Prophets Hūd, Ṣāliḥ and Ibrāhīm: The Ruins of the Mighty
Section 20 of 25 · Lives of the Prophets
If You Stop Not, I Will Indeed Stone You
قَالَ أَرَاغِبٌ أَنتَ عَنْ ءَالِهَتِى يَـٰٓإِبْرَٰهِيمُ ۖ لَئِن لَّمْ تَنتَهِ لَأَرْجُمَنَّكَ ۖ وَٱهْجُرْنِى مَلِيًّا
“He said, “Are you averse to my gods O Ibrāhīm? Should you not stop, I will definitely stone you. And leave me for good.”” (19:46)
His father said: qāla a-rāghibun anta ʿan ālihatī yā Ibrāhīm, la-in lam tantahi la-arjumannaka wa-hjurnī maliyyā. He — the father — said: do you reject my gods, O Ibrāhīm? If you stop not, I will indeed stone you. So get away from me safely, before I punish you. He said: I will stone you; I will kill you.
For a father to say this is not easy. For a father to threaten his son that he is going to kill him is not easy. But this shows you the difference between kufr and īmān. This shows you how bad relations could become when the separation is īmān and kufr: the father is willing to kill the son.
قَالَ سَلَـٰمٌ عَلَيْكَ ۖ سَأَسْتَغْفِرُ لَكَ رَبِّىٓ ۖ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ بِى حَفِيًّا وَأَعْتَزِلُكُمْ وَمَا تَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ وَأَدْعُوا۟ رَبِّى عَسَىٰٓ أَلَّآ أَكُونَ بِدُعَآءِ رَبِّى شَقِيًّا
“He said, “Peace on you. I shall seek forgiveness for you from my Lord. He has always been gracious to me. And I go away from you and what you invoke besides Allah. And I shall invoke my Lord. Hopefully I shall not be a loser by invoking my Lord.”” (19:47–48)
What was the response of Ibrāhīm? He said: qāla salāmun ʿalayka sa-astaghfiru laka rabbī innahu kāna bī ḥafiyyā, wa aʿtazilukum wa mā tadʿūna min dūni Allāhi wa adʿū rabbī ʿasā allā akūna bi-duʿāʾi rabbī shaqiyyā. Peace be upon you; I will ask Allah to forgive you. Innahu kāna bī ḥafiyyā: He is unto me ever most gracious.
Ibrāhīm is making istighfār for someone who is a non-believer. Is that allowed in Islam? No. Obviously, at that time Ibrāhīm did not know that. He promised his father that he will do istighfār for him, and he did istighfār.
وَٱغْفِرْ لِأَبِىٓ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلضَّآلِّينَ
“and forgive my father. Indeed he was one of those who went astray,” (26:86)
Allah (swt) says: wa-ghfir li-abī innahu kāna min al-ḍāllīn — Ibrāhīm said: O Allah, forgive my father, because he is one of those misguided. But then Allah (swt) taught Ibrāhīm the truth.
وَمَا كَانَ ٱسْتِغْفَارُ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ لِأَبِيهِ إِلَّا عَن مَّوْعِدَةٍ وَعَدَهَآ إِيَّاهُ فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُۥٓ أَنَّهُۥ عَدُوٌّ لِّلَّهِ تَبَرَّأَ مِنْهُ ۚ إِنَّ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ لَأَوَّٰهٌ حَلِيمٌ
“As for the prayer of Ibrāhīm for the forgiveness of his father, it was only due to a promise he had made to him. Later, when it became clear to him that he was an enemy of Allah, he withdrew himself from him. Indeed, Ibrāhīm was very tender-hearted, very forbearing.” (9:114)
And Allah (swt) says: wa mā kāna istighfāru Ibrāhīma li-abīhi illā ʿan mawʿidatin waʿadahā iyyāh, fa-lammā tabayyana lahu annahu ʿaduwwun li-llāhi tabarraʾa minh, inna Ibrāhīma la-awwāhun ḥalīm. Allah (swt) says: and Ibrāhīm's invoking of Allah for his father's forgiveness was only because of a promise he, Ibrāhīm, had made to his father. But when it became clear to him that he is an enemy of Allah, he disassociated himself from him. Verily, Ibrāhīm was awwāh, and was ḥalīm.
Awwāh is somebody who always is in a state of khushūʿ, and asking Allah (swt), and making duʿāʾ continuously. And ḥalīm is someone who is forbearing. So Ibrāhīm only made the istighfār for his father because of the promise. But when Ibrāhīm knew that his father is one of the non-believers, and died on kufr, Ibrāhīm stopped.