19:42 Maryam (Mary)

تفسير الآيتين 41 و42 :ـأجل الكتب وأفضلها وأعلاها، هذا الكتاب المبين، والذكر الحكيم، فإن ذكر فيه الأخبار، كانت أصدق الأخبار وأحقها، وإن ذكر فيه الأمر والنهي، كانت أجل الأوامر والنواهي، وأعدلها وأقسطها، وإن ذكر فيه الجزاء والوعد والوعيد، كان أصدق الأنباء وأحقها وأدلها على الحكمة والعدل والفضل،. وإن ذكر فيه الأنبياء والمرسلون، كان المذكور فيه، أكمل من غيره وأفضل، ولهذا كثيرا ما يبدئ ويعيد في قصص الأنبياء، الذين فضلهم على غيرهم، ورفع قدرهم، وأعلى أمرهم، بسبب ما قاموا به، من عبادة الله ومحبته، والإنابة إليه، والقيام بحقوقه، وحقوق العباد، ودعوة الخلق إلى الله، والصبر على ذلك، والمقامات الفاخرة، والمنازل العالية،. فذكر الله في هذه السورة جملة من الأنبياء، يأمر الله رسوله أن يذكرهم، لأن في ذكرهم إظهار الثناء على الله وعليهم، وبيان فضله وإحسانه إليهم،. وفيه الحث على الإيمان بهم ومحبتهم، والاقتداء بهم، فقال: { وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّهُ كَانَ صِدِّيقًا نَبِيًّا ْ} جمع الله له بين الصديقية والنبوة. فالصديق: كثير الصدق، فهو الصادق في أقواله وأفعاله وأحواله، المصدق بكل ما أمر بالتصديق به،.وذلك يستلزم العلم العظيم الواصل إلى القلب، المؤثر فيه، الموجب لليقين، والعمل الصالح الكامل،. وإبراهيم عليه السلام، هو أفضل الأنبياء كلهم بعد محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم، وهو الأب الثالث للطوائف الفاضلة، وهو الذي جعل الله في ذريته النبوة والكتاب، وهو الذي دعا الخلق إلى الله، وصبر على ما ناله من العذاب العظيم، فدعا القريب والبعيد، واجتهد في دعوة أبيه، مهما أمكنه، وذكر الله مراجعته إياه، فقال: { إِذْ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ ْ} مهجنا له عبادة الأوثان: { يَا أَبَتِ لِمَ تَعْبُدُ مَا لَا يَسْمَعُ وَلَا يُبْصِرُ وَلَا يُغْنِي عَنْكَ شَيْئًا ْ} أي: لم تعبد أصناما، ناقصة في ذاتها، وفي أفعالها، فلا تسمع، ولا تبصر، ولا تملك لعابدها نفعا ولا ضرا، بل لا تملك لأنفسها شيئا من النفع، ولا تقدر على شيء من الدفع، فهذا برهان جلي دال على أن عبادة الناقص في ذاته وأفعاله مستقبح عقلا وشرعا. ودل بتنبيهه وإشارته، أن الذي يجب ويحسن عبادة من له الكمال، الذي لا ينال العباد نعمة إلا منه، ولا يدفع عنهم نقمة إلا هو، وهو الله تعالى.

كيف نهاه عن عبادة الأصنام فقال "يا أبت لم تعبد ما لا يسمع ولا يبصر ولا يغني عنك شيئا" أي لا ينفعك ولا يدفع عنك ضررا.

Ibrahim's Admonition of His Father

Allah, the Exalted, tells His Prophet, Muhammad ﷺ,

وَاذْكُرْ فِى الْكِتَـبِ إِبْرَهِيمَ

(And mention in the Book, Ibrahim.) "Recite this to your people who are worshipping idols and mention to them what happened with Ibrahim, the intimate Friend (Khalil) of the Most Beneficent. These idol worshippers (Arabs) are his descendants and they claim to follow his religion. Inform them that he was a truthful Prophet. Tell them about what took place with his father and how he forbade him from worshipping idols." Ibrahim said,

يأَبَتِ لِمَ تَعْبُدُ مَا لاَ يَسْمَعُ وَلاَ يَبْصِرُ وَلاَ يُغْنِى عَنكَ شَيْئاً

(O my father! Why do you worship that which hears not, sees not and cannot avail you in anything) Meaning that these idols will not benefit you, nor can they protect you from any harm.

يأَبَتِ إِنِّى قَدْ جَآءَنِى مِنَ الْعِلْمِ مَا لَمْ يَأْتِكَ

(O my father! Verily, there has come to me the knowledge of that which came not unto you.) This means, "Even though I am from your loins and you see me as inferior to you because I am your son, know that I have received knowledge from Allah that you do not know and it has not reached you."

فَاتَّبِعْنِى أَهْدِكَ صِرَاطاً سَوِيّاً

(So follow me, I will guide you to the straight path.) meaning, "a straight path that will carry you to the desired objective and save you from that which is dreaded (Hell)."

يأَبَتِ لاَ تَعْبُدِ الشَّيْطَـنَ

(O my father! Worship not Shaytan.) This is means, "Do not obey him by worshipping these idols. He invites to this (idolatry) and he is pleased with it." This is as Allah says,

أَلَمْ أَعْهَدْ إِلَيْكُمْ يبَنِى ءَادَمَ أَن لاَّ تَعْبُدُواْ الشَّيطَـنَ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ

(Did I not command you, O Children of Adam, that you should not worship Shaytan. Verily, he is a plain enemy to you.) 36:60 Allah also says,

إِن يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِهِ إِلاَّ إِنَـثاً وَإِن يَدْعُونَ إِلاَّ شَيْطَـناً مَّرِيداً

(They invoke nothing but females idols besides Him (Allah), and they invoke nothing but Shaytan, a persistent rebel!) 4:117 Concerning Allah's statement,

إِنَّ الشَّيْطَـنَ كَانَ لِلرَّحْمَـنِ عَصِيّاً

(Verily, Shaytan has been a rebel against the Most Gracious.) This means obstinate and too arrogant to obey his Lord. Therefore, Allah expelled him and made him an outcast. Therefore, "do not follow him or you will become like him. "

يأَبَتِ إِنِّى أَخَافُ أَن يَمَسَّكَ عَذَابٌ مِّنَ الرَّحْمَـنِ

(O my father! Verily, I fear lest a torment from the Most Gracious should overtake you,) "because of your associating partners with Allah and your disobedience in what I am commanding you with."

فَتَكُونَ لِلشَّيْطَـنِ وَلِيّاً

(so that you become a companion of Shaytan.) This means, "there will be no one who will protect you, or help you, or assist you, except Iblis. However, neither he, nor anyone else, has any power over the outcome of matters. Following him will only cause you to be surrounded by the torment (of Allah)." This is as Allah says,

تَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَى أُمَمٍ مِّن قَبْلِكَ فَزَيَّنَ لَهُمُ الشَّيْطَـِّنُ أَعْمَالَهُمْ فَهُوَ وَلِيُّهُمُ الْيَوْمَ وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ

(By Allah, We indeed sent (Messengers) to the nations before you, but Shaytan made their deeds fair seeming to them. So he is their helper today (in this world), and theirs will be a painful torment.) 16:63

When he said to his father Āzar ‘O my father! the final tā’ here of abati has replaced the possessive yā’ of genitive annexation sc. of yā abī; the two however are never used together — he Abraham’s father used to worship idols. Why do you worship that which neither hears nor sees and is of no avail to you suffices you not in any way? whether in terms of benefit or harm.

How to give counsel to elders.

يَا أَبَتِ (My dear father - 19:42) In Arabic language this word conveys deep respect and intense love for one's father. Allah Ta` ala had combined in the person of Sayyidna Khalilullah (علیہ السلام) the noble qualities and attributes, and his address to his father is a perfect example of moderation and restraint on the one hand, and the balancing of the opposites on the other. He finds his father living a life of unbelief and polytheism, and also calling upon other people to follow him in a life of sin - the very things which he was sent to eradicate. At the same time there is the filial love and respect which he feels towards his father. Now, the thing to note is, how well he combines the two conflicting feelings together. In the first place he uses the word يَا أَبَتِ , which is the mark of love and respect for his father, in the beginning of each sentence of the address. Then there is not a single derogatory word in his address which could hurt the feelings of his father, and words such as infidel or sinner have been carefully avoided. Instead, guided by prophetic wisdom he merely invited his father's attention to the helplessness and insensitivity of his idols, so that he might himself realize the fallacy of his beliefs. In the second sentence he made a mention of the prophetic knowledge that was granted to him by Allah Ta’ ala. Then in the third and fourth sentences he warned him against the Divine wrath, which would surely fall on him as a punishment for infidelity and idolatry. Even to these respectful entreaties his father did not pay any heed and, instead of giving any thought to what was said to him and adopting a gentle attitude, he addressed him ina very harsh language. Whereas Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) had addressed him with the loving words of يَا أَبَتِ , which should have called for a soft and tender response, such as یَا بُنَیَّ (My dear son) he chose to call him by his name and said يَا إِبْرَ‌اهِيمُ , and not only threatened to stone him to death but also asked him to leave his house. How Sayyidna Khalilullah' (علیہا السلام) responded to this threat is worthy of deep reflection.