

The report is in Ahmad and others, treated Sahih by Shu`ayb al-Arna’ut (Au.).

Accordingly, when ‘Umar wrote to Ka`b, “O Ka`b, why should you not come and live in Madinah? It is the place to which the Prophet migrated, and where his grave lies?” Ka`b replied, “O leader of the faithful. I read in the Book that Syria is Allah’s treasure on earth and His slaves are treasured here” (Ibn Jarir).

According to another report, in Tirmidhi, the Prophet said,

طُوبَى لِلشَّامِ قِيلَ وَلِمَ ذَلِكَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ قَالَ إِنَّ مَلَائِكَةَ الرَّحْمَنِ بَاسِطَةٌ أَجْنِحَتَهَا عَلَيْهَا

“Blessedness is for the people of Syria.” We asked, “Why is that O Messenger of Allah?” He replied, “Because the angels of the Most Merciful have spread their wings over it” (Alusi).

The tradition is in Musnad Ahmad and other collections, declared trustworthy (Au.).

84. Scholars such as Mujahid, `Ata’ and others have understood the term “nafilah” as “bestowal” (Ibn Jarir). And since Isma`il is not mentioned here, there are stray opinions that perhaps it was Is-haq who was sacrificed by Ibrahim.

But Yusuf Ali has a good explanation why Isma`il’s mention was left out. He writes: “Nafilat has many meanings: (1) booty; (2) extra work or prayer; (3) extra or additional gift; (4) grandson. The two last significations are implied here. Not only was Abraham given a son in his old age .. but several sons, the chief being Isma`il and Isaac, who both joined in burying him (Gen. xxv. 9); and he also saw grandsons. Isma`il is specially mentioned later (xxi. 85) apart from Isaac’s line, on account of his special importance for Islam.”

In any case, that Isma`il was first-born can be substantiated from the Qur’an itself. It said in (37: 102-112),

فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ السَّعْيَ قَالَ يَا بُنَيَّ إِنِّي أَرَى فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنِّي أَذْبَحُكَ فَانْظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَى قَالَ يَا أَبَتِ افْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ سَتَجِدُنِي إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّابِرِينَ (102) فَلَمَّا أَسْلَمَا وَتَلَّهُ لِلْجَبِينِ (103) وَنَادَيْنَاهُ أَنْ يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ (104) قَدْ صَدَّقْتَ الرُّؤْيَا إِنَّا كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ (105) إِنَّ هَذَا لَهُوَ الْبَلَاءُ الْمُبِينُ (106) وَفَدَيْنَاهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍ (107) وَتَرَكْنَا عَلَيْهِ فِي الْآخِرِينَ (108) سَلَامٌ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ (109) كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ (110) إِنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (111) وَبَشَّرْنَاهُ بِإِسْحَاقَ نَبِيًّا مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ [الصافات : 101 - 112]

“Then, when he was of age of exertion with him, he said, ‘O my little son! I see indeed, in my sleep that I am slaughtering you. So consider, what is your view!’ He said, ‘O my father! Do as you are ordered. You shall find me, Allah willing, of the steadfast.’ So, when the two had submitted, and he had laid him down on his forehead, We called out to him, ‘O Ibrahim ,you have fulfilled the (purpose of the) vision. Thus indeed We reward those who do well. Surely, this indeed was a clear test.’ And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice; and left for him (a good word) among the later folk. Peace upon Ibrahim. Thus indeed We reward those who do things well. He was surely (one) of Our believing slaves. And We gave him the glad tiding of Is-haq: a Prophet, one of the righteous.”

Thus, Is-haq was not yet born until time of the sacrifice. Further, the Qur’an never mentioned the two together, but mentioned first Isma`il and then Is-haq. For example, 2: 136, 3: 84, 4: 163 and 14: 39 (Au.).

85. It is said that Ibrahim asked for a single righteous descendant when he prayed in words (37: 100), “O my Lord! Grant me of the righteous” but he was granted two: One his son Is-haq and second his grandson Ya`qub (Ibn Jarir).

86. This reminder was necessary in view of the extremely grave charges of immorality brought against these Prophets by the Israeli holy literature (Au.).

87. Majid comments: “i.e., exemplars; objects of imitation to the people. So these prophets of God were, the Qur’an expressly and repeatedly affirms, models of religion and piety, and pre-eminently virtuous and holy, not mere diviners or interpreters of the Law to their people.”

88. Compare the contrasting conditions of the two, the Prophets and their people. The former were “devoted to Our worship” while the latter “given to abominations” (Au.).

89. Sodomy was of course the great abomination. What were others? We have a hadith in Alusi listing others. It comes down through Hasan as the first narrator. But the credentials of the narrative could not be traced and therefore, we have dropped them (Au.).

90. “This clear, powerful vindication of Lot’s saintly character was all the more needed to contradict and repudiate the most atrocious charge – of incest – brought against him in the Bible. (Gen. 19: 30-38) The rabbis, not to be outdone by the Bible, maintained that ‘he was given over to lust; therefore he chose Sodom as his residence’ (JE. VIII, p. 186).”

Mawdudi demonstrates the discrepancies between the Qur’anic account and those in the Biblical sources: “According to the Qur’an, Abraham’s idolatrous father played a leading role in the perpetration of wrongs and excesses against Abraham. The Bible, however, refers to Abraham’s father as among those who migrated to Haran along with his sons, grandsons and daughters-in-law (Genesis 11: 27-32)..

“The Talmud, however, contains most of the details mentioned in the Qur’an regarding Abraham’s conduct during his Mesopotamia days. When one compares the Qur’anic and Talmudic versions, however, one notes a distinct difference in their thrust. The Talmudic account of Abraham is conspicuously incoherent and full of incredible incidents. In sharp contrast, the Qur’an presents the important details of Abraham’s life, creating the image of a person whose life is far from all those absurdities that might disfigure his personality. For illustrative purpose only, the gist of Talmudic version of Abraham’s life is given below. This will also serve to show how wrong it is to believe that the Qur’an is derived from either Christian or Judaic sources. The Talmudic version is as follows:

‘The wise men saw a large star in the sky on the night Abraham was born and they advised Nimrod to kill the child born in the house of Therach. The king decided to kill the child but Therach hid his child and had the child of one of his servant’s son killed instead. Therach thereupon hid his wife and child in a cave where they lived for ten years. In the 11th year Abraham was taken by Therach to Noah where he lived under the guidance of Noah and his Shem for thirty-nine years. During these years Abraham married his niece, Sarah, who was 42 years his younger.

‘Abraham left Noah after the age of 50 and returned to his father. There he found that his father was an idolater and had twelve idols in the house representing the twelve months of the year. He tried to preach to his father against idolatry but when the latter did not listen to him, Abraham then broke all the idols in the house. Seeing this Therach went straight to Nimrod and advised him that this was the son who the wise men had advised Nimrod to kill on the day of his birth. Therach said that the babies had been switched at Haran’s instigation. (Haran being Abraham’s brother.) Nimrod accordingly let Therach go but threw Haran into the fire along with Abraham. Haran was consumed by it, but Abraham walked through the flames unscathed. When Nimrod witnessed this with his own eyes, he cried out, “Servant of the God of Heaven, come forth from the fire and stand before me. Thereupon Abraham walked out of the fire and furnace and stood before the king who bowed before Abraham making him a gift of many valuable objects.

‘Thereafter, Abraham stayed in Iraq for another two years. Meanwhile, Nimrod had a dreadful dream which the astrologers said came through Abraham and that he should, therefore, put Abraham to death. Although Nimrod sent people to kill Abraham, but Abraham came to know of the plot before-hand through Eleazer, a slave presented to him by Nimrod himself. Abraham accordingly fled and took refuge with Noah where Therach also met him secretly on a number of occasions. At last both father and son decided to leave the country and Noah and his son Shem also approved of their plan. Accordingly, Therach, along with his son Abraham and his grandson Lot and his granddaughter and Abraham’s wife Sarah left and went to Haran (The Talmudic Selections, pp. 30-42).”