Topic: Azar
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۞ وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَٰهِيمُ لِأَبِيهِ ءَازَرَ أَتَتَّخِذُ أَصْنَامًا ءَالِهَةً ۖ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰكَ وَقَوْمَكَ فِى ضَلَٰلٍ مُّبِينٍ
19:43.
«旧约全书» 中, 伊布拉欣父亲的名字叫特拉 (Terah) (创始记11:26), 而«新约全书»中, 他叫他拉 (Tharah) «路加» 3:34)。«塔尔姆德» (Talmud) 同意 «路加» 的意见。Eusebius (尤西比斯,) 基督教会历史之父, 称呼伊布拉欣的父亲的名字为阿他尔 (Athar) (Sale)。这表明, 即使在犹太教人之间, 对伊布拉欣的父亲的名字意见也不统一。尤西比斯一定有强力的理由, 才和 «创始记» 和 «路加» 的意见不同。正确的形式看来是阿他尔 (Athar), 后来才改成他拉 (Tharah) 或特拉 (Terah)。阿他尔 (Athar) 与 «古兰经» 中的阿泽尔 (Azar) 那一名字非常相似, 只是在发音上稍微有些不同, 两种形式几乎全同。基督教作家, 因此, 对 «古兰经» 中称伊布拉欣的父亲为阿泽尔这一点没有争论的理由。再者, 伊布拉欣的父亲在 «塔尔姆德» (Talmud) 中也叫泽拉 (Zarah), (Sale) 而泽拉 (Zarah) 和阿泽尔 (Azar) 两字约略相同。这表明 «古兰经» 中的译名要可靠得多。此外, 阿泽尔被称为伊布拉欣的 اَبْ (Ab, 父亲) (26:87), اَبْ (Ab, 父亲) 这一单词可用於父亲、伯 (叔) 父和祖父, 等等。在2:133节经文中, 伊司马仪是雅尔孤布的伯父, 也被称作是他的 اَبْ (Ab, 父亲), 但不是他真正的父亲。伊布拉欣答应过阿泽尔, 他的 اَبْ (Ab, 父亲), 向安拉祈求宽恕他, 但当他开始知道阿泽尔是安拉的敌人时, 他放弃了为他祈祷的诺言; 实际上他是被禁止这样做的 (9:114)。可是, 在14:42节经文中, 伊布拉欣为他的 وَالِدْ (Walid) 祈祷, 而 Walid 这个单词只用於父亲。这样说明, 阿泽尔 (آذَرْ, Azar) 被称作伊布拉欣的 اَبْ (Ab, 父亲), 但不是他父亲。很可能是他的姨父、舅父、姑父或叔伯。 «圣经» 中有几段也支持这一推断。伊布拉欣娶了特拉的女儿莎拉 (سَارَه, Sarah)。(«创始记» 20:12) 这说明特拉 (Terah) 不是他的父亲, 因为他不可能娶他的亲姐妹。这看来是, 他的父亲死了, 他由叔伯、舅父、姨父或姑父阿泽尔即阿他尔抚养长大, 后者把女儿莎拉嫁给了他。由於阿泽尔把伊布拉欣养大, 像是他的父亲, 后者看来曾经被叫过他的儿子, 这样就造成了把阿泽尔即阿他尔当作伊布拉欣的真父亲的这种错误。在 «塔尔姆德» 中也可看到, 阿泽尔迫害伊布拉欣, 为了打坏偶像的犯法行为把他带到国王那里, 假如阿泽尔是伊布拉欣的父亲, 他就不会对亲儿子采取这样极端的步骤了。
19:43.
In the Old Testament the name of Abraham’s father is given as Terah (Gen.11: 26) and in the New Testament (Luke, 3: 34) it is Tharah. The Talmud agrees with Luke. Eusebius, the father of ecclesiastical history, gives Athar as the name of Abraham’s father (Sale). This shows that even among the Jews there existed no unanimity of opinion about the name of Abraham’s father. Eusebius must have strong reasons for differing from Genesis and Luke. The correct form appears to be Athar, which later became changed into Tharah or Terah. Athar closely resembles the name given in the Qur’an (Azar), only there is a slight difference of pronunciation, the two forms being almost identical. Christian writers, therefore, have no reason to quarrel with the Qur’an for calling Abraham’s father by the name Azar. Moreover, Abraham’s father is also called Zarah in the Talmud (Sale), and Zarah is approximately the same as Azar. This shows that the Quranic version is much more reliable. Besides, Azar has been called Ab
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.
e
19:43.
432
«旧约全书» 中, 伊布拉欣父亲的名字叫特拉 (Terah) (创始记11:26), 而«新约全书»中, 他叫他拉 (Tharah) «路加» 3:34)。«塔尔姆德» (Talmud) 同意 «路加» 的意见。Eusebius (尤西比斯,) 基督教会历史之父, 称呼伊布拉欣的父亲的名字为阿他尔 (Athar) (Sale)。这表明, 即使在犹太教人之间, 对伊布拉欣的父亲的名字意见也不统一。尤西比斯一定有强力的理由, 才和 «创始记» 和 «路加» 的意见不同。正确的形式看来是阿他尔 (Athar), 后来才改成他拉 (Tharah) 或特拉 (Terah)。阿他尔 (Athar) 与 «古兰经» 中的阿泽尔 (Azar) 那一名字非常相似, 只是在发音上稍微有些不同, 两种形式几乎全同。基督教作家, 因此, 对 «古兰经» 中称伊布拉欣的父亲为阿泽尔这一点没有争论的理由。再者, 伊布拉欣的父亲在 «塔尔姆德» (Talmud) 中也叫泽拉 (Zarah), (Sale) 而泽拉 (Zarah) 和阿泽尔 (Azar) 两字约略相同。这表明 «古兰经» 中的译名要可靠得多。此外, 阿泽尔被称为伊布拉欣的 اَبْ (Ab, 父亲) (26:87), اَبْ (Ab, 父亲) 这一单词可用於父亲、伯 (叔) 父和祖父, 等等。在2:133节经文中, 伊司马仪是雅尔孤布的伯父, 也被称作是他的 اَبْ (Ab, 父亲), 但不是他真正的父亲。伊布拉欣答应过阿泽尔, 他的 اَبْ (Ab, 父亲), 向安拉祈求宽恕他, 但当他开始知道阿泽尔是安拉的敌人时, 他放弃了为他祈祷的诺言; 实际上他是被禁止这样做的 (9:114)。可是, 在14:42节经文中, 伊布拉欣为他的 وَالِدْ (Walid) 祈祷, 而 Walid 这个单词只用於父亲。这样说明, 阿泽尔 (آذَرْ, Azar) 被称作伊布拉欣的 اَبْ (Ab, 父亲), 但不是他父亲。很可能是他的姨父、舅父、姑父或叔伯。 «圣经» 中有几段也支持这一推断。伊布拉欣娶了特拉的女儿莎拉 (سَارَه, Sarah)。(«创始记» 20:12) 这说明特拉 (Terah) 不是他的父亲, 因为他不可能娶他的亲姐妹。这看来是, 他的父亲死了, 他由叔伯、舅父、姨父或姑父阿泽尔即阿他尔抚养长大, 后者把女儿莎拉嫁给了他。由於阿泽尔把伊布拉欣养大, 像是他的父亲, 后者看来曾经被叫过他的儿子, 这样就造成了把阿泽尔即阿他尔当作伊布拉欣的真父亲的这种错误。在 «塔尔姆德» 中也可看到, 阿泽尔迫害伊布拉欣, 为了打坏偶像的犯法行为把他带到国王那里, 假如阿泽尔是伊布拉欣的父亲, 他就不会对亲儿子采取这样极端的步骤了。
a
19:43.
820
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.
b
19:43.
864
In the Old Testament the name of Abraham’s father is given as Terah (Gen.11: 26) and in the New Testament (Luke, 3: 34) it is Tharah. The Talmud agrees with Luke. Eusebius, the father of ecclesiastical history, gives Athar as the name of Abraham’s father (Sale). This shows that even among the Jews there existed no unanimity of opinion about the name of Abraham’s father. Eusebius must have strong reasons for differing from Genesis and Luke. The correct form appears to be Athar, which later became changed into Tharah or Terah. Athar closely resembles the name given in the Qur’an (Azar), only there is a slight difference of pronunciation, the two forms being almost identical. Christian writers, therefore, have no reason to quarrel with the Qur’an for calling Abraham’s father by the name Azar. Moreover, Abraham’s father is also called Zarah in the Talmud (Sale), and Zarah is approximately the same as Azar. This shows that the Quranic version is much more reliable. Besides, Azar has been called Ab
وَمَا كَانَ ٱسْتِغْفَارُ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ لِأَبِيهِ إِلَّا عَن مَّوْعِدَةٍ وَعَدَهَآ إِيَّاهُ فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُۥٓ أَنَّهُۥ عَدُوٌّ لِّلَّهِ تَبَرَّأَ مِنْهُ ۚ إِنَّ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ لَأَوَّٰهٌ حَلِيمٌ
19:48; 26:87; 60:5.
19:48; 26:87; 60:5.
11:76.
Important Words:
اوّاہ (most tender-hearted) is the intensive adjective from اوہ. They say, اوہ or تأوہ i.e. he said, Ah! or Alas! he moaned or uttered a moan; or he gave prolonged utterance to distress or complaint. اواہ means, one who is often saying, Ah! or Alas! from a motive of love or pity or fear; one often moaning or mourning or sorrowing; compassionate or tender-hearted; one often praying; one who praises God greatly or glorifies Him much; one who addresses himself with earnest supplication to God, confident that his prayer will be accepted; one inviting much or often to what is good (Lane).
Commentary:
The preceding verse declares that praying for disbelievers, after it has become clear that they are inmates of Hell, is forbidden. The present verse explains a prayer which Abraham offered for his idolatrous father on the basis that he had made a promise to do so. Abraham, however, was not slow in dissociating himself from his father as soon as it became clear to him that he was an enemy of God. The verse ends with words expressive of high praise for Abraham. See also 6:75.
a
19:48; 26:87; 60:5.
a
19:48; 26:87; 60:5.
b
11:76.
1263
Important Words:
اوّاہ (most tender-hearted) is the intensive adjective from اوہ. They say, اوہ or تأوہ i.e. he said, Ah! or Alas! he moaned or uttered a moan; or he gave prolonged utterance to distress or complaint. اواہ means, one who is often saying, Ah! or Alas! from a motive of love or pity or fear; one often moaning or mourning or sorrowing; compassionate or tender-hearted; one often praying; one who praises God greatly or glorifies Him much; one who addresses himself with earnest supplication to God, confident that his prayer will be accepted; one inviting much or often to what is good (Lane).
Commentary:
The preceding verse declares that praying for disbelievers, after it has become clear that they are inmates of Hell, is forbidden. The present verse explains a prayer which Abraham offered for his idolatrous father on the basis that he had made a promise to do so. Abraham, however, was not slow in dissociating himself from his father as soon as it became clear to him that he was an enemy of God. The verse ends with words expressive of high praise for Abraham. See also 6:75.
a
19:48; 26:87; 60:5.
1220
See 19:48.
وَٱغْفِرْ لِأَبِىٓ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلضَّآلِّينَ
9:114; 19:48; 60:5.
9:114; 19:48; 60:5.
b
9:114; 19:48; 60:5.
b
9:114; 19:48; 60:5.
2756
Commentary:
As to why Abraham asked forgiveness for his father in spite of the fact that he was an idolater and Abraham had a Divine commandment not to ask forgiveness for idolaters, see 6:75.
b
9:114; 19:48; 60:5.