النص المفهرس

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Surah Al-An'am : 6 : 68 - 73
وَ نُرَدُّ عَلَى أَعْقَابِنَا بَعْدَ إِذْهَدُنَا اللّهُ كَالَّذِى اسْتَهُوَتُّهُ الشَّيْطِيُْ
فِى الْأَرْضِ خَيْرَانٌ لَةٌ أَصْحُكُ يَّدُعُنَةً إِلَى الْهُدَى انْتِنَاءُ قُلُ
إِنَّ هُدَى اللّهِ هُوَ الُهُدى ◌ُ وَ أُمْرِنَا لِنُسْلِمَ لِرَتِّ الْعَلَمِيْنَ ﴿٧١﴾ وَأَنْ
أَقِيمُوا الصَّلَوةَ وَاتَّقُؤُ وَهُوَ الَّذِىّ إِلَيْهِ تُخْتَكُونَ ﴿٢٢﴾ وَهُوَ الَّذِى
خَلَقَ السَّمُوتِ وَالْأَرْضَ بِالْحَقّءُ وَيَوْمَ يَقُولُكُنْ فَيَكُرُنُُ قَوْلُهُ
الْحَقُُّ وَلَهُ الْهُلُكُ يَوْمَ يُنْفَخُ فِى الُُّرُِ عَلِمُ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ"
وَهُوَالُكِيُمُ الْخَيْرُ ﴿٧٣﴾
And when you see those who indulge in our verses ad-
versely, turn away from them until they get busy with
some other discourse. If Satan makes you forget, then,
after the recollection, do not sit with the unjust peo-
ple. [68] And those who fear Allah bear no responsibility
for anything they are accountable for, but only for ad-
vising them, so that they may fear Allah. [69]
And avoid those who have taken their faith as game
and play and the worldly life has deceived them, and
preach with it (the Qur'an), lest one should be detained
for what he earned, having none to help besides Allah,
nor to intercede, and if he offers every ransom, it will
not be accepted from him. They are those who are de-
tained for what they earned. For them there is a drink
of boiling water and a painful punishment, because
they used to disbelieve. [70]
Say, "Should we call someone besides Allah, which can
give neither benefit nor harm, and should we turn back
on our heels after Allah has given us guidance, like the
one whom the satans have taken away far into the
wilderness leaving him bewildered; he has friends who
call him to the right path (saying), "come to us." Say,
"Allah's guidance is the guidance, and we have been
ordered to submit to the Lord of the worlds, [71] and
establish Salah, and fear Him. And He is the One before
whom you are to be gathered. [72] And He is the One
who created the heavens and the earth in all rightness,
and the day He says, "Be" and it comes to be. His word

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is the truth and His is the kingdom on the day the Horn
shall be blown. He is the knower of the absent and the
present, and He is Wise, All-Aware. [73]
Commentary
Avoid Gatherings of False People
In the present verses, Muslims have been instructed that they
should, as a matter of principle, abstain from being a part of the gath-
erings frequented by those who prefer to follow the false - because a
sin is a sin, whether you do it yourself or watch others doing it. De-
tails follow.
The word: 3 (translated here as 'indulge') in the first verse (68)
is from: 's (khawd) which basically means to enter into water and
wade through it. Then, it also denotes entering into activities which
are vain, absurd or futile. This word has been used in the Qur'an usu-
ally in this very sense. Verses such as: ◌َوَكُنَّا نَخُوُضُ مَعَ الْخَائِضِين 'we used to in-
dulge (in vain discourse) with those indulging - 74:45' and: 3
'playing with what they are indulged in - 6:91' are some examples.
Therefore, the Qur'anic expression referring to:ِخُوُض فِى الْآيَات has been
translated by Maulana Ashraf Ali Thanavi and Shaykh al-Hind, Mau-
lana Mahmud al-Hasan in the sense of fault-finding and disputing,
which means: 'when you see those people meddling in the Ayat of Allah
just for fun and ridicule, or trying to find faults in them, turn away
from them.'
The address in this verse is general, to everyone - which includes
the Holy Prophet , and the members of his community as well. The
truth of the matter is that the address to the Holy Prophet @ is there
only to let Muslims at large hear it, otherwise he never participated in
any such gatherings even during his childhood days. Therefore, he
needed no prohibition.
Then, 'turning away' from the gatherings of false people could take
many forms. For example, leave the gathering or get busy doing some-
thing else while being there without paying any attention to them.
But, at the end of the verse, it was made clear that the first form is
what is desirable, that is, one should not keep sitting in their gather-
ing; one should rise and leave from there.

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Said at the end of the verse was 'if Satan makes you forget', that is,
if one went into their gathering unmindfully - whether while not re-
membering the prohibition of participating in such gatherings, or
while not recalling that these people talk against the Ayat of Allah and
the Rasul of Allah in their gatherings - then, in either situation, once it
is remembered, one should leave that gathering immediately. To keep
sitting there after having remembered is a sin. The same subject ap-
pears in another verse where, at the end, it has been said: If you kept
sitting there, you will be like them ("Au; tốt cối : 4:140).
In Tafsir Kabir, Imam al-Razi has said that the real intent in this
verse is to abstain from such sinful gatherings and their participants.
The best course is to rise and depart from there. But, should leaving
the gathering pose a danger to one's life, property or honour, it is per-
missible for common people to "turn away" in some other manner, for
instance, they could make themselves busy with something else and
pay no attention to them. But, the case is different with particular
people who are followed in religious matters - for them, the only appro-
priate way is to rise and leave the gathering.
Going a little further in our understanding of the sentence: de 2' cpf
gen (And if Satan makes you forget) mentioned above, let us consider
its implications. If this is addressed to Muslims at large, it is clear
that to forget is human - and if the address is to the Holy Prophet ,
the question arises: If forgetfulness comes to affect a prophet and mes-
senger of Allah as well, how can their teachings be trusted?
The answer is: It is possible that prophets >JI + too forget some-
thing under particular circumstances where the divine wisdom decides
to make it so happen to achieve a particular purpose, but they are im-
mediately alerted by Allah Ta'ala through Wahy which helps them not
to let it last. Therefore, their teachings ultimately become free of any
doubts of forgetfulness.
However, this sentence of the verse does tell us that should a per-
son fall into an error inadvertently, that will stand forgiven. In a Ha-
dith of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, it has been said:
◌ُفِعَ عَنْ أُمَّتِى الْخَطَأُ وَالِِّيَارُ وَمَا اسْتُكُرُهُوْا عَلَيْهِ
Removed from my Ummah is (the sin of) error and forgetting

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and that which one has been compelled to do.
In Ahkam al-Qur'an, Imam al-Jaşsaș has said:
This verse tells that Muslims should abstain from every such
gathering where things are being said against Allah Ta'ala,
His Rasul صلى الله عليه وسلم and the Shari'ah of Islam and where it
is not within one's power and control to stop or have it
stopped, or, at the least, be able to say what is true and right.
However, participating in such a gathering with the intention
to reform and to carry the message of truth to them does not
matter.
As for the statement: ◌َفَلَا تَقُعُدُ بَعْدَ الذِّكْرَى مَعَ الْقَوُمِ الظُّلِمِيْن which prohibits sit-
ting with unjust people after the recollection, Imam al-Jassas has de-
duced the ruling that participating in the gathering of such unjust, ir-
religious and big-mouthed people is an absolute sin, whether or not, at
that time, they are engaged in talking about what would be considered
impermissible - because people of such nature could be expected to
start their ridiculous rantings all of a sudden. This rule is deduced
from this verse on the basis that sitting in the company of unjust peo-
ple has been prohibited in this verse in an absolute sense. It does not
have the condition that they be busy with their act of injustice at that
time too.
The same subject has been taken up in another verse of the Holy
Qur'an more explicitly where it is said : ◌ُوَلَا تَرْكَنُوا إِلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوْا فَتَمَسَّكُمُ الثَّار (And
do not incline towards the wrong doers, lest the Fire should catch you
... 11:113).
When the verse cited above was revealed, the noble Companions
submitted: Ya Rasul Allah, if this absolute prohibition of going in their
gatherings remained in force, we shall be deprived of offering Salah
and Taw af in al-Masjid al-Haram because these people keep sitting
there all the time (before Hijrah and the Conquest of Makkah) doing
nothing but fault-finding and ill-speaking. Thereupon, revealed was
the next verse (69): ◌َوَمَا عَلَى الَّذِيْنَ يَتَّقُونَ مِنُ حِسَابِهِمُ وقِنُ شَىْءُ وَلكِنُ ذِكْرَى لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُون It means
when people who observe restraint go to al-Masjid al-Haram for their
own rightful purpose, then, they are not responsible for the evil deeds
of those wicked people present there. However, it does remain their
duty that they should tell them what is right and true which may per-

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haps help them take the right path.
In the third verse (70), nearly the same subject has been stressed
upon in the following words: وَذَرِ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا دِينَهُمْ لَعِبًا وَّلَهُوًا (And avoid those
who have taken their faith as game and play ... ). The word: ,i (dhar)
here is a derivation from: ,, (wadhara) which means being displeased
with something and leaving it. Thus, the verse can be taken either in
the sense of leaving people who have turned the true religion, that is,
Islam which has been sent for them, into a plaything and a laughing
stock; or in the sense that they have left their real faith and taken to
fun and play as their very own religion and purpose of life. The out-
come of both meanings is nearly the same.
After that, it was said: Gorduras, that is, the transitory life of the
present world has deceived them. This is a true diagnosis of their real
problem. They are so disobedient and wicked because they are be-
witched by the glamour of their mortal life totally forgetting that they
have another state of life ahead of them. If they had believed in the
'Akhirah (Hereafter) and Qiyamah (The Last Day), they would have
never acted so recklessly.
In this verse, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and Muslims at large
have been given two orders that they should not only avoid the people
identified, but that they should also act positively and continue
preaching through the Qur'an and keep putting the fear of Allah's
punishment in their hearts.
The detail of this punishment was pointed out at the end of the
verse by saying that, should they continue doing what they were do-
ing, they are bound to fall a victim to their own evil conduct. The word
used at this place is: j=> which means to be detained or be entrapped.
Since man in this world is accustomed to rely on three kinds of
sources to escape the punishment of his own error or injustice inflicted
on someone. When convenient, he would use the power and influence
of his party or group to stay safe against the consequences of his injus-
tice. Then, should he become helpless, he would use recommendations
from the influencial people. When that too does not work, he would
try to secure his freedom from punishment by spending money.
Allah Ta'ala says in this verse that His criminal cannot be saved

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from punishment by any friend or relative, nor can an intercession by
anyone succeed without the permission of Allah, nor can wealth of any
kind be accepted - even if the criminal were to possess the wealth of
the whole world and wished to give it all in exchange for his freedom
from punishment, even then this fidyah will not be accepted from him.
أُولَئِكَ الَّذِيْنَ أُبْسِلُؤْا بِمَا كَسَبُوا لَهُمُ :Finally, at the close of the verse, it was said
that is, these are the people who have been شَرَابٌ مِّنُ حَمِيمٍ وَّعَذَابٌ اَلِيمُّبِمَا كَانُوا يَكْفُرُونَ
detained in the punishment of their evil deeds. They will have boiling
water to drink in the Jahannam about which it has been said in an-
other verse that it will shatter their entrails apart (47:15) and that
there will be painful punishments other than that of the boiling water
in return for their disbelief and denial.
1
This verse also tells us that the very company of people who are
heedless to the 'Akhirah and are content with their life in the mortal
world is fatal for everyone. Its ultimate consequence is that whoever
sits in their company shall be subject to the same punishment in
which they have been caught up.
The essential objective in these three verses (68-70) is to save Mus-
lims from evil environment and bad company which can be as deadly
as poison. Many clear, definite and conclusive statements (Nusus) of
the Qur'an and Hadith as well as repeated observation and experience
prove that the root of all evils and crimes in which human beings get
involved is the evil society and environment in which they grow up.
Once snared into it, one slides into evils against personal grain and
conscience. Then, comes the stage when, once habituated, the sense of
evil dies away - reaching the limit when one starts taking evil as good
and good as evil. In a Hadith, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم is report-
ed to have said: When a person gets involved in a sin for the first time,
there appears a dot on his heart. This is like a black dot on a white
dress which everyone dislikes and gets disturbed with. So, this person
too feels the distaste in his heart. But when he, after having done the
first one, goes on doing the second and the third sin - and does not re-
pent from the past sin - black dots, one after the other, keep appearing
on the heart, so much so that the radiant tablet of the heart turns jet
black. The outcome is that this person is deprived of the very ability
to distinguish between good and bad. The Holy Qur'an identifies it

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تَكَلَّا بَلْ وَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمُ مَّا كَانُوا : with the word: "ra'n" (rust, stain) when it says
3 :? : (83:14), that is, there is rust on their hearts because of their evil
deeds (which has taken away their ability to receive good).
When you come to think of it, wrong environment and bad compa-
ny really hurt all human beings. They push people into the abyss.
May Allah keep all of us protected from them. Therefore, everyone who
is responsible for raising children must do their best to keep children
safe from such society and environment.
As for the next three verses (71-73), they too deal with the refuta-
tion of Shirk (the attribution of partners to Allah) and the affirmation
of Tauhid (the Oneness of Allah) and 'Akhirah (the Hereafter, the life
to come) as fairly evident from the translation itself.
Verses 74 - 81
وَإِذْ قَالَ اِبْرِهِيْمُ لِأَبِيْهِ أَزَرَ آَتَتَّخِذُ أَصْنَامًا أَلِهَةٌ إِنٌّ أَرْسكَ
وَقَوْمَكَ فِىٌ ضَلِلِ تُبِيْنٍ ﴿٧٤﴾ وَكَذُلِكَ يُرِىٌّ إِبْرِهِيْمَ مَلَكُوُتَ
السَّمُوُتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلِيَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْقِنِيْنَ ﴿٧٥﴾ فَلَمَّا جَنَّ
عَلَيْهِ الَّيْلُ رَ كَوْكَبَاء قَالَ هُذَا رَبِّئُ فَلَمَّا أَقَلَ قَالَ لََّ أُحِبُّ
الْأُفِلِينَ ﴿٧٦) فَلَمَّا رَأَ الْقَمَرَ بَازِغًَا قَالَ هَذَا رَبِّئُ فَلَتَّا أَقَلَ
قَالَ لَئِنْ لَّمْ يَهْدِنِى رَبِّى لَأَكُوْنَنَّ مِنَ الْقَوُعِ الضَّالِّيْنَ ﴿٧٧﴾
فَلَمَّا رَآَ الشَّمْسَ بَازِغَةً قَالَ هَذَا رَبِّئُ لهَذَا أَكْبُهُ، فَلَمَّا أَفَلَتْ
قَالَ يُقَوْمِ إِنِّى بَرِئِىُّمِمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ ﴿٩٧٨ إِنِّىُ وَهُتُ وَجُهِىَ
لِلَّذِيُ قَطَرَ السَّمُوتِ وَالْآَرْضَ حَنِيْفًا وَمَّا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِيْنَ
﴿٧٩﴾ وَحَجَّهُ قَوْمُهُ﴾ قَالَ آَتُحَاَُّنِيْ فِى اللّهِ وَقَّدُ هَذيِنِّ وَلَّ
آَخَافُ مَا تُشْرِكُوْنَ بٍِّ إِلَّ انُ ◌َشَاءَ رَبِّيُ شَيْئًا* وَسِعَ رَبِّئُ كُلَّ
شَوُْ عِلْمًا ، أَفَلَا تَتَذَ كَّرُونَ ﴿ ٨﴾ وَكَيْفَ آَخَافُ مَا اشْرَكْثُمْ وَلَا
تَخَافُونَ أَنَّكُمْ أَشْرَكُمْ بِاللَّهِ مَالَمْ يُنَّلُ بِهِ عَلَيْكُمُ سُلُّطْنًا"

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فَأَىُّ الْفِرْقَيْنِ آَحَقُّ بِالْآَمْنِ إِنْ كُتُهُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ ﴿٨١﴾
And (remember) when Ibrahim said to his father, Azar:
"Do you (really) take idols as gods? I am afraid you and
your people are in open error." [74] And thus We
showed Ibrahim the kingdom of the heavens and the
earth, so that he may be firm in belief. [75]
So, when the night enveloped him, he saw a star. He
said, "This is my Lord." But, when it vanished, he said,
"I do not like those who vanish." [76] Later, when he
saw the moon rising, he said, "This is my Lord." But,
when it vanished, he said, "If my Lord does not guide
me, I shall be among those gone astray." [77] Thereafter,
when he saw the sun rising, he said, "This is my Lord.
This is greater." Again, when it vanished, he said, "O
my people, I am free of whatever you associate with
Allah. [78] I have, indeed, turned my face straight
towards the One who created the heavens and the
earth, and I am not one of those who associate partners
with Allah." [79]
And his people argued with him. He said, "Do you
argue with me about Allah while He has already led me
to the right path, and I do not fear what you associate
with Him unless, of course, something is willed by my
Lord? My Lord encompasses everything with His
knowledge. Would you, then, take no lesson? [80] And
how can I fear what you associate with Him, while you
do not fear that you have associated with Allah some-
thing for which He has sent down no authority to you?
Now, which of the two parties has more right to be in
peace? (Tell me) if you know." [81]
Commentary
Previous verses contained a description of the call given by the
Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in which he addressed the disbelievers of
Arabia and appealed to them that they should forsake the worship of
idols and believe in a single object of worship: Allah.
The present verses support this call of truth in a particular way
which could be naturally acceptable to the people of Arabia who have
Sayyidna Ibrahim JIole as their patriarch and the whole Arabia

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stood united in paying homage to him almost always. These verses re-
fer to the debate against the worship of idols and stars led by him be-
fore his people and to whom he had then given a lesson as to what a
true belief in the Oneness of Allah should be.
The first verse (74) opens with Sayyidna Ibrahim >JI -Le telling his
father, 'Azar that he had taken idols made with his own hands as his
object of worship, and that he saw him and his entire people in mani-
fest error.
It is commonly held that 'Azar is the name of Sayyidna Ibrahim's
father while most historians give his name as Tarakh and identify
'Azar as his title. Imam al-Razi and a group of early scholars hold that
Tarakh was the name of Sayyidna Ibrahim's father and 'Azar was the
name of his uncle. After becoming a minister of Nimrud, his uncle,
'Azar had become a polytheist. Since calling an uncle as father is com-
mon in Arab usage, 'Azar has been named here as Sayyidna Ibrahim's
father. In Sharh al-Mawahib, Zarqani has reported several proofs to
this effect.
Reform Begins at Home
'Azar, whether a father or uncle of Sayyidna Ibrahim, was a re-
spectable elder of the family. Thus, it was from his home that Sayyid-
na Ibrahim gave the first call to truth - as was commanded the Holy
Prophet e too:َ26:214) وَأَنْذِرُ عَشِيرَتَكَ الْآَقُرَبِيْن) that is, warn your near relatives
(of the Divine punishment). It was in obedience to this command that
the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم had first gathered his own family to
hear him when he stood at the hill of Safa to deliver his call of truth.
According to Tafsir Al-Bahr al-Muhit, from here we also learn that
inviting a respected elder of the family, who may not be on the right
path of faith, to the right path is not contrary to the norms of rever-
ence. In fact, it is a matter of wishing well for him. In addition to
that, this also tells us that starting the work of da wah, the mission of
inviting people to the true faith and the seeking of reforms that lead to
it, from one's home, family and immediate circle, is a Sunnah (way) of
. عليهم السلام the prophets
Two-Nation Theory: Believers are One People - Disbelievers,
another.
It will be noted that Sayyidna Ibrahim >JILL has elected not to

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identify his family and his people with himself in this verse when he
said to his father that 'his' people were in error. This indicates the
great sacrifice Sayyidna Ibrahim offered in the way of Allah by cutting
off his bonds with his disbelieving brotherhood. Thus, by his deed, he
demonstrated that Muslim nationality is founded through the bonds of
Islam. When nationalities based on concepts of race or homeland
clash against it, all these deserve to be forsaken.
By mentioning this event relating to Sayyidna Ibrahim WILLe, the
Holy Qur'an has asked all communities to come after him that they too
قَدْ كَانَتُ لَكُمْ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ فِىٌّ إِبْراهِيمَ وَالَّذِينَ :should follow in his footsteps. It was said
It means: Definitely good and مَعَةَ إِذْ قَالُوا لِقَوْمِهِمْ إِنَّا مُمَاؤًا مِنْكُمْ وَرِمَّا تَعْبُدُوْنَ مِنْ دُوْنِ اللهِ
worthy of being emulated and followed by the Muslim community is
the way and conduct of Sayyidna Ibrahim WJIale and of those with
him who frankly told their lineal, racial and geographical brotherhood
that they were wary of them and their false objects of worship and
that the wall of discord between them shall remain standing until
such time that they do become believers and submit to none but Allah.
This tells us that the two-nation theory which brought Pakistan
into existence - was first proclaimed by Sayyidna Ibrahim >JI Je. The
Ummah of the Holy Prophet صلى اللّه عليه وسلم, and other communities, fol-
lowed this guidance and moved ahead. Among Muslims, Islam as the
identity of their nationhood became well-recognized. During his jour-
ney undertaken to perform his Last Hajj, the Holy Prophet met a
caravan on the way. He asked them: 'Which nationality do you come
from?' They replied: ' 355 65' (al-Bukhari) (We are [a] nation [of]
Muslims). Here, in accordance with the early practice in Arabia, they
did not name a tribe or a lineally identified family, instead, called
themselves: 'muslimun' (Muslims) - and by doing so, they declared
what was their real nationality, a nationality which will hold good in
all time frames right to the end of time well through the trials of the
Akhirah. At this particular place when Sayyidna Ibrahim JI de ad-
dressed his father, he proclaimed his distaste for the doings of 'his'
people - attributing the people he came from to his father - but, at the
place where he had to proclaim his principled disassociation from the
same people, he addressed them as his, as appears in the next verse:
3'2 4, 2 (0 my people, I am free of what you associate with Al-

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lah). The hint given here is: 'Though, you are my people in terms of
race and homeland, but your deeds of disbelief and polytheism have
compelled me to cut off my relations with your brotherhood.'
The brotherhood of Sayyidna Ibrahim and his father were involved
in a two-fold Shirk: They worshipped idols as well as stars. So, Sayy-
idna Ibrahim WJI ue debated both issues with his father and with his
people.
First, it was idol worship. He said that it was error, and straying.
Then, in the next verses, he pointed out to stars as unworthy of wor-
ship. And a little earlier in verse 75, it is in the form of an introduction
that Allah Ta'ala mentions a particular elegance and insight of Sayyid-
وَكَذَلِكَ يُّرِىٌّ إِبْرْهِيْمَ مَلَكُوتَ السَّمُوْتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلِيَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْقِنِيْنَ : by saying عليه السلام na Ibrahim
that is, 'We made Ibrahim >JI4 see what We have created in the
heavens and the earth in a way which would unravel the reality of all
these created objects manifestly so that he may become firm in his be-
lief.' What came to pass after that has taken the shape of a wondrous
dialogue that appears in later verses (which shows a certain quality
even in the translated form of the meanings of the totally untranslata-
ble beauty, diction and elan of the original) and it would be useful to
dwell upon the manner in which it emerges stage by stage.
Using Wisdom and Strategy in Tabligh and Da'wah is the Way of
Prophets
Let us begin with verse 76 which opens with the words: Ji de Es En
's', So, when the night enveloped him, he saw a star. Then, beaming
at his people, he said: This is my Lord. The sense in which he said it
was: Is it not, as you think and believe, my Lord and your Lord, the
Rabb of both of us who nurtures, nourishes and sustains us? In a little
while you will find out how real that is. Then, after some time, the
star vanished. This gave Sayyidna Ibrahim a good occasion to drive his
argument home against his disbelieving people. He said: cuve,1% (I
do not like those who vanish). The word: 30) ('afulin') is from: Jal
('afulin) which means to set.
The sense is that things which set or vanish do not deserve being
held dear - and when something is to be given the status of an object of
worship has to be, quite obviously, most worthy of love and reverence.
Maulana Rumi, in one of his couplets, has directly referred to this

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event when he said (in Persian, with its stylized translation) :
خلیل آسادرٍ ملكٍ یقیں زن
نوائے لاَ أُحبُّ اڵآ فِلِیْنِ زن
Like Khalil [Sayyidna Ibrahim Khalilullah ... ]
Enter
The Domain of Belief
By proclaiming
The Password:
I do not like the vanishing!
After that, some other night, with a glowing moon in sight, he
again beamed his dialogue at his people following the earlier method,
and said: (according to your view) this is my Lord but its reality you
will find out after a little while. So, when the moon vanished, he said:
If my Rabb had not been guiding me all along, I would have been en-
listed among the stray like you, and it would have been the moon itself
I might have taken as my Lord and my object of worship. But, the al-
ternating conditions of its rising and setting brought me to the chas-
tening conclusion that this star too is not worthy of worship.
Also hinted in this verse is that the Rabb or Lord of Ibrahim MI ude
is a totally different entity from Whom guidance keeps coming to him.
Then, the day he saw the sun rising, he again said to his people as
he had done earlier: This (according to your view) is my Rabb. And
this is the biggest of all. But, its reality you will soon find out. So,
when came the time for the sun to set, set it did. Driven home was his
final argument against the ideas of his people. The reality had become
all too obvious. So, he said: ◌َيَقُومِ إِنُّ بَرِىٌّ مِمّا تُشْرِكُون (Omy people, I am free of
whatever you associate with Allah).
In conclusion, he made it clear before them that his Rabb (the Lord
of life who nurtures, cherishes and sustains it) and their Rabb can nev-
er be any of these created heavenly bodies which are not free of depen-
dence on something else for their existence, and are surrounded by
constant and ongoing changes of rising and setting. Instead of them,
his Lord and their Lord was no other than the One who has created
the heavens and the earth and everything therein. Therefore, he de-
clared that he had changed his orientation away from their self-

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sculpted idols and away from the stars of their fancy which changed
and alternated under creational compulsion, and it was to the total ex-
clusion of all these, that he had turned to Allah alone, the One God
who has no partners and associates with Him - (and when that was
settled, he was different) so, he made it frank and clear that he was
not a Mushrik (disbeliever or polytheist) like them. (Indeed, a line of
demarcation drawn for ever!)
In this debate, it is significant that Sayyidna Ibrahim has shown
characteristic prophetic wisdom and elegance of approach when he
does not make a frontal assault on the false notions of star-worship en-
tertained by his people as being false or erroneous. He has, rather,
chosen a very telling style of presentation which by itself would help
any rational human being to absorb the point being made and be able
to recognize reality at the end. Of course, when the case was that of
idol-worship, his method was different - there, he had taken a hard
line right from the start, and had told his father point-blank that he
and his people had gone astray. The reason was that idol-worship was
all too obvious an error, contrary to star-worship the error of which
was not so obvious and pronounced.
Noteworthy here is the outcome of the argument against star-
worship presented by Sayyidna Ibrahim >JI e before his people. He
said that (a) things which are subject to change, (b) things which keep
alternating in their conditions, and (c) things which in their move-
ments are subservient to some other power can never become deserv-
ing of being taken as anyone's Rabb or Lord. In this argument, it was
possible to seek help from all other conditions of the stars, such as
their rising and their intermediary stage before their setting, when it
could have been said that they were not independent in their move-
ments and were moving in a pre-specified orbit under the command of
someone else. But, Sayyidna Ibrahim > Jude, from out of all these
states and conditions, chose the setting of these stars as the main
thrust of his argument - because their setting, in a way, spells out
their decline in the sight of common people. The typical argument pre-
sented by prophets, may peace be upon them all, is what would go on
to influence the minds of common people. They do not pursue philo-
sophical truisms, instead, they address people at the level of common

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comprehension. Therefore, it was to prove the helplessness and inef-
fectiveness of stars that the phenomenon of their setting was present-
ed. Otherwise, the rising of the stars might have also been used to
prove that they were helpless and powerless - and it would have also
been possible to get hold of an argument from changes that come upon
them before they finally set.
Some Instructions for Preachers of Islam
This debating style of Sayyidna Ibrahim >JI - provides some im-
portant points of guidance for Muslim scholars and Da'wah workers:
1.
In matters relating to carrying the call of truth to people
(Tabligh) and seeking reform among them (Islah), being universally
rigid or universally lenient is not appropriate. The correct approach is
to understand that each of these has an occasion and a limit. For ex -.
ample, Sayyidna Ibrahim has used strong words when it comes to idol-
worship, because its error is within common sight. But, he has not
used such strong words in the case of star-worship where he has used
a particular method to clarify its reality in the minds of his people - be-
cause the matter of stars and planets being helpless and powerless
was not so readily obvious as was that of self-carved idols. This tells
us that should common people be involved in an error of judgement or
conduct, which they do not realize as such, then, the 'Alim (religious
scholar) or Muballigh (religious preacher) would do well to avoid tak-
ing a hard line, rigid or excessive or dogmatic, and try to find a better
way to remove their doubts.
2. The second guidance concerns the manner in which truth has to
be presented. The example is that Sayyidna Ibrahim WJILL did not
address his people directly asking them to do what had to be done.
Rather than say something in the mode of an order, he simply told
them about how he felt in this matter. He said that he could not de-
clare things which were helplessly involved in a cycle of rising and set-
ting as objects of worship. For this reason, he told them, he had
turned to the Being that is the creator, nurturer and caretaker of all
these things. Of course, the purpose was to bring them round to do the
same. But, in his wise way, he abstained from a direct address lest
they become totally uncompromising by opposing the suggestion just
for the sake of opposition. This tells us that the job of a reformer and

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preacher is not to go ahead and tell what is true in just about any way.
Instead of doing something like that, he is bound to say it in a manner
which would produce the desired effect on his listeners.
Verses 82 - 89
اَلَّذِيْنَ امَنُوا وَلَمْ يَلْبِسُوا إِثْمَانَهُمْ بُظُلُّمِ أُولَئِكَ لَهُمْ أُلاَمُرُ وَهُمْ
مُهْتَدُونَ ﴿٨٢﴾ وَتِلَكَ حُجَّتْنَا أَتَيْنُهَا إِبْرِهِيْمَ عَلَى قَوُمِهٌ نَرْفَعُ
دَرَجْتٍ تَمَنُ نَّشَاءُُ إِنَّ رَبَّك حَكِيُمْ عَلِيمٌ ﴿٨٣﴾ وَ وَهَبْنَا لَةٌ
اِسْحُقَ وَيَعْقُوُبَ ◌ّ كُلَّ هَدَيْنَا وَنُؤْحًا هَدَيْنَا مِنْ قَبْلُ وَمِنْ
ذُرِّيَّتِهِ دَاؤَدَ وَسُلَيْمُنَ وَأَيُُّبَ وَ يُؤْسُفَ وَ مُؤُسَى وَ هُرُونَ*
وَكَذَلِكَ نَجْزِى الْحُسِنِيْنَ ﴿٨٤﴾ وَزَكَرِيًّا وَ يَحْيِي وَ عِيْسِى وَ
إِلْيَاسَ كُلِّ ◌ِنَ الصُّلِحِيْنَ ﴿٨٥﴾ وَإِسُمْعِيْلَ وَ الْيَسَعَ وَيُؤْنُسَ
وَلُوْطَاءُ وَكُلَّا فَضَّلُنَا عَلَى الْعُلَمِيْنَ ﴿٨٦﴾ وَمِنْ أَبَّائِهِمْ
وَذُرِّيَّتِهِمْ وَإِخْوَانِهِمْ وَاجْتَبَيْتُهُمْ وَهَدَيُنْهُمُ إِلَى صِرَاطٍ تُسْتَقِيْمِ
﴿ ٨٧﴾ ذَلِكَ هُدَى اللَّهِ يَهُدِىُ بِهِ مَنُ بَّشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهٍ وَلَوْ
أَشْرَكُوْا لَبِطَ عَنْهُمْ مَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ ﴿٨٨﴾ أُوَلِكَ الَّذِينَ
التَيْنُهُمُ الْكِتَبَ وَالْحُكُمُ وَالنَّهُوَّةَ فَإِنِ يَّكُفُرُ بِهَا هَؤُلَاءِ فَقَدْ
وَكَّلُنَا بِهَا قَوْمًا لَّيُسُوا بِهَا بِكُفِيْنَ ﴿٨٩﴾
Those who have believed and have not mixed their
faith with injustice; it is they who deserve peace and it
is they who are on the right path. [82]
And that is the proof from Us We gave to Ibrahim
against his people. We raise in ranks whom We will.
Surely, your Lord is Wise, Knowing. [83]
And We blessed Ishaq* and Ya'qub. To each We gave
guidance. And earlier, We gave guidance to Nuh and, of
*. Biblical names in the order as they appear in this paragraph containing
Verses 84-86: Isaac, Jacob, Noah, David, Solomon, Job, Joseph, Moses,
Aaron, Zechariah, John, Jesus, Elias, Ishmael, Elisha, Jonah and Lot.

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his progeny, to Dawud and Sulayman and Ayyub and Yu-
suf and Musa and Harun - and this is how We reward
the good in deed [84] - and to Zakariyya and Yahya and
'Isa and Ilyas - each one of them was of the righteous
[85] - and to Ismail and Yasa' and Yunus and Lut, and all
of them We made to excel over the worlds. [86] And We
gave guidance to many among their fathers and their
children and their brothers, and We chose them and
led them on to the straight path. [87]
That is Allah's guidance. He guides with it whom He
wills from His slaves. And had they associated part-
ners with Him, all they did would have been nullified
for them. [88]
They are those whom We have given the Book and wis-
dom and prophethood. So, if these people disbelieve it,
then, We have deputed for it a people who do not disbe-
lieve in it. [89]
Commentary
Mentioned in the previous verses was the debate Sayyidna Ibrahim
WWWJI Ale had held with his father, 'Azar, and with his entire Nimrudic
people. There, after having conclusively refuted their worship of idols
and stars, he had addressed his people by telling them in effect: You
threaten me that your idols will destroy me if I refuse to accept their
authority, although these idols do not have the power to do so, nor
have I done anything as a result of which I may be hit by some hard-
ship. In fact, it is you who should be trembling in fear for you have
committed a crime as terrible as equating with Him the creations of
Allah, rather the objects made and prepared by His creation even giv-
ing them a share in His divinity. Then, the fact that Allah Ta'ala is
All-Knowing, All-Aware and All-Powerful is not hidden from any sen-
sible person. This calls for some thinking on your part. So, think and
say who deserves to be in peace and who it is who should be fearing?
In the first (82) of the present verses, it was said that only those
who believe in Allah and then do not go on to mix up their faith with
injustice shall be the people who can hope to be safe against punish-
ment. It appears in Hadith, when this verse was revealed, the noble
Şahabah were frightened. They said: Ya Rasul Allah, who among us
has not been unjust to himself by committing one or the other sin?

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Now, in this verse, the only condition of remaining safe from punish-
ment is that one should have done no injustice to himself while in the
state of Iman. If so, how can we ever achieve salvation? The Holy
Prophet صلى اللّه عليه وسلم said: You have not understood the correct mean-
ing of the verse. Here, 'Zulm' (injustice) means 'Shirk' (ascribing of
partners to Allah) as said in another verse: ◌ٌإِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلُمٌ عَظِيم (Joining oth-
ers in the worship of Allah is a great injustice - 31:13). Therefore, the
sense of the verse is that one, who enters (the bliss of) Im an and then
does not associate anyone with the Being and the Attributes of Allah
Ta'ala, shall remain safe from punishment, and considered well-
guided.
In brief, those who worship idols, rocks, trees, rivers and stars do
so because they, out of bland simplicity, take them to be the holders
and wielders of power. So, they are scared of the idea of forsaking
their worship lest these objects were to hurt them in some way. Sayy-
idna Ibrahim WJI -le gave such people a smart key to their problem
when he asked them to fear Almighty Allah who knew all they do and
had power over whatever good or bad reaches them - and not commit
the folly of fearing things which have neither knowledge nor power.
This fear is absolutely unreasonable. One must fear Allah alone - and
whoever believes in it is out of all danger.
Said in this verse is: inparty God's, (And those who have not mixed
their faith with injustice). Here, 'Zulm' as explained by the Holy
Prophet صلى اللّه عليه وسلم, means Shirk (ascribing partners in the divinity
of Allah) - not sin in an ordinary sense. But, by bringing in: Jh (bi zul-
min) as indefinite noun (Nakirah), a device supported by the rules of
the Arabic grammar, the sense was made general which includes all
kinds of Shirk. As for the word: 1,2,1 5 (lam yalbisu), it has been de-
rived from: w (labasa) which means to wear, cover or mix. Thus, the
verse comes to mean that a person who mixes some sort of Shirk in his
or her Iman, that is, one who, despite believing in Allah Ta'ala along
with all His attributes of perfection, takes non-Allah too as bearing
some of those attributes, shall be considered excluded from the guar-
antee of peace and faith given here.
We also come to know from this verse that Shirk is not restricted to
becoming a Mushrik or idolater. In fact, also Mushrik is a person who

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does not worship idols in the customary sense, but recites the Kalimah
of Islam, yet takes some angel or messenger or waliy or 'saint'of Allah
as partners or sharers in some exclusive attributes of Allah. This
verse carries a stern warning for those who take the Aulia' of Allah
(The Men of Allah) and their Mazars (resting places, tombs) as capable
of answering their prayers and granting their needs, and go as far as
believing practically as if the Divine powers have been delegated to
them. Refuge with Allah!
In the second verse (83), Allah Ta'ala has said that the truimph of
Sayyidna Ibrahim in his debate against his people and in which he had
silenced them was a blessing of Allah alone for He gave him a sound
theory to propound and glowing arguments to employ. Let no one wax
proud about his or her intelligence and understanding or art of dis-
course and power of oration as self-sufficient. Nothing crosses the bar-
rier of possibility without the support and help of Allah Ta'ala. Bland
human reason is not enough to comprehend realities. This is a matter
of common observation in every age. Philosophers of great standing go
astray while many among the illiterate get a firm hold on correct belief
and right thinking. Maulana Rumi was on the beam when he said:
ب عناياتٍ حق و خاصانٍ حق
گر ملك باشد سیہ پستش ورق
Without the graces of The True One and those close to Him
Dark shall be the record of deeds, even if one be an angel.
By saying: ◌ُنَرْفَعُ دَرَجتٍ مَنُ نَشَاء (We raise in ranks whom We will) towards
the end of the verse (83), the hint given is that the station of special
reverence received by Sayyidna Ibrahim WJI ale in this world which
would last through generations to come until the Last Day, a homage
universally paid by Jews, Christians, Muslims and Buddhists, was no
feat of personal acquisition or recognition, instead of which, this was
nothing but the grace and reward from Allah.
In the six verses (84-89) appearing after that, there is a list of seven-
teen blessed prophets, some of whom are the forefathers of Sayyidna
Ibrahim WuJI Que while most are his progeny, with some being his broth-
ers or nephews. On the one hand, described in these verses is their be-
ing Divinely guided, righteous in conduct and firm on the straight

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path, along with the fact that Allah Ta'ala has chosen and blessed
them to serve His religion. On the other hand, it has been stressed
that, in return for the sacrifice of Sayyidna Ibrahim ,WILL who had
disassociated himself from his father, community and country in the
way of Allah, was it not that, much before the reward of eternal bliss
in the Hereafter, Allah Ta'ala bestowed on him right here in this world
too a community better than his own, a country better than his own -
and blessed him with the supreme distinction that all prophets and
messengers sent into the world after him upto the end of time were
from among his progeny? A branch that originated from Sayyidna
Ishaq WILL had prophets who appeared among the Bani Isra'il. The
other branch which originated from Sayyidna Isma'il WJILL saw the
coming of the foremost and the Last among prophets, Sayyidna Mu-
hammad al-Mustafa صلى الله عليه وسلم from among them. They all were the
progeny of Sayyidna Ibrahim WILL. This phenomena also tells us
that, though honour and salvation or disgrace and punishment really
depend on one's personal deeds, but having a prophet or man of Allah
(waliy) among forefathers, or having observing 'Alims of Din and men
and women of righteous conduct among children, is also a great bless-
ing as this too brings its benefits.
Out of these seventeen prophets >JI identified in the cited
verses, Sayyidna Nuh Mulle is the patriarch of Sayyidna Ibrahim de
and, of) وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِهِ دَاؤدَ وَ سُلَيُمْنَ : The rest have been called their progeny. السلام
his progeny, to Dawud and Sulayman ... ). This poses two difficulties.
The first could be about Sayyidna 'Isa WILL who, because of his fa-
ther-less birth, is a progeny of Sayyidna Ibrahim WILL from the
daughter's side, that is, not a paternal grandson, instead, is a grand-
son from the maternal side.
If so, how would calling him his progeny would be correct? Most
learned Muslim scholars and jurists have answered it by saying that
progeny is inclusive of both paternal and maternal grandsons. It is
from here that they prove that Sayyidna Hasan and Sayyidna Husain
Lapte All , stand included under the progeny of the Holy Prophet .
The second difficulty posed here relates to Sayyidna Lut Ml de for
he is not from among his children, but is a nephew. The answer is
clear. In customary usage, referring to an uncle as father and to a

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nephew as son is very common.
By mentioning the blessings of Allah on Sayyidna Ibrahim Wie
in these verses, two things have been made very clear. Firstly, there
is the law for anyone who sacrifices whatever he holds dear in the way
of Allah, on him or her Allah bestows right here in this mortal world
what is better than what he or she has surrendered in the way of Al-
lah. Secondly, the purpose is to make the disbelievers of Makkah hear
this background of things in their situation so that they may be guided
right. This amounts to telling them: You do not listen to what Our
prophet, Muhammad al-Mustafa صلى الله عليه وسلم is telling you. If that is
so, consider these you too rever as great. So, Ibrahim WILle and his
whole progeny have all been saying the same thing - that Allah is the
only object worthy of worship. Associating anyone else with Him in
'Ibadah, or suggesting that someone else is a sharer in His exclusive
attributes is what disbelief and straying is. This proves that they are,
even in terms of what they themselves accept as established truth,
subject to censure.
The subject continues through the eighth verse (89) at the end of
فَإِنٌ : صلى الله عليه وسلم which it has been said to comfort the Holy Prophet
,So, if these people disbelieve it, then) يَكُفُرُبِهَا فَؤُلًا، فَقَدُ وَكَّلْنَا بِهَا قَرُّمًا لَّيْسُوا بِهَا بِكْفِرِيْنَّ
We have deputed for it a people who do not disbelieve in it). In other
words, it means: If some of your addressees do not listen to you and
are, despite having been told about the teachings of all past prophets,
bent upon nothing short of denial, then, you do not have to worry - be-
cause We have appointed a great people who would say yes to your
call, follow your word and make the mission their own, and who would
never stoop to the level of disbelief and denial.
Included here are all Muhajirin and Ansar present during the
blessed age of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم, and also all Muslims who
keep coming upto the end of time until comes the Qiyamah. And this
verse is a fond asset for all such people, as Allah Ta'ala has named
them on an occasion which calls for praise by Him:
اَللَّهُمَّاجْعَلُنَا مِنْهُمْ وَاحْتُنَا فِىْ زُهُرَتِهِمُ
O Allah, make us one of them and raise us in their company.