Ibrahim's preaching to His People Allah tells: وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِ And (remember) Ibrahim when he said to his people: Allah tells us how His servant, Messenger and close friend Ibrahim, the Imam of the monotheists, called his people to worship Allah alone, with no partner or associate, to fear Him alone, to seek provision from Him alone, with no partner or associate, to give thanks to Him alone, for He is the One to Whom thanks should be given for the blessings which none can bestow but He. Ibrahim said to his people: اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاتَّقُوهُ Worship Allah, and have Taqwa of Him, meaning worship Him and fear Him Alone, with all sincerity. ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ that is better for you if you know. if you do that you will attain good in this world and the next, and you will prevent evil from yourselves in this world and the Hereafter إِنَّمَا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْثَانًا وَتَخْلُقُونَ إِفْكًا إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ لَا يَمْلِكُونَ لَكُمْ رِزْقًا You worship besides Allah only idols, and you only invent falsehood. Verily, those whom you worship besides Allah have no power to give you provision, Allah states that the idols which they worshipped were not able to do any harm or any good, and tells them, You made up names for them and called them gods, but they are created beings just like you. This interpretation was reported by Al-`Awfi from Ibn Abbas. It was also the view of Mujahid and As-Suddi. Al-Walibi reported from Ibn Abbas: You invent falsehood, means, you carve idols, which do not have the power to provide for you. فَابْتَغُوا عِندَ اللَّهِ الرِّزْقَ so seek from Allah your provision, This emphasizes the idea of asking Allah Alone. This is like the Ayat: إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help. (1:5) And His saying: رَبِّ ابْنِ لِى عِندَكَ بَيْتاً فِى الْجَنَّةِ My Lord! Build for me, with You, a home in Paradise. (66:11) Allah says here: فَابْتَغُوا (so seek) meaning, ask for عِندَ اللَّهِ الرِّزْقَ (from Allah your provision), meaning, do not seek it from anyone or anything other than Him, for no one else possesses the power to do anything. وَاعْبُدُوهُ وَاشْكُرُوا لَهُ and worship Him, and be grateful to Him. Eat from what He has provided and worship Him Alone, and give thanks to Him for the blessings He has given you. إِلَيْهِ تُرْجَعُونَ To Him you will be brought back. means, on the Day of Resurrection, when He will reward or punish each person according to his deeds. His saying وَإِن تُكَذِّبُوا فَقَدْ كَذَّبَ أُمَمٌ مِّن قَبْلِكُمْ And if you deny, then nations before you have denied. means, `you have heard what happened to them by way of punishment for opposing the Messengers.' وَمَا عَلَى الرَّسُولِ إِلاَّ الْبَلَغُ الْمُبِينُ And the duty of the Messenger is only to convey plainly. All the Messengers have to do is to convey the Message as Allah has commanded them. Allah guides whoever He wills and leaves astray whoever He wills, so strive to be among the blessed. Qatadah said concerning the Ayah: وَإِن تُكَذِّبُوا فَقَدْ كَذَّبَ أُمَمٌ مِّن قَبْلِكُمْ (And if you deny, then nations before you have denied), These are words of consolation to His Prophet, peace be upon him. This suggestion by Qatadah implies that the narrative (about Ibrahim) is interrupted here, and resumes with the words And nothing was the answer of (Ibrahim's) people... in Ayah 24. This was also stated by Ibn Jarir. From the context it appears that Ibrahim, peace be upon him, said all of what is in this section. Here he establishes proof against them that the Resurrection will indeed come to pass, because at the end of this passage it says: فَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِ (And nothing was the answer of his people...). (29:24) And Allah knows best The Evidence for Life after Death Allah tells us that Ibrahim, peace be upon him, showed them the proof of life after death, which they denied, in their souls. For Allah created them after they had been nothing at all, then they came into existence and became people who could hear and see. The One Who originated this is able to repeat it, it is very easy for Him. Then he taught them to contemplate the visible signs on the horizons and the things that Allah has created:the heavens with their stars and planets, moving and stationary, the earth with its plains and mountains, its valleys, deserts and wildernesses, trees and rivers, fruits and oceans. All of that indicates that these are themselves created things, and that there must be a Creator Who does as He chooses, Who merely says to a thing Be! and it is. Allah says: أَوَلَمْ يَرَوْا كَيْفَ يُبْدِيُ اللَّهُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ إِنَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى اللَّهِ يَسِيرٌ See they not how Allah originates the creation, then repeats it. Verily, that is easy for Allah. This is like the Ayah: وَهُوَ الَّذِى يَبْدَأُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ وَهُوَ أَهْوَنُ عَلَيْهِ And He it is Who originates the creation, then He will repeat it; and this is easier for Him. (30:27) Then Allah says قُلْ سِيرُوا فِي الاَْرْضِ فَانظُرُوا كَيْفَ بَدَأَ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ اللَّهُ يُنشِيُ النَّشْأَةَ الاْخِرَةَ Say:Travel in the land and see how He originated the creation, and then Allah will bring forth the creation of the Hereafter. meaning, the Day of Resurrection. إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ Verily, Allah is able to do all things. يُعَذِّبُُ مَن يَشَاء وَيَرْحَمُ مَن يَشَاء He punishes whom He wills, and shows mercy to whom He wills; He is the Ruler Who is in control, Who does as He wishes and judges as He wants, and there is none who can put back His judgement. None can question Him about what He does; rather it is they who will be questioned, for His is the power to create and to command, and whatever He decides is fair and just, for He is the sovereign who cannot be unjust in the slightest. According to a Hadith recorded by the Sunan compilers: إِنَّ اللهَ لَوْ عَذَّبَ أَهْلَ سَمَاوَاتِهِ وَأَهْلَ أَرْضِهِ لَعَذَّبَهُمْ وَهُوَ غَيْرُ ظَالِم لَهُم If Allah willed to punish the dwellers of His heavens and His earth, He would do so, while He would not be unjust to them. Allah says: يُعَذِّبُُ مَن يَشَاء وَيَرْحَمُ مَن يَشَاء وَإِلَيْهِ تُقْلَبُونَ He punishes whom He wills, and shows mercy to whom He wills; and to Him you will be returned. You will return to Him on the Day of Resurrection وَمَا أَنتُم بِمُعْجِزِينَ فِي الاَْرْضِ وَلَا فِي السَّمَاء And you cannot escape on the earth or in the heaven. No one in heaven or on earth can flee from Him, for He is the Subduer Who is above His servants, and everything fears Him and is in need of Him, while He is the One Who is Independent of all else. وَمَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ مِن وَلِيٍّ وَلَا نَصِيرٍ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا بِأيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَلِقَايِهِ And besides Allah you have neither any protector nor any helper. And those who disbelieve in the Ayat of Allah and the meeting with Him, Those who disbelieved in the signs of Allah and denied the Resurrection, أُوْلَيِكَ يَيِسُوا مِن رَّحْمَتِي such have no hope of My mercy, they will have no share in it, وَأُوْلَيِكَ لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ and for such there is a painful torment. meaning, extremely painful, in this world and the next The Response of Ibrahim's People -- and how Allah controlled the Fire Allah says: فَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِ So nothing was the answer of people, Allah tells us how Ibrahim's people stubbornly and arrogantly disbelieved, and how they resisted the truth with falsehood. After Ibrahim addressed them with his words of clear guidance, إِلاَّ أَن قَالُوا اقْتُلُوهُ أَوْ حَرِّقُوهُ except that they said:Kill him or burn him. This was because proof had clearly been established against them, so they resorted to using their power and strength. قَالُواْ ابْنُواْ لَهُ بُنْيَـناً فَأَلْقُوهُ فِى الْجَحِيمِ فَأَرَادُواْ بِهِ كَيْداً فَجَعَلْنَـهُمُ الاٌّسْفَلِينَ They said:Build for him a building and throw him into the blazing fire! So they plotted a plot against him, but We made them the lowest. (37:97-98) They spent a long time gathering a huge amount of firewood, they built a fence around it, then they set it ablaze until its flames reached up to the sky. No greater fire had ever been lit. Then they went to Ibrahim, seized him and put him into a catapult, then they threw him into the fire. But Allah made it cool and safe for him, and after spending several days in it, he emerged unscathed. For this reason and others, Allah made him an Imam for mankind, for he offered himself to the Most Merciful, he offered his body to the flames, he offered his son as a sacrifice, and he gave his wealth to care for his guests. For all of these reasons he is beloved by the followers of all religions. فَأَنجَاهُ اللَّهُ مِنَ النَّارِ Then Allah saved him from the fire. means, He rescued him from it by making it cool and safe for him. إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَايَاتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يُوْمِنُونَ Verily, in this are indeed signs for a people who believe. Ibrahim, peace be upon him, explains to his people that idols are incapable of doing anything وَقَالَ إِنَّمَا اتَّخَذْتُم مِّن دُونِ اللَّهِ أَوْثَانًا مَّوَدَّةَ بَيْنِكُمْ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا And (Ibrahim) said:You have taken idols instead of Allah. The love between you is only in the life of this world, Here Ibrahim was rebuking his people for their evil deed of worshipping idols, and telling them:`You have taken these as gods and you come together to worship them so that there is friendship and love among you in this world,' ثُمَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ but on the Day of Resurrection, the situation will be the opposite, and this love and friendship will turn into hatred and enmity. Then يَكْفُرُ بَعْضُكُم بِبَعْضٍ you shall deny each other, meaning, `you will denounce one another and deny whatever was between you,' وَيَلْعَنُ بَعْضُكُم بَعْضًا and curse each other, means, the followers will curse their leaders and the leaders will curse their followers. كُلَّمَا دَخَلَتْ أُمَّةٌ لَّعَنَتْ أُخْتَهَا Every time a new nation enters (the Fire), it curses its sister nation (that went before). (7:37) الاٌّخِلَءُ يَوْمَيِذٍ بَعْضُهُمْ لِبَعْضٍ عَدُوٌّ إِلاَّ الْمُتَّقِينَ Friends on that Day will be foes one to another except those who have Taqwa. (43:67) And Allah says here: ثُمَّ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يَكْفُرُ بَعْضُكُم بِبَعْضٍ وَيَلْعَنُ بَعْضُكُم بَعْضًا وَمَأْوَاكُمُ النَّارُ but on the Day of Resurrection, you shall deny each other, and curse each other, and your abode will be the Fire, meaning, `your ultimate destiny after all accounts have been settled, will be the fire of Hell, وَمَا لَكُم مِّن نَّاصِرِينَ and you shall have no helper. and you will have no one to help you or save you from the punishment of Allah.' This will be the state of the disbelievers. As for the believers, it will be an entirely different matter The Faith of Lut and His Emigration with Ibrahim Allah tells: فَأمَنَ لَهُ لُوطٌ So, Lut believed in him. Allah tells us that Lut believed in Ibrahim. It was said that he was the son of Ibrahim's brother, and that his name was Lut bin Haran bin Azar. None of Ibrahim's people believed in Ibrahim besides Lut and Sarah the wife of Ibrahim. But if it is asked how we may reconcile this Ayah with the Hadith narrated in the Sahih which says that when Ibrahim passed by that tyrant and he asked about Sarah and what her relationship was to him, Ibrahim said, My sister. Then he went to her and said, I told him that you are my sister, so do not let him think I am lying, for there are no believers on earth except for you and I, and you are my sister in faith. It seems -- and Allah knows best -- that the meaning here is, there is no other Muslim couple on earth apart from you and I. Among his people, only Lut believed in him and migrated with him to Syria, then during Ibrahim's lifetime he was sent as a Messenger to the people of Sadum (Sodom) where he settled. We have already discussed their story and more is to come. وَقَالَ إِنِّي مُهَاجِرٌ إِلَى رَبِّي He (Ibrahim) said:I will emigrate for the sake of my Lord. It may be that the pronoun in the verb he said refers to Lut, because he was the last person mentioned before this phrase; or it may refer to Ibrahim. Ibn Abbas and Ad-Dahhak said that Ibrahim is the one who is referred in the phrase. فَأمَنَ لَهُ لُوطٌ So, Lut believed in him. i.e., out of all his people. وَقَالَ إِنِّي مُهَاجِرٌ إِلَى رَبِّي He said:I will emigrate for the sake of my Lord. Then Allah tells us that he chose to leave them so that he might be able to follow his religion openly. So he said: إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ Verily, He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. Power belongs to Him and to His Messenger and to those who believe in him, and He is Wise in all that He says and does, and in all His rulings and decrees, both universal and legislative. Qatadah said, They migrated together from Kutha, which is on the outskirts of Kufa, and went to Syria. Allah gave Ibrahim, Ishaq and Ya`qub, and ordained Prophethood in His Offspring. وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ إِسْحَقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ And We bestowed on him, Ishaq and Ya`qub, This is like the Ayah, فَلَمَّا اعْتَزَلَهُمْ وَمَا يَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ وَهَبْنَا لَهُ إِسْحَـقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَكُلًّ جَعَلْنَا نَبِيّاً So, when he had turned away from them and from those whom they worshipped besides Allah, We gave him Ishaq and Ya`qub, and each one of them We made a Prophet. (19:49) That is, when he left his people, Allah gave him joy in a righteous son who was also a Prophet, to whom in turn was born, in his grandfather's lifetime, a righteous son who was also a Prophet. Allah also says: وَوَهَبْنَا لَهُ إِسْحَـقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ نَافِلَةً And We bestowed upon him Ishaq, and Ya`qub in addition (21:72) meaning, as an additional gift. This is like the Ayah, فَبَشَّرْنَـهَا بِإِسْحَـقَ وَمِن وَرَاءِ إِسْحَـقَ يَعْقُوبَ But We gave her glad tidings of Ishaq, and after Ishaq, of Ya`qub. (11:71) meaning, to this son would be born a son during their lives, who would be a delight to them. . وَجَعَلْنَا فِي ذُرِّيَّتِهِ النُّبُوَّةَ وَالْكِتَابَ and We ordained among his offspring Prophethood and the Book, This is a tremendous blessing. Not only did Allah take him as a close friend and make him an Imam for mankind, but He also ordained Prophethood and the Book among his offspring. After the time of Ibrahim there was no Prophet who was not from among his descendants. All of the Prophets of the Children of Israel were from among his descendants, from Ya`qub bin Ishaq bin Ibrahim to the last of them, `Isa bin Maryam, who stood in the midst of his people and announced the good news of the Hashimi Qurashi Arab Prophet, the last of all the Messengers, the leader of the sons of Adam in this world and the next, whom Allah chose from the heart of the Arab nation, from the descendants of Ismail bin Ibrahim, may peace be upon them. There is no Prophet from the line of Ismail besides him, may the best of blessings and peace be upon him. وَاتَيْنَاهُ أَجْرَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَإِنَّهُ فِي الاْاخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ and We granted him his reward in this world; and verily, in the Hereafter he is indeed among the righteous. Allah granted him happiness in this world that was connected to happiness in the Hereafter, for in this world he had plentiful provision, a splendid home, a beautiful and righteous wife, and he was and still is spoken of highly, for everyone loves him and regards him as a friend. Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah and others said: He obeyed Allah in all ways. This is like the Ayah, وَإِبْرَهِيمَ الَّذِى وَفَّى And of Ibrahim who fulfilled all. (53:37) He did all that he was commanded to do and obeyed his Lord to the utmost. Allah says: وَاتَيْنَاهُ أَجْرَهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَإِنَّهُ فِي الاْاخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّالِحِين (and We granted him his reward in this world; and verily, in the Hereafter he is indeed among the righteous). And He says: إِنَّ إِبْرَهِيمَ كَانَ أُمَّةً قَـنِتًا لِلَّهِ حَنِيفًا وَلَمْ يَكُ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ Verily, Ibrahim was an Ummah, Qanit to Allah, a Hanif, and he was not one of the idolators, until: وَإِنَّهُ فِى الاٌّخِرَةِ لَمِنَ الصَّـلِحِينَ and in the Hereafter he shall be of the righteous. (16:120-122 The preaching of Lut and what happened between Him and His People Allah tells: وَلُوطًا إِذْ قَالَ لِقَوْمِهِ إِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ الْفَاحِشَةَ مَا سَبَقَكُم بِهَا مِنْ أَحَدٍ مِّنَ الْعَالَمِينَ أَيِنَّكُمْ لَتَأْتُونَ الرِّجَالَ وَتَقْطَعُونَ السَّبِيلَ And (remember) Lut, when he said to his people: You commit immoral sins which none has preceded you in (committing) it in all creatures. Verily, you practice sodomy with men, and rob the wayfarer! Allah tells us that His Prophet Lut, peace be upon him, denounced his people for their evil deed and their immoral actions in having intercourse with males, a deed which none of the sons of Adam had ever committed before them. As well as doing this, they also disbelieved in Allah and rejected and opposed His Messenger, they robbed wayfarers, they would lie in wait on the road, kill people and loot their possessions. وَتَأْتُونَ فِي نَادِيكُمُ الْمُنكَرَ And practice Al-Munkar in your meetings. This means, `in your gatherings you do and say things that are not befitting, and you do not denounce one another for doing such things.' Some said that they used to have intercourse with one another in public; this was the view of Mujahid. Some said that they used to compete in passing gas and laughing. This was the view of A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, and Al-Qasim. Some of them said that they used to make rams fight one another, or organize cockfights. They used to do all of these things, and they were even eviler than that. فَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِ إِلاَّ أَن قَالُوا ايْتِنَا بِعَذَابِ اللَّهِ إِن كُنتَ مِنَ الصَّادِقِينَ But his people gave no answer except that they said:Bring Allah's torment upon us if you are one of the truthful. This is indicative of their disbelief, scornful attitude and stubbornness. So Allah's Prophet asked for help against them, and: قَالَ He said: رَبِّ انصُرْنِي عَلَى الْقَوْمِ الْمُفْسِدِينَ My Lord! Give me victory over the people who are corrupt. The Angels went to Ibrahim and then to Lut, may peace be upon them both Allah tells: وَلَمَّا جَاءتْ رُسُلُنَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ بِالْبُشْرَى قَالُوا إِنَّا مُهْلِكُو أَهْلِ هَذِهِ الْقَرْيَةِ إِنَّ أَهْلَهَا كَانُوا ظَالِمِينَ And when Our messengers came to Ibrahim with the glad tidings they said:Verily, we are going to destroy the people of this town; truly, its people have been wrongdoers. When Lut, peace be upon him, asked Allah to help him against them, Allah sent angels to help him. They first came to Ibrahim in the form of guests, so he offered them hospitality in the appropriate manner. When he ﷺ that they had no interest in the food, he felt some mistrust of them and was fearful of them. They started to calm him down and gave him the news of a righteous son born by his wife Sarah, who was present, and she was astonished by this, as we have already explained in our Tafsir of Surah Hud and Surah Al-Hijr. When they brought this news to Ibrahim and told him that they were sent to destroy the people of Lut, he began to speak up for them, hoping to win more time for them so that they might be guided by Allah. When they said, We have come to destroy the people of this township, قَالَ إِنَّ فِيهَا لُوطًا قَالُوا نَحْنُ أَعْلَمُ بِمَن فِيهَا لَنُنَجِّيَنَّهُ وَأَهْلَهُ إِلاَّ امْرَأَتَهُ كَانَتْ مِنَ الْغَابِرِينَ (Ibrahim) said:But there is Lut in it. They said:We know better who is there. We will verily, save him and his family except his wife, she will be of those who remain behind. meaning, one of those who will be destroyed, because she used to support them in their disbelief and wrongdoing. وَلَمَّا أَن جَاءتْ رُسُلُنَا لُوطًا And when Our messengers came to Lut, Then the angels left him and visited Lut in the form of handsome young men. When he ﷺ them like that, سِيءَ بِهِمْ وَضَاقَ بِهِمْ ذَرْعًا he was grieved because of them, and felt straitened on their account. means, he was worried since if he had them as guests then he was afraid for them and what his people might do to them, but if he did not host them, he was still afraid of what might happen to them. At that point he did not know who they were. وَقَالُوا لَا تَخَفْ وَلَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّا مُنَجُّوكَ وَأَهْلَكَ إِلاَّ امْرَأَتَكَ كَانَتْ مِنَ الْغَابِرِينَ إِنَّا مُنزِلُونَ عَلَى أَهْلِ هَذِهِ الْقَرْيَةِ رِجْزًا مِّنَ السَّمَاء بِمَا كَانُوا يَفْسُقُونَ They said:Have no fear, and do not grieve! Truly, we shall save you and your family except your wife:she will be of those who remain behind. Verily, we are about to bring down on the people of this town a great torment from the sky, because they have been rebellious. Jibril, peace be upon him, uprooted their town from the depths of the earth, lifted it up to the sky, then threw it upside down upon them. Allah rained upon them: فَلَمَّا جَأءَ أَمْرُنَا جَعَلْنَا عَـلِيَهَا سَافِلَهَا وَأَمْطَرْنَا عَلَيْهَا حِجَارَةً مِّن سِجِّيلٍ مَّنْضُودٍ مُّسَوَّمَةً عِندَ رَبِّكَ وَمَا هِى مِنَ الظَّـلِمِينَ بِبَعِيدٍ stones of Sijjil, in a well-arranged manner one after another. Marked from your Lord; and they are not ever far from the evil doers. (11:82-83) Allah turned the place where they had lived into a putrid, stinking lake, which will remain as a lesson to mankind until the Day of Resurrection, and they will be among those who are most severely punished on the Day of Resurrection. Allah says وَلَقَد تَّرَكْنَا مِنْهَا ايَةً بَيِّنَةً . And indeed We have left thereof an evident Ayah i.e., a clear sign, .. لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ for a folk who understand. This is like the Ayah, وَإِنَّكُمْ لَّتَمُرُّونَ عَلَيْهِمْ مُّصْبِحِينَ وَبِالَّيْلِ أَفَلَ تَعْقِلُونَ Verily, you pass by them in the morning and at night; will you not then reflect. (37:137-138)