Tafseer Maryam Day 16 Ayat 47-50

a couple of things overlooked yesterday:
word nabiyyan – in Ayat 41
nabiy can come from one of two possibles roots:
the 2nd root not mentioned yesterday

1st root – naba”un
2nd root : nabwun (noon ba wau) – refers to an elevated platform

if nabi from this then this alludes to elevated status of a prophet
he’s a human being but he’s a human being of a higher claiber
alluded to in end of surah kahf where Allah told Prophet saw to tell to the people
they also live by a higher standard so they are uswatun hasana (the most excellent role model)
Ibrahim a.a. also referred to as uswatun hasana in surah mumtahinah
it refers to significant position of a prophet and messenger
we had reached a point at ayat 41 where we can appreciate this
go back in mushaf to the begnning of surah Maryam
it began with disjointed letters
from ayah 2 on, look at pattern ending in each single ayah, same rhyming scheme
all the way to ayah 33
then ayat 34
the rhyming pattern changes
the next 7 ayah including 34 has break from that rhyming pattern and then it returns to the same rhyming pattern again till end of surah
significance :-
from perspective of study of principles of Quranic eloquence
majority of scholars of this opinion : Quran doesn’t sacrifice substance, content for purpose of style and rhyming scheme
occasionally if there is a rhyming scheme, if one ayah in middle breaks pattern that is intentionally done by Allah in order to kind of set an example it’s not the rhyming that is important
what baffled the Arabs then about the Quran, it’s so powerful yet it didn’t follow the convention of rhyming scheme that was popular and established by classical Arabs at that time
it’s the content which is important
hadith : Prophet saw narrated to have told people not to try to excessively rhyme their dua
he didn’t want this culture to be created
in terms of music, rap, it becomes a form of pride and vanity
Quran, sunnah, dua are not meant for these purposes
but Quran is a kalaam of such high level that sometimes there is that significance of rhyming scheme
it’s okay to note some pattern but we shouldn’t force to make sense of all rhyming in Quran
but here there is a significance in the rhyming
from ayah 2-33 – this portion was a general laying out story of Zakariya a.s, miraculous birth of Yahya a.s. and then miraculous birth of Isa a.s. to Maryam – it’s setting tone for entire story
that is message and guidance for all mankind, not just Christian and Jews
at ayah 34 it starts talking about shirk that was created with Isa a.s.
they’re interjecting doubt into something that is free of doubt
it’s a refutation to what they’re saying about Isa a.s. (Christian beliefs)
so it’s kind of like it’s following this rhyming scheme and reader following along with it, but then you reach this point, even the average listener can catch that something has changed here
it catches attention of listener especially those who ave wrong understanding of Isa a.s.
and then it follows that changed pattern all the way through to ayah 40
when it goes right back to talking about Ibrahim a.s., the message is universal again and so it goes right back to the rhyming scheme
so in this surah, the rhyming scheme does have an impact and effect
we shouldn’t go too far to making sense of rhyming scheme in Quran
n surah haaqaah when talking about people getting book in right and left hand
there is ta marbutah at end of those ayaat
when you pause it creates an effect, the ha sound at end of ayaah
unfortunately a lot of people through surface reading, they say that the extra ha was added to maintain the rhyming scheme
that doesn’t make sense
Allah doesn’t add that just to make the sound rhyme
that’s beneath the kalaam of Allah
when we study that ayah properly, adding that ha adds a tone of emotion, like a sigh
when a person receives his book, he breathes a sigh of relief
that’s the primary reason why it was added, not to make it sound nice
yes there is a beautiful observation in rhyming scheme, but we shouldn’t get caught up in the rhyming issues because it has caused problem in the past
same as noting consistency in number patterns, people can always take it too far as in the past and so we should strike a balance
we read about Ibrahim a.s. conversation with his father, very heartfelt
he begs and pleads with his father
he speaks in very respectful tone, trying to make sense to his father
it finally came to climax in ayah 46, when father, after hearing out Ibrahim a.s. he finally responds
he threatens Ibrahim a.s. and disowns him
such a severe strong response
we see character of Ibrahim a.s. and his father
we can see those situations today too, in convert children and non Muslim parents and young adults with their parents who are not quite there yet in their deen
at the point where child feels it’s justified for him to retaliate, look at what Ibrahim a.s. does

Ayat 47

Sahih International

[Abraham] said, “Peace will be upon you. I will ask forgiveness for you of my Lord. Indeed, He is ever gracious to me.

2 ways to take the salamun alaik

“I have no ill feelings towards you, Dad. Salaamun Alaika.”
technical meaning – more like a farewell salaam, like we say assalamualaikum

this brings about huge discussion amongst mufassiroon because we know Ibrahim’s a.s. father is a disbeliever, is that okay to do that?
detailed discussion:
many ayaat quoted
2 ahadeeth around which this conversation revolves:
fr sahih Bukhari : Prophet saw said, “None of you should begin with salaam when dealing wuth Christians of Jew and when you meet them, hold your ground/position (walk confidently, don’t feel shy, feel pushed aside, shy away, shrink away)
in sahihayn : Prophet saw was riding a mule, and it describes the circumstacne where Prophet saw would put a type of rug on back of it before riding, and it was a specific nice type of rug and Usama Bin Zayd was riding behind Prophet saw on the same mule. Prophet saw came upon a gathering where there were a lot of Ansaar like a community town hall meeting, but there were Muslims, many mushrik and raawi of the hadeeth clarifies that there were even worshippers of idols and Jews and even Leader of Munafiqoon, and very eminent companions of Prophet saw like Abdullah Ibn Rawaahah was there too. When Prophet saw approached and the smell of the mule was noticed by people in that gathering, Abdulah Ibn Ubay covered his nose with his shawl and said, “Don’t mess things up over here (go away, you’re stinking up the joint)” but when the Prophet saw arrived, he said salam to everyone in that gathering.
we have two hadeeth here, so what is the conclusion, how do we reconcile these?
sufyan ibn uyaynah says it’s permissible to say salam when combine everything together
in surah mumtahinah
60:8
Sahih International

Allah does not forbid you from those who do not fight you because of religion and do not expel you from your homes – from being righteous toward them and acting justly toward them. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly.
one of ways to do good to people is to say salam to them
ayah in surah mumtahinah also refers to Ibrahim a.s. – uswatun hasanatun
60:4
Sahih International

There has already been for you an excellent pattern in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people, “Indeed, we are disassociated from you and from whatever you worship other than Allah . We have denied you, and there has appeared between us and you animosity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone” except for the saying of Abraham to his father, “I will surely ask forgiveness for you, but I have not [power to do] for you anything against Allah . Our Lord, upon You we have relied, and to You we have returned, and to You is the destination.

60:6

Sahih International

There has certainly been for you in them an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day. And whoever turns away – then indeed, Allah is the Free of need, the Praiseworthy.
Ibrahim here saying salam to his father, and in that long hadith above, Prophet saw is saying salam to non Muslims too
in the other hadith, that refers to specific scenario where there is a contentious relationship, “holding ground firmly” gives that indication where you might be dealing with people who are aggressive towards you
many opinions from fuqaha and mufasiroon of same opinion
Hasan al basri (student of sahabah)said – when you pass by a gathering where there are Muslims and kuffar, say salam to them
incident about Ibn Mas’ood that he was traveling and with him was a non Muslim a Christian by name of Dahqaan. Ibn Mas’ood said salam to him a few times. One of his students (one of his main and best) Alqamah (one of most knowledgable people of his generation) asked his teacher, “Isn’t it disliked that we should start by saying salam to them?” Ibn Mas’ood said, “Yes, there is a particular instance where it’s disliked to initiate but this is the right that he has because he is our traveling companion right now”
what he’s saying is it depends on situations
not a blanket statement
this discussion :- whether to say Assalamualaikum (the Islamic greeting of the Muslims)
depending on vast majority of the opinion, it is permissible
we should respect difference of opinoin
minority group say not permissible, but even then this entire discussion is around the fact whether or not it’s allowed to say the Islamic greeting
but to say tahiyyah of the common greeting like saying Hi, Hello, that is part of our conduct, there should be no level of hesitation in greeting people
what is non Muslims say salam to you?
when we look at Quranic evidences, opinion of majority of scholars you can even start salam so how would it be a problem to reply to it?
Quran says : do not say to the people that give salam to you that “You are not a believer.”

sa astaghfirulaka Rabbi – in the future I will seek forgiveness for you from my Rabb

his father is mushrik
is that permissible?
when we take all ayaat of Quran into consideration,
in surah taubah 114 – shows that he did seek forgiveness for his father because he had made that promise, but it also goes on to say…then when it became clear to Ibrahim a.s. that his father was an enemy to Allah, he spiritually distanced himself from his father (mufasiroon says at that time he stopped seeking forgiveness for his father)
Sahih International

And the request of forgiveness of Abraham for his father was only because of a promise he had made to him. But when it became apparent to Abraham that his father was an enemy to Allah , he disassociated himself from him. Indeed was Abraham compassionate and patient.
in surah shu’araa 86 – he’s saying to Allah to forgive his father
Sahih International

And forgive my father. Indeed, he has been of those astray.
- to conclude the conversation, Surah mumtahinah, Allah tells us

60:4
Sahih International

There has already been for you an excellent pattern in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people, “Indeed, we are disassociated from you and from whatever you worship other than Allah . We have denied you, and there has appeared between us and you animosity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone” except for the saying of Abraham to his father, “I will surely ask forgiveness for you, but I have not [power to do] for you anything against Allah . Our Lord, upon You we have relied, and to You we have returned, and to You is the destination.
in Ibrahim is an excellent role model for people of Iman
Allah says this is a role model to follow for people of iman “There has already been for you an excellent pattern in Abraham and those with him, when they said to their people, “Indeed, we are disassociated from you and from whatever you worship other than Allah . We have denied you, and there has appeared between us and you animosity and hatred forever until you believe in Allah alone”
but then Allah says there is one exception “except for the saying of Abraham to his father, “I will surely ask forgiveness for you,”
So Allah is saying to follow example of Ibrahim a.s. except in part when he sought forgiveness for his father
because Allah tells the Prophet saw in Taubah 113
Sahih International

It is not for the Prophet and those who have believed to ask forgiveness for the polytheists, even if they were relatives, after it has become clear to them that they are companions of Hellfire.
Ibrahim sought forgiveness because he wasn’t prohibited to do so but later on when Allah told him not to, he stopped
in shariah of Muhammad saw we’re not allowed to as we can see above
if they are alive, we ask for guidance on their behalf, if they have passed then Allah will deal with them as He sees fit

Innahu kaana bee hafiyyan

hafiyy – someone who takes care of you in a very dignified, gentle manner, always there for you, very watchful, diligent in taking care of someone
“Father, you might have disowned me but Allah is always there for me”
to let his father know that his father need to reconsider iman, because Allah will take care of his father just like He’s taking care of Ibrahim a.s.

Ayat 48

Sahih International

And I will leave you and those you invoke other than Allah and will invoke my Lord. I expect that I will not be in invocation to my Lord unhappy.”

Wa a’tazilukum- I will separate myself from all of you
i’tizaal – to completely withdraw from the people
we see adab of Ibrahim with his father
he’s not singling out his father, so as not to make it personal with him and his father
wa maa ta’budoona illaa Allah – and what you all worship besides Allah
I am separating myself not only from you all but from those things as well
but at same time, don’t feel sorry for me, because I am not alone
wa ad’oo rabbi – and I am calling to my Rabb
‘asaa– I”m very very hopeful
word that has lot of hope in it
alaa akoona – that I I will not be
bi du’aai rabbi shaqiyya – with dua to my rabb one deprived
I”m confident that I won’t be abandoned when I make dua to my Rabb, I’m going to stick with my relation with Allah, I am very hopeful Allah will take care of me.
why doesn’t he go ahead and say with firm conviction that “I will be taken care of.”?
why ‘asaa?
because at same time he’s talking about his relationship with Allah, he doesn’t want to show entitlement, he, out of humility, says it this way
“You do as you see fit Ya Allah, but I know you will take care of me.”
he’s telling the people that “You are going to pray to your idol, but do you have as strong conviction as I do that your idols will take care of you like my Rabb takes care of me? Think about it.”
he’s not letting the tone here get ugly “You people are ruined!”
he states something very strong and positive about himself, making them automatically reflect on their own condition

Ayat 49

Sahih International

So when he had left them and those they worshipped other than Allah , We gave him Isaac and Jacob, and each [of them] We made a prophet.

fallama’tazalahum – so then when he had departed from them
- wa ma ya’budoona – and that which they were worshipping
- min duunillah – besides Allah
- wa habnaa lahu – We gifted to him
- hiba, wahaba – give as a gift
- this word is used whenever Allah talks about giving people children
- Ishaq wa yaqoub wa kullan ja’alnaa nabiyya -and We made each and every single one of them them prophets
- more religious children vs. parents who are not quite there yet and conflict between them
- converts vs. aggressive parents in response to their children’s Islam
- children need to be careful in manners with their parents in these cases
- no reason to be dismissive of the parents
- we have prophet of Allah whose parent is talking about killing him but see how much respect Ibrahim a.s. gave him
- to those parents who have children, teenagers who may have found this spiritual awakening and now practicing deen and grow and that can be a problem in the relationship
- parents can feel undermined, insecure at that time, or don’t understand and may think these children are being overzealous
- but parents need to understand that Quran gives us these examples, so we can match us up against these people
- Quran is not just talking about Ibrahim a.s. but also about father of Ibrahim a.s.
- we have to make sure we don’t become like father of Ibrahim a.s.
- look at how of a father Ibrahim a.s. is to Ismail, to Ishaq, of how Yaqoub was to Yusuf, and his other children
- we should strive to be fathers like those
- anyone in position of spiritual leadership in Muslim community knows this disowning issue is something that is very common in Muslim community
- so Allah showing us here, look, Ibrahim’s father disowned him but look at what Allah gave him
- Allah didn’t just bless with child but even named the grandchild!
- Allah gave him an extended family, a full family, he didn’t lack behind becasue he was ostracized by his people
- he didn’t die a lonely miserable death
- not only that but We made them prophets and messengers
- Allah is saying We blessed him and them
- Ibrahim didn’t suffer because of this
- Ibrahim’s father should take that into consideration
- he’s not harming his son, and his future but harming his relationship with his son

Ayat 50

Sahih International

And We gave them of Our mercy, and we made for them a reputation of high honor.

wa wahabnaa lahum min rahmatinaa – and We also gifted to them from Our mercy

We continue to bless them with Our mercy

wa ja’alna lahum lisaana sidqin ‘aliyya – and We made for them a tongue of truth

a tongue of truth – figure of speech -:
We give them distinction and honor among their people
people spoke about them in a very respectful, dignified fashion
they became legends
today and throughout centuries and throughout the world, how many people named Ibrahim, Ishaq, Yaqoub, Yusuf now?
how many people feel honored to be able to name their son these names?
look at the dignity and honor Allah gave to him
this is something that we as parents need to take into consideration
if our children show a zeal for deen, of course if it’s out of limits of what is moderation and what is actual deen that is not what we’re talking about
but when we’re just simply threatened that they’re becoming more regular about prayer and like to attend lecture once a week or attend masjid for jama’ah,
or our daughter wants to start wearing hijab – “then she’ll get married to another crazy person, and they will make crazy babies”
when we crack down on them, ready to disown them for these reasons, understand that you are not sabotaging their future but only your relationship with them
because Allah will honor and dignify them

From linguistic POV, observe the ayaat above:

in Ayah 48 : I will separate myself from you all and that which you all call out (wa ma tad’oona)besides Allah
in ayah 49 : Then when he separated himself from them and all that they worship…(wa maa ya’budoona) besides Allah
you call to – those that you worship
switch word to show that it’s talking about same thing but to make that connection
when you call out to something, turn to it for your needs, that is a form of worship
so in case of Allah that makes it admirable
making dua to Allah is worship
when you primarily, right off the bat, instinctively turn to something or someone else for your needs and your mind never turns to Allah, realize that is starting become a corruption in iman and ibadah
our primary form of worship is to turn to Allah for our needs

wa wahabnaa lahum min rahmatinaa – and We blessed them FROM Our mercy

min – used to show a portion of something
to show us how limitless Allah’s mercy is
look at what a blessed man Ibrahim a.s. was
he is a prophet, descendants prophets, survived a huge fire unscathed, so many other blessings one after another
everything you see in life of Ibrahim a.s. all put together all don’t even amount to a drop in the ocean of mercy of Allah

waj’alna lahum lisaana sidqin ‘aliyya

narration about Ibrahim a.s.
look at his character
character is virtue
our conduct and our character determines our worth in sight of Allah
that’s why Prophet saw said the most weighty thing on Day of judgment is beautiful conduct (alkhuluqul hasan)
Prophet saw says “Allah revealed and inspired to Ibrahim a.s./ Most definitely you are my very very close friend. Exemplify your character and your conduct even when dealing with disbelievers, you will enter into the realm of the pious and righteous people, My promise is first and foremost for the one who has made excellent his character. I will give him shade under My Arsh. And I will give him a place to live under the divine protection. And I will make him close to Me from the neighbors in Jannatul Firdaws”
especially when giving advice
scholars have said “giving advice is very heavy so don’t send it as a mountain on people and don’t turn it into a confrontation and fight”
from perspective of recipient it’s very heavy
be gentle and soft
when people open themselves for taking advice,they already are humbling themselves
another saying “the truth is very very bitter, so when you are explaining the truth to people, borrow in being gentle and light in doing it.”