The Poets — Verse 70

How the Close Friend of Allah, Ibrahim spoke out against Shirk 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 ﷺ 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. إِذْ قَالَ لاًّبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ (When he said to his father and his people: "What do you worship") meaning: what are these statues to which you are so devoted قَالُواْ نَعْبُدُ أَصْنَاماً فَنَظَلُّ لَهَا عَـكِفِينَ (They said: "We worship idols, and to them we are ever devoted.") meaning: we are devoted to worshipping them and praying to them. قَالَ هَلْ يَسْمَعُونَكُمْ إِذْ تَدْعُونَ - أَوْ يَنفَعُونَكُمْ أَوْ يَضُرُّونَ - قَالُواْ بَلْ وَجَدْنَآ ءَابَآءَنَا كَذَلِكَ يَفْعَلُونَ (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 أَفَرَءَيْتُمْ مَّا كُنْتُمْ تَعْبُدُونَ - أَنتُمْ وَءَابَآؤُكُمُ الاٌّقْدَمُونَ - فَإِنَّهُمْ عَدُوٌّ لِى إِلاَّ رَبَّ الْعَـلَمِينَ (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: فَأَجْمِعُواْ أَمْرَكُمْ وَشُرَكَآءَكُمْ (So devise your plot, you and your partners) (10:71). And Hud, upon him be peace, said: إِن نَّقُولُ إِلاَّ اعْتَرَاكَ بَعْضُ ءَالِهَتِنَا بِسُوءٍ قَالَ إِنِّى أُشْهِدُ اللَّهِ وَاشْهَدُواْ أَنِّى بَرِىءٌ مِّمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ - مِن دُونِهِ فَكِيدُونِى جَمِيعًا ثُمَّ لاَ تُنظِرُونِ - إِنِّى تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللَّهِ رَبِّى وَرَبِّكُمْ مَّا مِن دَآبَّةٍ إِلاَّ هُوَ ءاخِذٌ بِنَاصِيَتِهَآ إِنَّ رَبِّى عَلَى صِرَطٍ مُّسْتَقِيمٍ ("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). rSimilarly, Ibrahim denounced their gods and idols and said: وَكَيْفَ أَخَافُ مَآ أَشْرَكْتُمْ وَلاَ تَخَافُونَ أَنَّكُمْ أَشْرَكْتُم 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: قَدْ كَانَتْ لَكُمْ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ فِى إِبْرَهِيمَ (Indeed there has been an excellent example for you in Ibrahim) until His saying; حَتَّى تُؤْمِنُواْ بِاللَّهِ وَحْدَهُ (until you believe in Allah Alone) (60:4). وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَهِيمُ لاًّبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ إِنَّنِى بَرَآءٌ مِّمَّا تَعْبُدُونَ - إِلاَّ الَّذِى فَطَرَنِى فَإِنَّهُ سَيَهْدِينِ - وَجَعَلَهَا كَلِمَةً بَـقِيَةً فِى عَقِبِهِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْجِعُونَ (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."

when he said to his father and his people ‘What do you worship?’

واقصص على الكافرين - أيها الرسول - خبر إبراهيم حين قال لأبيه وقومه: أي شيء تعبدونه؟

فإن الله تعالى آتى إبراهيم رشده من قبل أي من صغره إلى كبره فإنه من وقت نشأ وشب أنكر على قومه عبادة الأصنام مع الله عز وجل فقال لأبيه وقومه ماذا تعبدون أي ما هذه التماثيل التي أنتم لها عاكفون ؟.

وقوله ( إِذْ قَالَ لأَبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ ) منصوب على الظرفية . أى : اقرأ عليهم نبأه وقت أن قال لأبيه وقومه على سيل التبكيت وإلزامهم الحجة : أى شىء هذا الذى تعبدونه من دون الله - عز وجل -؟

حين قال لأبيه وقومه: أيّ شيء تعبدون؟

قوله : ( إذ قال لأبيه وقومه ما تعبدون ) أي شيء تعبدون ؟ .

إِذْ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ (70) وإذ قال } ظرف ، أي حين قال . والجملة بيان للنبأ ، لأن الخبر عن قصة مضت فناسب أن تبيّن باسم زمان مضاف إلى ما يفيد القصة . وقد تقدم نظيره في قوله تعالى : { واتْلُ عليهم نَبَأ نوح إذ قال لقومه يا قوم } الآية في سورة [ يونس : 71 ] .و { ما } اسم استفهام يسأل به عن تعيين الجنس كما تقدم في قوله : { وما ربّ العالمين } في هذه السورة [ 23 ] . والاستفهام صوري فإن إبراهيم يعلم أنهم يعبدون أصناماً ولكنه إراد بالاستفهام افتتاح المجادلة معهم فألقى عليهم هذا السؤال ليكونوا هم المبتدئين بشرح حقيقة عبادتهم ومعبوداتهم ، فتلوح لهم من خلال شرح ذلك لوائح ما فيه من فساد ، لأن الذي يتصدّى لشرح الباطل يشعر بما فيه من بطلان عند نظم معانيه أكثر مما يشعر بذلك من يسمعه ، ولأنه يعلم أن جوابهم ينشأ عنه ما يريده من الاحتجاج على فساد دينهم وقد أجابوا استفهامه بتعيين نوع معبوداتهم .وأدخلَ أباه في إلقاء السؤال عليهم : إمّا لأنه كان حاضراً في مجلس قومه إذ كان سادن بيت الأصنام كما روي ، وإمّا لأنه سأله على انفراد وسأل قومه مرة أخرى فجمعت الآية حكاية ذلك .والأظهر أن إبراهيم ابتدأ بمحاجّة أبيه في خاصتهما ثم انتقل إلى محاجّة قومه ، وأن هذه هي المحاجّة الأولى في ملإ أبيه وقومه؛ ألقى فيها دعوته في صورة سؤال استفسار غير إنكار استنزالاً لطائر نفورهم ، وأما قوله في الآية الأخرى { إذ قال لأبيه وقومه ماذا تعبدون أئفكاً آلهة دون الله تريدون } [ الصافات : 85 - 86 ] فذلك مقام آخر له في قومه كان بعد الدعوة الأولى المحكية في سورة الصافات . ولأجل ذلك كان الاستفهام مقترناً بما يقتضي التعجب من حالهم بزيادة كلمة ( ذا ) بعد ( ما ) الاستفهامية في سورة الأنبياء . وكلمة ( ذا ) إذا وقعت بعد ( مَا ) تؤول إلى معنى اسم الموصول فصار المعنى في سورة الأنبياء : ما هذا الذي تعبدونه ، فصار الإنكار مسلطاً إلى كون تلك الأصنام تُعبد .

ولذلك قيده بالظرف فقال: إِذْ قَالَ لأَبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ

أي أي شيء تعبدون

Abraham’s community went on doing whatever they saw their forefathers doing. But Abraham thought things over independently. He tried to discover the Truth by rising above his environment. This is the quality which particularly leads a man to realisation-based knowledge of God (ma‘rifah), and one who reaches perfection in this quality is chosen by God as a messenger, or prophet, for His religion.

The reasoning for this he gave إِنَّ مَعِيَ رَ‌بِّي سَيَهْدِينِ (62) "Indeed with me is my Lord. He will guide me." Such are the moments for the test of faith, when Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) was not terror stricken at all, as if he was seeing for himself the way out. Almost the same thing happened with Holy Prophet ﷺ at the time of migration while hiding in the cave of Thaur. The enemy had reached right at the opening of the cave in his pursuit. In fact they were so close that they could have seen him if they had looked down towards their toes. Sayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ got alarmed a little, but Holy Prophet ﷺ said exactly the same thing لَا تَحْزَنْ إِنَّ اللَّـهَ مَعَنَا ` Do not grieve, Allah is surely with us' (9:40). It is worth noting in the two incidents that while Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) said to his Ummah in order to console them مَعِيَ رَ‌بِّي ` With me is my Lord', Holy Prophet ﷺ said toSayyidna Abu Bakr ؓ in reply ` Allah is with us (two) '. It is a special privilege of the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ that his followers are also honoured by the company of Allah when they are with their Rasul.

(When he said unto his father) Azar (and his folk) the idol worshippers: (What worship ye) Abraham said to them: what do you worship?