Surah Al Mumtahanah Tafseer

The Good Example of Ibrahim and His Followers, when They disowned Their Disbelieving People

Allah the Exalted says to His faithful servants, whom He commanded to disown the disbelievers, to be enemies with them, and to distant themselves and separate from them:

قَدْ كَانَتْ لَكُمْ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ فِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ

Indeed there has been an excellent example for you in Ibrahim and those with him,

meaning, his followers who believed in him,

إِذْ قَالُوا لِقَوْمِهِمْ إِنَّا بُرَاء مِنكُمْ

when they said to their people:"Verily we are free from you..."

meaning, `we disown you,'

وَمِمَّا تَعْبُدُونَ مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ

كَفَرْنَا بِكُمْ

and whatever you worship besides Allah:we rejected you,

meaning, `we disbelieve in your religion and way,'

وَبَدَا بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَكُمُ الْعَدَاوَةُ وَالْبَغْضَاء أَبَدًا

and there has started between us and you, hostility and hatred forever.

meaning, `Animosity and enmity have appeared between us and you from now and as long as you remain on your disbelief; we will always disown you and hate you,'

حَتَّى تُوْمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَحْدَهُ

until you believe in Allah alone,

meaning, `unless, and until, you worship Allah alone without partners and disbelieve in the idols and rivals that you worship besides Him.'

Allah's statement,

إِلاَّ قَوْلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ لاَِبِيهِ لَاَسْتَغْفِرَنَّ لَكَ

except the saying of Ibrahim to his father:"Verily, I will ask forgiveness (from Allah) for you..."

means, `you have a good example in Ibrahim and his people;

as for Ibrahim's prayers to Allah for his father, it was a promise that he made for his father.' When Ibrahim became sure that his father was an enemy of Allah, he declared himself innocent of him.

Some of the believers used to invoke Allah for their parents who died as disbelievers, begging Him to forgive them. They did so claiming that Ibrahim used to invoke Allah to forgive his father.

Allah the Exalted said in reply,

مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِىِّ وَالَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ أَن يَسْتَغْفِرُواْ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَلَوْ كَانُواْ أُوْلِى قُرْبَى مِن بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ أَصْحَـبُ الْجَحِيمِ

وَمَا كَانَ اسْتِغْفَارُ إِبْرَهِيمَ لاًّبِيهِ إِلاَّ عَن مَّوْعِدَةٍ وَعَدَهَأ إِيَّاهُ فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ أَنَّهُ عَدُوٌّ لِلَّهِ تَبَرَّأَ مِنْهُ إِنَّ إِبْرَهِيمَ لَاوَّاهٌ حَلِيمٌ

It is not for the Prophet and those who believe to ask Allah's forgiveness for the idolators, even though they be of kin, after it has become clear to them that they are the dwellers of the Fire (because they died in a state of disbelief).

And Ibrahim's request for his father's forgiveness was only because of a promise he made to him .But when it became clear to him that he was an enemy of Allah, he dissociated himself from him.

Verily, Ibrahim was Awwah and was forbearing. (9:113-114)

Allah said here,

قَدْ كَانَتْ لَكُمْ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ فِي إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ

إِذْ قَالُوا لِقَوْمِهِمْ إِنَّا بُرَاء مِنكُمْ

Indeed there has been an excellent example for you in Ibrahim and those with him, when they said to their people:"Verily, we are free from you..."

until,

إِلاَّ قَوْلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ لاَِبِيهِ لَاَسْتَغْفِرَنَّ لَكَ

وَمَا أَمْلِكُ لَكَ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِن شَيْءٍ

except the saying of Ibrahim to his father:"Verily, I will ask forgiveness for you, but I have no power to do anything for you before Allah."

meaning, `You cannot follow Ibrahim's example as proof in the case mentioned here, as being allowed to ask Allah to forgive those who died on Shirk.'

This is the saying of Ibn Abbas, Mujahid, Qatadah, Muqatil bin Hayyan, Ad-Dahhak and several others.

Allah the Exalted said that Ibrahim and his companions, who parted with their people and disowned their way, said afterwards, while invoking Allah in humility and submission,

رَّبَّنَا عَلَيْكَ تَوَكَّلْنَا وَإِلَيْكَ أَنَبْنَا وَإِلَيْكَ الْمَصِيرُ

Our Lord!

In You we put our trust, and to You we turn in repentance, and to You is the final Return.

meaning, `we trust in You for all matters, we surrender all of our affairs to You, and to You is the final Return in the Hereafter,