Surah Anbiya ayat 63 Tafsir Quran 21:63

﴿قَالَ بَلْ فَعَلَهُ كَبِيرُهُمْ هَٰذَا فَاسْأَلُوهُمْ إِن كَانُوا يَنطِقُونَ﴾
[ الأنبياء: 63]

21:63 He said, "Rather, this - the largest of them - did it, so ask them, if they should [be able to] speak."

He said concealing his deed ‘Rather it was this principal one among them did it. So question them about the perpetrator of this if they can speak!’ here the response to the conditional statement precedes the conditional clause; in the preceding clause there is an intimation for them that an idol acknowledged as being incapable of action cannot be a god.

But it was their chief who did it, Said Ibrahim; ask them if they are able to talk

How Ibrahim broke the Idols Then Ibrahim swore an oath, which some of his people heard, to plot against their idols, i.e., to break them and destroy them after they had gone away and turned their backs, when they went out to their festival.
They had a festival which they would go out to celebrate.
Abu Ishaq reported from Abu Al-Ahwas from `Abdullah Ibn Mas`ud, "When the people of Ibrahim went out to celebrate their festival, they passed by him and said, `O Ibrahim, are you not coming out with us' He said, `I am sick.' " It was only the day before that he had said, وَتَاللَّهِ لأَكِيدَنَّ أَصْنَـمَكُمْ بَعْدَ أَن تُوَلُّواْ مُدْبِرِينَ ( And by Allah, I shall plot a plan for your idols after you have gone away and turned your backs. ) and some of the people had heard him. فَجَعَلَهُمْ جُذَاذاً ( So he broke them to pieces, ) means, he smashed them all, except for the biggest idol.
This is like the Ayah, فَرَاغَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضَرْباً بِالْيَمِينِ ( Then he turned upon them, striking (them ) with ( his ) right hand) 37:93. لَعَلَّهُمْ إِلَيْهِ يَرْجِعُونَ ( that they might turn to it.
) It was said that he put a hammer in the hands of the biggest idol so that the people would think that it had become jealous on its own account and objected to these smaller idols being worshipped alongside it, so it had broken them. قَالُواْ مَن فَعَلَ هَـذَا بِـَالِهَتِنَآ إِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الظَّـلِمِينَ ( They said: "Who has done this to our gods He must indeed be one of the wrongdoers." ) When they came back and saw what Ibrahim had done to their idols, humiliating them and lowering their status, proving that they were not divine and that those who worshipped them were fools, قَالُواْ مَن فَعَلَ هَـذَا بِـَالِهَتِنَآ إِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الظَّـلِمِينَ ( They said: "Who has done this to our gods He must indeed be one of the wrongdoers." ) because of this action of his. قَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا فَتًى يَذْكُرُهُمْ يُقَالُ لَهُ إِبْرَهِيمُ ( They said: "We heard a young man talking against them, who is called Ibrahim." ) Those who had heard him swearing to plot against them said, we heard a young man talking about them, and they said that he was called Ibrahim. قَالُواْ فَأْتُواْ بِهِ عَلَى أَعْيُنِ النَّاسِ ( They said: "Then bring him before the eyes of the people..." ) meaning, in front of a large audience so that all the people could be present.
This was Ibrahim's ultimate purpose, so that he could tell this great gathering about the extent of their ignorance and how foolish they were to worship idols which could not defend themselves from harm or help themselves, so how could they ask them for help قَالُواْ ءَأَنْتَ فَعَلْتَ هَـذَا بِـَالِهَتِنَا يإِبْرَهِيمُ قَالَ بَلْ فَعَلَهُ كَبِيرُهُمْ هَـذَا ( They said: "Are you the one who has done this to our gods, O Ibrahim" He said: "Nay, this one, the biggest of them did it..." ) referring to the one he had left alone and had not broken. فَاسْـَلُوهُمْ إِن كَانُواْ يِنْطِقُونَ ( Ask them, if they can speak! ) He was hoping that they would admit of their own volition that these idols could not speak and that this idol would not say anything because it was inanimate.
In the Two Sahihs it was recorded from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: «إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ لَمْ يَكْذِبْ غَيْرَ ثَلَاثٍ: ثِنْتَيْنِ فِي ذَاتِ اللهِ قَوْلُهُ: (Ibrahim, upon him be peace, did not tell lies except on three occasions, two for the sake of Allah -- when he said: بَلْ فَعَلَهُ كَبِيرُهُمْ هَـذَا ( Nay, this one, the biggest of them did it.
) and when he said: إِنِّى سَقِيمٌ ( Verily, I am sick ) 37:89. قَالَ: وَبَيْنَا هُوَ يَسِيرُ فِي أَرْضِ جَبَّارٍ مِنَ الْجَبَابِرَةِ وَمَعَهُ سَارَّةُ، إِذْ نَزَلَ مَنْزِلًا فَأَتَى الْجَبَّارَ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ: إِنَّهُ قَدْ نَزَل هَهُنَا رَجُلٌ بِأَرْضِكَ مَعَهُ امْرَأَةٌ أَحْسَنُ النَّاسِ، فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَيْهِ فَجَاءَ، فَقَالَ: مَا هَذِهِ الْمَرْأَةُ مِنْكَ؟ قَالَ: هِيَ أُخْتِي.
قَالَ: فَاذْهَبْ فَأَرْسِلْ بِهَا إِلَيَّ، فَانْطَلَقَ إِلَى سَارَّةَ فَقَالَ: إِنَّ هَذَا الْجَبَّارَ قَدْ سَأَلَنِي عَنْكِ، فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ أَنَّكِ أُخْتِي، فَلَا تُكَذِّبِينِي عِنْدَهُ، فَإِنَّكِ أُخْتِي فِي كِتَابِ اللهِ، وَإِنَّهُ لَيْسَ فِي الْأَرْضِ مُسْلِمٌ غَيْرِي وَغَيْرُكِ، فَانْطَلَقَ بِهَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ ثُمَّ قَامَ يُصَلِّي، فَلَمَّا أَنْ دَخَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ فَرَآهَا أَهْوَى إِلَيْهَا فَتَنَاوَلَهَا فَأُخِذَ أَخْذًا شَدِيدًا، فَقَالَ: ادْعِي اللهَ لِي وَلَا أَضُرُّكِ، فَدَعَتْ لَهُ، فَأُرْسِلَ فَأَهْوَى إِلَيْهَا، فَتَنَاوَلَهَا فَأُخِذَ بِمِثْلِهَا أَوْ أَشَدَّ، فَفَعَلَ ذَلِكَ الثَّالِثَةَ، فَأُخِذَ فَذَكَرَ مِثْلَ الْمَرَّتَيْنِ الْأُولَيَيْنِ، فَقَالَ: ادْعِي اللهَ فَلَا أُضُرَّكِ، فَدَعَتْ لَهُ فَأُرْسِلَ، ثُمَّ دَعَا أَدْنَى حُجَّابِهِ فَقَالَ: إِنَّكَ لَمْ تَأْتِنِي بِإِنْسَانٍ، وَلَكِنَّكَ أَتَيْتَنِي بِشَيْطَانٍ، أَخْرِجْهَا وَأَعْطِهَا هَاجَرَ.
فَأُخْرِجَتْ وَأُعْطِيَتْ هَاجَرَ، فَأَقْبَلَتْ، فَلَمَّا أَحَسَّ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بِمَجِيئِهَا، انْفَتَلَ مِنْ صَلَاتِهِ، وَقَالَ: مَهْيَمْ.
قَالَتْ: كَفَى اللهُ كَيْدَ الْكَافِرِ الْفَاجِرِ، وَأَخْدَمَنِي هَاجَر» .
( and when he was traveling in the land of one of the tyrants, and Sarah was with him; when he made camp, a man came to the tyrant and said, "A man has made camp in your land and with him is a woman who is the most beautiful of people." The tyrant sent for Ibrahim, and asked him, "What is the relationship of this woman to you" He said, "She is my sister." The tyrant said, "Go and send her to me." So Ibrahim went to Sarah and said, "This tyrant asked me about you, and I told him that you are my sister, so do not let him think that I am lying.
For you are indeed my sister according to the Book of Allah, and there are no Muslims on the earth apart from you and I." So Ibrahim brought her to him, then he stood and prayed.
When she entered upon the tyrant, he reached for her desirously once he saw her.
But he suffered a severe seizure.
So he said, "Pray to Allah for me and I will not harm you." So she prayed for him and it released him.
Then he reached for her desirously, but he was stricken similarly before or worse.
This continued three times, and each time he said the same as he had said the first time.
Then he called the closest of his guards and said, "You have not brought me a human being, you have brought me a devil! Take her out and give her Hajar.
So she was taken out and given Hajar, and she went back.
When Ibrahim realized that she had come back, he finished his prayer and turned around.
He said, "What happened" She said, "Allah took care of the evil disbeliever's plot, and he gave me Hajar as a servant." ) Muhammad bin Sirin said, "When Abu Hurayrah narrated this Hadith, he said, `This is your mother, O sons of the water of the heaven.' "

(21:63) He answered, "Nay, all this has been done by their chief; you may ask them, if they can speak" *60

He said, "Rather, this - the largest meaning

*60) The very sentence, " You may ask them, if they can speak ", is a clear proof that it was not a lie when Prophet Abraham said, " All this has been done by their chief. " What he intended by this was to make them realize and confess that their idols were helpless because they could do nothing to protect themselves, and could not even speak.
It is clear that when a person poses an unreal question for the sake of argument in order to bring home the fact that the position taken by the other party is untenable, it cannot be considered as a lie; firstly, because the speaker himself never intended it to be a lie, and secondly, because the addressees also knew that it was not a lie.

The foregoing remarks have been necessitated because of a " tradition " that Prophet Abraham told three " lies " in his life, of which one is the abovementioned event.
The second " lie " is contained in XXXVII: 89: " I am indisposed ", and the third " lie " is not contained in the Qur'an but in the Bible that he declared his wife to be his sister.
( Gen.
12:12,13, 18;19 ).
It is a pity that this " tradition " has given rise to two divergent opinions.
The orthodox traditionalists actually believe that Prophet Abraham told these lies just because an " authentic tradition " says so.
They do not consider that it is far better to discard the " tradition " according to which a Prophet is accused of being a " liar ".
On the other hand, those who are against the Traditions, discard all of them just because this solitary tradition, which has been reported as authentic by Bukhari and Muslim, is unreliable on the very face of it.
Obviously it needs no elaborate arguments to prove that all the traditions cannot be discarded just because one or a few of them are unreliable.
As regards the upholders of the first opinion, they have gone to the other extreme and think that a tradition can be discarded in spite of the authenticity of its reporters for cogent reasons.
They do this without reference to the contents of the tradition itself.
But if the text of the tradition itself clearly shows that such a thing could not have been said by the Holy Prophet, there is no reason to insist that it should be accepted as authentic merely because its reporters are authentic.

This, tradition is unreliable for other reasons also.
As has already been shown, the first " lie " is no lie at all.
As regards the second " lie ", ( " I am indisposed " ); it cannot be considered as a lie unless it is proved beyond doubt that Prophet Abraham was perfectly healthy at that time, and the text does not testify this.
As regards the third " lie ", the event stated in the Bible in chapter 12 of Genesis is absurd on the face of it.
When Prophet Abraham went to Egypt with his wife Sarah, he was, according to the Bible itself, 75 years old and his wife was 65.
Therefore the very age of Sarah is a clear proof that she could not be a " fair woman to look upon " to force Prophet Abraham to pose that she was his sister in order to save his life.
The tradition under discussion, which accuses Prophet Abraham to be guilty of telling a lie, has accordingly no basis at all and cannot be taken as reliable in spite of its authentic reporters.

 

How Ibrahim broke the Idols Then Ibrahim swore an oath, which some of his people heard, to plot against their idols, i.e., to break them and destroy them after they had gone away and turned their backs, when they went out to their festival.
They had a festival which they would go out to celebrate.
Abu Ishaq reported from Abu Al-Ahwas from `Abdullah Ibn Mas`ud, "When the people of Ibrahim went out to celebrate their festival, they passed by him and said, `O Ibrahim, are you not coming out with us' He said, `I am sick.' " It was only the day before that he had said, وَتَاللَّهِ لأَكِيدَنَّ أَصْنَـمَكُمْ بَعْدَ أَن تُوَلُّواْ مُدْبِرِينَ ( And by Allah, I shall plot a plan for your idols after you have gone away and turned your backs. ) and some of the people had heard him. فَجَعَلَهُمْ جُذَاذاً ( So he broke them to pieces, ) means, he smashed them all, except for the biggest idol.
This is like the Ayah, فَرَاغَ عَلَيْهِمْ ضَرْباً بِالْيَمِينِ ( Then he turned upon them, striking (them ) with ( his ) right hand) 37:93. لَعَلَّهُمْ إِلَيْهِ يَرْجِعُونَ ( that they might turn to it.
) It was said that he put a hammer in the hands of the biggest idol so that the people would think that it had become jealous on its own account and objected to these smaller idols being worshipped alongside it, so it had broken them. قَالُواْ مَن فَعَلَ هَـذَا بِـَالِهَتِنَآ إِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الظَّـلِمِينَ ( They said: "Who has done this to our gods He must indeed be one of the wrongdoers." ) When they came back and saw what Ibrahim had done to their idols, humiliating them and lowering their status, proving that they were not divine and that those who worshipped them were fools, قَالُواْ مَن فَعَلَ هَـذَا بِـَالِهَتِنَآ إِنَّهُ لَمِنَ الظَّـلِمِينَ ( They said: "Who has done this to our gods He must indeed be one of the wrongdoers." ) because of this action of his. قَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا فَتًى يَذْكُرُهُمْ يُقَالُ لَهُ إِبْرَهِيمُ ( They said: "We heard a young man talking against them, who is called Ibrahim." ) Those who had heard him swearing to plot against them said, we heard a young man talking about them, and they said that he was called Ibrahim. قَالُواْ فَأْتُواْ بِهِ عَلَى أَعْيُنِ النَّاسِ ( They said: "Then bring him before the eyes of the people..." ) meaning, in front of a large audience so that all the people could be present.
This was Ibrahim's ultimate purpose, so that he could tell this great gathering about the extent of their ignorance and how foolish they were to worship idols which could not defend themselves from harm or help themselves, so how could they ask them for help قَالُواْ ءَأَنْتَ فَعَلْتَ هَـذَا بِـَالِهَتِنَا يإِبْرَهِيمُ قَالَ بَلْ فَعَلَهُ كَبِيرُهُمْ هَـذَا ( They said: "Are you the one who has done this to our gods, O Ibrahim" He said: "Nay, this one, the biggest of them did it..." ) referring to the one he had left alone and had not broken. فَاسْـَلُوهُمْ إِن كَانُواْ يِنْطِقُونَ ( Ask them, if they can speak! ) He was hoping that they would admit of their own volition that these idols could not speak and that this idol would not say anything because it was inanimate.
In the Two Sahihs it was recorded from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: «إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ لَمْ يَكْذِبْ غَيْرَ ثَلَاثٍ: ثِنْتَيْنِ فِي ذَاتِ اللهِ قَوْلُهُ: (Ibrahim, upon him be peace, did not tell lies except on three occasions, two for the sake of Allah -- when he said: بَلْ فَعَلَهُ كَبِيرُهُمْ هَـذَا ( Nay, this one, the biggest of them did it.
) and when he said: إِنِّى سَقِيمٌ ( Verily, I am sick ) 37:89. قَالَ: وَبَيْنَا هُوَ يَسِيرُ فِي أَرْضِ جَبَّارٍ مِنَ الْجَبَابِرَةِ وَمَعَهُ سَارَّةُ، إِذْ نَزَلَ مَنْزِلًا فَأَتَى الْجَبَّارَ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ: إِنَّهُ قَدْ نَزَل هَهُنَا رَجُلٌ بِأَرْضِكَ مَعَهُ امْرَأَةٌ أَحْسَنُ النَّاسِ، فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَيْهِ فَجَاءَ، فَقَالَ: مَا هَذِهِ الْمَرْأَةُ مِنْكَ؟ قَالَ: هِيَ أُخْتِي.
قَالَ: فَاذْهَبْ فَأَرْسِلْ بِهَا إِلَيَّ، فَانْطَلَقَ إِلَى سَارَّةَ فَقَالَ: إِنَّ هَذَا الْجَبَّارَ قَدْ سَأَلَنِي عَنْكِ، فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ أَنَّكِ أُخْتِي، فَلَا تُكَذِّبِينِي عِنْدَهُ، فَإِنَّكِ أُخْتِي فِي كِتَابِ اللهِ، وَإِنَّهُ لَيْسَ فِي الْأَرْضِ مُسْلِمٌ غَيْرِي وَغَيْرُكِ، فَانْطَلَقَ بِهَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ ثُمَّ قَامَ يُصَلِّي، فَلَمَّا أَنْ دَخَلَتْ عَلَيْهِ فَرَآهَا أَهْوَى إِلَيْهَا فَتَنَاوَلَهَا فَأُخِذَ أَخْذًا شَدِيدًا، فَقَالَ: ادْعِي اللهَ لِي وَلَا أَضُرُّكِ، فَدَعَتْ لَهُ، فَأُرْسِلَ فَأَهْوَى إِلَيْهَا، فَتَنَاوَلَهَا فَأُخِذَ بِمِثْلِهَا أَوْ أَشَدَّ، فَفَعَلَ ذَلِكَ الثَّالِثَةَ، فَأُخِذَ فَذَكَرَ مِثْلَ الْمَرَّتَيْنِ الْأُولَيَيْنِ، فَقَالَ: ادْعِي اللهَ فَلَا أُضُرَّكِ، فَدَعَتْ لَهُ فَأُرْسِلَ، ثُمَّ دَعَا أَدْنَى حُجَّابِهِ فَقَالَ: إِنَّكَ لَمْ تَأْتِنِي بِإِنْسَانٍ، وَلَكِنَّكَ أَتَيْتَنِي بِشَيْطَانٍ، أَخْرِجْهَا وَأَعْطِهَا هَاجَرَ.
فَأُخْرِجَتْ وَأُعْطِيَتْ هَاجَرَ، فَأَقْبَلَتْ، فَلَمَّا أَحَسَّ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بِمَجِيئِهَا، انْفَتَلَ مِنْ صَلَاتِهِ، وَقَالَ: مَهْيَمْ.
قَالَتْ: كَفَى اللهُ كَيْدَ الْكَافِرِ الْفَاجِرِ، وَأَخْدَمَنِي هَاجَر» .
( and when he was traveling in the land of one of the tyrants, and Sarah was with him; when he made camp, a man came to the tyrant and said, "A man has made camp in your land and with him is a woman who is the most beautiful of people." The tyrant sent for Ibrahim, and asked him, "What is the relationship of this woman to you" He said, "She is my sister." The tyrant said, "Go and send her to me." So Ibrahim went to Sarah and said, "This tyrant asked me about you, and I told him that you are my sister, so do not let him think that I am lying.
For you are indeed my sister according to the Book of Allah, and there are no Muslims on the earth apart from you and I." So Ibrahim brought her to him, then he stood and prayed.
When she entered upon the tyrant, he reached for her desirously once he saw her.
But he suffered a severe seizure.
So he said, "Pray to Allah for me and I will not harm you." So she prayed for him and it released him.
Then he reached for her desirously, but he was stricken similarly before or worse.
This continued three times, and each time he said the same as he had said the first time.
Then he called the closest of his guards and said, "You have not brought me a human being, you have brought me a devil! Take her out and give her Hajar.
So she was taken out and given Hajar, and she went back.
When Ibrahim realized that she had come back, he finished his prayer and turned around.
He said, "What happened" She said, "Allah took care of the evil disbeliever's plot, and he gave me Hajar as a servant." ) Muhammad bin Sirin said, "When Abu Hurayrah narrated this Hadith, he said, `This is your mother, O sons of the water of the heaven.' "

He said) Abraham said: ( But this, their chief ) who has the axe on its shoulder ( hath done it. So question them, if they can speak ) so that they can inform you who broke them.

[Ibrahim (Abraham)] said: "Nay, this one, the biggest of them (idols) did it. Ask them, if they can speak!"

Page 327 English transliteration