سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْۣبِيَآءِ
Surah Al-Anbiyaa (21) — Ayah 52
إِذْ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ وَقَوْمِهِۦ مَا هَـٰذِهِ ٱلتَّمَاثِيلُ ٱلَّتِىٓ أَنتُمْ لَهَا عَـٰكِفُونَ ﴿52﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
When he said to his father and his people: "What are these images, to which you are devoted?"
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
إِذْ
idh
When
قَالَ
qāla
he said
لِأَبِيهِ
li-abīhi
to his father
وَقَوْمِهِۦ
waqawmihi
and his people
مَا
mā
What
هَـٰذِهِ
hādhihi
(are) these
ٱلتَّمَاثِيلُ
l-tamāthīlu
[the] statues
ٱلَّتِىٓ
allatī
which
أَنتُمْ
antum
you
لَهَا
lahā
to it
عَـٰكِفُونَ
ʿākifūna
(are) devoted
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan — Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf
Tafsir Ahsan al-Bayan is a well-known Quran commentary by Hafiz Salahuddin Yusuf, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. This tafsir explains the meanings of the Quran in accordance with the methodology of the Salaf (early righteous generations), relying on authentic sources and straightforward language. Due to its reliability and adherence to sound Islamic scholarship, the Saudi government publishes and distributes this tafsir among the Hujjaj (pilgrims) visiting the Haramain. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
52. 1. تَمَاثِیْل is the plural of تِمْثَالُ. It originally refers to an exact replica of something, such as a stone statue or a picture of someone on paper or a wall. Here, it refers to those idols which the people of Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) had made of their deities and which they used to worship. عاکف is the active participle form from عکوف, which means to adhere to something and to sit with devotion and persistence. From this comes اعتکاف, in which a person sits devotedly for the worship of Allah and turns to Him with focus and concentration. Here, it refers to the veneration and worship of idols and sitting as caretakers at their shrines. These تماثیل (idols and pictures) are also common nowadays among grave-worshippers and saint-worshippers, and they are hung in homes and shops as a blessing with great care. May Allah grant them understanding.
