Tafseer of Abraham · Ibrahim · 14:10
Their messengers said, "Can there be doubt about Allah, Creator of the heavens and earth? He invites you that He may forgive you of your sins, and He delays your death for a specified term." They said, "You are not but men like us who wish to avert us from what our fathers were worshipping. So bring us a clear authority."
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Abū Jaʿfar said: Allah, exalted be His mention, says: the messengers of the nations who were visited by their messengers said: أَفِي اللَّهِ (Can there be doubt about Allah?) — that He is the only One who has the right to your worship and devotion among all creatures, without any associate. فَاطِرِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ (the Originator of the heavens and the earth) — that is: the Maker of the heavens and the earth. يَدْعُوكُمْ لِيَغْفِرَ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمْ (He calls you so that He may forgive you a portion of your sins) — He says: He calls you to His oneness and His obedience, لِيَغْفِرَ لَكُم مِّن ذُنُوبِكُمْ (so that He may forgive you a portion of your sins) — that is: so that He may cover for you a portion of your sins by passing over them, and not punish you for them. وَيُؤَخِّرَكُمْ (and grant you respite) — that is: grant you a respite in lifespan, so that He does not punish and destroy you in this present life, but defers you until the moment that is written in the Mother of the Book (umm al-kitāb) at which He will cause you to die therein — and that is the term He has appointed for you. The nations answered their messengers: إِنْ أَنتُمْ (you are indeed, O people,) إِلَّا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُنَا (nothing but human beings like us) — in form and appearance; you are not angels, وَتُرِيدُونَ أَن تَصُدُّونَا عَمَّا كَانَ يَعْبُدُ آبَاؤُنَا (and you wish to turn us away from what our forefathers used to worship) — He says: you wish by your words to keep us back from the worship of the idols that our forefathers worshipped; فَأْتُونَا بِسُلْطَانٍ مُّبِينٍ (so bring us a clear authority) — He says: bring us an argument for what you say that makes its reality and correctness clear to us, so that we may know that you are right in what you say.
