The Poets (Al-Shu‘ara’)
Verses 69-74 GROUP_951 26.69-74
69
وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ
Tell them the story of Abraham,
70
إِذْ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ
when he asked his father and his people, ‘What is that which you worship?’
71
قَالُوا نَعْبُدُ أَصْنَامًا فَنَظَلُّ لَهَا عَاكِفِينَ
They said, ‘We worship idols and will continue to cling to them.’
72
قَالَ هَلْ يَسْمَعُونَكُمْ إِذْ تَدْعُونَ
He asked, ‘Do they hear you when you call to them?
73
أَوْ يَنفَعُونَكُمْ أَوْ يَضُرُّونَ
Do they help or harm you?’
74
قَالُوا بَلْ وَجَدْنَا آبَاءنَا كَذَلِكَ يَفْعَلُونَ
They replied, ‘But we found our fathers doing the same.’
Commentary
(a) 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. (b) Abraham’s words indicate that during discussions with him, they found themselves unable to refute his views, in spite of which they did not yield. Despite being defeated at the level of arguments, they were steadfast in following the religion of their forefathers, simply on the basis of prejudice.