Those Who Set The Ranks, Drawn up in Ranks, The Rangers — Verse 85
37:85 · as-Saffat
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إِذۡ قَالَ لِأَبِیهِ وَقَوۡمِهِۦ مَاذَا تَعۡبُدُونَ ٨٥
idh qāla li-abīhi waqawmihi mādhā taʿbudūn
Those Who Set The Ranks, Drawn up in Ranks, The Rangers / as-Saffat (37:85)
He said to his father and his people, ‘What are you worshipping
idh qāla li-abīhi waqawmihi mādhā taʿbudūn
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Tafsir Commentary
The Story of Ibrahim and His People
`Ali bin Abi Talhah reported that Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him:
وَإِنَّ مِن شِيعَتِهِ لإِبْرَهِيمَ
(And verily, among those who followed his ways was Ibrahim.) means, he was one of the followers of his religion. Mujahid said, "He was following his path and his way."
إِذْ جَآءَ رَبَّهُ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ
(When he came to his Lord with a Salim heart.) Ibn `Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said, "This means that he bore witness that none has the right to be worshipped except Allah." rIbn Abi Hatim recorded that `Awf said, "I said to Muhammad bin Sirin, `What is the Salim heart' He said, `One which knows that Allah is true and that the Hour will undoubtedly come to pass, and that Allah will resurrect those who are in the graves."' Al-Hasan said, "One that is free from Shirk." `Urwah said, "One that is not cursed."
إِذْ قَالَ لاًّبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ مَاذَا تَعْبُدُونَ
(When he said to his father and to his people: "What is it that which you worship") He denounced his people for their worship of idols and false gods, Allah said:
أَءِفْكاً ءَالِهَةً دُونَ اللَّهِ تُرِيدُونَ - فَمَا ظَنُّكُم بِرَبِّ الْعَـلَمِينَ
(Is it a falsehood -- gods other than Allah -- that you desire Then what think you about the Lord of the all that exists) Qatadah said, "This means, `what do you think He will do with you when you meet Him, given that you worshipped others alongside Him"
when he said while still in this continuous state of his to his father and his folk in reproach ‘What do — what is it that — you worship?
وإنَّ من أشياع نوح على منهاجه وملَّته نبيَّ الله إبراهيم، حين جاء ربه بقلب بريء من كل اعتقاد باطل وخُلُق ذميم، حين قال لأبيه وقومه منكرًا عليهم: ما الذي تعبدونه من دون الله؟ أتريدون آلهة مختلَقَة تعبدونها، وتتركون عبادة الله المستحق للعبادة وحده؟ فما ظنكم برب العالمين أنه فاعل بكم إذا أشركتم به وعبدتم معه غيره؟
وقوله تعالى "إذ قال لأبيه وقومه ماذا تعبدون" أنكر عليهم عبادة الأصنام والأنداد ولهذا قال عز وجل "أئفكا آلهة دون الله تريدون فما ظنكم برب العالمين" قال قتادة يعني ما ظنكم أنه فاعل بكم إذا لاقيتموه وقد عبدتم معه غيره.
وقوله : ( إِذْ قَالَ لأَبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ مَاذَا تَعْبُدُونَ ) شروع فى حكاية ما دار بينه وبين أبيه وقومه . والجملة بدل من الجملة السابقة عليها ، أو هى ظرف لقوله ( سليم ) أى : لقد كان إبراهيم - عليه السلام - سليم القلب ، نفى السريرة ، صادق الإيمان ، وقت أن جادل أباه وقومه قائلا لهم : أى شئ هذا الذى تعبدونه من دون الله - تعالى .
وقوله ( إِذْ قَالَ لأبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ مَاذَا تَعْبُدُونَ ) يقول حين قال: يعني إبراهيم لأبيه وقومه: أي شيء تعبدون.
( إذ قال لأبيه وقومه ماذا تعبدون ) استفهام توبيخ .
إِذْ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ مَاذَا تَعْبُدُونَ (85) و { إذ قال لأبيهِ } بدل من { من جاء ربه بقلب سليم } بدلَ اشتمال فإن قوله هذا لما نشأ عن امتلاء قلبه بالتوحيد والغضب لله على المشركين كان كالشيء المشتمل عليه قلبه السليم فصدر عنه .و { ماذا تعبدون } استفهام إنكاري على أن يعبدوا ما يعبدونه ولذلك أتبعه باستفهام آخر إنكاري وهو { أئِفكاً ءَالهَةً دونَ الله تريدون . } وهذا الذي اقتضى الإِتيان باسم الإِشارة بعد «ما» الاستفهامية الذي هو مُشرَب معنى الموصول المشار إليه ، فاقتضى أن ما يعبدونه مشاهد لإِبراهيم فانصرف الاستفهام بذلك إلى معنىً دون الحقيقي وهو معنى الإِنكار ، بخلاف قوله :{ إذْ قالَ لأبيهِ وقومهِ ماذا تعبدون } في سورة [ الشعراء : 70 ] فإنه استفهام على معبوداتهم ولذلك أجابوا عنه { قالوا نعبد أصناماً فنظل لها عاكفين } [ الشعراء : 71 ] وإنما أراد بالاستفهام هنالك التمهيد إلى المحاجّة فصوره في صورة الاستفهام لسماع جوابهم فينتقلَ إلى إبطاله ، كما هو ظاهر من ترتيب حجاجه هنالك ، فذلك حكاية لقول إبراهيم في ابتداء دعوته قومه ، وأما ما هنا فحكاية لبعض أقواله في إعادة الدعوة وتأكيدها .
إذ قال لأبيه وهو آزر ، وقد مضى الكلام فيه . وقومه ماذا تعبدون [ ص: 84 ] تكون ما في موضع رفع بالابتداء و " ذا " خبره . ويجوز أن تكون " ما " و " ذا " في موضع نصب ب " تعبدون " .
Abraham (Ibrahim) was of the same religion as Noah. All the Prophets were sent so that man can be made aware about the creation plan of God and be given the aim of purifying himself during his pre-death period. God created man and sent him into the world with a righteous nature. He must pass the test of resisting the inducements of this world and go before God having kept himself free of all the base desires of self and satanic defilement. Such souls will be welcomed into Paradise. To ascribe partners to God (shirk) amounts to belittling God. In this case, man does not discover God as the greatest Being and that is why he is lost in other so-called forms of greatness and stoops to worshipping them.
In verse 84, it was said: إِذْ جَاءَ رَبَّهُ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ (when he came to his Lord with a pure heart). Here, 'coming to his Lord' means 'to turn to Allah, to zero in one's attention towards Him and to worship Him.' By placing the restriction of 'with a pure heart' it has been indicated that no act of devotion (ibadah) to Allah is acceptable until the heart of the devotee is cleansed pure from false beliefs and ill intentions. If a certain act of devotion is performed while laced with some false belief, then, no matter how hard the devotee has worked in this process, it will still not be acceptable. Similarly, if the main purpose of the devotee happens not to be the seeking of the sole pleasure of Allah - but, is a simple show off or some material gain, then, that act of devotion is not praiseworthy. The passion with which Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) turned towards Allah was free of all such adulterations.
(When he said unto his father) Azar (and his folk) the idol worshippers: (What is it that you worship) beside Allah?