Surah ash-Shu`ara' (The Poets ) 26 : 69

Overview (Verses 69 - 74)

Questioning Popular Beliefs

“Relate to them the story of Abraham, when he said to his father and his people: What is that you worship?” (Verses 69-70) The Prophet is instructed here to relate to them the story of Abraham whom the idolater Arabs considered themselves to be his heirs and the followers of his faith. The Prophet thus recounts how Abraham denounced what his father and people worshipped, which were no more than idols similar to those the unbelievers in Makkah worshipped. He also denounced their erring ways, asking them in a clear tone of disapproval: What is that you worship?’ “They answered: We worship idols, and we remain devoted to them.” (Verse 71) They certainly considered their idols deities, but the fact that they called them idols shows that they could not deny the fact that they were no more than statues made of stone, but to which they nevertheless devoted their worship. This is the ultimate degree of absurdity. Yet when people take up wrong beliefs, they lose sight of the absurdity of 
their concepts, worship and statements.

Abraham (peace be upon him) begins to awaken their minds and hearts, highlighting the absurdity of their position: “Said he: Do they hear you when you call on them, or benefit you or do you harm?” (Verses 72-73) The least that should be true of a deity to whom worship is addressed is that it should have the same faculty of hearing as its worshipper. But these deities cannot hear their worshippers who appeal to them for benefit and the removal of harm and hardship. If they cannot hear, then how can they bring benefit or cause harm? Certainly the idolaters could not claim either quality for their idols. Hence, they did not answer Abraham because they realized that he was being sarcastic. Nevertheless, they could not refute what he said. Hence, when they do speak, they expose themselves as blind followers who do not reflect on their actions: “They said: But we found our forefathers doing the same.” (Verse 74) True, these idols cannot hear, bring benefit or cause harm, but we found our forefathers worshipping them and we follow in their footsteps.

This is a disgraceful reply, but those idolaters were not ashamed to make it, nor were the Arabs in Makkah ashamed of doing likewise. It was sufficient that their forefathers did something for them to then accept it as valid without question. Indeed a stumbling block in the way of the Islamic message was that the idolaters were required to abandon their forefathers’ religion. This they did not want to do because it would detract from those ancestors’ standing and constitute an acknowledgement that they were in error. This would be too disrespectful of theirnforefathers. Such otiose values are thus allowed to stand in the way of the truth. In times of inflexible obduracy people stick to such values in preference to the truth. Hence, they needed to be shaken violently in order to release their minds and
faculties.

Patient and calm as he was, Abraham realized that the only way forward was to give them a real jolt, declaring his enmity to those idols and to the deviant beliefs that allowed such worship: “He said: Do you see those which you have been worshipping — you and your forefathers of old?They are my enemies, except for the Lord of all the worlds.” (Verses 75-77) The fact that his own father and people worshipped such deities did not stop him from parting company with them, making clear his hostility to their errant beliefs.

Thus, the Qur’ān teaches believers that on the question of faith, no consideration is given to parents, ancestors or communities. The main bond is that of faith. Whatever else there is, is of secondary importance.

Abraham makes an exception in his hostility to what they and their ancestors worshipped, and this exception applies only to ‘the Lord of all the worlds’. It might be that some of their ancestors worshipped God before deviation crept into their faith. It might also be that some of them worshipped God alongside some other alleged deities. Hence, Abraham employs this precaution in order to make his statement precise, and this is only to be expected of Abraham when he speaks of faith.