Topic: Falsity Of Gods And Beliefs Of People Of

19:43.

Important Words:

اب (father) which is originally ابو gives the following meanings: a father; an ancestor; a paternal uncle. ابوالمرأة means, the woman’s husband. ابوالمثوی means, master or owner of the dwelling (Lane). See also 4:12.

آزر (Azar). For the discussion of the word and the relationship of Azar with Abraham see under Commentary below. The word is considered by some to be of non-Arabic origin, though in Arabic too it has a root. Thus آزر النبات means, the vegetation grew thick and strong. آزر فلانا means, he strengthened such and such a person. آزرہ means, he sympathized with and helped him (Aqrab). The name, which thus appears to be attributive, was given to Azar probably because he helped his people in establishing idol-worship. According to Mujahid, آزر was originally the name of an idol (Qadir).

Commentary:

With this verse the Quran turns to an account of Abraham, which is given here for two reasons: Firstly, because it is the idolatrous Quraish that are chiefly addressed in these verses and they revered Abraham as their progenitor and patriarch. Hence, by giving an account of Abraham, God wants to tell the Quraish that their great ancestor Abraham was also, like the Holy Prophet, opposed to idolatry, which shows that idol-worship is a later innovation. Secondly, by means of this account, God wants to impress upon idolaters the hollow and unsound foundation on which stands the belief and practice of idol-worship and the absurd ideas which give rise to idolatry.

In the present verse Abraham is represented as arguing with his اب (father) on the subject of idolatry. This اب (father) is here named Azar. Now we have to see in what relation this man stood to Abraham and what his true name was. Christian writers have criticized the Quran on the, ground that it calls Abraham’s father by the name Azar while his true name was Terah. It is true that in Gen. 11:26 Abraham’s father is named Terah. But it is equally true that in Luke 3: 34 Abraham is called the son of Thara and not Terah. The reader should note the change not only in the first consonant but also in the vowel that follows. The Talmud also gives the name of Abraham’s father as Thara. Eusebius, the great Church historian, who has been rightly styled the Father of Ecclesiastical History, gives, in spite of Gen. 11:26 and Luke: 3: 34, which could not be unknown to him, Athar as the name of Abraham’s father (Sale). This clearly shows that even among the Jews there existed no unanimity as to the name of Abraham’s father. The fact that Eusebius, followed neither Gen. 11:26, nor Luke 3: 34 shows that he had strong reasons to differ from these two well-known sources. The correct form thus appears to be Athar, which later became changed into Thara or Terah. Now the form adopted by Eusebius is almost, if not exactly, the same as given by the Quran. If there is any difference, it is only that of pronunciation; otherwise both forms, i.e. Azar and Athar, are identical. Christians have, therefore, no reason to quarrel with the Quran for calling Abraham’s father by the name Azar. It may also be noted that Abraham’s father is also called Zarah in the Talmud (Sale) and Zarah is approximately the same as Azar. All this goes to prove not only that the Quran is not wrong on calling the father of Abraham by the name Azar, but also that the Quranic version is much more reliable than that of the Bible.

The next question we have to consider is that of the relationship in which Azar stood to Abraham. In the Quran, he has been called Abraham’s اب (ab), a word applied, as shown under Important Words, not only to father but also to uncle, grandfather, etc. who stand in the position of a father. From the Quran it appears that Azar, though called the (ab) of Abraham, was not really his father. In 9:114 we are told that Abraham had made a promise to Azar, his اب (ab), to pray to God for his forgiveness, but when he came to know that he was an enemy of God, he abstained from praying for him and was actually forbidden to do so (see also 26:87 where again Azar is spoken as the اب of Abraham). Elsewhere, however, the Quran itself records a prayer of Abraham which he offered in the last days of his life, after he had built the Ka‘bah in company with his son, Ishmael. In this prayer, Abraham prays for his father and is not forbidden to pray for him; but here Abraham does not use for him the word اب but والد (14:42). Now, as has already been stated, the word ابmay be applied to a person other than the real father, but the word والد (walid) which means "the begetter" is applied to none but the actual father. This clearly shows that Azar who has been called the اب (ab) of Abraham was a different person from the والد (walid) of Abraham. He was probably his uncle.

Some passages of the Bible also support this conclusion. We are told that Abraham married Sarah, the daughter of Terah (Gen. 20:12). This shows that Terah was not his real father, for in that case he could not marry Terah’s daughter, his own sister. It appears that his father being dead, he was brought up by his uncle, Azar or Athar, who gave him his daughter Sarah in marriage. As Azar brought up Abraham and was in the position of a father to him, the latter came to be ascribed to him as a son, and this led to the error of Azar or Athar being taken as the real father of Abraham. Again, from the Talmud it appears that Azar prosecuted Abraham and presented him before the king for the offence of breaking idols. If Azar had been the real father of Abraham, he would not have followed such a course against his own son.

6:76; 21:53; 26:71; 37:86-87.

Important Words:

اب (father) which originally was ابوmeans, a father; a grandfather; an ancestor; a paternal uncle. ابوالمرأة means, the woman’s husband. ابت in reality is ابی (my father). According to Arabic usage ی has been converted into ت (Lane & Aqrab).

Commentary:

The point whether Abraham’s اب (ab) whose name at another place in the Quran (6:75) has been given as Azar was his father, uncle or grandfather, is much in dispute. In 2:134 Ishmael who was Jacob’s uncle has been spoken of as his اب (ab). Whether Azar was Abraham’s father or uncle does not possess much significance. From a study of all relevant historical facts, however, we are inclined to the view that Azar was Abraham’s father, though according to some Talmudic traditions Abraham’s father had died while he was young and he was left an orphan.

In Genesis (11: 26) Abraham’s father’s name has been given as Terah while Luke (3: 34) gives it as Thara. The Talmud agrees with Luke and says that his name was Thara. It also gives his name as Zarah. Eusebius, the father of ecclesiastical history, however, gives Athar as the name of the great Patriarch’s father (Sale). This shows that even among the Jews there existed no unanimity of views as to the name of Abraham’s father. The fact that Eusebius followed neither Genesis (11: 26) nor (Luke 3: 34) indicates that he had very strong reasons to differ from these two well-known sources. The two names, Athar of Eusebius and Azar of the Quran closely resemble each other. The Quranic version is therefore much more reliable and akin to reality than that of the Bible. See also 6:75.

The attributes "All-Hearing" and "All-Seeing" are among the most important Divine attributes. It is our conviction that God sees us when we are in trouble and hears our prayers when we pray to Him which is really at the root of our belief in God. If once we cease to believe in these two attributes, we cease to believe in God. But these two attributes are here further complemented by a third—the attribute غنیwhich means, One Who has no need of others and is Self-Sufficient but Whose help others need and upon Whom they are dependent. If God is not غنی and cannot come to our help when we need it, then His attributes "All-Seeing" and "All-Hearing" are of no use. Abraham has indeed adduced a most convincing and unassailable argument against idol-worship, viz. if the idols do neither see when their votaries are in trouble, nor hear their prayers when they call on them, nor do they come to their help when they need it, then what sense or purpose there is in worshipping such useless things?

6:75; 19:43; 26:71.

Important Words:

تـماثیل (images) is the plural of تـمثال which means, an image (Aqrab). See also 2:18; 2:107; 6:39; 13:7 & 14:46.

The particle ما (what) here denotes contempt and derision and not a question.

Commentary:

Everyone has his own style of speech. Abraham too had his peculiar way of talking. While talking to idol-worshippers he generally made use of irony. In the present verse he appears to be asking a question while in reality he is speaking contemptuously of the gods of his people. This special style of Abraham is also apparent from 6:77,78,79. In the present verse he seems to say to his people: "How useless and futile these images are which you worship!" While Abraham used to talk in ironical language, Jesus would talk in metaphors. Several of his sayings quoted in the Quran have been misunderstood because they have been taken literally.

In the expression لـھا (lit. to which) the letter ل is used to denote respect and reverence and also to express emphasis. The word عکف is not generally followed by ل. We say عکف فی المکان i.e. he stayed in the place. عکف علی الامر means, he stuck to the affair (Aqrab).

The word اب beside meaning 'father' also means paternal uncle. The person mentioned in the above verse was Abraham’s uncle and not his father who is said to have died before Abraham was invested with the divine mission of a Prophet. See also 6:75.

The verse points to a very close resemblance between Abraham and the Holy Prophet. The fathers of both had died before they were made Prophets. Both were brought up by their uncles. Both preached the message of Unity of God to their uncles. Both the uncles refused to accept the Divine Message with this difference that whereas Abraham’s uncle opposed and persecuted him, Abu Talib, the Holy Prophet’suncle, though he did not accept his message, stood by him through thick and thin to the last moment of his life and even suffered for him.

26:75; 43:24.

60:5.

S 26:73

Commentary:

In this and the following verse Abraham gives two sound arguments against idolatry; (1) that the idols do not hear and answer the prayers of their votaries; and (2) that they possess no power to benefit or harm anyone. Of what use is that deity who does not possess these two basic attributes? Islam claims and enjoys this superiority over all other religions that the God Whom it presents to the world is a Living God Who answers the prayers of His servants and speaks to them. It is only in Islam that its righteous followers hear the sweet voice of God. This greatest Divine boon is now denied to the followers of all other faiths. This fact alone constitutes an unanswerable evidence of Islam being a living faith and other religions being devoid of life.

21:54; 43:24.

Commentary:

The verse refers to a stock argument of the deniers of all enlightened and progressive ideas. They find it convenient to take refuge behind the foolish plea that their forefathers were not less wise and therefore they would not depart from the precedent set by them. The habit of unthinkingly and thoughtlessly sticking to old ideas and practices has proved the spiritual undoing of many a people.

19:43; 26:71.

Commentary:

For Abraham’s account and his oration against idolatry, see also 21:52-68.

Commentary:

Man is prone to worship false gods in the form of human beings to whom he attributes Divine powers, such as Jesus, Rama, etc.; or objects of nature such as the sun, the moon and the stars; or inanimate things such as gods hewed out of wood and stone, or his own time-worn customs, usages, prejudices and superstitions, his desires, passions, etc.