سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْعَامِ
Surah Al-An'aam (6) — Ayah 78
فَلَمَّا رَءَا ٱلشَّمْسَ بَازِغَةً قَالَ هَـٰذَا رَبِّى هَـٰذَآ أَكْبَرُ ۖ فَلَمَّآ أَفَلَتْ قَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ إِنِّى بَرِىٓءٌ مِّمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ ﴿78﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
When he saw the sun rising up, he said: "This is my lord. This is greater." But when it set, he said: "O my people! I am indeed free from all that you join as partners (in worship with Allâh).
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
فَلَمَّا
falammā
When
رَءَا
raā
he saw
ٱلشَّمْسَ
l-shamsa
the sun
بَازِغَةًۭ
bāzighatan
rising
قَالَ
qāla
he said
هَـٰذَا
hādhā
This (is)
رَبِّى
rabbī
my Lord
هَـٰذَآ
hādhā
this (is)
أَكْبَرُ ۖ
akbaru
greater
فَلَمَّآ
falammā
But when
أَفَلَتْ
afalat
it set
قَالَ
qāla
he said
يَـٰقَوْمِ
yāqawmi
O my people
إِنِّى
innī
Indeed, I am
بَرِىٓءٌۭ
barīon
free
مِّمَّا
mimmā
of what
تُشْرِكُونَ
tush'rikūna
you associate (with Allah)
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.
78. 1. Shams (the sun) is feminine in Arabic, but the demonstrative pronoun is masculine; the intended meaning is "the one that rises," i.e., the rising sun, which is my Lord, because it is the greatest. Just as sun worshippers were misled and worshipped it (among celestial bodies), the sun is the greatest and the brightest, and its importance and usefulness for the survival and existence of human life need no explanation. That is why sun worship has been common among nature worshippers. Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) very subtly clarified the insignificance of the deities of the moon and sun worshippers.
78. 2. That is, from all those things which you associate with Allah and worship, I am disassociated. Because changes occur in them; sometimes they rise, sometimes they set, which is evidence that they are created and their Creator is someone else, under whose command they are subservient. When they themselves are created and subservient to someone, how can they have the power to benefit or harm anyone? It is well known that the king of that time, Nimrod, due to a dream and its interpretation by soothsayers, had ordered the killing of newborn boys. Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was also born during those days, so he was kept in a cave to save him from being killed by Nimrod and his agents. There, in the cave, when he gained some awareness and saw the moon and the sun, he expressed these impressions. However, the cave story is not authentic. From the words of the Quran, it appears that Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said these things during a conversation and dialogue with his people. That is why, at the end, addressing the people, he said that he is disassociated from the partners they ascribe, and the purpose of this dialogue was to clarify the true reality of false deities.
78. 2. That is, from all those things which you associate with Allah and worship, I am disassociated. Because changes occur in them; sometimes they rise, sometimes they set, which is evidence that they are created and their Creator is someone else, under whose command they are subservient. When they themselves are created and subservient to someone, how can they have the power to benefit or harm anyone? It is well known that the king of that time, Nimrod, due to a dream and its interpretation by soothsayers, had ordered the killing of newborn boys. Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was also born during those days, so he was kept in a cave to save him from being killed by Nimrod and his agents. There, in the cave, when he gained some awareness and saw the moon and the sun, he expressed these impressions. However, the cave story is not authentic. From the words of the Quran, it appears that Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said these things during a conversation and dialogue with his people. That is why, at the end, addressing the people, he said that he is disassociated from the partners they ascribe, and the purpose of this dialogue was to clarify the true reality of false deities.
