Al Shu‘arā’

وَاتْلُ عَلَيْهِمْ نَبَأَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ

إِذْ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ

قَالُوا نَعْبُدُ أَصْنَامًا فَنَظَلُّ لَهَا عَاكِفِينَ

69. “And recite unto them the story of Abraham.”
70. “When he said to his father and his people: ‘What do you worship?’”
71. “They said: ‘We worship idols, and we are ever devoted unto them’.”

Next to Moses (as) whose name has been mentioned in the holy Qur’an more than 130 times, Abraham’s name has been reiterated in it more than the names of other divine prophets. Basing on some Islamic narrations, the objective of the Arabic word /’ab/, mentioned in the above verse, is the name of ’Athar, Abraham’s uncle, because it is impossible that the father of a divine prophet, such as Abraham, could be a pagan. Philologically the Arabic word /'ab/ has also been applied for a trainee, grandfather, and father-in-law.

Anyhow, following the wonderful story of Moses (as) and Pharaoh, here the Qur’an refers to the expressive biography of Abraham and his struggles against polytheists. This explanation has started from Abraham’s debate with his uncle, ’Athar, and the misled people of his time. It begins as follows:

Among all the details and information concerning this great prophet, the Qur’an emphasizes on this matter, saying:

Surely Abraham (as) knew what they were worshipping, but he meant to make them speak and confess their own fault. However, the application of, the Qur’anic word /ma/ (what thing), in the verse, reflects a kind of humiliation for them. In answer to this question, they immediately said that they used to worship idols every day and they respected them while taking care of them. The verse says:

This style of their speaking shows that not only they did not feel any shame for their action but also they were very proud of their deed, because after saying the phrase: /na‘budu ’asnaman/ (we worship idols), which was sufficient for indicating to their aim, they added /fanazallu laha ‘akifin/ (and we are ever devoted unto them). The Arabic phrase /nazallu/ is applied for the things which are usually done during the day, and now that it has been used in the simple present form, it shows the continuity and permanence of the action.

The Qur’anic word /‘akif/ is derived from /‘akuf/ which means: ‘paying attention to something and taking care of it Respectfully’. This is also a further emphasis on the former meaning. The Arabic word /’asnam/ is the plural form of/sanam/ in the sense of a statue which had been made of gold, silver, wood, and the like, and the polytheists worshipped it while considering it the symbol of their venerable and sacred things.