Tafsir of Al-`Ankabut 29:16

{And Abraham}: The noun is in the accusative case (naṣb) due to an implied verb "Remember" (udhkur). The phrase {when he said to his people: Worship Allah and fear Him} is a substitution of inclusion (badal al-ishtimāl) for "Abraham," because periods of time include what occurs within them. Alternatively, it is conjoined to "Noah" [in the previous verse], and "when" (idh) is an adverbial of time for "We sent." This means: We sent him when he reached an age and level of knowledge where it was appropriate for him to exhort his people, advise them, present the truth to them, and command them to worship and fear God.

Ibrahim al-Nakha‘i and Abu Hanifa (may Allah have mercy on them) read it as {And Abraham} in the nominative case (raf‘), meaning: "And among the messengers is Abraham."

{If you know}: Meaning, if you possess knowledge of what is better for you versus what is worse. Or, if you look with the eye of insightful discernment rather than the blind eye of ignorance, you will know that it is better for you.

Readings and Interpretations:

• {You create} (takhlūqūn): Read as takhluqūn (to create) implying abundance in creation. Also read as tukadhdhibūn (you lie/fabricate), meaning to lie and invent falsehoods.
• {A lie} (ifkan): Two possibilities: 1) It is a verbal noun (maṣdar), like kadhb (lying) and la‘b (playing). 2) It is an adjective on the pattern of fi‘l, meaning "a created lie," i.e., possessing falsehood. Their fabrication of this lie is their naming of idols as gods, partners to Allah, or intercessors to Him. Or, the idols themselves are called "a lie," and their act of carving them is the "creation of a lie."

If you ask: Why is "provision" (rizq) indefinite, then definite? I say: Because he meant: "They cannot provide you with any provision at all, so seek all provision from Allah." For He is the sole Provider; no one else provides.

{To Him you will be returned}: Also read with a fatḥa on the tā’ (turja‘ūn). Prepare for meeting Him by worshipping Him and thanking Him for His blessings.

{And if you deny me...}: If you deny me, you do not harm me. The messengers before me were denied by their nations, and they did not harm them; they only harmed themselves when the consequences of their denial befell them. As for the messenger, his duty is fulfilled once he has delivered the clear message that removes all doubt—which is accompanied by the signs and miracles of Allah. Alternatively: If I am being denied among you, I have an example and solace in the other prophets who were denied. The messenger’s duty is to deliver; he is not responsible for whether he is believed or denied.

Structural Note: This verse and those following it up to {And the answer of his people was not...} (Al-Naml: 56) may be part of Abraham’s speech to his people, or they may be verses inserted regarding the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the Quraysh, placed between the beginning and end of the story of Abraham.

If you ask: If it is Abraham’s speech, who are the "nations before him"? I say: The people of Seth, Idris, Noah, and others. The people of Noah are sufficient as a nation representing many nations that denied. Idris lived for a thousand years among his people until he was raised to heaven. A thousand people among them believed in him—one for each year of his life—while their descendants persisted in denial.