As-Saffat 37:97
Those who set the Ranks · Juz 23 · Page 449
قَالُواْ ٱبۡنُواْ لَهُۥ بُنۡيَٰنٗا فَأَلۡقُوهُ فِي ٱلۡجَحِيمِ ٩٧
They said, "Construct for him a structure [i.e., furnace] and throw him into the burning fire."
Tafsir · in English
Ibn Kathir (abridged)
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Commentary on 37:88–98
فَتَوَلَّوْاْ عَنْهُ مُدْبِرِينَ
(So they turned away from him and departed.) Qatadah said, "The Arabs say of one who thinks deeply that he is looking at the stars." What Qatadah meant is that he looked at the heavens, thinking of a way to distract his people. So he said,
إِنِّى سَقِيمٌ
(Verily, I am sick.) Meaning weak. Ibn Jarir narrated here a Hadith from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, stating that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«لَمْ يَكْذِبْ إِبْرَاهِيمُ عَلَيْهِ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ غَيْرَ ثَلَاثَ كَذَبَاتٍ: ثِنْتَيْنِ فِي ذَاتِ اللهِ تَعَالَى، قَوْلُهُ:
إِنِّى سَقِيمٌ
وَقَوْلُهُ:
بَلْ فَعَلَهُ كَبِيرُهُمْ هَذَا
وَقَوْلُهُ فِي سَارَّةَ: هِيَ أُخْتِي»
(Ibrahim (peace and blessings be upon him) did not lie except in three cases. Two were for the sake of Allah: (one is) when he said, "Verily, I am sick"; (the second) when he said, "Nay, this one, the biggest of them (idols) did it"; and (the third) when he said concerning (his wife) Sarah, "She is my sister." This Hadith is recorded in the books of the Sahih and Sunan with various chains of narrations. But this is not the kind of real lie for which a person is to be condemned—Allah forbid! One calls it a lie for lack of a better word, because it is abstruse speech used for a legitimate religious purpose, and it was said that what was meant by the words,
إِنِّى سَقِيمٌ
(Verily, I am sick) was, 'I am sick at heart of your worshipping idols instead of Allah.' Al-Hasan Al-Basri said, "The people of Ibrahim went out to their festival, and they wanted to make him go out too. So he lay down on his back and said,
إِنِّى سَقِيمٌ
(Verily, I am sick.) and he started looking at the sky. When they had gone out, he turned to their gods and broke them." This was recorded by Ibn Abi Hatim. Allah said:
فَتَوَلَّوْاْ عَنْهُ مُدْبِرِينَ
(So they turned away from him and departed.) Meaning he went to them after they had left, quickly and secretly.
فَقَالَ أَلا تَأْكُلُونَ
(and said: "Will you not eat?") They had placed food before them as a sacrifice so that the food might be blessed. When Ibrahim, peace be upon him, looked at the food that was before them, he said:
فَرَاغَ إِلَى ءَالِهَتِهِمْ فَقَالَ أَلا تَأْكُلُونَ - مَا لَكُمْ لاَ تَنطِقُونَ
(Will you not eat? What is the matter with you that you speak not)
فَرَاغَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضَرْباً بِالْيَمِينِ
(Then he turned upon them, striking (them) with (his) right hand.) Al-Farra' said, "This means he started to hit them with his right hand." Qatadah and Al-Jawhari said, "He turned to them, hitting them with his right hand." He struck them with his right hand because the right hand is stronger and more powerful. Then he left them broken to pieces, (all) except the biggest of them, so that they might turn to it, as we have already seen in the Tafsir of Surat Al-Anbiya'.
فَأَقْبَلُواْ إِلَيْهِ يَزِفُّونَ
(Then they came hastily towards him.) Mujahid and others said, "This means they came rushing. The story is told in brief here; in Surat Al-Anbiya', it is told in more detail. When they returned, they did not know at first who had done this, until they investigated and found out that Ibrahim, peace be upon him, was the one who had done it. When they came to rebuke him, he started rebuking and criticizing them and said:
أَتَعْبُدُونَ مَا تَنْحِتُونَ
(Worship you that which you carve), meaning, 'Do you worship instead of Allah idols which you yourselves carve and fashion with your own hands'
وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ وَمَا تَعْمَلُونَ
(While Allah has created you and what you make!) This may mean, 'Allah has created you and what you do,' or it may mean, 'Allah has created you and what you make.' Both views are synonymous. The former is more apparent because of the report recorded by Al-Bukhari in the Book Af`al Al-`Ibad from Hudhayfah, attributed to the Prophet:
«إِنَّ اللهَ تَعَالَى يَصْنَعُ كُلَّ صَانِعٍ وَصَنْعَتَه»
(Allah has created every doer of deeds and what he does.) Thereupon, he recited:
وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ وَمَا تَعْمَلُونَ
(While Allah has created you and what you make!) When the proof had been established against them, they resolved to seize him by force, and they said:
ابْنُواْ لَهُ بُنْيَناً فَأَلْقُوهُ فِى الْجَحِيمِ
(Build for him a building (i.e., furnace) and throw him into the blazing fire!) There happened what we have already discussed in our Tafsir of Surat Al-Anbiya' (21:68-70), and Allah saved him from the fire and caused him to prevail over them, making his proof supreme and supporting it. Allah says:
فَأَرَادُواْ بِهِ كَيْداً فَجَعَلْنَهُمُ الاٌّسْفَلِينَ
(So, they plotted a plot against him, but We made them the lowest.)
Page 449
37:77
وَجَعَلۡنَا ذُرِّيَّتَهُۥ هُمُ ٱلۡبَاقِينَ ٧٧
And We made his descendants those remaining [on the earth]
37:78
وَتَرَكۡنَا عَلَيۡهِ فِي ٱلۡأٓخِرِينَ ٧٨
And left for him [favorable mention] among later generations:
37:79
سَلَٰمٌ عَلَىٰ نُوحٖ فِي ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ ٧٩
"Peace upon Noah among the worlds."
37:80
إِنَّا كَذَٰلِكَ نَجۡزِي ٱلۡمُحۡسِنِينَ ٨٠
Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good.
37:81
إِنَّهُۥ مِنۡ عِبَادِنَا ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ ٨١
Indeed, he was of Our believing servants.
37:82
ثُمَّ أَغۡرَقۡنَا ٱلۡأٓخَرِينَ ٨٢
Then We drowned the others [i.e., disbelievers].
37:83
۞ وَإِنَّ مِن شِيعَتِهِۦ لَإِبۡرَٰهِيمَ ٨٣
And indeed, among his kind was Abraham,
37:84
إِذۡ جَآءَ رَبَّهُۥ بِقَلۡبٖ سَلِيمٍ ٨٤
When he came to his Lord with a sound heart
37:85
إِذۡ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ وَقَوۡمِهِۦ مَاذَا تَعۡبُدُونَ ٨٥
[And] when he said to his father and his people, "What do you worship?
37:86
أَئِفۡكًا ءَالِهَةٗ دُونَ ٱللَّهِ تُرِيدُونَ ٨٦
Is it falsehood [as] gods other than Allāh you desire?
37:87
فَمَا ظَنُّكُم بِرَبِّ ٱلۡعَٰلَمِينَ ٨٧
Then what is your thought about the Lord of the worlds?"
37:88
فَنَظَرَ نَظۡرَةٗ فِي ٱلنُّجُومِ ٨٨
And he cast a look at the stars
37:89
فَقَالَ إِنِّي سَقِيمٞ ٨٩
And said, "Indeed, I am [about to be] ill."
37:90
فَتَوَلَّوۡاْ عَنۡهُ مُدۡبِرِينَ ٩٠
So they turned away from him, departing.
37:91
فَرَاغَ إِلَىٰٓ ءَالِهَتِهِمۡ فَقَالَ أَلَا تَأۡكُلُونَ ٩١
Then he turned to their gods and said, "Do you not eat?1
1 translator’s note
- Consume the offerings placed before them. ↩
37:92
مَا لَكُمۡ لَا تَنطِقُونَ ٩٢
What is [wrong] with you that you do not speak?"
37:93
فَرَاغَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ ضَرۡبَۢا بِٱلۡيَمِينِ ٩٣
And he turned upon them a blow with [his] right hand.
37:94
فَأَقۡبَلُوٓاْ إِلَيۡهِ يَزِفُّونَ ٩٤
Then they [i.e., the people] came toward him, hastening.
37:95
قَالَ أَتَعۡبُدُونَ مَا تَنۡحِتُونَ ٩٥
He said, "Do you worship that which you [yourselves] carve,
37:96
وَٱللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمۡ وَمَا تَعۡمَلُونَ ٩٦
While Allāh created you and that which you do?"
37:97
قَالُواْ ٱبۡنُواْ لَهُۥ بُنۡيَٰنٗا فَأَلۡقُوهُ فِي ٱلۡجَحِيمِ ٩٧
They said, "Construct for him a structure [i.e., furnace] and throw him into the burning fire."
37:98
فَأَرَادُواْ بِهِۦ كَيۡدٗا فَجَعَلۡنَٰهُمُ ٱلۡأَسۡفَلِينَ ٩٨
And they intended for him a plan [i.e., harm], but We made them the most debased.
37:99
وَقَالَ إِنِّي ذَاهِبٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّي سَيَهۡدِينِ ٩٩
And [then] he said, "Indeed, I will go to [where I am ordered by] my Lord; He will guide me.
37:100
رَبِّ هَبۡ لِي مِنَ ٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ ١٠٠
My Lord, grant me [a child] from among the righteous."
37:101
فَبَشَّرۡنَٰهُ بِغُلَٰمٍ حَلِيمٖ ١٠١
So We gave him good tidings of a forbearing boy.
37:102
فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ ٱلسَّعۡيَ قَالَ يَٰبُنَيَّ إِنِّيٓ أَرَىٰ فِي ٱلۡمَنَامِ أَنِّيٓ أَذۡبَحُكَ فَٱنظُرۡ مَاذَا تَرَىٰۚ قَالَ يَٰٓأَبَتِ ٱفۡعَلۡ مَا تُؤۡمَرُۖ سَتَجِدُنِيٓ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلصَّٰبِرِينَ ١٠٢
And when he reached with him [the age of] exertion,1 he said, "O my son, indeed I have seen in a dream that I [must] sacrifice you, so see what you think." He said, "O my father, do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allāh wills, of the steadfast."
1 translator’s note
- i.e., the ability to work and be of assistance. ↩
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