Surah Baqarah ayat 258 Tafsir Quran 2:258

﴿أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِي حَاجَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ فِي رَبِّهِ أَنْ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ الْمُلْكَ إِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّيَ الَّذِي يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ قَالَ أَنَا أُحْيِي وَأُمِيتُ ۖ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْتِي بِالشَّمْسِ مِنَ الْمَشْرِقِ فَأْتِ بِهَا مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ فَبُهِتَ الَّذِي كَفَرَ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ﴾
[ البقرة: 258]

2:258 Have you not considered the one who argued with Abraham about his Lord [merely] because Allah had given him kingship? When Abraham said, "My Lord is the one who gives life and causes death," he said, "I give life and cause death." Abraham said, "Indeed, Allah brings up the sun from the east, so bring it up from the west." So the disbeliever was overwhelmed [by astonishment], and Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.

Have you not seen him who disputed with Abraham concerning his Lord because of the fact that God had given him the kingship? that is his arrogance towards this very grace of God this was Nimrod Nimrūd. When idh is a substitution for hājja ‘disputed’ Abraham in response to the other’s question ‘Who is this Lord of yours to whom you are calling us?’ said ‘My Lord is He who gives life and makes to die’ the One that creates life and death in bodies; he Nimrod said ‘I give life by sparing and make to die’ by killing. He then had two men brought before him killed one and spared the other. When Abraham realised that this man was a fool Abraham resorting to a more sophisticated argument said ‘God brings the sun from the east; so bring you it from the west.’ Then the disbeliever was confused perplexed and amazed; and God guides not the folk who do evil disbelieving to the art of argument.

Have you not seen, O Muhammad, into the discourse of the one who argued with Ibrahim against Allah, his Creator, only because he was in a position of power over the kingdom bequeathed to his sovereignty by Allah? Ibrahim said: Allah is my Creator, He who gives life and determines the moment of death. The man said: I as well grant life and occasion death. Then Ibrahim said: Allah causes the sun to rise in the east, so then, cause it to rise from the west. And there the presumptuous infidel was thrown into confusion and defeat, and Allah does not guide the wrongful to His path of righteousness

The Debate Between Ibrahim Al-Khalil and King Nimrod The king who disputed with Ibrahim was King Nimrod, son of Canaan, son of Kush, son of Sam, son of Noah, as Mujahid stated.
It was also said that he was Nimrod, son of Falikh, son of `Abir, son of Shalikh, son of Arfakhshand, son of Sam, son of Noah.
Mujahid said, "The kings who ruled the eastern and western parts of the world are four, two believers and two disbelievers.
As for the two believing kings, they were Sulayman bin Dawud and Dhul-Qarnayn.
As for the two disbelieving kings, they were Nimrod and Nebuchadnezzar." Allah knows best. Allah said, أَلَمْ تَرَ ( Have you not looked ) meaning, "With your heart, O Muhammad!" إِلَى الَّذِى حَآجَّ إِبْرَهِيمَ فِى رِبِّهِ ( at him who disputed with Ibrahim about his Lord ) meaning, about the existence of Allah.
Nimrod denied the existence of a god other than himself, as he claimed, just as Fir`awn said later to his people, مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُمْ مِّنْ إِلَـهٍ غَيْرِى ( I know not that you have a god other than me ) 28:38. What made Nimrod commit this transgression, utter disbelief and arrant rebellion was his tyranny and the fact that he ruled for a long time.
This is why the Ayah continued, أَنْ آتَـهُ اللَّهُ الْمُلْكَ ( Because Allah had given him the kingdom.
) It appears that Nimrod asked Ibrahim to produce proof that Allah exists.
Ibrahim replied, رَبِّيَ الَّذِى يُحْىِ وَيُمِيتُ ( My Lord is He Who gives life and causes death ) meaning, "The proof of Allah's existence is the creations that exist after they were nothing and perish after they had existed.
This only proves the existence of the Creator, Who does what He wills, for these things could not have occurred on their own without a Creator who created them, and He is the Lord that I call to for worship, Alone without a partner." This is when Nimrod said, أَنَا أُحْىِ وَأُمِيتُ ( I give life and cause death. ) Qatadah, Muhammad bin Ishaq and As-Suddi said that he meant, "Two men who deserved execution were to be brought before me, and I would command that one of them be killed, and he would be killed.
I would command that the second man be pardoned, and he would be pardoned.
This is how I bring life and death." However, it appears that since Nimrod did not deny the existence of a Creator, his statement did not mean what Qatadah said it meant.
This explanation does not provide an answer to what Ibrahim said.
Nimrod arrogantly and defiantly claimed that he was the creator and pretended that it was he who brings life and death.
Later on, Fir`awn imitated him and announced, مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُمْ مِّنْ إِلَـهٍ غَيْرِى ( I know not that you have a god other than me ) 28: 38. This is why Ibrahim said to Nimrod, فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْتِى بِالشَّمْسِ مِنَ الْمَشْرِقِ فَأْتِ بِهَا مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ ( Verily, Allah brings the sun from the east; then bring it you from the west. ) This Ayah means, "You claim that it is you who brings life and death.
He who brings life and death controls the existence and creates whatever is in it, including controlling its planets and their movements.
For instance, the sun rises everyday from the east.
Therefore, if you were god, as you claimed, bringing life and death, then bring the sun from the west." Since the king was aware of his weakness, inadequacy and that he was not able to reply to Ibrahim's request, he was idle, silent and unable to comment.
Therefore, the proof was established against him.
Allah said, وَاللَّهُ لاَ يَهْدِى الْقَوْمَ الظَّـلِمِينَ ( And Allah guides not the people, who are wrongdoers ) meaning, Allah deprives the unjust people of any valid proof or argument.
Furthermore, their false proof and arguments are annulled by their Lord, and they have earned His anger and will suffer severe torment. The meaning that we provided is better than the meaning that some philosophers offered, claiming that Ibrahim used the second argument because it was clearer than the first one.
Rather, our explanation asserts that Ibrahim refuted both claims of Nimrod, all praise is due to Allah. As-Suddi stated that the debate between Ibrahim and Nimrod occurred after Ibrahim was thrown in the fire, for Ibrahim did not meet the king before that day.

(2:258) Have *289 you not considered the case of the person who had an argument with Abraham *290 as to `Whom Abraham acknowledged as his Lord?' The dispute arose because Allah had given him the kingship, *291 (which had made him arrogant). When Abraham said, "My Lord is He Who gives life and causes death," he answered, "I give life and cause death." Then Abraham said, "Well, Allah brings the sun from the east: just bring it from the west." At this the disbeliever was confounded: *292 (yet he did not believe), for Allah does not show guidance to unjust people.

Have you not considered the one who meaning

*289).
It was stated earlier that God is the protector and supporter of the man of faith and brings him out of darkness into light whereas the protectors and supporters of the unbelievers are taghut who lead him out of light into darkness.
It is to illustrate this that three examples are cited here.
The first is that of a person before whom truth was put with such clear and impressive arguments that he could not refute it, but since he had placed his reins in the hands of taghut, he still could not believe in it.
The two subsequent examples are those of two people who clung to God as their support, and God drew them out of darkness so that they were enabled to perceive directly those realities which are beyond the reach of man's perception.

*290).
Here the reference is to Nimrod the ruler of the land of Abrahams birth, Iraq.
The event which is referred to here is not mentioned at all in the Bible.
However, the whole story occurs in the Talmud and is largely in harmony with the Qur'anic version.
In the Talmudic version it is said that the father of Abraham occupied the highest office in Nimrod's government.
When Abraham denounced polytheism, preached the doctrine of the unity of God and smashed the idols of the temple, his own father lodged a complaint against him before the king.
This was followed by a conversation which is mentioned here.

*291).
The dispute was over the question: Whom did he acknowledge as his Lord? The reason why this dispute arose was that God had granted kingship to the remonstrator, namely Nimrod.
In order to comprehend fully the nature of the dispute hinted at in these statements, it is necessary to bear in mind the following:
( 1 ) All polytheistic societies from the earliest times till today share one characteristic: they acknowledge God to be the Lord of lords, the greatest of all deities.
They are unwilling to acknowledge Him, however, as the only God, the only object of man's worship and service.

( 2 ) Polytheists tend to divide godhead into two categories.
One of these belongs to the supernatural stratum.
The being invested with godhead at this stratum rules over the entire system of causation and is the one to whom man turns for the fulfilment of his needs and for solutions to his problems.
With this godhead the polytheists associate spirits, angels, jinn, heavenly bodies and several other beings.
To them they address their prayers.
They regard them as the objects of their worship.
It is at their altars that offerings and sacrifices are placed.
The second category of godhead belongs to the social and political stratum, and refers to the being who has the privilege of absolute sovereignty: the one who is entitled to make the rules of conduct for human life, the one who is entitled to unreserved obedience, the one who has unlimited authority to command in worldy matters.
Polytheists of all ages have either wrested this godhead from God altogether, or they have had this godhead distributed, in addition to God, among many others such as royal dynastics, religious divines and the venerated personalities of society, whether they belonged to the past or to their own times.
Many royal families have laid claim to godhead of the second category and, in order to consolidate their claim, they have pretended to be the offspring of gods in the former sense.
In general there has been collusion between the religious and the ruling classes on this question.

( 3 ) Nimrod's claim to godhead belong to this second category.
He did not deny the existence of God, and he did not deny that He was the creator of the heavens and the earth, and that He alone governed the entire universe.
Nimrod did not claim for himself that he held the reins of the entire realm of causation in his hands; he claimed rather that he was the absolute sovereign of Chaldaea and its inhabitants, that in his realm his word was law, that there was no authority superior to his own to which he was answerable.
Any Chaldaean who did not either acknowledge him to be his lord or took anyone other than him to be so, was a rebel and a traitor.

( 4 ) Abraham asserted that he acknowledged none else but the creator of the universe as his God, the only object worthy of his worship.
He also denied categorically the godhead and overlordship of anyone else.
This raised the question of how far the new creed could be tolerated, in so far as it was opposed to the tenets of the national religion and rejected the current ideas regarding the deities it worshipped.
It also alerted the establishment in so far as Abraham's ideas might constitute a serious threat to the national state and to the position and privelege of its ruling coterie.

*292).
Even though it was clear from Abraham's very first sentence that none other than God could legitimately be regarded as the Lord, Nimrod resorted to an unreasonable reply.
But Abraham's second statement left no room even for Nimrod's brazenness.
He knew well enough that the sun and the moon were subjected to the overlordship of the same God as Abraham had acknowledged as his Lord.
What, then, could he say in reply? To accept the Truth which Abraham had made crystal clear by his argument meant that Nimrod ought to part with his absolutist despotism.
The devil within him was not prepared for that.
Hence he was left wonderstruck, unable to get out of the darkness of self-adoration to the light of Truth.
If he had taken God rather than the Evil One as his patron and supporter, the true path would have been opened to him after Abraham's preaching.

According to the Talmud, Abraham was interned in prison on the orders of this king.
He remained in prison for ten days, after which the king decided to have him burnt alive.
It was then that the famous incident of Abraham being thrown into the fire took place ( see Qur'an 21:51 f f.; 29:16; 37:83 ).

 

The Debate Between Ibrahim Al-Khalil and King Nimrod The king who disputed with Ibrahim was King Nimrod, son of Canaan, son of Kush, son of Sam, son of Noah, as Mujahid stated.
It was also said that he was Nimrod, son of Falikh, son of `Abir, son of Shalikh, son of Arfakhshand, son of Sam, son of Noah.
Mujahid said, "The kings who ruled the eastern and western parts of the world are four, two believers and two disbelievers.
As for the two believing kings, they were Sulayman bin Dawud and Dhul-Qarnayn.
As for the two disbelieving kings, they were Nimrod and Nebuchadnezzar." Allah knows best. Allah said, أَلَمْ تَرَ ( Have you not looked ) meaning, "With your heart, O Muhammad!" إِلَى الَّذِى حَآجَّ إِبْرَهِيمَ فِى رِبِّهِ ( at him who disputed with Ibrahim about his Lord ) meaning, about the existence of Allah.
Nimrod denied the existence of a god other than himself, as he claimed, just as Fir`awn said later to his people, مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُمْ مِّنْ إِلَـهٍ غَيْرِى ( I know not that you have a god other than me ) 28:38. What made Nimrod commit this transgression, utter disbelief and arrant rebellion was his tyranny and the fact that he ruled for a long time.
This is why the Ayah continued, أَنْ آتَـهُ اللَّهُ الْمُلْكَ ( Because Allah had given him the kingdom.
) It appears that Nimrod asked Ibrahim to produce proof that Allah exists.
Ibrahim replied, رَبِّيَ الَّذِى يُحْىِ وَيُمِيتُ ( My Lord is He Who gives life and causes death ) meaning, "The proof of Allah's existence is the creations that exist after they were nothing and perish after they had existed.
This only proves the existence of the Creator, Who does what He wills, for these things could not have occurred on their own without a Creator who created them, and He is the Lord that I call to for worship, Alone without a partner." This is when Nimrod said, أَنَا أُحْىِ وَأُمِيتُ ( I give life and cause death. ) Qatadah, Muhammad bin Ishaq and As-Suddi said that he meant, "Two men who deserved execution were to be brought before me, and I would command that one of them be killed, and he would be killed.
I would command that the second man be pardoned, and he would be pardoned.
This is how I bring life and death." However, it appears that since Nimrod did not deny the existence of a Creator, his statement did not mean what Qatadah said it meant.
This explanation does not provide an answer to what Ibrahim said.
Nimrod arrogantly and defiantly claimed that he was the creator and pretended that it was he who brings life and death.
Later on, Fir`awn imitated him and announced, مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُمْ مِّنْ إِلَـهٍ غَيْرِى ( I know not that you have a god other than me ) 28: 38. This is why Ibrahim said to Nimrod, فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْتِى بِالشَّمْسِ مِنَ الْمَشْرِقِ فَأْتِ بِهَا مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ ( Verily, Allah brings the sun from the east; then bring it you from the west. ) This Ayah means, "You claim that it is you who brings life and death.
He who brings life and death controls the existence and creates whatever is in it, including controlling its planets and their movements.
For instance, the sun rises everyday from the east.
Therefore, if you were god, as you claimed, bringing life and death, then bring the sun from the west." Since the king was aware of his weakness, inadequacy and that he was not able to reply to Ibrahim's request, he was idle, silent and unable to comment.
Therefore, the proof was established against him.
Allah said, وَاللَّهُ لاَ يَهْدِى الْقَوْمَ الظَّـلِمِينَ ( And Allah guides not the people, who are wrongdoers ) meaning, Allah deprives the unjust people of any valid proof or argument.
Furthermore, their false proof and arguments are annulled by their Lord, and they have earned His anger and will suffer severe torment. The meaning that we provided is better than the meaning that some philosophers offered, claiming that Ibrahim used the second argument because it was clearer than the first one.
Rather, our explanation asserts that Ibrahim refuted both claims of Nimrod, all praise is due to Allah. As-Suddi stated that the debate between Ibrahim and Nimrod occurred after Ibrahim was thrown in the fire, for Ibrahim did not meet the king before that day.

( Bethink thee ) have you not been informed ( of him who had an argument with Abraham about his Lord ) about the Religion of his Lord, ( because Allah had given him the kingdom ) he is Nimrod Ibn Canaan; ( how, when Abraham said: My Lord is He Who giveth life and causeth death ) gives life upon the resurrection and causes death by ending the life of this world, ( he answered: I give life and cause death. Abraham said ) give me proof of what you say. So Nimrod brought two prisoners, killed one and spared the other and then said: this is my proof. When he saw this, Abraham said: ( Lo! Allah causeth the sun to rise in the East ) from the direction of the East, ( so do thou cause it to come up from the West ) from the direction of the West. ( Thus was the disbeliever abashed ) the one who disbelieved kept quiet and could not argue. ( And Allah guideth not ) to the right argument ( wrong-doing folk ) the unbelievers, referring here to Nimrod.

Have you not looked at him who disputed with Ibrahim (Abraham) about his Lord (Allah), because Allah had given him the kingdom? When Ibrahim (Abraham) said (to him): "My Lord (Allah) is He Who gives life and causes death." He said, "I give life and cause death." Ibrahim (Abraham) said, "Verily! Allah causes the sun to rise from the east; then cause it you to rise from the west." So the disbeliever was utterly defeated. And Allah guides not the people, who are Zalimun (wrong-doers, etc.).

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