Surah Al-Anbiya' 21:51
ﲌ ﲍ ﲎ ﲏ ﲐ ﲑ ﲒ ﲓ ﲔ ﲕ
And We had certainly given Abraham his sound judgement before, and We were of him well-Knowing
Tafsir of Al-Anbiya' 21:51-55
Tafsir
Mafatih al-Ghayb
Verse range: 21:51-55
Surah Al-Anbiya: (51 - 55) And indeed, We gave Abraham...
Verse 51: {وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ رُشْدَهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَكُنَّا بِهِ عَالِمِينَ}
(And indeed, We gave Abraham his right guidance before, and We were knowing of him.)
There are several points concerning this verse:
Issue 1: The Meaning of *Rushd* (Right Guidance) There are two main opinions regarding the meaning of *Rushd*:
- Prophethood (Nubuwwah): They support this by the phrase {وَكُنَّا بِهِ عَالِمِينَ} (And We were knowing of him). They argue that Allah only grants prophethood to one whom He knows in advance will uphold its rights, avoid what is unsuitable for it, and refrain from actions that would repel his people from accepting the message.
- Guidance towards the means of righteousness in religion and worldly affairs: This is supported by the verse concerning orphans: {وَابْتَلُوا الْيَتَامَى حَتَّى إِذَا بَلَغُوا النِّكَاحَ فَإِنْ...} (And test the orphans until they reach the age of marriage...).
There is a third opinion: that Rushd encompasses both Prophethood and general guidance. This is because a Prophet must be guided by Allah to His Essence and Attributes, as well as to the welfare of himself and his people—all of which fall under Rushd.
Issue 2: The Proof for Createdness of Faith Our scholars use this verse as proof that faith (*Iman*) is created by Allah. If *Rushd* means divine success (*Tawfiq*) and clarification (*Bayan*), then Allah must have granted this to the disbelievers as well, meaning they too must have been given their *Rushd*.
The response of Al-Ka'bi: This attribution is made concerning one who accepts, not one who rejects. It is like giving wealth to two sons: one accepts it and makes it productive, while the other rejects it or takes it and wastes it. One would say, "So-and-so enriched his son" regarding the one who made the wealth productive, but not the one who wasted it.
The rebuttal: This response is invalid unless one considers the acceptance (Qabul) to be part of the definition of Rushd. This is false, because if a term is composed of two parts, and one part is not within the agent's power, then that term cannot be attributed to that agent. Therefore, it would be necessary that Rushd could not be attributed to Allah in the sense of being bestowed (maf'uliyyah). However, the text, {وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ رُشْدَهُ} (And indeed, We gave Abraham his Rushd), explicitly states that this Rushd originated from Allah. Thus, their argument is refuted.
Issue 3: Recitation of *Rushdahu* The author of *Al-Kashshaf* mentioned that it was recited as **Rishdahu** (like *’adam* and *’adam*). The meaning of attributing it to him (*idafah*) is that it is a *Rushd* befitting him, or a *Rushd* of great significance.
Concerning the phrase {مِنْ قَبْلُ} (before) There are several interpretations:
- We gave Abraham his prophethood and guidance before Moses (peace be upon him), according to Ibn Abbas and Ibn Jarir.
- It refers to his youth, before puberty, when he was in seclusion and observed the stars, deducing from them. This interpretation aligns with those who define Rushd as guidance, otherwise, it would imply his prophethood occurred before puberty (according to Muqatil).
- It means when he was in the loins of Adam (peace be upon him), when Allah took the covenant from the Prophets (according to a narration from Ibn Abbas by Al-Dahhak).
Concerning the phrase {وَكُنَّا بِهِ عَالِمِينَ} (and We were knowing of him) This means that Allah, the Exalted, knew of him wonderful states, astonishing secrets, and attributes that pleased Him to the extent that He qualified him to be His intimate friend (*Khalil*). This is like saying about a great man, "I know so-and-so," where this statement indicates his glorification more effectively than if one were to detail the extent of his perfection.
Concerning the phrase {إِذْ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ} (when he said to his father and his people) The author of *Al-Kashshaf* suggested that *idh* (when) is either connected to *Ātaynā* (We gave), or to *Rushdahu* (his right guidance), or to an implied phrase, such as: "Mention this time among the times of his right guidance."
Concerning the phrase {مَا هَذِهِ التَّمَاثِيلُ الَّتِي أَنْتُمْ لَهَا عَاكِفُونَ} (What are these statues that you are devoted to?)
Issue 1: The Meaning of Tamāthīl (Statues/Images)
Tamthāl is the name for something manufactured in imitation of God's creation. Its root comes from Muthaltu ash-shay’ bi-sh-shay’ (I likened a thing to another thing), and the name of the thing being likened is Tamthāl.
Issue 2: The Context of the Question
The people were worshipping idols in specific forms, such as the shape of a human or something else. Abraham (peace be upon him) began his discourse with this question to see what pretext they might offer that he could then refute.
Issue 3: Grammatical Note on ’Ākifūn (Devoted)
The author of Al-Kashshaf noted that the verb was not made transitive (i.e., no direct object was intended for ’ākifūn), treating it as an intransitive verb, similar to saying, "They are fa’ilūn (doers) of devotion" or "They are wāqifūn (standing) for it." If one asks why it was not said {عَلَيْهَا عَاكِفُونَ} (devoted to them), as in {يَعْكُفُونَ عَلَى أَصْنَامٍ لَهُمْ}, the answer is: If transitivity was intended, it would have been followed by its prepositional phrase, which is ’alā.
Concerning the phrase {قَالُوا وَجَدْنَا آبَاءَنَا لَهَا عَابِدِينَ} (They said: We found our fathers worshipping them) The people found no response other than the path of **imitation (*taqlīd*)**, which necessitates stronger condemnation. If they were mistaken in their matter, the fact that their fathers followed the same path does not protect them from that error. Therefore, Abraham (peace be upon him) responded by saying: {لَقَدْ كُنْتُمْ أَنْتُمْ وَآبَاؤُكُمْ فِي ضَلَالٍ مُبِينٍ} (Indeed, you and your fathers were in manifest error). He clarified that falsehood does not become truth due to the multitude of its adherents.
When he established this point against them and they found no escape from his words, seeing him steadfast in his denunciation, his heart was strengthened. They found it strange that such denunciation could be directed at them, given their large numbers and the long adherence to their doctrine. At that point, they said to him: {أَجِئْتَنَا بِالْحَقِّ أَمْ أَنْتَ مِنَ اللَّاعِبِينَ} (Have you brought us the truth, or are you one of the jesting ones?), implying through this statement that it was unlikely for someone to seriously undertake denouncing them in this manner. Therefore, he (peace be upon him) turned to explaining Monotheism (Tawhīd).