It is also said that he remained in the underground shelter for seven years; and it is said, thirteen years; and it is said, seventeen years.

They said: When Abraham, peace be upon him, had grown up while still in the underground shelter, he said to his mother, “Who is my lord?” She replied, “I am.” He said, “Then who is your lord?” She replied, “Your father.” He said, “And who is my father’s lord?” She replied, “Nimrod.” He said, “And who is his lord?” She said to him, “Be quiet,” so he fell silent.

Then she returned to her husband and said, “Do you know the boy of whom we had been told that he would change the religion of the people of the earth? He is your son.” She then told him what Abraham had said. So his father, Azar, came to him, and Abraham, peace be upon him, said, “My dear father, who is my lord?” He replied, “Your mother.” He said, “And who is my mother’s lord?” He replied, “I am.” He said, “And who is your lord?” He replied, “Nimrod.” He said, “Then who is Nimrod’s lord?” Thereupon, he struck him a blow and said, “Be quiet.”

When night fell over him, he came near the entrance of the underground shelter and looked through an opening in the rock. He saw a star and said, “This is my Lord.”

It is also said that he told his parents, “Bring me out.” So they brought him out of the underground shelter and set off with him after the sun had set. Abraham looked at the camels, horses, and sheep, and asked his father, “What are these?” He replied, “Camels, ⦗120b⦘ horses, and sheep.” Abraham said, “These must have a lord and creator.” Then he looked and saw Jupiter rising—or, according to another report, Venus. That night was toward the end of the month, so the moon rose late; thus, he saw the star before the moon.

This is the meaning of His saying, exalted is He: “When night grew dark over him”: that is, when it entered. The expressions janna al-layl, ajanna al-layl, jannahu al-layl, and ajanna alayhi al-layl are used when night becomes dark and covers everything. Junun al-layl refers to the blackness of the night.

Concerning His saying, “He saw a star,” Abu Amr recited ra'a with a fathah on the raa and a kasrah on the alif. Ibn Amir, Hamzah, al-Kisai, and Abu Bakr recited both with kasrah. If it was connected to a kaf or a haa, Ibn Amir pronounced both with fathah. If it was followed by a vowelless letter, Hamzah and Abu Bakr pronounced the raa with kasrah and the hamzah with fathah, while the others pronounced both with fathah. “He said, ‘This is my Lord.’”

They differed regarding his saying this. Some understood it according to its outward sense and said: Abraham, peace be upon him, was seeking right guidance and searching for monotheism until Allah Most High granted him success and gave him his right guidance. Thus, this did not harm him while he was considering the evidence. Moreover, this occurred during his childhood, before the proof had become binding upon him, and so it was not disbelief. (1)

Others rejected this view and said: It is not possible for a messenger of Allah to pass through any period of time except that he is a monotheist devoted to Allah, knows Him, and is free of every object of worship besides Him. How could such a thing be imagined of one whom Allah protected from sin, purified, and had already granted right guidance? Allah informed us of him when He said: “When he came to his Lord with a sound heart” (al-Saffat, 84). And He said: “Thus We showed Abraham the realm of the heavens and the earth.” Do you suppose that He showed him that realm so that he might attain certainty, but then, after attaining certainty, Abraham saw a star and said, “This is my Lord,” actually believing it? Such a thing can never be.

They then said: This admits of four possible interpretations. The first is that Abraham, peace be upon him, intended by this statement to draw the people in gradually and make them recognize their error and ignorance.