Аш-Шуара 26:86–108

Supplication for the absolution of disbelievers is not allowed

وَاغْفِرْ‌ لِأَبِي إِنَّهُ كَانَ مِنَ الضَّالِّينَ ﴿86﴾

And forgive my father. Indeed he was among those who went astray. (26:86)

This prayer of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) ill seems to be against the following verse:

مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِيِّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَن يَسْتَغْفِرُ‌وا لِلْمُشْرِ‌كِينَ وَلَوْ كَانُوا أُولِي قُرْ‌بَىٰ مِن بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ أَصْحَابُ الْجَحِيمِ

"It is not for the Prophet and the believers to seek forgiveness for the Mushriks, even if they are kinsmen, after it became clear to them that they are the people of hell. (9:113)

This verse clearly lays down the rule that it is not allowed for a Muslim to pray for the forgiveness of the one about whom it is certainly known that he died in the state of kufr.

Now the question arises here as to why did Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) supplicate for the forgiveness of his father, who was a disbeliever? Allah Ta’ ala himself has given answer to this question in the Holy Qur’ an:

وَمَا كَانَ اسْتِغْفَارُ‌ إِبْرَ‌اهِيمَ لِأَبِيهِ إِلَّا عَن مَّوْعِدَةٍ وَعَدَهَا إِيَّاهُ فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ أَنَّهُ عَدُوٌّ لِّلَّهِ تَبَرَّ‌أَ مِنْهُ ۚ إِنَّ إِبْرَ‌اهِيمَ لَأَوَّاهٌ حَلِيمٌ

And the prayer of Ibrahim for the forgiveness of his father was not but due to a promise he had made to him. Later when it became clear to him that he was an enemy of Allah, he withdrew himself from him. Surely, Ibrahim is oft-sighing (before Allah), forbearing. (9:114)

The gist of the answer is that Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) had supplicated for the pardon of his father within his lifetime with the intent and desire that Allah Ta’ ala would give him Divine help to turn to faith, after which the forgiveness was sure. Alternatively, Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) was of the opinion that his father had accepted the faith, but had not made it public. But once he learnt that his father had died as an infidel, he pronounced his complete disgust against his attitude and disowned it.

Note

The point whether Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) had become aware of the infidelity of his father within his lifetime or came to know about it after his death, or he would know this on the Dooms Day, is fully discussed in Surah Taubah.

يَوْمَ لَا يَنفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ ﴿88﴾ إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ ﴿89﴾

The Day when neither wealth will be of any use (to any one) nor sons, [ 88] except to one who will come to Allah with a sound heart, [ 26:89]

This verse has declared that wealth and children will not be of any help to a person on the Day of Judgment. This declaration is subjected to exception in the words, "except to one who will come to Allah with sound heart". (coming with sound heart means to come to Him with true faith). Now, this exception has been interpreted in two different ways. According to one interpretation adopted by some commentators this exception is not meant to exclude the believers from the rule. It is an exception of a special type which is known in Arabic grammar as "munqati" (This type of exception does not exclude anything from the aforementioned statement. It simply says that the thing negated in the first sentence is found in someone else.) A simple example for this expression is that a person is asked about Zaid whether he has some wealth and children, and he replies, "No, his wealth and children are nothing but his sound heart." The same expression is used in this verse. The gist of the verse, according to this interpretation would be that wealth and children will not be helpful to anyone, neither to a believer nor to a disbeliever; what will be helpful, instead of wealth and children, is one's sound heart, i.e. the true faith and righteous deeds.

The second interpretation, adopted by the majority, is that it is a normal exception which means that wealth and children may be helpful to the one who will come to Allah with sound heart, i.e. with faith and righteous deeds, but these things will not be of any use to a disbeliever.

Another point worth noting in this verse is that while referring to 'children' the Holy Qur'an has used the word بَنُون (Banun) which is literally restricted to the male children. Probably the reason is that it is the male children from whom an effective help is expected in adverse situations. The expectation of help from female children in some calamities is very rare even in this world. Therefore, the male children are specifically mentioned in the context of the Hereafter to indicate that even those who were expected to help in the world will not be of any use there.

It may also be noted that "sound heart" literally means a healthy heart. But according to Sayyidna Ibn ` Abbas ؓ here it means that heart of a believer that testifies the Oneness of Allah and is pure from shirk. The same interpretation is reported from Mujahid, Hasan al-Basri and Said ibn al-Musayyab رحمۃ اللہ علیہم with different expressions. Said ibn al-Musayyab (رح) says that the sound heart is only that of a believer because the heart of a disbeliever is sick. The Holy Qur'an says, فِي قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَ‌ضٌ(In their heart there is a malady (2:10).

Wealth, children and the family relationship can also be beneficial in the Hereafter to a believer

In accordance with the commonly adopted explanation of the verse it has now become clear that the wealth of a person could be of help to him on the Dooms Day, provided he is a Muslim. It can be elaborated by saying that the one who has spent his wealth in this world in the way of Allah and in the cause of righteous deeds or has spent in an ongoing charity (Sadaqah Jariyah), will get its benefit in the Hereafter if he dies with the faith of Islam and is listed as a believer on the Day of Judgment. On the other hand if he was not a Muslim or God-forbid became an apostate before his death, then all the good deeds he had done in this world will be of no benefit to him. The same rule will apply in the case of children, that is, if a person is Muslim, he can benefit from them in the Hereafter in that his children supplicate for his forgiveness after his death. Also, if he had tried to train the children to be pious, whatever good they will do, its benefit will also be passed on to him as long as they do righteous deeds. It is also possible that his pious children obtain his pardon in the Hereafter by intercession. In a few Ahadith it is reported about such an intercession and its acceptance, especially the intercession of the young children yet to attain puberty. Likewise, the children will also benefit from their parents on the condition of faith in that if they were Muslims but their righteous deeds could not attain the level of their parents, then Allah Ta’ ala by taking into account their parents good deeds would place them also at the high position of their parents. The Holy Qur'an has elucidated it in these words أَلْحَقْنَا بِهِمْ ذُرِّ‌يَّتَهُمْ (52:21) that is ` We will join together with Our righteous servants their progeny'. The above quoted famous explanation of this verse has made it clear that wherever it is mentioned in the Qur'an or hadith that the family connection will be of no avail in the Hereafter, the reference is to the non-believers. This principle is applicable to the extent that even if the wife and children of the messenger are not believers, they too would not benefit from his prophethood in the Hereafter, as is the case of the son of Sayyidna Nuh (علیہ السلام) the wife of Lut (علیہ السلام) and the father of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . The Qur'anic verses فَإِذَا نُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ‌ فَلَا أَنسَابَ بَيْنَهُمْ "Thereafter, when the Sur صُور (the trumpet) is blown, there are no ties of kinship between them" (23:101) and يَوْمَ يَفِرُّ‌ الْمَرْ‌ءُ مِنْ أَخِيهِ ﴿34﴾ وَأُمِّهِ وَأَبِيهِ ﴿35﴾; (upon the day when a man shall flee from his brother, his mother, his father - 80:34) and لَّا يَجْزِي وَالِدٌ عَن وَلَدِهِ "nor will a son be standing for his father in any way" (31:33) all reflect this very theme. (واللہُ اعلم)