Tafsir of As-Saffat 37:95

Surah As-Saffat (The Arrangers in Rows): Verse 95

{قال أتعبدون ما تنحتون} (He said: "Do you worship what you carve?")

Issue 1: The Proof Against Idol Worship

When the people rebuked Abraham (peace be upon him) for breaking the idols, he responded by presenting a clear proof against their worship: {وٱللَّهُ خَلَقَكُمْ وَمَا تَعْمَلُونَ} ("And Allah created you and what you do").

The logic is evident: Wood and stone were not objects of worship before man carved and shaped them. The carving process only added the effects of human action upon them. If they became worthy of worship after this shaping, it would imply that something unworthy of worship became worthy simply because human effort was applied to it—a notion immediately refuted by rational intuition (badīhat al-'aql).

Issue 2: The Theological Debate on Divine Creation of Human Actions

The majority of scholars (Aṣḥāb) use the phrase {وَمَا تَعْمَلُونَ} ("and what you do") as proof that human actions are created by Allah.

• Grammarians' View: They agree that the particle mā (what) along with the following verb is equivalent to a verbal noun (maṣdar). Thus, {وَمَا تَعْمَلُونَ} means "and your doing/work." The verse's meaning becomes: "And Allah created you and He created your actions."

• Objections Raised Against This Proof (by opponents of this view):
  1. Inconsistency in Attribution: Allah says, {أَتَعْبُدُونَ مَا تَنْحَتُونَ} ("Do you worship what you carve?"). He attributes the worship and the carving to them as the doers. If these actions were created by Allah, it would be impossible for them to be considered the actions of the servant.
  2. Context of Rebuke: This verse is a reprimand for idol worship. Allah clarifies that He is the Creator of them and the idols. The Creator alone deserves worship, not the created. Since they abandoned worshipping the Creator and worshipped idols, they are rightly rebuked. If they were not the agents of their actions, rebuking them for those actions would be unjustified.

• Rebuttal to the Grammarians' Interpretation: We concede that mā can sometimes mean the verbal noun (maṣdar), but we argue it can also mean the object (maf'ūl). This is supported by several points:
  1. Parallelism: In {أَتَعْبُدُونَ مَا تَنْحَتُونَ}, they worship the carved object (the idol), not the act of carving (the naḥt). Therefore, in {وَمَا تَعْمَلُونَ}, the intended meaning should be the object worked upon (the result/deed), not the act of working (the action itself), maintaining consistency between the two clauses.
  2. Quranic Precedent: Allah says: {فَإِذَا هِيَ تَلْقَفُ مَا يَأْفِكُونَ} (Al-A'rāf: 117). Here, "what they utter falsely" refers not to the falsehood itself, but to the things that are the subject of that falsehood (like the sticks and stones that were claimed to be gods). Similarly, here, mā refers to the result of the action.
  3. Linguistic Usage: Arabs sometimes use the term ʿamal (work/deed) to refer to the place or result of the work (e.g., saying "this is the work of so-and-so" about a door or a seal, meaning the object upon which the work was done).

Conclusion on the Verse: Since mā can mean the object/result, interpreting it as the object is more appropriate here. The primary purpose of this section is to refute their idol worship, not to debate whether they originate their own actions. These counter-arguments are strong, and therefore, relying on this verse for the proof of creation of actions is best avoided.

When Abraham presented this powerful argument and they could not reply, they resorted to physical harm. They decided to build a structure and throw him into a fire.

The exact nature of the structure is not detailed in the Quran. Ibn Abbas reported they built a wall of stone, thirty cubits high and twenty cubits wide, filled it with fire, and threw him into it—this is what is meant by {فَأَلْقَوْهُ فِي ٱلْجَحِيمِ} (And they threw him into the blazing Fire).

Al-Zajjaj explained that Jahīm refers to any fire piled upon fire, and the definite article (al-) suggests the extremity of that specific fire.

Then Allah states: {فَأَرَادُوا بِهِ كَيْدًا فَجَعَلْنَاهُمُ الْأَسْفَلِينَ} (So they plotted against him, but We made them the lowest/defeated). This means that during the debate, Abraham prevailed over them. When they cast him into the fire, Allah diverted the harm from him, making him the victor over them.

After this incident concluded, Abraham said: {إِنِّي ذَاهِبٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّي} ("Indeed, I am going to my Lord"). This is similar to the verse in Al-Ankabut: {وَقَالَ إِنِّي مُهَاجِرٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّي} ("And he said, 'Indeed, I will emigrate to my Lord'").

Issue 1: Obligation of Emigration from Adversity This verse indicates that it is obligatory to emigrate from a place where enemies are numerous. Abraham (PBUH), despite receiving the greatest form of divine support, migrated when he sensed intense hostility. If this is required for him, it is certainly more incumbent upon others.

Issue 2: Meaning of "Going to My Lord" There are two interpretations:

1. Leaving the Land: Meaning, "I am going to a place where I can practice the religion of my Lord." This is the path followed by Moses, who said: {كَلَّا إِنَّ مَعِيَ رَبِّي سَيَهْدِينِ} ("No! Indeed, with me is my Lord; He will guide me").
2. Devotion in Action (Al-Kalbī's view): Meaning, "I am going with my worship to my Lord," emphasizing that he will perform no action except for Allah, similar to: {وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِيَ لِلَّذِي فَطَرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ} ("I have turned my face toward Him Who created the heavens and the earth").

The first view is preferred because the context of the verse is explaining his physical emigration to the Levant (Sham). Furthermore, interpreting it as guidance in religion is difficult, as he was already upon the true religion. If interpreted as guidance, it must mean steadfastness upon it or attaining higher ranks and lofty stations in religious matters.

Issue 3: The Nature of Divine Guidance ({سَيَهْدِينِ}) The phrase {سَيَهْدِينِ} ("He will guide me") proves that guidance is exclusively from Allah, as our scholars maintain. This guidance cannot mean merely presenting proofs and removing excuses, as that had already occurred in the past. The future tense (سـ) necessitates that this guidance refers to the attainment of knowledge and true recognition in his heart.

• Question: Why did Abraham affirm with certainty (إِنِّي... سَيَهْدِينِ), while Moses said, {عَسَىٰ رَبِّي أَنْ يَهْدِيَنِ سَوَاءَ السَّبِيلِ} ("Perhaps my Lord will guide me to the right path")?
• Answer: When a servant witnesses the stations of Allah's Mercy, he may be certain of achieving the desired outcome. However, when he witnesses the stations of Allah's absolute self-sufficiency (being Ghaniyy from all creation), he humbles himself, does not assert certainty, and expresses only hope and longing.

Issue 4: Refuting Anthropomorphism (Tashbīh) The phrase {إِنِّي ذَاهِبٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّي} ("I am going to My Lord") refutes the literal interpretation of anthropomorphists who cite {إِلَيْهِ يَصْعَدُ الْكَلِمُ الطَّيِّبُ} ("To Him ascends the good word"). The word ilā (to) is present here, yet it does not necessitate that Allah is physically located in that destination. The same logic applies to the ascent of words.

When Abraham migrated to the Holy Land, he desired a son and supplicated: {هَبْ لِي مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ} ("Grant me [a son] from the righteous ones").

The word hibah (gift/grant) is predominantly used for offspring, although it appears for siblings (Aaron) and prophets (Isaac, John). This is supported by the saying of Ali ibn Abi Talib to Ibn Abbas: "You thanked the Giver, and may you be blessed in the gifted one." This is why names like Allah's Gift (Hibatullah), The Great Giver (Habīh al-Wahhāb), The Gifted (Mawhūb), and Gift (Hiba) are used.

This prayer encompassed three elements:

1. That the child be a male youth.
2. That he reach puberty.
3. That he be Ḥalīm (forbearing/patient).

What patience is greater than that of a son who, when his father presented the command to slaughter him, responded: {قَالَ سَتَجِدُنِي إِن شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّابِرِينَ} ("He said, 'You will find me, if Allah wills, among the patient'") and then submitted?

Furthermore, Abraham himself was described as Ḥalīm ({إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ لَحَلِيمٌ أَوْوَاهٌ مُّنِيبٌ}). Thus, Abraham indicated that his son would inherit his noble attributes and virtues.

The Superiority of Righteousness (Ṣalāḥ): Righteousness is the noblest attribute, evidenced by Abraham seeking it for himself: {رَبِّ هَبْ لِي حُكْمًا وَأَلْحِقْنِي بِالصَّالِحِينَ} (O my Lord, grant me judgment and join me with the righteous). Solomon also sought it after reaching the peak of religious and worldly status: {وَأَدْخِلْنِي بِرَحْمَتِكَ فِي عِبَادِكَ الصَّالِحِينَ} (And admit me, by Your mercy, among Your righteous servants). This confirms that righteousness is the highest station of servitude.

{فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ السَّعْيَ قَالَ يَا بُنَيَّ إِنِّي أَرَىٰ فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنِّي أَذْبَحُكَ فَانظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَىٰ ۚ قَالَ يَا أَبَتِ افْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ ۖ سَتَجِدُنِي إِن شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّابِرِينَ * فَلَمَّا أَسْلَمَا وَتَلَّاهُ لِلْجَبِينِ * وَنَادَيْنَاهُ أَن يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ * قَدْ صَدَّقْتَ الرُّؤْيَا ۚ إِنَّا كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ * إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَهُوَ الْبَلَاءُ الْمُبِينُ * وَفَدَيْنَاهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍ * وَتَرَكْنَا عَلَيْهِ فِي الْآخِرِينَ * سَلَامٌ عَلَىٰ إِبْرَاهِيمَ * كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ * إِنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ * وَبَشَّرْنَاهُ بِإِسْحَاقَ نَبِيًّا مِّنَ الصَّالِحِينَ * وَبَارَكْنَا عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَىٰ إِسْحَاقَ ۚ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِهِمَا مُحْسِنٌ وَظَالِمٌ لِّنَفْسِهِ مُبِينٌ}

(So when he reached the age to strive with him, he said: "O my son, indeed I see in a dream that I am to slaughter you; so see what you think." He said: "O my father, do what you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah wills, among the patient." So when they had both submitted and he had laid him upon his forehead, We called to him, "O Abraham, You have confirmed the vision. Indeed, thus do We reward the doers of good. Indeed, this was the manifest trial. And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice. And We left for him among the later generations [a good mention]: "Peace be upon Abraham." Thus do We reward the doers of good. Indeed, he was of Our believing servants. And We gave him tidings of Isaac, a prophet from among the righteous. And We blessed him and Isaac. And among their descendants are doers of good, and [some who are] clearly unjust to themselves.)