Surah As-Saffat (37): Verse 83

There are two issues regarding this verse:

Issue 1: The Referent of the Pronoun in "His Party" (شِيعَتِهِ)

There are two opinions:

1. The more apparent view: The pronoun refers back to Noah (peace be upon him). This means Abraham was among the party/followers of Noah, adhering to his religion and methodology. They argue that between Noah and Abraham, there were only two prophets: Hud and Salih. (The author of Al-Kashshaf narrated that 2,640 years elapsed between Noah and Abraham.)
2. The second view (Al-Kalbi): The intended meaning is that Abraham was among the party of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the sense that he followed his religion and methodology, even though he preceded him chronologically.

The first view is more apparent because Noah was mentioned previously, whereas the Prophet (PBUH) was not mentioned before this point, making the reference to Noah more likely.

Issue 2: The Grammatical Operator for "When" (إِذْ)

The operator for the word إِذْ (when) is implied by the meaning of وَإِنَّ مِنْ شِيعَتِهِ (And indeed, of his party [is] Abraham), meaning: He was among his party when he came to his Lord with a sound heart.

Regarding the phrase: {إِذْ جَاءَ رَبَّهُ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ} (When he came to his Lord with a sound heart)

There are issues concerning the phrase بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ (with a sound heart):

There are two opinions:

1. Muqatil and Al-Kalbi: It means a heart pure from polytheism (Shirk). He was safe from associating partners with God.
2. The Theologians (Al-Usuliyyun): It means he lived and died with a heart purified from all types of moral stains and sins. This includes being safe from polytheism, doubt, malice, deceit, hatred, and envy. It is narrated from Ibn Abbas that Abraham loved for people what he loved for himself, kept everyone safe from his oppression and deceit, and God caused him to submit to Him so that he did not equate anyone with Him.

Arguments:

• Those supporting the first view argue that God immediately followed this description by mentioning Abraham's denunciation of polytheism: {إِذْ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ مَاذَا تَعْبُدُونَ} (When he said to his father and his people, "What do you worship?").
• Those supporting the second view argue that the word is absolute and should not be restricted to just one attribute. This is supported by {وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ رُشْدَهُ مِنْ قَبْلُ وَكُنَّا بِهِ عَالِمِينَ} (And We had certainly given Abraham his right guidance before, and We were of him knowing) (Al-Anbiya: 51), even though God also said {اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ حَيْثُ يَجْعَلُ رِسَالَتَهُ} (Allah knows best where to place His message) (Al-An'am: 124), and {وَكَذَلِكَ نُرِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ مَلَكُوتَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَلِيَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُوقِنِينَ} (And thus did We show Abraham the kingdom of the heavens and the earth that he might be of those who are certain) (Al-An'am: 75).

Clarification on "Coming to the Lord with a Heart": The meaning is that he dedicated his heart sincerely to God, as if he were presenting that heart as a gift to the presence of God. It is mentioned in the Torah that God said to Moses: "Answer your God with all your heart."

God, after mentioning that Abraham came to his Lord with a sound heart, mentioned that one of the effects of that soundness was that he called his father and his people to monotheism: {إِذْ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ مَاذَا تَعْبُدُونَ} (When he said to his father and his people, "What do you worship?"). The purpose of this statement is to criticize and expose the ugliness of their path.

Then He said: {آلِهَةً دُونَ اللَّهِ تُرِيدُونَ} (Do you desire deities other than Allah?).

Al-Kashshaf states that إِفْكًا (a falsehood) is an object of the verb turīdūn (you desire), meaning: Do you desire deities other than Him as a falsehood? The object is placed before the verb for emphasis. The object of desire (آلِهَةً) is placed before the object of the falsehood (إِفْكًا) because it was more important for him to establish that their polytheism was based on falsehood and error.

Alternatively, إِفْكًا could be the object, meaning: Do you desire a falsehood? Then the falsehood is explained by {دُونَ اللَّهِ تُرِيدُونَ} (you desire other than Allah), meaning the deities themselves are the falsehood.

It is also possible that إِفْكًا is a circumstantial adverb (حال), meaning: You desire deities other than Allah while being deceitful/false.

Then He said: {فَمَا ظَنُّكُمْ بِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ} (Then what is your opinion of the Lord of the worlds?). There are two interpretations:

1. What do you think of the Lord of the worlds that it is permissible to make these inanimate objects partners with Him in worship?
2. What do you think of the Lord of the worlds, that He is of the same category as these bodies, such that you equate them with Him in worship? This points out that "There is nothing like unto Him."

Then He said: {فَنَظَرَ نَظْرَةً فِي النُّجُومِ * فَقَالَ إِنِّي سَقِيمٌ} (Then he cast a glance at the stars * And said, "Indeed, I am ill.").

Ibn Abbas narrated that they used to practice astrology. Abraham dealt with them according to their custom because he wanted to trick them regarding their idols to establish proof against them that they were not worthy of worship. They had a festival the next day, and he wanted to stay behind so he could be alone in the temple to break the idols.

Here are two questions:

1. Since looking into astrology is impermissible, how did Abraham undertake it?
2. Abraham (PBUH) was not actually sick, so saying "Indeed, I am ill" was a lie.

Scholars have provided many answers to these two points:

First Answer: He looked at the stars at certain times of the day and night, and sickness (like fever) would come upon him at specific hours. He looked to determine if the sickness would occur at that hour, and then said, {إِنِّي سَقِيمٌ}, using it as an excuse for missing their festival. He was truthful in that the sickness did come upon him at that time, and he stayed behind specifically to break their idols.

Second Answer: Abraham’s people were astrologers who revered the stars and made predictions based on them. Therefore, Abraham looked into the sciences of the stars and their meanings, not literally gazing at them with his eye. This is like saying, "So-and-so studied jurisprudence (Fiqh) or grammar (Nahw)." He only intended to make them think he knew what they knew, so that when he said, {إِنِّي سَقِيمٌ}, they would accept his statement.

Regarding {إِنِّي سَقِيمٌ}: It means, "I will become sick," similar to {إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ} (Indeed, you are to die) (Az-Zumar: 30).

Third Answer: The statement {فَنَظَرَ نَظْرَةً فِي النُّجُومِ} refers to what is mentioned in Surah Al-An'am: {فَلَمَّا جَنَّ عَلَيْهِ اللَّيْلُ رَأَى كَوْكَبًا} (So when the night covered him [with darkness], he saw a star...). That look was to ascertain whether these celestial bodies were eternal or created. His statement {إِنِّي سَقِيمٌ} meant: I am sick of heart, not knowing my Lord, and this occurred before he reached puberty.

Fourth Answer (Ibn Zayd): Abraham had a specific star, and whenever that star appeared in a specific configuration, Abraham would fall ill. Based on his prior observation, when he saw it appearing in that configuration, he said, {إِنِّي سَقِيمٌ}, meaning this sickness is inevitable.

Fifth Answer: His statement {إِنِّي سَقِيمٌ} meant he was sick of heart due to the consensus of that great multitude upon disbelief and polytheism, similar to God telling the Prophet (PBUH): {لَعَلَّكَ بَاخِعٌ نَفْسَكَ} (Perhaps you, [O Muhammad], will kill yourself [with grief] over them) (Ash-Shu'ara: 3).

Sixth Answer: We do not concede that looking into astrology and drawing inferences from it is forbidden. If one believes that God has endowed each star with a specific power or property that causes a particular effect, then this science, under this assumption, is not false. As for lying, it is not necessarily required, because he used the statement {إِنِّي سَقِيمٌ} in a figurative sense, meaning that a person is never free from experiencing an undesirable state, either in body or in heart, and all of that is a form of sickness.

Seventh Answer: Some scholars said that Abraham uttered a lie, citing a narration from the Prophet (PBUH) that "Abraham lied only three lies." I responded to some who mentioned this hadith by saying that this narration should not be accepted because attributing falsehood to Abraham is impermissible. When that person asked how the testimony of trustworthy narrators could be judged false, I replied that when there is a conflict between attributing falsehood to the narrator and attributing it to Abraham (peace be upon him), it is self-evident that attributing it to the narrator is more appropriate. Furthermore, why can't the meaning of "a lie" be a statement resembling a lie?

Eighth Answer: The meaning of {فَنَظَرَ نَظْرَةً فِي النُّجُومِ} is that he looked into the stars (i.e., scattered elements) of their speech and fragmented sayings. Things that occur piece by piece are called munajjaman (scattered), like the nujum (stars/points) of writing. The meaning is that when he heard their fragmented words, he looked into them to extract a stratagem by which he could excuse himself from joining them, and he found no better excuse than {إِنِّي سَقِيمٌ}. This means: It is inevitable that I will become sick, similar to how you tell someone preparing for a journey, "You are traveling."

Abraham (PBUH), after saying {إِنِّي سَقِيمٌ}, was turned away from by them, leaving him alone, which was his goal. {فَرَاغَ إِلَى آلِهَتِهِمْ} (So he turned aside to their gods). Rāgha ilayhi means he inclined toward it secretly, in a hidden manner, like the stealthy movement of a fox.

{أَلَا تَأْكُلُونَ} (Will you not eat?), referring to the food placed before them. He said this in mockery. Similarly, {مَا لَكُمْ لَا تَنْطِقُونَ * فَفَرَاغَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضَرْبًا} (What is the matter with you that you do not speak? * Then he turned upon them with a blow). He approached them contemptuously, as if to say, "Then he struck them a blow," because rāgha 'alayhim can mean striking them, or farāgha 'alayhim ḍarban means striking them.

Regarding {بِالْيَمِينِ} (with the right hand), there are two opinions:

1. It means with strength and force, as the right hand is the stronger of the two limbs.
2. He performed that action because of an oath he took, which is His saying: {وَتَاللَّهِ لَأَكِيدَنَّ أَصْنَامَكُمْ} (And by Allah, I will surely plan against your idols) (Al-Anbiya: 57).

Then He said: {فَأَقْبَلُوا إِلَيْهِ يَزِفُّونَ} (Then they came rushing toward him).

Hamzah recited يَزِفُّونَ (with a ḍammah on the yā’), while the rest recited it with a fatḥah. Ibn 'Arafah said that the one who reads with fatḥah uses the root zaffa-yaziffu, and the one who reads with ḍammah uses azaffa-yaziffu. Al-Zajjaj said: يَزِفُّونَ means they hurried, originating from the zafīf (trotting/quick pace) of the ostrich at the start of its run. Hamzah recited يَزِفُّونَ meaning they caused others to hasten. Al-Asma'i said: Azfa al-ibil means you made the camels hasten. This implies quick steps and close walking. In Hamzah's reading, the object is omitted, as if they urged their mounts to hasten.

Reconciliation of Apparent Contradiction: If the verse implies that Abraham was attacked immediately after breaking the idols, why does another verse in the same story say: {قَالُوا مَنْ فَعَلَ هَذَا بِآلِهَتِنَا إِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ * قَالُوا سَمِعْنَا فَتًى يَذْكُرُهُمْ يُقَالُ لَهُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ} (They said, "Who has done this to our gods? Indeed, he is of the wrongdoers." * They said, "We heard a young man mention them, who is called Abraham.") (Al-Anbiya: 59-60)? This suggests they did not know him at first.

There is no contradiction. It is possible that a group recognized him and rushed toward him, while the majority did not recognize him and were inquiring about who the breaker was. And Allah knows best.

Surah As-Saffat (37): Verses 84–90

{قَالَ أَتَعْبُدُونَ مَا تَنْحِتُونَ} (He said, "Do you worship what you carve [with your own hands]?")

{وَاللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ وَمَا تَعْمَلُونَ} (While Allah created you and that which you do [i.e., the things you make]).

{قَالُوا ابْنُوا لَهُ بُنْيَانًا فَأَلْقُوهُ فِي الْجَحِيمِ} (They said, "Construct for him a structure and cast him into the Blaze!").

{فَأَرَادُوا بِهِ كَيْدًا فَجَعَلْنَاهُمُ الْأَسْفَلِينَ} (So they plotted against him a plot, but We made them the lowest [humiliated]).

{وَقَالَ إِنِّي ذَاهِبٌ إِلَى رَبِّي سَيَهْدِينِ} (And he said, "Indeed, I will go to my Lord; He will guide me.").

{رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ} (My Lord, grant me [a child] from the righteous).

{فَبَشَّرْنَاهُ بِغُلَامٍ حَلِيمٍ} (So We gave him tidings of a forbearing boy).