Al-Anbiyaa (The Prophets)

51. “And indeed We gave Abraham aforetime his rectitude, and We were aware of him (his eligibilities).”

52. “When he said to his father and his people: ‘What are these images (and lifeless statues) unto which you pay devotion’?”

In previous verses, the statement was upon the Torah and the Qur’an, while in this verse Allah declares that sending prophets and celestial Books is not a new matter, and before this, at the time of Abraham (as), there was the subject of the invitation of the deluded people unto the Truth.

Therefore, an important part of the life and struggles of Abraham against idolaters is referred to here.

At first, it says:

“And indeed We gave Abraham aforetime his rectitude, and We were aware of him (his eligibilities).”

Then, the Holy Qur’an points to one of the most important programs of Abraham (as) where it says:

“When he said to his father and his people: ‘What are these images (and lifeless statues) unto which you pay devotion’?”

The word ‘father’, mentioned in this verse, refers to his uncle, ’Azar, because in Arabic language sometimes ‘uncle’ is called /’ab/ (father), too.¹

This Abraham’s saying, in fact, is a clear reasoning for making the act of idol worshipping futile, because what is seen of the idols is their mere statues and the rest is delusion and conjecture.

The Arabic word /tamail/ is the plural form of /temal/ with the sense of ‘lifeless statues’.

Having a glance over the history of idolatry shows that making statues had initially been used as a remembrance of the dignitary, which, later, became gradually as a state of sanctity and turned in the form of worship.