Tafsir Surah Ash-Shu'ara' ayah 88

How the Close Friend of Allah, Ibrahim spoke out against Shirk

Allah commanded His Messenger to:

وَاتۡلُ عَلَيۡهِمۡ نَبَأَ إِبۡرَاهِيمَ

And recite to them the story of Ibrahim.

Here Allah tells us about His servant, Messenger and Close Friend, Ibrahim, upon him be peace, the leader of the pure monotheists.

Allah commanded His Messenger Muhammad to recite this story to his Ummah so that they could follow this example of sincerity towards Allah, putting one's trust in Him, worshipping Him Alone with no partner or associate, and renouncing Shirk and its people.

Allah granted guidance to Ibrahim before, i.e., from a very early age he had denounced his people's practice of worshipping idols with Allah, may He be exalted.

Allah tells:

إِذۡ قَالَ لاَِبِيهِ وَقَوۡمِهِ مَا تَعۡبُدُونَ

When he said to his father and his people:What do you worship!

meaning:what are these statues to which you are so devoted!

قَالُوا نَعۡبُدُ أَصۡنَامًا فَنَظَلُّ لَهَا عَاكِفِينَ

They said:We worship idols, and to them we are ever devoted.

meaning:we are devoted to worshipping them and praying to them.

قَالَ هَلۡ يَسۡمَعُونَكُمۡ إِذۡ تَدۡعُونَ

أَوۡ يَنفَعُونَكُمۡ أَوۡ يَضُرُّونَ

قَالُوا بَلۡ وَجَدۡنَا ابَاءنَا كَذَلِكَ يَفۡعَلُونَ

He said:Do they hear you when you call Or do they benefit you or do they cause harm!

They said:(Nay) but we found our fathers doing so.

They knew that their idols could not do anything, but they had seen their fathers doing this, so they made haste to follow in their footsteps.

So Ibrahim said to them:

قَالَ أَفَرَأَيۡتُم مَّا كُنتُمۡ تَعۡبُدُونَ

أَنتُمۡ وَابَاوُكُمُ الاَۡقۡدَمُونَ

فَإِنَّهُمۡ عَدُوٌّ لِّي إِلاَّ رَبَّ الۡعَالَمِينَ

He said:Do you observe that which you have been worshipping --you and your ancient fathers Verily, they are enemies to me, save the Lord of Al-`Alamin.

meaning, `if these idols mean anything and have any influence, then let them do me any kind of harm, for I am an enemy to them and I do not care about them or think anything of them.'

This is akin to the way Allah described Nuh:

فَأَجۡمِعُواۡ أَمۡرَكُمۡ وَشُرَكَأءَكُمۡ

So devise your plot, you and your partners. (10:71)

And Hud, upon him be peace, said:

إِن نَّقُولُ إِلاَّ اعۡتَرَاكَ بَعۡضُ ءَالِهَتِنَا بِسُوءٍ قَالَ إِنِّى أُشۡهِدُ اللَّهِ وَاشۡهَدُواۡ أَنِّى بَرِىءٌ مِّمَّا تُشۡرِكُونَ

مِن دُونِهِ فَكِيدُونِى جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ لَا تُنظِرُونِ

إِنِّى تَوَكَّلۡتُ عَلَى اللَّهِ رَبِّى وَرَبِّكُمۡ مَّا مِن دَابَّةٍ إِلاَّ هُوَ ءاخِذٌ بِنَاصِيَتِهَأ إِنَّ رَبِّى عَلَى صِرَطٍ مُّسۡتَقِيمٍ

I call Allah to witness and bear you witness that I am free from that which you ascribe as partners in worship. So plot against me, all of you, and give me no respite. I put my trust in Allah, my Lord and your Lord! There is not a moving creature but He has the grasp of its forelock. Verily, my Lord is on the straight path. (11:54-56)

Similarly, Ibrahim denounced their gods and idols and said:

وَكَيۡفَ أَخَافُ مَأ أَشۡرَكۡتُمۡ وَلَا تَخَافُونَ أَنَّكُمۡ أَشۡرَكۡتُم بِاللَّهِ

And how should I fear those whom you associate in worship with Allah, while you fear not that you have joined in worship with Allah. (6:81)

And Allah said:

قَدۡ كَانَتۡ لَكُمۡ أُسۡوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ فِي إِبۡرَاهِيمَ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ

إِذۡ قَالُوا لِقَوۡمِهِمۡ إِنَّا بُرَاء مِنكُمۡ وَمِمَّا تَعۡبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ

كَفَرۡنَا بِكُمۡ وَبَدَا بَيۡنَنَا وَبَيۡنَكُمُ الۡعَدَاوَةُ وَالۡبَغۡضَاء أَبَدًا حَتَّى تُوۡمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَحۡدَهُ

Indeed there has been an excellent example for you in Ibrahim and those with him, when they said to their people:

وَإِذۡ قَالَ إِبۡرَهِيمُ لاًّبِيهِ وَقَوۡمِهِ إِنَّنِى بَرَاءٌ مِّمَّا تَعۡبُدُونَ

إِلاَّ الَّذِى فَطَرَنِى فَإِنَّهُ سَيَهۡدِينِ

وَجَعَلَهَا كَلِمَةً بَـقِيَةً فِى عَقِبِهِ لَعَلَّهُمۡ يَرۡجِعُونَ

And (remember) when Ibrahim said to his father and his people:Verily, I am innocent of what you worship, except Him Who created me; and verily, He will guide me.

And he made it a Word lasting among his offspring, that they may turn back. (43:26-28)

meaning:La Ilaha Illallah.

Ibrahim mentions Allah's Kindness towards Him

Ibrahim said, I will not worship any but the One Who does these things:

الَّذِي خَلَقَنِي فَهُوَ يَهۡدِينِ

Who has created me, and it is He Who guides me.

He is the Creator Who has decreed certain things to which He guides His creation, so each person follows the path which is decreed for him.

Allah is the One Who guides whomsoever He wills and leaves astray whomsoever He wills.

وَالَّذِي هُوَ يُطۡعِمُنِي وَيَسۡقِينِ

And it is He Who feeds me and gives me to drink.

He is my Creator Who provides for me from that which He has made available in the heavens and on earth.

He drives the clouds and causes water to fall with which He revives the earth and brings forth its fruits as provision for mankind. He sends down the water fresh and sweet so that many of those whom He has created, animals and men alike, may drink from it.

وَإِذَا مَرِضۡتُ فَهُوَ يَشۡفِينِ

And when I am ill, it is He Who cures me.

Here he attributed sickness to himself, even though it is Allah Who decrees it, out of respect towards Allah.

By the same token, Allah commands us to say in the prayer,

اهۡدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الۡمُسۡتَقِيمَ

(Guide us to the straight way) (1:6) to the end of the Surah.

Grace and guidance are attributed to Allah, may He be exalted, but the subject of the verb with reference to anger is omitted, and going astray is attributed to the people.

This is like when the Jinn said:

وَأَنَّا لَا نَدۡرِى أَشَرٌّ أُرِيدَ بِمَن فِى الاٌّرۡضِ أَمۡ أَرَادَ بِهِمۡ رَبُّهُمۡ رَشَداً

And we know not whether evil is intended for those on earth, or whether their Lord intends for them a right path. (72:10)

Similarly, Ibrahim said:

وَإِذَا مَرِضۡتُ فَهُوَ يَشۡفِينِ

(And when I am ill, it is He Who cures me).

meaning, `when I fall sick, no one is able to heal me but Him, Who heals me with the means that may lead to recovery'.

وَالَّذِي يُمِيتُنِي ثُمَّ يُحۡيِينِ

And Who will cause me to die, and then will bring me to life.

He is the One Who gives life and causes death, and no one besides Him is able to do that, for He is the One Who originates and repeats.

وَالَّذِي أَطۡمَعُ أَن يَغۡفِرَ لِي خَطِييَتِي يَوۡمَ الدِّينِ

And Who, I hope, will forgive me my faults on the Day of Recompense.

means, no one is able to forgive sins in this world or the Hereafter except Him. Who can forgive sins except Allah! For He is the One Who does whatever He wills

The Prayer of Ibrahim for Himself and for His Father

Allah tells about the prayer of Ibrahim:

رَبِّ هَبۡ لِي حُكۡمًا

My Lord! Bestow Hukm on me,

Here Ibrahim, upon him be peace, asks his Lord to give him Hukm.

Ibn Abbas said,

This is knowledge.

وَأَلۡحِقۡنِي بِالصَّالِحِينَ

and join me with the righteous.

means, `make me one of the righteous in this world and the Hereafter.'

This is like the words the Prophet said three times when he was dying:

اللَّهُمَّ فِي الرَّفِيقِ الاَۡعۡلَى

O Allah, with the Exalted Companion (of Paradise).

وَاجۡعَل لِّي لِسَانَ صِدۡقٍ فِي الاۡاخِرِينَ

And grant me an honorable mention in later generations.

meaning, `cause me to be remembered in a good manner after my death, so that I will be spoken of and taken as a good example.'

This is like the Ayah,

وَتَرَكۡنَا عَلَيۡهِ فِى الاٌّخِرِينَ

سَلَـمٌ عَلَى إِبۡرَهِيمَ

كَذَلِكَ نَجۡزِى الۡمُحۡسِنِينَ

And We left for him (a goodly remembrance) among the later generations:

Salam (peace) be upon Ibrahim. Thus indeed do we reward the good doers. (37:108-110)

وَاجۡعَلۡنِي مِن وَرَثَةِ جَنَّةِ النَّعِيمِ

And make me one of the inheritors of the Paradise of Delight.

meaning, `bless me in this world with honorable mention after I am gone, and in the Hereafter by making me one of the inheritors of the Paradise of Delight.'

وَاغۡفِرۡ لاِاَبِي

And forgive my father,

This is like the Ayah,

رَبَّنَا اغۡفِرۡ لِى وَلِوَالِدَىَّ

My Lord! Forgive me, and my parents. (71:28)

إِنَّهُ كَانَ مِنَ الضَّالِّينَ

verily, he is of the erring.

But this is something which Ibrahim, peace be upon him, later stopped doing, as Allah says:

وَمَا كَانَ اسۡتِغۡفَارُ إِبۡرَاهِيمَ لاَِبِيهِ إِلاَّ عَن مَّوۡعِدَةٍ وَعَدَهَا إِيَّاهُ فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ أَنَّهُ عَدُوٌّ لِلّهِ تَبَرَّأَ مِنۡهُ إِنَّ إِبۡرَاهِيمَ لاوَّاهٌ حَلِيمٌ

And Ibrahim's invoking (of Allah) for his father's forgiveness was only because of a promise he ﴿Ibrahim﴾ had made to him (his father). But when it became clear to him ﴿Ibrahim﴾ that he (his father) is an enemy of Allah, he dissociated himself from him. Verily, Ibrahim was Awwah and forbearing. (9:114)

Allah stopped Ibrahim from asking for forgiveness for his father, as He says:

قَدۡ كَانَتۡ لَكُمۡ أُسۡوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ فِي إِبۡرَاهِيمَ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ

إِذۡ قَالُوا لِقَوۡمِهِمۡ إِنَّا بُرَاء مِنكُمۡ وَمِمَّا تَعۡبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ

إِلاَّ قَوۡلَ إِبۡرَاهِيمَ لاَِبِيهِ لَاَسۡتَغۡفِرَنَّ لَكَ

وَمَا أَمۡلِكُ لَكَ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِن شَيۡءٍ

Indeed there has been an excellent example for you in Ibrahim and those with him, when they said to their people:

Verily, we are free from you and whatever you worship besides Allah, we have rejected you, and there has started between us and you, hostility and hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone, -- except the saying of Ibrahim to his father:Verily, I will ask forgiveness for you, but I have no power to do anything for you before Allah. (60:4)

وَلَا تُخۡزِنِي يَوۡمَ يُبۡعَثُونَ

And disgrace me not on the Day when they will be resurrected.

means, `protect me from shame on the Day of Resurrection and the Day when all creatures, the first and the last, will be raised.'

Al-Bukhari recorded that Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, said that the Prophet said:

إِنَّ إِبۡرَاهِيمَ رَأَى أَبَاهُ يَوۡمَ الۡقِيَامَةِ عَلَيۡهِ الۡغَبَرَةُ وَالۡقَتَرَة

Ibrahim will see his father on the Day of Resurrection, covered with dust and darkness.

According to another narration, also from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet said:

يَلۡقَى إِبۡرَاهِيمُ أَبَاهُ فَيَقُولُ يَا رَبِّ إِنَّكَ وَعَدۡتَنِي أَنَّكَ لَا تُخۡزِينِي يَوۡمَ يُبۡعَثُونَ

فَيَقُولُ اللهُ تَعَالَى إِنِّي حَرَّمۡتُ الۡجَنَّةَ عَلَى الۡكَافِرين

Ibrahim will meet his father and will say:O Lord, You promised me that You would not disgrace me on the Day when all creatures are resurrected.

And Allah will say to him:I have forbidden Paradise to the disbelievers.

He also recorded this in the Hadiths about the Prophets, upon them be peace, where the wording is:

يَلۡقَى إِبۡرَاهِيمُ أَبَاهُ ازَرَ يَوۡمَ الۡقِيَامَةِ وَعَلَى وَجۡهِ ازَرَ قَتَرَةٌ وَغَبَرَةٌ فَيَقُولُ لَهُ إِبۡرَاهِيمُ أَلَمۡ أَقُلۡ لَكَ لَا تَعۡصِينِي

فَيَقُولُ أَبُوهُ فَالۡيَوۡمَ لَا أَعۡصِيكَ

فَيَقُولُ إِبۡرَاهِيمُ يَا رَبِّ إِنَّكَ وَعَدۡتَنِي أَنۡ لَا تُخۡزِيَنِي يَوۡمَ يُبۡعَثُونَ فَأَيُّ خِزۡيٍ أَخۡزَى مِنۡ أَبِي الاَۡبۡعَدِ

فَيَقُولُ اللهُ تَعَالَى إِنِّي حَرَّمۡتُ الۡجَنَّةَ عَلَى الۡكَافِرِينَ

ثُمَّ يُقَالُ يَا إِبۡرَاهِيمُ انۡظُرۡ تَحۡتَ رِجۡلِكَ

فَيَنۡظُرَ فَإِذَا هُوَ بِذِيخٍ مُتَلَطِّخٍ فَيُوۡخَذُ بِقَوَايِمِهِ فَيُلۡقَى فِي النَّار

Ibrahim will meet his father Azar on the Day of Resurrection, and there will be dust and darkness on Azar's face. Ibrahim will say to him, Did I not tell you not to disobey me!

His father will say to him:Today I will not disobey you.

Ibrahim will say:O Lord, You promised me that You would not disgrace me on the Day when they are resurrected, but what disgrace can be greater than seeing my father in this state!

Allah will say to him:I have forbidden Paradise to the disbelievers.

Then it will be said:O Ibrahim! Look beneath your feet.

So he will look and there he will see (that his father was changed into) a male hyena covered in dung, which will be caught by the legs and thrown in the Fire.

This was also recorded by Abu Abdur-Rahman An-Nasa'i in the Tafsir of his Sunan Al-Kubra.

يَوۡمَ لَا يَنفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ

The Day whereon neither wealth nor sons will avail,

means, a man's wealth will not protect him from the punishment of Allah, even if he were to pay a ransom equivalent to an earth full of gold.

وَلَا بَنُونَ

(nor sons),

means, `or if you were to pay a ransom of all the people on earth.'

On that Day nothing will be of any avail except faith in Allah and sincere devotion to Him, and renunciation of Shirk and its people.

Allah says:

إِلاَّ مَنۡ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلۡبٍ سَلِيمٍ

Except him who brings to Allah a clean heart.

meaning, free from any impurity or Shirk.

Ibn Sirin said,

The clean heart knows that Allah is true, that the Hour will undoubtedly come and that Allah will resurrect those who are in the graves.

Sa`id bin Al-Musayyib said,

The clean heart is the sound heart.

This is the heart of the believer, for the heart of the disbeliever and the hypocrite is sick. Allah says:

فِى قُلُوبِهِمۡ

مَّرَضٌ

(In their hearts is a disease). (2:10)

Abu Uthman An-Nisaburi said,

It is the heart that is free from innovation and is content with the Sunnah.

Those Who have Taqwa and the Astray on the Day of Resurrection, and the Arguments and Sorrow of the Erring

Allah says:

وَأُزۡلِفَتِ الۡجَنَّةُ

And Paradise will be brought near,

means, it will be brought close to its people, adorned and decorated for them to behold it.

لِلۡمُتَّقِينَ

to those who had Taqwa.

Its people are the pious who preferred it to whatever was in this world, and strove for it in this world.

وَبُرِّزَتِ الۡجَحِيمُ لِلۡغَاوِينَ

And the (Hell) Fire will be placed in full view of the astray.

meaning, it will be shown to them and a neck will stretch forth from it, moaning and sighing, and their hearts will reach their throats.

It will be said to its people by way of reproach and rebuke:

وَقِيلَ لَهُمۡ أَيۡنَ مَا كُنتُمۡ تَعۡبُدُونَ

مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ هَلۡ يَنصُرُونَكُمۡ أَوۡ يَنتَصِرُونَ

Where are those that you used to worship instead of Allah! Can they help you or help themselves!

meaning, `the gods and idols whom you used to worship instead of Allah cannot help you today, and they cannot even protect themselves. You and they are fuel for Hell today, which you will surely enter.'

فَكُبۡكِبُوا فِيهَا هُمۡ وَالۡغَاوُونَ

Then they will be thrown on their faces into it (the Fire), they and the astray.

Mujahid said,

This means, they will be hurled into it.

Others said:

They will be thrown on top of one another, the disbelievers and their leaders who called them to Shirk.

وَجُنُودُ إِبۡلِيسَ أَجۡمَعُونَ

And all of the hosts of Iblis together.

they will all be thrown into it.

قَالُوا وَهُمۡ فِيهَا يَخۡتَصِمُونَ

تَاللَّهِ إِن كُنَّا لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ

إِذۡ نُسَوِّيكُم بِرَبِّ الۡعَالَمِينَ

They will say while contending therein, By Allah, we were truly in a manifest error, when we held you as equals with the Lord of all that exists.

The weak ones among them will say to their arrogant leaders:`Verily, we were following you; can you avail us anything from the Fire!' Then they will realize that themselves are to blame and will say:

تَاللَّهِ إِن كُنَّا لَفِي ضَلَالٍ مُّبِينٍ

إِذۡ نُسَوِّيكُم بِرَبِّ الۡعَالَمِينَ

By Allah, we were truly in a manifest error, when we held you as equals with the Lord of all that exists.

meaning, `we obeyed your commands as we should have obeyed the commands of the Lord of the all that exits, and we worshipped you along with the Lord of all that exits.'

وَمَا أَضَلَّنَا إِلاَّ الۡمُجۡرِمُونَ

And none has brought us into error except the criminals.

meaning, `nobody called us to do that except the evildoers.'

فَمَا لَنَا مِن شَافِعِينَ

Now we have no intercessors.

This is like the Ayah which tells us that they will say:

فَهَل لَّنَا مِن شُفَعَأءَ فَيَشۡفَعُواۡ لَنَأ أَوۡ نُرَدُّ فَنَعۡمَلَ غَيۡرَ الَّذِى كُنَّا نَعۡمَلُ

now are there any intercessors for us that they might intercede on our behalf! Or could we be sent back so that we might do deeds other than those deeds which we used to do. (7:53)

Similarly, in this Surah, Allah tells us that they will say:

فَمَا لَنَا مِن شَافِعِينَ

وَلَا صَدِيقٍ حَمِيمٍ

Now we have no intercessors, nor a close friend.

فَلَوۡ أَنَّ لَنَا كَرَّةً فَنَكُونَ مِنَ الۡمُوۡمِنِينَ

(Alas!) If we only had a chance to return, we shall truly be among the believers!

They will wish that they could come back to this world so that they could do deeds of obedience to their Lord -- as they claim -- but Allah knows that if they were to come back to this world, they would only go back to doing forbidden things, and He knows that they are liars.

Allah tells us in Surah Sad about how the people of Hell will argue with one another, as He says:

إِنَّ ذَلِكَ لَحَقٌّ تَخَاصُمُ أَهۡلِ النَّارِ

Verily, that is the very truth -- the mutual dispute of the people of the Fire! (38:64)

Then He says:

إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَايَةً وَمَا كَانَ أَكۡثَرُهُم مُّوۡمِنِينَ

Verily, in this is indeed a sign, yet most of them are not believers.

meaning, in the dispute of Ibrahim with his people and his proof of Tawhid there is a sign, i.e., clear evidence that there is no God but Allah.

وَمَا كَانَ أَكۡثَرُهُم مُّوۡمِنِينَ

وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَهُوَ الۡعَزِيزُ الرَّحِيمُ

yet most of them are not believers. And verily, your Lord, He is truly the All-Mighty, the Most Merciful.

Ash-Shu'ara': 88

Ayah

Translation

Tafsir

Ash-Shu'ara': 88