(51–73) “We certainly gave Abraham his right guidance before, and We knew him well,” to the end of this account, concluding with His words: “We inspired them to do good deeds, establish prayer, and give zakat, and they were worshippers devoted to Us.”
After Allah Most High had mentioned Moses and Muhammad—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon them both—and their two Books, He said: “We certainly gave Abraham his right guidance before”—that is, before Moses and Muhammad were sent and their two Books were revealed. Allah showed him the dominion of the heavens and earth and granted him such right guidance—by which he perfected himself and to which he called others—as He had granted to no one else in the worlds apart from Muhammad. The guidance is attributed specifically to him because it was commensurate with his state and lofty rank. Otherwise, every believer possesses right guidance in proportion to the faith he possesses.
“And We knew him well”—that is, We granted him his right guidance, singled him out for messengerhood and intimate friendship, and chose him in this world and the Hereafter because We knew that he was worthy and fully qualified for this, on account of his purity and intelligence. Allah therefore recounts how Abraham argued against his people, forbade them from associating partners with Allah, smashed the idols, and left them with no answer to his proof. He said: “When he said to his father and his people, ‘What are these statues’”—which you have fashioned and carved with your own hands in the likeness of certain created beings—“to which you remain devoted?” That is, you persist in worshipping them and continually adhere to it. What, then, are they? What virtue have they ever been shown to possess? What has become of your reason, that you squander your time worshipping them when you yourselves fashioned and carved them with your own hands? This is among the most astonishing of things: you worship what you yourselves carve.
⦗526⦘
They responded without any proof—the response of one who is powerless and possesses not even the slightest semblance of an argument. They said: “We found our forefathers” doing the same, so we followed their path and imitated them in worshipping these idols. It is well known that the conduct of any created being other than the messengers is not proof and may not legitimately be taken as a precedent, especially regarding the foundation of religion and affirming the oneness of the Lord of the worlds. Abraham therefore declared all of them misguided, saying: “You and your forefathers have indeed been in manifest error”—that is, clear and evident error. What error could be graver than their association of partners with Allah and abandonment of monotheism? In other words, what you have said cannot serve as a valid basis, for both you and they share in an obvious error evident to everyone.
“They said,” expressing astonishment at his words and regarding what he had said as outrageous—particularly that he had begun by accusing both them and their forefathers of foolishness: “Have you brought us the truth, or are you merely playing?” That is: Is this statement you have made and brought to us true and serious, or are you speaking to us as one who plays and mocks, unaware of what he is saying? The latter was what they intended. They presented the matter as a choice between these two possibilities only because they treated it as firmly established and universally known that what Abraham had brought was the speech of a fool who did not understand what he was saying.
Abraham replied in a way that exposed their foolishness and lack of reason: “Rather, your Lord is the Lord of the heavens and earth, who brought them into being, and I am one of those who bear witness to this.” He thus combined for them rational proof with revelatory proof.
As for the rational proof, everyone—even those with whom Abraham was arguing—knew that Allah alone is the Creator of all created beings: human beings, angels, jinn, animals, the heavens, and earth; and that He governs them in every respect. Every created being is therefore itself brought into existence, governed, and subject to another’s control. This includes everything worshipped besides Allah.
Is it then fitting for anyone possessing the slightest measure of reason and discernment to worship a created being that is itself controlled and possesses no power to cause benefit or harm, death, life, or resurrection, while abandoning the worship of the Creator, Provider, and Governor of all affairs?
As for revelatory proof, it is what has been transmitted from the messengers—peace and blessings be upon them. What they brought is protected from error: it contains no mistake and reports nothing but the truth. One form of this proof is a messenger’s own testimony to it. Abraham therefore said: “And I am one of those who bear witness to this”—that is, to the fact that Allah alone is worthy of worship and that the worship of anything besides Him is false. What testimony, after Allah’s testimony, is higher than that of the messengers—especially the resolute messengers, and particularly the intimate friend of the Most Merciful?
Having explained that their idols possessed no power of governance, Abraham wished to demonstrate in practice their helplessness and inability to defend themselves, and to devise a stratagem that would make his people acknowledge this. He therefore said: “By Allah, I shall devise a plan against your idols”—that is, I shall break them as part of a stratagem—“after you turn your backs and leave,” departing from them to attend one of their festivals. When they turned and left, he went to the idols secretly.