Tafseer of The Repentance · At-Tawba · 9:114
And the request of forgiveness of Abraham for his father was only because of a promise he had made to him. But when it became apparent to Abraham that his father was an enemy to Allah, he disassociated himself from him. Indeed was Abraham compassionate and patient.
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.
﴿وما كان استغفار إبراهيم لأبيه إلا عن موعدة وعدها إياه فلما تبين له أنه عدو لله تبرأ منه﴾ (And Ibrāhīm's seeking forgiveness for his father was only because of a promise he had made to him; but when it became clear to him that he was an enemy of Allah, he dissociated himself from him.)
The Exalted, whose mention is exalted, says: It did not befit the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ and those who believed in him to seek forgiveness — He says: to seek forgiveness through supplication — for the polytheists (mushrikīn), even if the polytheists for whom they sought forgiveness were kindred, blood relations of theirs. ﴿من بعد ما تبين لهم أنهم أصحاب الجحيم﴾ (after it has become clear to them that they are the inhabitants of the Hellfire), He says: after they have died in their assigning of partners to Allah (shirk) and their worship of the idols, and it has become clear to them that they belong to the people of the Fire; for Allah has already decreed that He will not forgive any polytheist. So it does not befit them to ask their Lord to do something which they knew He will not do.
When they say: But Ibrāhīm sought forgiveness for his father, while he was a polytheist? — then Ibrāhīm's seeking forgiveness for his father was only because of a promise he had made to him. ﴿فلما تبين له﴾ (But when it became clear to him) and he knew that he was an enemy of Allah, he let him go and ceased seeking forgiveness for him, and he preferred Allah and His command over him, and dissociated himself from him when his condition became clear to him.
The exegetes differed concerning the occasion for which this verse was revealed. Some said: It was revealed concerning Abū Ṭālib, the uncle of the Prophet ﷺ; for the Prophet ﷺ wished to seek forgiveness for him after his death, and Allah forbade him that. The mention of who said that:
13466 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, saying: When death approached Abū Ṭālib, the Prophet ﷺ came in to him, and with him were Abū Jahl and ʿAbdallāh ibn Abī Umayya. He said: "O uncle, say: there is no god but Allah — a word by which I will plead for you with Allah!" Then Abū Jahl and ʿAbdallāh ibn Abī Umayya said to him: O Abū Ṭālib, will you turn away from the creed of ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib? The Prophet ﷺ said: "I will surely seek forgiveness for you so long as I am not forbidden to do so!" Then was revealed: ﴿ما كان للنبي والذين آمنوا أن يستغفروا للمشركين﴾ (It did not befit the Prophet and those who believed to seek forgiveness for the polytheists), and there was revealed: ﴿إنك لا تهدي من أحببت﴾ (Indeed, you do not guide whom you love).
13467 — Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Wahb related to me, saying: My uncle ʿAbdallāh ibn Wahb related to us, saying: Yūnus related to me, on the authority of al-Zuhrī, saying: Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab informed me, on the authority of his father, saying: When death approached Abū Ṭālib, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to him, and he found with him Abū Jahl ibn Hishām and ʿAbdallāh ibn Abī Umayya ibn al-Mughīra. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "O uncle, say: there is no god but Allah — a word by which I will testify for you with Allah!" Abū Jahl and ʿAbdallāh ibn Abī Umayya said: O Abū Ṭālib, will you turn away from the creed of ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib? The Messenger of Allah ﷺ kept presenting it to him and repeating those words to him, until the last thing Abū Ṭālib said to them was: that he was upon the creed of ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, and he refused to say: there is no god but Allah. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "By Allah, I will surely seek forgiveness for you so long as I am not forbidden to do so!" Then Allah revealed: ﴿ما كان للنبي والذين آمنوا أن يستغفروا للمشركين﴾ (It did not befit the Prophet and those who believed to seek forgiveness for the polytheists), and Allah revealed concerning Abū Ṭālib, and He said to the Messenger of Allah: ﴿إنك لا تهدي من أحببت﴾ (Indeed, you do not guide whom you love), the verse.
13468 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: ﴿ما كان للنبي والذين آمنوا أن يستغفروا للمشركين﴾ he said: The believers said: Shall we not seek forgiveness for our fathers, while Ibrāhīm sought forgiveness for his father who was an unbeliever? Then Allah revealed: ﴿وما كان استغفار إبراهيم لأبيه إلا عن موعدة وعدها إياه﴾ the verse.
13469 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of ʿAmr ibn Dīnār: That the Prophet ﷺ said: "Ibrāhīm sought forgiveness for his father while he was a polytheist, so I will keep seeking forgiveness for Abū Ṭālib until my Lord forbids me." Then his Companions said: We will surely seek forgiveness for our fathers, as the Prophet ﷺ sought forgiveness for his uncle! Then Allah revealed: ﴿ما كان للنبي والذين آمنوا أن يستغفروا للمشركين﴾ up to His word: ﴿تبرأ منه﴾.
13470 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Yazīd ibn Hārūn related to us, on the authority of Sufyān ibn ʿUyayna, on the authority of al-Zuhrī, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyab, saying: When death approached Abū Ṭālib, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ came to him, and with him were ʿAbdallāh ibn Abī Umayya and Abū Jahl ibn Hishām. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to him: "O uncle, you have the greatest right over me of all people and have shown me the most kindness, and you have an even greater right over me than my parents, so say a word by which my intercession for you on the Day of Resurrection becomes lawful — say: there is no god but Allah!" Then he mentioned something similar to the narration of Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā, on the authority of Muḥammad ibn Thawr.
Others said: No, it was revealed concerning the mother of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ; and that was because he wished to seek forgiveness for her, but he was held back from that. The mention of who said that:
13471 — Aḥmad ibn Isḥāq related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: Fuḍayl related to us, on the authority of ʿAṭiyya, saying: When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ arrived in Mecca, he stood by the grave of his mother until the sun scorched him, hoping that he would be granted permission to seek forgiveness for her, until there was revealed: ﴿ما كان للنبي والذين آمنوا أن يستغفروا للمشركين ولو كانوا أولي قربى﴾ up to His word: ﴿تبرأ منه﴾.
13472 — He said: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: Qays related to us, on the authority of ʿAlqama ibn Marthad, on the authority of Sulaymān ibn Burayda, on the authority of his father: That the Prophet ﷺ came to a remnant — he said: and the most likely supposition of mine is that he said: a grave — and he sat down by it and began to speak to it, then he rose with tears in his eyes. I said: O Messenger of Allah, we saw what you did! He said: "I asked my Lord for permission to visit the grave of my mother and He gave me permission, and I asked Him for permission to seek forgiveness for her, but He did not give me permission." And he was never seen weeping on any day more than on that day.
13473 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: My father related to me, saying: My uncle related to me, saying: My father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, His word: ﴿ما كان للنبي والذين آمنوا﴾ up to: ﴿أنهم أصحاب الجحيم﴾ — that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ wished to seek forgiveness for his mother, but he was forbidden that, whereupon he said: "But Ibrāhīm, the intimate friend of Allah, sought forgiveness for his father." Then Allah revealed: ﴿وما كان استغفار إبراهيم﴾ up to: ﴿لأواه حليم﴾.
Others said: No, it was revealed because a group of the people of faith used to seek forgiveness for their dead among the polytheists, and they were forbidden that. The mention of who said that:
13474 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: ʿAbdallāh ibn Ṣāliḥ related to me, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, His word: ﴿ما كان للنبي والذين آمنوا أن يستغفروا للمشركين﴾ the verse — they used to seek forgiveness for them until this verse was revealed. When it was revealed, they ceased seeking forgiveness for their dead, but they were not forbidden to seek forgiveness for the living until they died. Then Allah revealed: ﴿وما كان استغفار إبراهيم لأبيه إلا عن موعدة وعدها إياه﴾ the verse.
13475 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, His word: ﴿ما كان للنبي والذين آمنوا أن يستغفروا للمشركين﴾ the verse — it has been related to us that a man of the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ said: O Prophet of Allah, among our fathers were those who maintained good neighborliness, upheld the ties of kinship, ransomed the captive and fulfilled their obligations — shall we not seek forgiveness for them? He said: Then the Prophet ﷺ said: "Yes indeed, by Allah, I will surely seek forgiveness for my father as Ibrāhīm sought forgiveness for his father!" He said: Then Allah revealed: ﴿ما كان للنبي والذين آمنوا أن يستغفروا للمشركين﴾ up to: ﴿الرحيم﴾, and then Allah excused Ibrāhīm and said: ﴿وما كان استغفار إبراهيم لأبيه إلا عن موعدة وعدها إياه فلما تبين له أنه عدو لله تبرأ منه﴾. He said: And it has been related to us that the Prophet of Allah said: "Words were revealed to me which penetrated my ear and became established in my heart: I was commanded not to seek forgiveness for whoever dies as a polytheist; whoever gives away the surplus of his wealth, that is better for him; whoever withholds it, that is worse for him; and Allah does not reproach for what suffices."
The grammarians differed concerning the meaning of His word: ﴿ما كان للنبي والذين آمنوا أن يستغفروا للمشركين﴾. Some grammarians of Basra said: The meaning of that is: seeking forgiveness did not befit them; and likewise is the meaning of His word: ﴿وما كان لنفس أن تؤمن﴾ (and it did not befit any soul to believe) — faith did not befit any soul — ﴿إلا بإذن الله﴾ (except by the permission of Allah). Some grammarians of Kūfa said: The meaning of that is: it was not seemly for them to seek forgiveness for them. He said: And likewise it is when "an" comes with "kāna," then they are all according to the interpretation of "it is seemly" — ﴿ما كان لنبي أن يغل﴾ (it did not befit a prophet to withhold unlawfully): it was not seemly for him, this does not belong to his character. He said: For this reason, when "an" occurs, it points to the future, because "it is seemly" requires the future.
As for His word: ﴿وما كان استغفار إبراهيم لأبيه إلا عن موعدة وعدها إياه﴾ — the scholars differed concerning the occasion for which it was revealed. Some said: It was revealed because the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions used to seek forgiveness for their dead polytheists, supposing that Ibrāhīm, the intimate friend of the All-Merciful, had done so when Allah revealed His word, speaking about Ibrāhīm, who said: ﴿سلام عليك سأستغفر لك ربي إنه كان بي حفيا﴾ (Peace be upon you; I will ask my Lord for forgiveness for you, indeed He is gracious to me). We have already mentioned the narration of some whose mention was present with us, and we will mention it from those whom we have not yet mentioned.
13476 — Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, on the authority of Abū al-Khalīl, on the authority of ʿAlī, saying: I heard a man seeking forgiveness for his parents while the two of them were polytheists. I said: Does a man seek forgiveness for his parents while the two of them are polytheists? He said: Did Ibrāhīm not seek forgiveness for his father? He said: Then I came to the Prophet ﷺ and mentioned that to him, whereupon Allah revealed: ﴿وما كان استغفار إبراهيم﴾ up to: ﴿تبرأ منه﴾.
13477 — Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Yaḥyā related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, on the authority of Abū al-Khalīl, on the authority of ʿAlī: That the Prophet ﷺ used to seek forgiveness for his parents while the two of them were polytheists, until there was revealed: ﴿وما كان استغفار إبراهيم لأبيه﴾ up to His word: ﴿تبرأ منه﴾.
And it was said: ﴿وما كان استغفار إبراهيم لأبيه إلا عن موعدة﴾ — the meaning of that is: only after a promise, as one says: this matter took place only because of such-and-such cause, in the meaning of: after that cause or because of it. Likewise is His word: ﴿إلا عن موعدة﴾: because of a promise and after it.
A group interpreted Allah's word ﴿ما كان للنبي والذين آمنوا أن يستغفروا للمشركين ولو كانوا أولي قربى﴾ the verse, in such a way that Allah's prohibition against seeking forgiveness for the polytheists applies after their death, because of His word: ﴿من بعد ما تبين لهم أنهم أصحاب الجحيم﴾. They said: That cannot become clear concerning anyone unless he dies in his unbelief; but as long as he is alive, there is no way to know that, so the believers may seek forgiveness for them. The mention of who said that:
13478 — Sulaymān ibn ʿUmar al-Raqqī related to us, ʿAbdallāh ibn al-Mubārak related to us, on the authority of Sufyān al-Thawrī, on the authority of al-Shaybānī, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, the two of them said: A Jewish man died and he had a Muslim son who did not go with him. This was mentioned to Ibn ʿAbbās, and he said: It would have befitted him to walk with him, to bury him and to pray for his welfare so long as he was alive; but when he dies, let him leave him to his fate! Then he said: ﴿وما كان استغفار إبراهيم لأبيه إلا عن موعدة وعدها إياه فلما تبين له أنه عدو لله تبرأ منه﴾ — he no longer called upon him.
— Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Fuḍayl related to us, on the authority of Ḍirār ibn Murra, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, saying: A Christian man died, and his son left him to the people of his religion. I came to Ibn ʿAbbās and mentioned that to him, and he said: What would it have harmed him had he walked with him, buried him and sought forgiveness for him! Then he recited: ﴿وما كان استغفار إبراهيم لأبيه إلا عن موعدة وعدها إياه﴾ the verse.
Others interpreted seeking forgiveness in this place in the meaning of supplication. The mention of who said that:
13479 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to me, saying: Kathīr ibn Hishām related to us, on the authority of Jaʿfar ibn Burqān, saying: Ḥabīb ibn Abī Marzūq related to us, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Rabāḥ, saying: I never failed to perform the funeral prayer over anyone of the people of this prayer-direction (qibla), even if it were an Abyssinian woman, pregnant from fornication (zinā), for I have not heard that Allah withholds the prayer from anyone except the polytheists; Allah says: ﴿ما كان للنبي والذين آمنوا أن يستغفروا للمشركين﴾.
Others interpreted it in the meaning of seeking forgiveness which is a supplication. The mention of who said that:
13480 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: My father related to us, on the authority of ʿIṣma ibn Rāshid, on the authority of his father, saying: I heard Abū Hurayra say: May Allah have mercy on a man who seeks forgiveness for Abū Hurayra and for his mother! I said: And for his father? He said: No, for my father died while he was a polytheist.
Abū Jaʿfar said: We have already demonstrated that the meaning of seeking forgiveness is: the servant's request to his Lord to forgive the sins. Since that is so, and since the servant's request to his Lord for that may take place both in the prayer and outside the prayer, neither of the two mentioned statements is incorrect, because Allah made general the prohibition against seeking forgiveness for the polytheist — after it has become clear to him that he belongs to the inhabitants of the Hellfire — and He did not except from it any state in which He would have permitted seeking forgiveness for him.
As for His word: ﴿من بعد ما تبين لهم أنهم أصحاب الجحيم﴾ — its meaning is what I have clarified: that it is after they know, through his death as an unbeliever, that he belongs to the people of the Fire. And it was said: ﴿أصحاب الجحيم﴾ (the inhabitants of the Hellfire), because they are its inhabitants and its people who are in it, just as one says of the inhabitants of a house: these are the inhabitants of this house, in the meaning of its dwellers. And along the lines of what we have said, the exegetes have spoken. The mention of who said that:
13481 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq related to us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda, concerning His word: ﴿من بعد ما تبين لهم أنهم أصحاب الجحيم﴾ he said: It became clear to the Prophet ﷺ, when Abū Ṭālib died, that the possibility of repentance for him had been cut off.
— Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, saying: It became clear to him when he died, and he knew that the possibility of repentance for him had been cut off — that is, with respect to His word: ﴿من بعد ما تبين لهم أنهم أصحاب الجحيم﴾.
13482 — It was related to us on the authority of al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Faraj, saying: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd ibn Sulaymān related to us, saying: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk concerning His word: ﴿ما كان للنبي والذين آمنوا أن يستغفروا للمشركين﴾ the verse, say: When they die as polytheists; Allah says: ﴿ومن يشرك بالله فقد حرم الله عليه الجنة﴾ (and whoever assigns partners to Allah, Allah has forbidden him the Garden) the verse.
The exegetes differed concerning the interpretation of His word: ﴿فلما تبين له أنه عدو لله تبرأ منه﴾. Some said: The meaning of that is: when it became clear to him through his death as a polytheist before Allah, he dissociated himself from him and ceased seeking forgiveness for him. The mention of who said that:
13483 — Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Ḥabīb, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, saying: Ibrāhīm kept seeking forgiveness for his father until he died; when it became clear to him that he was an enemy of Allah, he dissociated himself from him.
— Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: My father related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Ḥabīb, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, saying: Ibrāhīm kept seeking forgiveness for his father until he died; when he died, it became clear to him that he was an enemy of Allah.
— Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Ḥabīb ibn Abī Thābit, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, saying: Ibrāhīm kept seeking forgiveness for his father until he died; when he died, he no longer sought forgiveness for him.
— Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: ʿAbdallāh related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: ﴿وما كان استغفار إبراهيم لأبيه إنه عن موعدة وعدها إياه فلما تبين له أنه عدو لله تبرأ منه﴾ — that is: he sought forgiveness for him so long as he was alive; when he died, he ceased to seek forgiveness for him.
13484 — Maṭar ibn Muḥammad al-Ḍabbī related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim and Abū Qutayba Muslim ibn Qutayba related to us, they said: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥakam, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His word: ﴿فلما تبين له أنه عدو لله تبرأ منه﴾ he said: When he died.
— Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar related to us, saying: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥakam, on the authority of Mujāhid, the like of it.
13485 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: ﴿فلما تبين له أنه عدو لله﴾ he said: His death while he was an unbeliever.
— Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: My father related to me, on the authority of Shuʿba, on the authority of al-Ḥakam, on the authority of Mujāhid, the like of it.
13486 — He said: Al-Barāʾ ibn ʿUtba related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-Ḥakam: ﴿فلما تبين له أنه عدو لله تبرأ منه﴾ he said: When he died and did not believe.
13487 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of ʿAmr ibn Dīnār: ﴿فلما تبين له أنه عدو لله تبرأ منه﴾: his death while he was an unbeliever.
13488 — ʿAmr ibn ʿAwn related to me, saying: Hushaym related to us, on the authority of Juwaybir, on the authority of al-Ḍaḥḥāk, concerning His word: ﴿فلما تبين له أنه عدو لله تبرأ منه﴾ he said: When he died.
13489 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda: ﴿فلما تبين له أنه عدو لله تبرأ منه﴾: when he died in his shirk, he dissociated himself from him.
13490 — It was related to us on the authority of al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Faraj, saying: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd ibn Sulaymān related to us, saying: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning His word: ﴿وما كان استغفار إبراهيم لأبيه﴾ — Ibrāhīm, the blessings of Allah be upon him, kept hoping that his father would believe so long as he was alive; when he died in his shirk, he dissociated himself from him.
— Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid: ﴿فلما تبين له أنه عدو لله تبرأ منه﴾ he said: His death while he was an unbeliever.
— Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Ḥabīb ibn Abī Thābit, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, saying: Ibrāhīm kept seeking forgiveness for his father until he died; when he died, it became clear to him that he was an enemy of his, so he no longer sought forgiveness for him.
13491 — He said: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: Abū Isrāʾīl related to us, on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Badhīma, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: ﴿فلما تبين له أنه عدو لله﴾ he said: When he died.
Others said: The meaning of that is: it became clear to him in the Hereafter; and that is because his father will cling to him when he wishes to cross the bridge (al-ṣirāṭ), so that he may take him across with him, until — when he has almost gotten him past — Ibrāhīm suddenly turns around, and there he is with his father in the form of an ape or a hyena, whereupon he lets him go and dissociates himself from him at that moment. The mention of who said that:
13492 — ʿAmr ibn ʿAlī related to us, saying: Ḥafṣ ibn Ghiyāth related to us, saying: ʿAbdallāh ibn Sulaymān related to us, saying: I heard Saʿīd ibn Jubayr say: Indeed, Ibrāhīm will say on the Day of Resurrection: Lord, my father! Lord, my father! And when it is the third time, he takes him by the hand and turns toward him, while he is a hyena, whereupon he dissociates himself from him.
13493 — Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of ʿUbayd ibn ʿUmayr, saying: Indeed, you will be gathered on the Day of Resurrection upon one plain, where the caller makes you all hear and the gaze penetrates you all. He said: Then the Hell will let out a mighty sigh, so that there will remain no angel brought near and no prophet sent but he falls upon his knees, while his limbs tremble. He said: I think he said that he says: Myself! Myself! He said: And the bridge (al-ṣirāṭ) is set over the abyss of Hell, sharp as the edge of the sword, and whoever has a right to it is present; and on both its sides stand angels with hooks like the thorns of the saʿdān plant. He said: Then they cross over it like the lightning, like the wind, like the birds, like the swiftest mounts and like the swiftest men, while the angels say: Lord, save, save! So one is saved and delivered, another mangled but saved, and yet another piled up in the Fire. Ibrāhīm says to his father: I commanded you in the worldly life, but you did not obey me, and I will not forsake you today, so seize hold of my hip! Then he seizes him by his two upper arms, whereupon he is transformed into a hyena. When he sees that he has been transformed, he dissociates himself from him.
The most correct of the statements concerning that is the word of Allah, and that is His report about Ibrāhīm, that he — when it became clear to him that his father was an enemy of Allah — dissociated himself from him, and that was at the moment when he knew and had certainty that he was an enemy of Allah and assigned partners to Him, and that was the moment of his death in his shirk.
﴿إن إبراهيم لأواه حليم﴾ (Indeed, Ibrāhīm was tenderly imploring [awwāh] and forbearing [ḥalīm].)
The interpretation of His word, the Exalted: ﴿إن إبراهيم لأواه حليم﴾. The exegetes differed concerning "al-awwāh." Some said: It is supplication. The mention of who said that:
13494 — Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of ʿĀṣim, on the authority of Zirr, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh, saying: Al-awwāh: supplication.
— Abū Kurayb and Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, they said: Abū Bakr related to us, on the authority of ʿĀṣim, on the authority of Zirr, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh, saying: Al-awwāh: supplication.
— Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Jarīr ibn Ḥāzim related to me, on the authority of ʿĀṣim ibn Bahdala, on the authority of Zirr ibn Ḥubaysh, saying: I asked ʿAbdallāh about al-awwāh, and he said: It is supplication.
— Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Bishr related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī ʿArūba, on the authority of ʿĀṣim, on the authority of Zirr, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh, the like of it.
— He said: Qabīṣa related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Karīm, on the authority of Abū ʿUbayda, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh, saying: Al-awwāh: supplication.
— He said: My father related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of ʿĀṣim, on the authority of Zirr, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh, the like of it.
— Aḥmad related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: Sufyān and Isrāʾīl related to us, on the authority of ʿĀṣim, on the authority of Zirr, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh, the like of it.
13495 — Yaʿqūb ibn Ibrāhīm and Ibn Wakīʿ related to me, they said: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, saying: Dāwūd ibn Abī Hind related to us, saying: It was reported to me on the authority of ʿUbayd ibn ʿUmayr, saying: Al-awwāh: supplication.
— Isḥāq ibn Shāhīn related to me, saying: Dāwūd related to us, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh ibn ʿUbayd ibn ʿUmayr al-Laythī, on the authority of his father, saying: Al-awwāh: supplication.
Others said: No, it is the merciful (al-raḥīm). The mention of who said that:
13496 — Ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Salama, on the authority of Muslim al-Baṭīn, on the authority of Abī al-ʿUbaydayn, saying: ʿAbdallāh was asked about al-awwāh, and he said: The merciful.
— Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar related to me, saying: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥakam, saying: I heard Yaḥyā ibn al-Jazzār relate, on the authority of Abī al-ʿUbaydayn, a man who was blind, that he asked ʿAbdallāh about al-awwāh, and he said: The merciful.
— Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Al-Muḥāribī related to us; and Khallād ibn Aslam related to us, saying: Al-Naḍr ibn Shumayl informed us both, on the authority of al-Masʿūdī, on the authority of Salama ibn Kuhayl, on the authority of Abī al-ʿUbaydayn, that he asked Ibn Masʿūd and said: What is al-awwāh? He said: The merciful.
— Zakariyyā ibn Yaḥyā ibn Abī Zāʾida related to us, saying: Ibn Idrīs related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of al-Ḥakam, on the authority of Yaḥyā ibn al-Jazzār, on the authority of Abī al-ʿUbaydayn, that he came to ʿAbdallāh, and he was blind, and said: O Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, whom shall we ask if we do not ask you? It was as though Ibn Masʿūd had pity on him. He said: Inform me about al-awwāh. He said: The merciful.
— Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Wakīʿ related to us; and Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: My father related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Salama ibn Kuhayl, on the authority of Muslim, on the authority of al-Baṭīn, on the authority of Abī al-ʿUbaydayn, saying: I asked ʿAbdallāh about al-awwāh, and he said: It is the merciful.
— Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of al-Ḥakam, on the authority of Yaḥyā ibn al-Jazzār, saying: Abū al-ʿUbaydayn came to ʿAbdallāh, and he said to him: What is your need? He said: What is al-awwāh? He said: The merciful.
— He said: Ibn Idrīs related to us, on the authority of al-Aʿmash, on the authority of al-Ḥakam, on the authority of Yaḥyā ibn al-Jazzār, on the authority of Abī al-ʿUbaydayn, a man of the Banū Suʾāt, saying: A man came to ʿAbdallāh and asked him about al-awwāh, and ʿAbdallāh said to him: The merciful.
— Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Al-Muḥāribī and Hāniʾ ibn Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Ḥajjāj, on the authority of al-Ḥakam, on the authority of Yaḥyā ibn al-Jazzār, on the authority of Abī al-ʿUbaydayn, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh, saying: Al-awwāh: the merciful.
— Yaʿqūb and Ibn Wakīʿ related to me, they said: Ibn ʿUlayya related to us, on the authority of Shuʿba, on the authority of al-Ḥakam, on the authority of Yaḥyā ibn al-Jazzār, that Abū al-ʿUbaydayn was a man of the Banū Numayr — Yaʿqūb said: he was blind; and Ibn Wakīʿ said: he was deprived of sight — who asked Ibn Masʿūd and said: What is al-awwāh? He said: The merciful.
13497 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Abū Usāma related to us, on the authority of Zakariyyā, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, on the authority of Abī Maysara, saying: Al-awwāh: the merciful.
— He said: My father related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, on the authority of Abī Maysara, the like of it.
— Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Wakīʿ related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, on the authority of Abī Maysara, the like of it.
13498 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Bishr related to us, on the authority of Saʿīd, on the authority of Qatāda, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, saying: It is the merciful.
13499 — Bishr related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, saying: Saʿīd related to us, on the authority of Qatāda, saying: We used to relate that al-awwāh is the merciful.
— Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: ﴿إن إبراهيم لأواه﴾ he said: Merciful.
— ʿAbd al-Karīm al-Jazarī said, on the authority of Abī ʿUbayda, on the authority of Ibn Masʿūd, the like of it.
— Aḥmad related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Karīm, on the authority of Abī ʿUbayda, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh, saying: Al-awwāh: the merciful.
— Aḥmad related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Salama, on the authority of Muslim al-Baṭīn, on the authority of Abī al-ʿUbaydayn, that he asked ʿAbdallāh about al-awwāh, and he said: The merciful.
13500 — He said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Abū Isḥāq, on the authority of ʿAmr ibn Shuraḥbīl, saying: Al-awwāh: the merciful.
— Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, saying: Mubārak related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥasan, saying: Al-awwāh: the merciful toward the servants of Allah.
— He said: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Abū Khaythama Zuhayr related to us, saying: Abū Isḥāq al-Hamdānī related to us, on the authority of Abī Maysara, on the authority of ʿAmr ibn Shuraḥbīl, saying: Al-awwāh: the merciful, in the language of Abyssinia.
Others said: No, it is the one possessed of certainty (al-mūqin). The mention of who said that:
13501 — Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Wakīʿ related to us; and Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: My father related to us, on the authority of Sufyān, on the authority of Qābūs, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, saying: Al-awwāh: the one possessed of certainty.
— Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Ubayy ibn Ādam related to us, on the authority of Ibn al-Mubārak, on the authority of Khālid, on the authority of ʿIkrima, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, saying: Al-awwāh: the one possessed of certainty, in the language of Abyssinia.
— He said: Ḥumayd ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, on the authority of Ḥasan, on the authority of Muslim, on the authority of Mujāhid, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, saying: Al-awwāh: the one possessed of certainty, in the language of Abyssinia.
13502 — Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, saying: I heard Sufyān say: Al-awwāh: the one possessed of certainty. And some said: The jurist, the one possessed of certainty.
13503 — Al-Ḥārith related to me, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Jābir, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ, saying: Al-awwāh: the one possessed of certainty, in the language of Abyssinia.
13504 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Ibn Idrīs related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of a man, on the authority of ʿIkrima, saying: It is the one possessed of certainty, in the language of Abyssinia.
13505 — He said: Ibn Numayr related to us, on the authority of al-Thawrī, on the authority of Mujālid, on the authority of Abī Hāshim, on the authority of Mujāhid, saying: Al-awwāh: the one possessed of certainty.
— Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Al-Thawrī informed us, on the authority of Muslim, on the authority of Mujāhid, saying: Al-awwāh: the one possessed of certainty.
— He said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qābūs, on the authority of Abī Ẓabyān, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, saying: Al-awwāh: the one possessed of certainty.
— Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfa related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: "awwāh": possessed of certainty.
13506 — Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: awwāh, he said: trustworthy, possessed of certainty.
— It was related to me on the authority of al-Ḥusayn ibn al-Faraj, saying: I heard Abū Muʿādh say: ʿUbayd ibn Sulaymān informed us, saying: I heard al-Ḍaḥḥāk say concerning His word: ﴿إن إبراهيم لأواه حليم﴾: Al-awwāh: the one possessed of certainty.
Others said: It is a word in Abyssinian whose meaning is: the believer (al-muʾmin). The mention of who said that:
13507 — Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, saying: My father related to me, saying: My uncle related to me, saying: My father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: ﴿لأواه حليم﴾ he said: Al-awwāh: it is the believer, in Abyssinian.
— ʿAlī ibn Dāwūd related to us, saying: ʿAbdallāh ibn Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiya related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, His word: ﴿إن إبراهيم لأواه﴾ that is: the believing, repentant one.
— Aḥmad related to us, saying: Abū Aḥmad related to us, saying: Ḥasan ibn Ṣāliḥ related to us, on the authority of Muslim, on the authority of Mujāhid, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, saying: Al-awwāh: the believer.
13508 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj: Al-awwāh: the believer, in Abyssinian.
Others said: It is the one who praises abundantly, who remembers Allah much. The mention of who said that:
13509 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Al-Ḥimmānī related to us, saying: Sharīk related to us, on the authority of Sālim, on the authority of Saʿīd, saying: Al-awwāh: the one who praises.
13510 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Al-Muḥāribī related to us, on the authority of Ḥajjāj, on the authority of al-Ḥakam, on the authority of al-Ḥasan ibn Muslim ibn Yannāq, that a man used to remember Allah much and praise Him, and that this was mentioned to the Prophet ﷺ, whereupon he said: "Indeed, he is an awwāh."
13511 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Yazīd ibn Ḥayyān related to us, on the authority of Ibn Lahīʿa, on the authority of al-Ḥārith ibn Yazīd, on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Rabāḥ, on the authority of ʿUqba ibn ʿĀmir, saying: Al-awwāh: the one who remembers Allah much.
Others said: It is the one who recites the Qurʾān abundantly. The mention of who said that:
13512 — Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Ibn Yamān related to us, saying: Al-Minhāl ibn Khalīfa related to us, on the authority of Ḥajjāj ibn Arṭāt, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: That the Prophet ﷺ buried a dead man and said: "May Allah have mercy on you; indeed, you were an awwāh," that is: one who recited the Qurʾān abundantly.
Others said: It is derived from sighing (al-taʾawwuh). The mention of who said that:
13513 — Ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: Muḥammad ibn Jaʿfar related to us, saying: Shuʿba related to us, on the authority of Abī Yūnus al-Qushayrī, on the authority of a narrator who was in Mecca: That a man during the circumambulation (ṭawāf) began to say "Awwah!" He said: Abū Dharr complained about him to the Prophet ﷺ, whereupon he said: "Leave him; indeed, he is an awwāh."
13514 — Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Wakīʿ related to us; and Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: My father related to us, on the authority of Shuʿba, on the authority of Abī Yūnus al-Bāhilī, saying: I heard a man in Mecca who was originally a Roman, relate on the authority of Abū Dharr, saying: There was a man who used to circumambulate the House and in his supplication say: "Awwah, awwah!" This was mentioned to the Prophet ﷺ, and he said: "Indeed, he is an awwāh." Abū Kurayb added in his narration, saying: One night I went out, and there was the Messenger of Allah ﷺ engaged in burying that man at night, with a lamp by him.
13515 — Ibn Wakīʿ related to us, saying: Zayd ibn al-Ḥubāb related to us, on the authority of Jaʿfar ibn Sulaymān, saying: ʿImrān related to us, on the authority of ʿUbaydallāh ibn Rabāḥ, on the authority of Kaʿb, saying: Al-awwāh: when the Fire is mentioned, he says: "Awwah!"
— Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz related to us, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Ṣamad al-Qummī, on the authority of Abī ʿImrān al-Ḥawfī, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh ibn Rabāḥ, on the authority of Kaʿb, saying: When the Fire was mentioned, he said: "Awwāh!"
— Al-Ḥasan related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, on the authority of Jaʿfar ibn Sulaymān, saying: Abū ʿImrān informed us, saying: I heard ʿAbdallāh ibn Rabāḥ al-Anṣārī say: I heard Kaʿb say: ﴿إن إبراهيم لأواه﴾ he said: When the Fire was mentioned, he said: "Awwah, because of the Fire."
Others said: Its meaning is that he is a jurist (faqīh). The mention of who said that:
13516 — Al-Qāsim related to us, saying: Al-Ḥusayn related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid: ﴿إن إبراهيم لأواه﴾ he said: A jurist.
Others said: It is the imploring, humble one. The mention of who said that:
13517 — Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Al-Ḥajjāj ibn al-Minhāl related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn Bahrām related to us, saying: Shahr ibn Ḥawshab related to us, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh ibn Shaddād ibn al-Hād, saying: While the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was sitting, a man said: O Messenger of Allah, what is al-awwāh? He said: "The imploring one." He said: ﴿إن إبراهيم لأواه حليم﴾.
— Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Isḥāq related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Mughrāʾ related to us, on the authority of ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd, on the authority of Shahr, on the authority of ʿAbdallāh ibn Shaddād, saying: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Al-awwāh: the humble, imploring one."
The most correct of the statements concerning that is, in my view, the statement which ʿAbdallāh ibn Masʿūd made, which Zirr transmitted on his authority, namely that it is supplication. We have held that to be the most correct, because Allah mentioned that and thereby described Ibrāhīm, His intimate friend, the blessings of Allah be upon him, after having described him with praying and seeking forgiveness for his father, for He said: ﴿وما كان استغفار إبراهيم لأبيه إلا عن موعدة وعدها إياه فلما تبين له أنه عدو لله تبرأ منه﴾ and he ceased praying and seeking forgiveness for him. Then He said: Ibrāhīm is fervently imploring his Lord, forbearing (ḥalīm) toward the one who reviled him and afflicted him with unpleasantness; and that is because he, the blessings of Allah be upon him, promised his father to seek forgiveness for him and to implore Allah for forgiveness for him, this at the time of his father's threat against him and his menacing to revile him, after he had rejected his sincere counsel for the sake of Allah, and his father's word: ﴿أراغب أنت عن آلهتي يا إبراهيم لئن لم تنته لأرجمنك واهجرني مليا﴾ (Do you turn away from my gods, O Ibrāhīm? If you do not desist, I will surely stone you; and leave me for a long time). Then he, the blessings of Allah be upon him, said to him: ﴿سلام عليك سأستغفر لك ربي إنه كان بي حفيا وأعتزلكم وما تدعون من دون الله وأدعو ربي عسى أن لا أكون بدعاء ربي شقيا﴾ (Peace be upon you; I will ask my Lord for forgiveness for you, indeed He is gracious to me. And I will withdraw from you and from what you call upon besides Allah, and I will call upon my Lord; perhaps I will not be unhappy in calling upon my Lord) (19:47-48). Thus he kept faith with his father by seeking forgiveness for him, until it became clear to him that he was an enemy of Allah. So Allah described him as fervently praying to his Lord, forbearing toward the one who acted foolishly against him.
Its origin is from al-taʾawwuh, and that is imploring and requesting with grief and concern, as ʿAbdallāh ibn Shaddād transmitted on the authority of the Prophet ﷺ, and as ʿUqba ibn ʿĀmir transmitted the narration which:
13518 — Yaḥyā ibn ʿUthmān ibn Ṣāliḥ al-Sahmī related to me, saying: My father related to us, saying: Ibn Lahīʿa related to us, saying: Al-Ḥārith ibn Yazīd related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Rabāḥ, on the authority of ʿUqba ibn ʿĀmir: That the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said about a man who was called Dhū al-Bijādayn: "Indeed, he is an awwāh!" And that was because he was a man who remembered Allah much with the Qurʾān and supplication, and raised his voice therewith.
For this reason one says to the person tormented by pain or illness: why do you sigh (tataʾawwah)? As al-Muthaqqib al-ʿAbdī said: When I rise at night to saddle her [the she-camel], she sighs the sigh of the grief-stricken man.
And among that is the word of al-Jaʿdī: Swift and nimble, following the doves after they have gone to rest, lamenting with a sigh and a murmur.
The Arabs hardly ever utter a verb of it in the form "faʿala yafʿalu"; rather they say in it "tafaʿʿala yatafaʿʿalu," such as "taʾawwaha yataʾawwahu" and "awwaha yuʾawwihu," as the rajaz-poet said: Then the shepherd sighed and his dogs barked.
And they also say: "Awwah upon you!" Al-Farrāʾ mentioned that Abū al-Jarrāḥ recited to him: Awwah from the remembrance when I remember her, and because of a land and a sky that lie between us. He said: And sometimes they recited to us: "Awwa from the remembrance" without the hāʾ. And if a verb were to come from it according to the original form, it would be "āha yaʾūhu awhan."
And because the meaning of that is: anguish, grief and humility, the exegetes differed concerning it in the manner I have mentioned. Whoever said that its meaning is mercy, said: that this came from Ibrāhīm out of tenderness toward his father and mercy toward him and toward the rest of mankind. Others said: that came from him only because of the sincerity of his certainty and the excellence of his knowledge of Allah's greatness and his humility toward Him. Others said: it came from the sincerity of his faith in his Lord. Others said: that came from him upon reciting the revelation of the One who revealed it to him. Others said: that came from him upon the remembrance of his Lord. And all of this returns to what I have said, and its meanings are close to one another; for the grief-stricken one, who is humble toward his Lord and lowly in his heart before Him, has that become his characteristic at the time of his request to his Lord and his calling upon Him in his needs, and these qualities, toward which the exegetes have directed the interpretation of Allah's word ﴿إن إبراهيم لأواه حليم﴾, alternate with one another in him.
