Fama kana jawaba qawmihi illa an qaloo oqtuloohu aw harriqoohu faanjahu Allahu (surah Ankabut: 24)

Tafseer Tafheem-ul-Quran by Syed Abu-al-A'la Maududi

(29:24) The people *37 (of Abraham) had no other answer than to say: 'Kill him or burn him.' *38 But Allah delivered him from the fire. *39 There are many Signs in this for those who believe. *40

Famaa kaana jawaaba qawmiheee illaaa an qaaluqtuloohu aw harriqoohu faanjaahul laahu minan naar; inna fee zaalika la Aayaatil laqawminy yu`minoon

*37) From here the discourse again turns to the story of the Prophet Abraham.
*38) That is, they had no answer to the Prophet Abraham's rational arguments. The only answer they gave was: "Cut off the tongue that talks the truth and Iet not the person live, who points out our error and tells us to give it up. " The words, "Kill him or burn him", indicate that the whole crowd was unanimous that the Prophet Abraham should be put to death. However, they differed about the method. Some said that he should be killed, and others said that he should be burnt alive, so that no one in future should dare say the sort of the thing he said.
*39) This sentence by itself shows that they had at last decided to burn the Prophet Abraham and he was cast into the fire. Here it has only been said that Allah saved him from the fire; but in Surah AI-Anbiyaa it has been elucidated that Allah commanded: "O fire! Be cool and become safe for Abraham!" (v. 69) Evidently, if he was not at aII cast into the fire, the Command to the fire to become cool and safe would be meaningless. This proves that properties of all things are dependent on Allah's Command and whenever He pleases He can change the property of anything He likes. Normally fire burns and every combustible thing catches tire. But this property of the tire is not of its own acquisition but given by God. And this property has in no way tied up God that He thay give no Command against it. He is the Master of His fire. He can command it any time to give up the property of burning. At any time He can turn a furnace into a bed of roses. But events contrary to the course of nature occur only rarely to serve some great purpose or cause. However, the usual phenomena to which we are accustomed in our daily lives, cannot be made an argument to say that Allah's power has been tied up with these, and nothing unusual can take place even by Allah's Command.
*40) "Signs ... believe": Signs for the believers in this that the Prophet Abraham did not follow the religion of his family, community and country but Followed the true knowledge through which he came to know that shirk is falsehood and Tauhid the Reality; and in this that he went on exhorting his people to accept the Truth and to desist from falsehood in spite of their stubbornness and prejudices; and in this that he was even prepared to suffer the horrible punishment by the fire, but was not prepared to give up the Truth; and in this that Allah did not even spare the Prophet Abraham, His Friend, from the trials and tests; and in this that when the Prophet Abraham got successfully through the tests set by AIIah, then did come Allah's succour, and in such a miraculous way that the bonfire was turned cool for him!