21:56 Al-Anbiyaa (The Prophets)

فرد عليهم إبراهيم ردا بين به وجه سفههم، وقلة عقولهم فقال: { بَل رَبُّكُمْ رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ الَّذِي فَطَرَهُنَّ وَأَنَا عَلَى ذَلِكُمْ مِنَ الشَّاهِدِينَ ْ} فجمع لهم بين الدليل العقلي، والدليل السمعي. أما الدليل العقلي، فإنه قد علم كل أحد حتى هؤلاء الذين جادلهم إبراهيم، أن الله وحده، الخالق لجميع المخلوقات، من بني آدم، والملائكة، والجن، والبهائم، والسماوات، والأرض، المدبر لهن، بجميع أنواع التدبير، فيكون كل مخلوق مفطورا مدبرا متصرفا فيه، ودخل في ذلك، جميع ما عبد من دون الله. أفيليق عند من له أدنى مسكة من عقل وتمييز، أن يعبد مخلوقا متصرفا فيه، لا يملك نفعا، ولا ضرا، ولا موتا، ولا حياة، ولا نشورا، ويدع عبادة الخالق الرازق المدبر؟ أما الدليل السمعي: فهو المنقول عن الرسل عليهم الصلاة والسلام، فإن ما جاءوا به معصوم لا يغلط ولا يخبر بغير الحق، ومن أنواع هذا القسم شهادة أحد من الرسل على ذلك فلهذا قال إبراهيم: { وَأَنَا عَلَى ذَلِكُمْ ْ} أي: أن الله وحده المعبود وأن عبادة ما سواه باطل { مِنَ الشَّاهِدِينَ ْ} وأي شهادة بعد شهادة الله أعلى من شهادة الرسل؟ خصوصا أولي العزم منهم خصوصا خليل الرحمن.

" قال بل ربكم رب السموات والأرض الذي فطرهن " أي ربكم الذي لا إله غيره وهو الذي خلق السموات والأرض وما حوت من المخلوقات الذي ابتدأ خلقهن وهو الخالق لجميع الأشياء " وأنا على ذلكم من الشاهدبن " أي وأنا أشهد أنه لا إله غيره ولا رب سواه.

The Story of Ibrahim and his People

Allah tells us about His close Friend Ibrahim, peace be upon him, and how He bestowed upon him guidance aforetime, i.e., from an early age He inspired him with truth and evidence against his people, as Allah says elsewhere:

وَتِلْكَ حُجَّتُنَآ ءَاتَيْنَـهَآ إِبْرَهِيمَ عَلَى قَوْمِهِ

(And that was Our proof which We gave Ibrahim against his people) 6:83. The point here is that Allah is telling us that He gave guidance to Ibrahim aforetime, i.e., He had already guided him at an early age.

وَكُنَّا بِهِ عَـلِمِينَ

(and We were Well-Acquainted with him.) means, and he was worthy of that. Then Allah says:

إِذْ قَالَ لاًّبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ مَا هَـذِهِ التَّمَـثِيلُ الَّتِى أَنتُمْ لَهَا عَـكِفُونَ

(When he said to his father and his people: "What are these images, to which you are devoted") This is the guidance which he had been given during his youth: his denunciation of his people's worship of idols instead of Allah. Ibrahim said:

مَا هَـذِهِ التَّمَـثِيلُ الَّتِى أَنتُمْ لَهَا عَـكِفُونَ

("What are these images, to which you are devoted") meaning, which you worship with such devotion.

قَالُواْ وَجَدْنَآ ءَابَآءَنَا لَهَا عَـبِدِينَ

(They said: "We found our fathers worshipping them.") means, they had no other evidence apart from the misguided actions of their forefathers. Ibrahim said:

لَقَدْ كُنتُمْ أَنتُمْ وَءَابَآؤُكُمْ فِى ضَلَـلٍ مُّبِينٍ

(Indeed you and your fathers have been in manifest error.) meaning, Speaking to your fathers whose actions you cite as evidence would be the same as speaking to you. Both you and they are misguided and are not following any straight path.' When he called their intelligence into question, and said that their fathers were misguided and belittled their gods,

قَالُواْ أَجِئْتَنَا بِالْحَقِّ أَمْ أَنتَ مِنَ اللَّـعِبِينَ

(They said: "Have you brought us the Truth, or are you one of those who play about") They said: `These words that you are saying, are you speaking in jest or are you telling the truth For we have never heard such a thing before.'

قَالَ بَل رَّبُّكُمْ رَبُّ السَّمَـوَتِ وَالاٌّرْضِ الَّذِى فطَرَهُنَّ

(He said: "Nay, your Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, Who created them...") meaning, your Lord, beside Whom there is no other god, is the One Who created the heavens and the earth and all that they contain; He is the One Who initiated their creation; He is the Creator of all things.

وَأَنَاْ عَلَى ذلِكُمْ مِّنَ الشَّـهِدِينَ

(and to that I am one of the witnesses. ) means, and I bear witness that there is no God other than Him and no Lord except Him.

He said ‘Nay but your Lord the only One worthy of being worshipped is the Lord the Owner of the heavens and the earth the One Who originated them Who created them without any precedent and to that which I have said I am a witness.

Commentary

الْفُرْ‌قَانَ وَضِيَاءً وَذِكْرً‌ا لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ (Criterion and light and an advice for the God-fearing - 21:48) The three attributes which belong to Torah are فُرْ‌قَانَ (criterion) which differentiates between right and wrong second is 4 ' (light) which provides light and manifestation of truth to hearts, and the third is ذِکر (advice) which is a source of guidance for the people. Some explain فُرْ‌قَانَ as help from God which was available to Sayyidna Musa (علیہ السلام) all times. It was manifest when he was raised in the Pharaoh's house, then at the time of his contest with the Egyptian magicians which resulted in the Pharaoh's discomfiture, and again when he was pursued by the Pharaoh and his army and Allah saved him by causing dry passageways to appear in the river and, after the Bani Isra'il had crossed over to the other side, by drowning the Pharaoh and his army. Even after this incident Allah's help was available to him at all times. Qurtubi has pointed out that whereas (ضِيَاءً light) and ذِکر (advice) are the attributes of Torah, o4 (criterion) is something else and not an attribute of Torah, because of the use of the conjunctive letter Wa.'o (و) after the word فُرْ‌قَانَ (Allah knows best).