Tafsir of Maryam 19:47

It has been said: It is a greeting of one who is departing. The author of this view permitted it to be a greeting [extended to] a disbeliever, and that one may initiate the legislated greeting of peace (salam), which is the school of Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah. He argued based on the Almighty's words: Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you... (Qur’an 60:8), and His words, exalted is He: There has already been for you an excellent pattern in Abraham... (Qur’an 60:4). However, what the interpreter argued with is refuted by what is established in Sahih Muslim: "Do not initiate the greeting of peace with the Jews and the Christians." It is read as salam in the accusative case, acting as a verbal noun, and in the nominative case, as an inception (mubtada').

Seeking forgiveness in this sense for a disbeliever, before it becomes clear that he will inevitably die in a state of disbelief, is something about whose permissibility there is no doubt—just as there is no doubt about its impermissibility once that [final state] becomes clear, for that would be a request for the impossible; indeed, what Allah has informed us will not occur is impossible to occur. Hence, when it became clear to him, peace be upon him—according to one of the two opinions mentioned in Surah at-Tawbah—that [his father] would not believe, he abandoned him completely. Thus, the promise and its fulfillment both occurred before that clarity. In this way, his seeking of forgiveness for his father differs from the believers' seeking of forgiveness for their relatives among the polytheists, because the latter occurred after that clarity had been established; and thus, they were not permitted to follow his example in seeking forgiveness.

The scholar al-Tibi said: The Almighty has clarified to the believers that those [polytheists] are enemies of Allah, by His words, exalted is He: Do not take My enemies and your enemies as allies, extending to them affection... (Qur’an 60:1), and that there is no room to display affection in any way. Then, the Almighty, exalted is His majesty, exaggerated the detail of their enmity by His words, mighty and majestic is He: If they gain dominance over you, they will be your enemies and extend their hands and tongues against you with evil, and they wish you would disbelieve (Qur’an 60:2). Then, the Almighty incited them to sever family ties by His words: Never will your relatives or your children benefit you on the Day of Resurrection (Qur’an 60:3). Then, He consoled them by following the example of Abraham, peace be upon him, and his people in severing those ties, by His words, blessed and exalted is He: There has been for you an excellent pattern in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people, "Indeed, we are disassociated from you and from whatever you worship other than Allah. We have denied you," up to His words, except for the saying of Abraham to his father, "I will surely ask forgiveness for you" (Qur’an 60:4).

He excluded from what was mentioned [as an example] that which the context did not permit, even as that [earlier] context did permit it due to a definitive text. That is: You have an example in Abraham, peace be upon him, regarding these disbelievers in terms of severance and abandonment, and nothing else. Do not be cordial with them, nor show them the compassion and mercy that Abraham, peace be upon him, showed his father in his saying, I will surely ask forgiveness for you, because it had not yet become clear to him that [his father] would not believe, as the disbelief and enmity of these [disbelievers of the Prophet's time] has become clear to you. End quote.

An objection is raised that what was mentioned is apparent in that the seeking of forgiveness by the believers for their relatives—which they were forbidden from because it occurred after the clarity [of their state]—was like the seeking of forgiveness by Abraham, peace be upon him, in the sense of requesting success for repentance and guidance to faith. What many scholars have relied upon is that the Almighty's saying, It is not for the Prophet and those who have believed to ask forgiveness for the polytheists (Qur’an 9:113), refers to the Prophet's (peace be upon him) seeking of forgiveness for his uncle Abu Talib after his death. That seeking of forgiveness could not have been in the sense of requesting guidance at all; for how can guidance be conceived after death?

Furthermore, even if it were assumed that his seeking of forgiveness for him was before death, it is still not imaginable that it was in that sense, because the verse implies that it was after it had become clear that he was one of the companions of the Hellfire. If [the verse] is interpreted as the inevitability of dying in disbelief, then it was a prayer for guidance to faith while knowing the inevitability of dying in disbelief; and its impossibility, if it is known to us through what has passed, is the most manifest thing to him (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and indeed to those who draw from his niche (peace be upon him). It is a strong objection according to the outward appearance, and based on it, the seeking of forgiveness by Abraham, peace be upon him, for his father must have been in that sense during his lifetime, for it is not conceivable after death. This is clear.

Al-Zamakhshari said in response to the question: How was it permissible for him, peace be upon him, to seek forgiveness for a disbeliever and promise him that? They said: He intended the condition of repentance from disbelief. They said: "We have believed," so he sought forgiveness for him with his words, And forgive my father, because he had promised him that he would believe. They cited as evidence the words of the Almighty: And the seeking of forgiveness of Abraham for his father was only because of a promise he had made to him (Qur’an 9:114).

He then said: A speaker might say: That which prevents seeking forgiveness for a disbeliever is only the revelation (al-sam’); as for the matter of reason, it does not reject it. Therefore, it is permissible that the promise of seeking forgiveness and its fulfillment occurred before the revelation arrived. Evidence of its correctness is that he excluded the saying of Abraham, peace be upon him, I will surely ask forgiveness for you, in the verse There has been for you an excellent pattern in Abraham... etc., from that which required one to follow his example. If it were conditional upon faith and repentance, the exclusion would not be valid. As for the promise being from his father, it contradicts the apparent meaning that is testified to by the reading of al-Hasan and others, "he promised it to his father" (wa'adaha abahu), with the ba (in the root).

The Imam [Razi] objected to the narration of the exclusion by saying that the verse indicated the prohibition of following the example, not that it was a sin, so it is possible that it was one of his specificities (khasa’is), like many permissible things that were specific to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). This holds no weight, because al-Zamakhshari did not go so far as to say that what Abraham, peace be upon him, committed was an evil deed, but rather that it would be an evil deed for us if the revelation had so decreed.

The author of at-Taqrib objected that the negation of the consequent is invalid, for the exclusion from that in which one is required to follow the example indicates that it is not obligatory, not that it is not permissible. It should have been "excluded from that in which it is permissible to follow the example," etc., and the verse contains no indication of obligation. The answer is: his being considered a reprehensible act and his being excluded indicates that it is a reprehensible act, not just the exclusion from that which requires one to follow the example. The reprehension only appeared because he was excluded from the "excellent pattern"; if one were to follow his example in that, it would be an "ugly pattern." As for the indication of obligation, it is evident from the Almighty’s words at the end: There has certainly been for you in them an excellent pattern for anyone who hopes in Allah and the Last Day (Qur’an 60:6), as is established in the fundamentals (usul).

The conclusion is that the action of Abraham, peace be upon him, indicates that it is not inherently reprehensible, and the Almighty's saying, It is not for the Prophet and those who have believed to ask forgiveness for the polytheists... etc., indicates that it is now reprehensible according to revelation, and that it was also reprehensible in the time of Abraham, peace be upon him, after it was not reprehensible; and that is why he disassociated from him, and this is clear. However, al-Zamakhshari made the basis of permissibility before the prohibition to be reason, and this is a disputed issue. How many have said that it is the revelation, as it falls under the kindness to parents and compassion for the ummah of the call (da'wah)? Indeed, it has been said: The former is the school of the Mu'tazilah, and this is the school of the People of Sunnah. End quote, with slight changes.

It was objected to the statement that it was reprehensible in the time of Abraham, peace be upon him, after it was not, that if it were so, our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would not have done it, and it has come down that he (peace be upon him) did it for his uncle Abu Talib. It was answered by the possibility that it had not reached him [the prohibition] when he (peace be upon him) did it.

The verification of this issue is that seeking forgiveness for a living disbeliever whose end is unknown, in the sense of asking for his guidance to faith, is something that contains no impediment rationally or traditionally. Requesting that for a disbeliever known to have had his heart sealed, whom Allah has informed will not believe, and [where it is] known that there is no suspension in his matter at all, is something that has no room [for legitimacy] rationally or traditionally. Similar to that is requesting forgiveness for a disbeliever while he remains in a state of disbelief, according to what some investigators have mentioned. This—as it is said—is because of the nullification of the matter of disbelief, which no sin matches, and the becoming of the duty of belief, which no act of obedience matches, into an absurdity—along with what that entails of what does not befit the majesty of Allah, mighty and majestic is He.

Almost falling into this, regarding what was mentioned, is the request for forgiveness for all other sinners while they remain in their sin, unless one distinguishes between disbelief and other sins. As for requesting forgiveness for a disbeliever after his death in a state of disbelief, reason does not reject it; only the revelation prohibits it. A distinction is made between it and requesting it for a disbeliever while he remains in disbelief by the non-application of the previous justification to it, and that requires reflection.

It was argued for the permissibility of that rationally by his (peace be upon him) saying to his uncle: "I will not cease to seek forgiveness for you as long as I am not forbidden," so the Almighty's saying descended: It is not for the Prophet and those who have believed to ask forgiveness for the polytheists (Qur’an 9:113). He interpreted the Almighty's saying, after it has become clear to them that they are companions of Hellfire (Qur’an 9:113), to mean: "after it appeared to them that they died as disbelievers." He committed to the opinion that the Almighty's saying, Indeed, Allah does not forgive association with Him, but He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills (Qur’an 4:48), was revealed after that; otherwise, his (peace be upon him) seeking of forgiveness for his uncle after knowing of his death as a disbeliever would not be possible. It was previously stated that Allah does not forgive disbelief.

It was said: There is no need to commit to that, for it is permissible that he (peace be upon him), out of the abundance of his compassion and the intensity of his kindness, had interpreted the verse to mean that He does not forgive shirk (association) if one does not intercede for it, or shirk in which the heart and all limbs were complicit, and he knew from his uncle that his shirk was not like that, so he requested forgiveness until he was forbidden (peace be upon him). Others have said otherwise, so reflect; for the context still requires further discussion, and Allah the Almighty is the Granter of success.