and Muhammad ibn Ishaq said: “so that they may bear witness”—that is, so that they may attend his punishment and witness what would be done to him.

“They said, ‘Did you do this to our gods, Abraham?’ (62) He said, ‘Rather, this largest one of them did it. Ask them, if they can speak!’ (63) Then they returned to themselves and said, ‘Indeed, you are the wrongdoers.’ (64)

When they brought him, they said to him, “Did you do this to our gods, Abraham?” Abraham said, “Rather, this largest one of them did it.” He became angry that you worshipped these smaller ones alongside him, while he was greater than them, and so he smashed them. By this, Abraham intended to establish the proof against them. Thus He says: “Ask them, if they can speak,” so that they may tell you who did this to them.

Al-Qutaybi said: Its meaning is: “Rather, this largest one of them did it—if they can speak,” by way of a conditional statement. He made their ability to speak a condition for their having done the deed; that is, if they were able to speak, they would be able to act. Thus he showed them that they were incapable of speech, and implicit in it (1) was: “I did it.”

It is reported that Al-Kisa’i would pause at the words, “Rather, he did it,” and say: Its meaning is, “[It was done] (2) by whoever did it.” The first view is sounder, due to what is narrated from Abu Hurayrah: the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Abraham did not tell a lie except on three occasions. Two of them were concerning Allah: his saying, ‘Indeed, I am ill’ (Al-Saffat 89), and his saying, ‘Rather, this largest one of them did it’; and his saying to Sarah, ‘She is my sister.’” (3)

It was said concerning his words, “Indeed, I am ill,” that they mean: I will become ill. It was also said: sick at heart—that is, distressed by your misguidance. And his saying to Sarah, “She is my sister,” means: my sister in religion. These interpretations were offered to negate lying on Abraham’s part. Yet the first view is preferable, because of the hadith concerning it. It is also possible that Allah, exalted is He, permitted him to say this for the purpose of setting matters right, reproaching them, and establishing the proof against them—just as He permitted Joseph to instruct his caller to say to his brothers, “O caravan, you are surely thieves” (Joseph 70), though they had not stolen.

“Then they returned to themselves”: that is, they reflected in their hearts and returned to their reason. Then they said: We see it only as he says: “Indeed, you are the wrongdoers”—meaning, by worshipping one who cannot speak. It was also said: You are wronging this man by questioning him while these, your gods, are present; so ask them.