Surah 14. Ibrahim

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Verses [Section]: 1-6[1], 7-12 [2], 13-21 [3], 22-27 [4], 28-34 [5], 35-41 [6], 42-52 [7]

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Quran Text of Verse 35-41وَ اِذْAnd whenقَالَsaidاِبْرٰهِیْمُIbrahimرَبِّMy Lord!اجْعَلْMakeهٰذَاthisالْبَلَدَcityاٰمِنًاsafeوَّ اجْنُبْنِیْand keep me awayوَ بَنِیَّand my sonsاَنْthatنَّعْبُدَwe worshipالْاَصْنَامَؕthe idols رَبِّMy Lord!اِنَّهُنَّIndeed theyاَضْلَلْنَhave led astrayكَثِیْرًاmanyمِّنَamongالنَّاسِ ۚthe mankindفَمَنْSo whoeverتَبِعَنِیْfollows meفَاِنَّهٗthen indeed heمِنِّیْ ۚ(is) of meوَ مَنْand whoeverعَصَانِیْdisobeys meفَاِنَّكَthen indeed Youغَفُوْرٌ(are) Oft-Forgivingرَّحِیْمٌ Most Merciful رَبَّنَاۤOur LordاِنِّیْۤIndeed, Iاَسْكَنْتُ[I] have settledمِنْ(some) ofذُرِّیَّتِیْmy offspringsبِوَادٍin a valleyغَیْرِnotذِیْwithزَرْعٍcultivationعِنْدَnearبَیْتِكَYour Sacred Houseالْمُحَرَّمِ ۙYour Sacred Houseرَبَّنَاour LordلِیُقِیْمُواThat they may establishالصَّلٰوةَthe prayersفَاجْعَلْSo makeاَفْىِٕدَةًheartsمِّنَofالنَّاسِthe menتَهْوِیْۤinclineاِلَیْهِمْtowards themوَ ارْزُقْهُمْand provide themمِّنَwithالثَّمَرٰتِthe fruitsلَعَلَّهُمْso that they mayیَشْكُرُوْنَ be grateful رَبَّنَاۤOur Lord!اِنَّكَIndeed YouتَعْلَمُYou knowمَاwhatنُخْفِیْwe concealوَ مَاand whatنُعْلِنُ ؕwe proclaimوَ مَاAnd notیَخْفٰی(is) hiddenعَلَیfromاللّٰهِAllahمِنْanyشَیْءٍthingفِیinالْاَرْضِthe earthوَ لَاand notفِیinالسَّمَآءِ the heaven اَلْحَمْدُAll the Praiseلِلّٰهِ(is) for Allahالَّذِیْthe One Whoوَهَبَhas grantedلِیْmeعَلَیinالْكِبَرِthe old ageاِسْمٰعِیْلَIsmailوَ اِسْحٰقَ ؕand IshaqاِنَّIndeedرَبِّیْmy Lordلَسَمِیْعُ(is) All-Hearerالدُّعَآءِ (of) the prayer رَبِّMy Lord!اجْعَلْنِیْMake meمُقِیْمَan establisherالصَّلٰوةِ(of) the prayerوَ مِنْand fromذُرِّیَّتِیْ ۖۗmy offspringsرَبَّنَاOur Lord!وَ تَقَبَّلْand acceptدُعَآءِ my prayer رَبَّنَاOur Lord!اغْفِرْForgiveلِیْmeوَ لِوَالِدَیَّand my parentsوَ لِلْمُؤْمِنِیْنَand the believersیَوْمَ(on) the Dayیَقُوْمُwill (be) establishedالْحِسَابُ۠the account

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Translation of Verse 35-41

(14:35) And call to mind when Abraham prayed:⁴⁶ "My Lord! Make this city⁴⁷ secure, and keep me and my sons away from worshipping the idols.

(14:36) My Lord! They have caused⁴⁸ many people to go astray. Now, if anyone follows my way, he is from me; and if anyone follows a way opposed to mine, then surely You are Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful."⁴⁹

(14:37) "Our Lord! I have made some of my offspring settle in a barren valley near Your Sacred House! Our Lord! I did so that they may establish Prayer. So make the hearts of people affectionately inclined to them, and provide them with fruits for their sustenance⁵⁰ that they may give thanks.

(14:38) Our Lord! Surely You know all that we conceal and all that we reveal,⁵¹ and nothing in the earth or in the heaven is hidden from Allah.⁵²

(14:39) All praise be to Allah Who, despite my old age, has given me Ishmael and Isaac. Surely my Lord hears all prayers.

(14:40) My Lord! Enable me and my offspring to establish Prayer, and do accept, our Lord, this prayer of mine.

(14:41) Our Lord! Forgive me and my parents and the believers on the Day when the reckoning will take place."⁵³

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Commentary

46. After mentioning God’s favors to all mankind, reference is made here to the favors which were specially bestowed on the Quraysh. The Quraysh are told that when their ancestor, Abraham (peace be on him), settled in Makka with the robust hope that his descendants would live in obedience to their Lord, God lavished a great variety of favors upon them in response to Abraham s prayer. But in return for all those favors, the Quraysh acted in brazen disregard of Abraham’s expectations of them, embraced erroneous doctrines, and engaged in every kind of misdeed.

47. Here reference is made to Makka.

48. These idols turned many people away from worshipping God and enticed them to worship idols. The statement, of course, is figurative. Since many people became victims of idolatry, the act of misleading people to it has been ascribed to. the idols.

49. This reflects the height of Abraham’s tenderness, his great compassion for mankind. Abraham was not prepared to see any person seized by God’s chastisement. Hence he prayed till the very last that God may forgive and be merciful to all. It was also because of his compassion that Abraham prayed that God may provide sustenance: ‘My Lord! Make this a place of security and provide such of its people who believe in Allah and the Last Day with fruits for sustenance’ (al-Baqarah 2: 126).

As to punishment in the Hereafter, Abraham’s compassion prompted him to refrain from asking God to punish those who follow ways opposed to his own.

Regarding them, he merely said: ‘You are Ever Forgiving, Most Merciful’ (verse 36). Abraham was full of compassion not only for his own children, but also for others. When the angels were on their way to obliterate the evil-doing people of Lot, Abraham is mentioned as engaging in a ‘dispute’ with God for the sake of that people (Hid 11: 74-5). The-same compassion and mercy also characterized another Prophet, Jesus (peace be on him). The Qur’an says that when in the Hereafter God will mention to Jesus the erroneous beliefs of Christians, he will submit: ‘If You chastise them, they are Your servants; and if You forgive them, You are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise’ (al:Ma’idah 5: 118).

50. In the past people from all over Arabia gravitated towards Makka for hajj and ‘umrah. After the acceptance of Abraham’s prayer, armies of people from every nook and cranny of the world were attracted to Makka. Also, thanks to Abraham’s prayer, every variety of sustenance — fruits, grains, etc. — reached that city. This was despite the fact that the land in and around Makka was too barren even to grow fodder for cattle.

51. The statement that God knows ‘all that we conceal and all that we reveal’ means that God heard all that Abraham was praying for. Moreover, God was also well aware of the feelings and emotions which were hidden in his heart which were not expressed verbally.

52. This parenthetical statement corroborates what Abraham had said, viz. that nothing is hidden from God.

53. Abraham included his father in this prayer for forgiveness on account of the promise the latter had made at the time of leaving his homeland: ‘I will pray to my Lord for your forgiveness’ (Maryam 19: 47). However, when he later realized that his father was God’s enemy, he recanted. (See al-Tawbah 9: 114)