Despite his father's opposition, Prophet Ibraheem علي السلام still prayed for the forgiveness of his father, which though was turned down by God for his father was among the utter disbelievers.
In our series of posts on Selected Invocations from the Qur'an, today we share a very thought-provoking and comprehensive supplication, attributed to Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham, peace be upon him) spread over verses 83 to 89 of Surah 26. Ash-Shu'araa. In fact, the first verse lays down the preamble for the remaining six verses.
رَبِّ هَبۡ لِىۡ حُكۡمًا وَّاَلۡحِقۡنِىۡ بِالصّٰلِحِيۡنَۙ
"My Lord, endow me with knowledge and wisdom and join me with the righteous"
Hukm " حُكۡمً " here does not mean Prophethood, because at the time this prayer was made, Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) had already been appointed a Prophet. Even if this prayer was made before that, Prophethood is not bestowed at request, but it is something which Allah Himself bestows on those He wills. That is why hukm has been translated wisdom, knowledge, right understanding and power of judgment. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is also reported to have made a similar prayer. Arinal-ashyaa kama hiya: O Allah, give us the power to see and understand a thing as it really is and to form an opinion about it according to its reality.
“Join me with the righteous”: Give me a righteous society to live here in this world and raise me along with the righteous in the Hereafter. To be raised back to life with the righteous and to attain one’s salvation have one and the same meaning. Therefore, this should be the prayer of every person who believes in the life-after-death and in reward and punishment. Even in this world a pious man cherishes the desire that God should save him from living a life in an immoral and wicked society and should join him with the righteous people. A pious and righteous person will remain ill at ease and restless until either his own society becomes clean and pure morally, or he leaves it to join another society which is practicing and following the principles of truth and honesty.
Yusuf Ali Explanation:
Having shown clearly the distinction between the False and the True, Abraham now shows in the formn of a Prayer what his inmost wishes are. (1) He wants his own soul enlightened with divine wisdom, and (2) his heart and life filled with righteousness; (3) he will not be content with working for himself or his own generation: his view extends to all future generations; (4) and of course he wishes to attain the goal of the righteous, the Garden of the Bliss of the Divine Countenance; but he is not content with this; for (5) he wants his father and relatives to share in his spiritual joy, so that he can proudly see all whom he can reach, in an honourable station (contrasted with disgrace) on the Day of Judgment.
This verse should always be at the lips of each believer for it is none than Allah Who can enlighten our mind and bless us with true knowledge and wisdom not only to understand the Qur'an, but all hidden mysteries of the universe. And it is only Allah, and no one but He Who can bless and forgive us and enjoin us with the righteous. And also, it is only He who can protect us from disgrace on the Day when people will be raised to life on the Day of Resurrection.
Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explanation:
This supplication has been made at the time of migration which is a very important phase of the preaching mission of God’s messengers. For this reason, it begins with the request that in the subsequent phases Abraham (sws) is able to take the right decision.
Tafsir Qur'an Wiki:
Prayer by a Devoted Worshipper Now Abraham addresses a long, comprehensive and humble prayer to his Lord. Nothing in Abraham’s prayer concerns any aspect of the comforts and pleasures of this world, not even physical health. It looks to higher aspects, motivated by pure feelings. It is a prayer made by a heart which has true knowledge of God and, as a result, attributes little value to everything else. He has known God’s grace and prays for more of it, and he entertains hopes and fears in accordance with his experience.
“My Lord! Grant me sound judgement.” Grant me the wisdom by which I recognize the truth and distinguish true from false values so that I will continue to follow the right course. “And join me with the righteous.” (Verse 83) This is said by Abraham, the noble prophet whose devotion is exemplary. What self-effacing humility! What concern about falling short of what is expected, and what fear of a change of heart! How keen he is to just be among the righteous!
The next three verses complete the above said invocation:
وَاجۡعَلْ لِّىۡ لِسَانَ صِدۡقٍ فِى الۡاٰخِرِيۡنَۙ
(26:84) and grant me an honourable reputation among posterity
Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explanation:
The actual words are: لِسَانَ صِدْقٍ. They refer to persistently mentioning someone in a praiseworthy way. This supplication was accepted for Abraham (sws) in such a way that no parallel can be cited about it from the history of God’s prophets.
Tafsir Qur'an Wiki:
He feels that he can only achieve this if God guides him to do the righteous deeds that will bring him into such ranks. “And grant me the advocacy of the truth in later generations.” This is a supplication that hopes for extension in later generations, not through offspring, but through faith. What Abraham prays for is that he should have in later generations a true advocate who calls on people to follow the path of truth, bringing people back to the pure faith which he himself advocated. This may be the same prayer quoted elsewhere in the Qur’ān as it speaks of his building of the Ka`bah with his son Ishmael. They both prayed: “Our Lord, accept this from us; You are the One that hears all and knows all. Our Lord, make us surrender ourselves to You, and make out of our offspring a community that will surrender itself to You. Show us our ways of worship and accept our repentance; You are the One who accepts repentance, the Merciful. Our Lord, send them a Messenger from among themselves who shall declare to them Your revelations, and instruct them in the Book and in wisdom, and purify them. You are Mighty and Wise.” (2: 127-129) God answered his prayer and gave him that advocate of the truth, sending those people a Messenger to teach them the true faith and to purify them.
وَاجۡعَلۡنِىۡ مِنۡ وَّرَثَةِ جَنَّةِ النَّعِيۡمِۙ
(26:85) and make me of those who will inherit the Garden of Bliss,
Tafsir Qur'an Wiki:
“Place me among those who will inherit the garden of bliss!” (Verse 85) Having already prayed that he should join the ranks of the righteous, through guidance to do what is good, now Abraham prays to be one of those who will be admitted to the garden of bliss which is inherited only by God’s righteous servants.
وَاغۡفِرۡ لِاَبِىۡۤ اِنَّهٗ كَانَ مِنَ الضَّآلِّيۡنَۙ
(26:86) and forgive my father for he is among those who strayed,
The Quran says that when Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him) left his home at the tyrannical treatment of his father, he said: I bid farewell to you; I shall pray to my Lord to forgive you for He is very kind to me. (Surah Maryam, Ayat 47). To fulfill this promise, he not only prayed for the forgiveness of his father, but for both his parents: Lord, forgive me and my parents. (Surah Ibrahim, Ayat 41). But afterwards he himself realized that an enemy of the truth, even if he is the father of a believer, does not deserve a prayer of forgiveness. Thus, according to (verse 114 of Surah At- Taubah): The prayer of Abraham for his father was only to fulfill a promise he had made to him, but when he realized that he was an enemy of Allah, he disowned him.
Tafsir Qur'an Wiki: "Forgive my father; for he is among the ones who have gone astray.” (Verse 86) He prays for his own and God’s forgiveness of his father despite all the harsh treatment and serious threats he had received from him. He had promised his father that he would pray for his forgiveness and he certainly fulfilled his promise. Later, the Qur’ān makes clear that it is not permissible for a believer to pray for the forgiveness of anyone who associates partners with God, even though that person might be a close relative. The Qur’ān also clarifies that: “Abraham prayed for the forgiveness of his father only because of a promise he had made to him. But when it became clear to him that he was God’s enemy, he disowned him.” (9: 114) Abraham then realized that the true relation that should be observed is not that of blood; rather it is one of faith. This is an important aspect of correct Islamic education. The first bond that gives rise to any relation between two people is that of faith: if it is severed, then all relations are of little significance.
وَلَا تُخۡزِنِىۡ يَوۡمَ يُبۡعَثُوۡنَۙ
(26:87) and disgrace me not on the Day when people will be raised to life,
That is, do not put me to disgrace on the Day of Judgment by inflicting punishment on my father in front of all mankind, when I myself shall be witnessing his punishment helplessly.
Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explanation:
The implication is that if the father is cast into Hell, it will be humiliating for Abraham (sws) as his son; hence, he is requesting that though his father has gone astray, he may be forgiven as a favour to Abraham (sws). At another place, it is pointed out that since this request was against the unbiased justice of God, it was not granted.
Tafsir Qur'an Wiki:
“Let me not suffer disgrace on the Day when all shall be raised from the dead; the Day when neither wealth nor children will be of any benefit; but only the one who comes to God with a sound heart [will be happy].” (Verses 87-89) We appreciate the extent of Abraham’s feeling about the hardships of the Day of Resurrection from his prayer not to be then disgraced. We also feel his humility before his Lord and his fear that he might have fallen short of what was expected of him. We also realize how profoundly he felt the nature of that great Day from his description of it.
يَوۡمَ لَا يَنۡفَعُ مَالٌ وَّلَا بَنُوۡنَۙ
(26:88) the Day when nothing will avail, neither wealth nor offspring,
Javed Ahmad Ghamidi Explanation:
It is evident from the nature of the discourse from here until the end of the paragraph that these words are not part of Abaham’s (sws) supplication; they are from God.
Abraham (sws) had requested his father’s forgiveness. Here in very subtle words God has told him that even a son like him will not be of any benefit there to his father.
Tafsir Qur'an Wiki: The Day when neither wealth nor children will be of any benefit; but only the one who comes to God with a sound heart [will be happy].” (Verses 88-89) He also realizes that the only value recognized on that Day is a sincerity which makes one’s heart purely devoted to God, allowing no consideration or personal desire to detract from such devotion. This is the type of sound heart that is worthy of proper value. “The Day when neither wealth nor children will be of any benefit.” (Verse 88) Indeed, no other quality, property or consideration is of any benefit, because all are of a temporary nature and will inevitably come to an end. They may be coveted by people who try hard to possess such things in this life, but they are of no value in the ultimate reckoning.
اِلَّا مَنۡ اَتَى اللّٰهَ بِقَلۡبٍ سَلِيۡمٍؕ
(26:89) but only he that brings to Allah a sound heart will (attain to success)."
This refers to the heart which exists in its pure nature and is free of every contamination of polytheism and hypocrisy.
It cannot be said with certainty whether vv. 88, 89 are a part of Prophet Abraham's prayer, or they are an addition by Allah. In the first case, they will mean that Prophet Abraham while praying for his father had a full realization of these facts. In the second case, they will be a comment by Allah on Abraham's prayer, as if to say, "On the Day of Judgment, only a sound heart, sound in faith and free from disobedience and sin, will be of any avail to man and not wealth and children, for wealth and children can be useful only if one possesses a sound heart. Wealth will be useful if one would have spent it sincerely and faithfully for the sake of Allah, otherwise even a millionaire will be a poor man there. Children also will be of help only to the extent that a person might have educated them in Faith and good conduct to the best of his ability; otherwise even if the son is a Prophet, his father will not escape punishment, if he died in the state of unbelief, because such a father will have no share in the goodness of his children. "
So, my dear brothers and sisters in Islam, make this supplication for your own as well as salvation of your family and friend and all Muslims in general so that we are forgiven, pardoned and ushered into Paradise on the Day when final Judgment will be given.
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
