سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْۣبِيَآءِ
Surah Al-Anbiyaa (21) — Ayah 69
قُلْنَا يَـٰنَارُ كُونِى بَرْدًا وَسَلَـٰمًا عَلَىٰٓ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ ﴿69﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
We (Allâh) said: "O fire! Be you coolness and safety for Ibrâhîm (Abraham)!"
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
قُلْنَا
qul'nā
We said
يَـٰنَارُ
yānāru
O fire
كُونِى
kūnī
Be
بَرْدًۭا
bardan
cool[ness]
وَسَلَـٰمًا
wasalāman
and safe[ty]
عَلَىٰٓ
ʿalā
for
إِبْرَٰهِيمَ
ib'rāhīma
Ibrahim
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim — Hafiz Abdus Salam Bin Muhammad Bhutvi
Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim is a 4-volume Quran commentary by Hafiz Abdus Salam bin Muhammad Bhutvi, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar and Sheikh ul-Hadith from Pakistan. Based on over 45 years of teaching and research, this tafsir follows the methodology of Tafsir bil-Ma'thur — interpreting the Quran through authentic Hadith, statements of the Companions, and the understanding of the early generations (Salaf). It is distinguished by its complete avoidance of Israeliyyat (Judeo-Christian narratives) and unverified reports. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
(Ayah 69) ➊ {قُلْنَا يٰنَارُ كُوْنِيْ بَرْدًا …: ’’ بَرْدًا ‘‘} Coolness, {’’ سَلٰمًا ‘‘} Safety. For emphasis, the verbal noun is used in the sense of the active participle. Here, some words are omitted which are understood by context: according to their decision, they made a great arrangement to burn Ibrahim (peace be upon him), so a proper enclosure was built for gathering wood, as He said: «{ قَالُوا ابْنُوْا لَهٗ بُنْيَانًا فَاَلْقُوْهُ فِي الْجَحِيْمِ } » [ الصافات : ۹۷ ] “They said, build a structure for him, then throw him into the blazing fire.” Then, when the fire blazed fiercely and its heat spread all around, they threw Ibrahim (peace be upon him) into it by means of a catapult or however they could, so We commanded: O fire! Be wholly coolness for Ibrahim, but not a coldness that causes harm, rather such that it is entirely safety. If Allah had only said {’’ بَرْدًا ‘‘} (wholly coolness), then the intense cold would not have been bearable for Ibrahim (peace be upon him), so the fire was commanded to become coolness along with safety.
➋ This was a miracle from Allah for Ibrahim (peace be upon him), that is, an event contrary to the usual laws of nature, just as Allah commanded Musa (peace be upon him) to strike the sea with his staff, so the sea split and each part stood like a huge mountain, as He said: «{ فَانْفَلَقَ فَكَانَ كُلُّ فِرْقٍ كَالطَّوْدِ الْعَظِيْمِ }» [ الشعراء : ۶۳ ] “So it split, and each part became like a huge mountain.” Whereas the nature of water is to flow, similarly, the nature of fire is to burn, but after Allah’s command, it became a garden for Ibrahim (peace be upon him). If someone does not understand this, let him read Allah’s statement: «{ اِذَا قَضٰۤى اَمْرًا فَاِنَّمَا يَقُوْلُ لَهٗ كُنْ فَيَكُوْنُ }» [ آل عمران : ۴۷ ] “When He decides a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” On this occasion too, Allah addressed the fire with {’’ كُوْنِيْ ‘‘} (Be), so how could the fire not become cool and safe? (Thanai) If someone still insists that the function of fire is only to burn, and that it cannot become cool even by Allah’s command, then he should not bother to claim faith in the Qur’an.
➌ Umm Sharik (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered the killing of the lizard and said: [ وَكَانَ يَنْفُخُ عَلٰی إِبْرَاهِيْمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ ] “It used to blow on Ibrahim (peace be upon him).” [ بخاري، الأنبیاء، باب قولہ تعالٰی: « واتخذ اللہ إبراہیم خلیلا… » : ۳۳۵۹ ] The hadith scholar Abdul Razzaq narrated in his Musannaf (8392) from Ma’mar, from Az-Zuhri, from Urwah, from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ كَانَتِ الضِّفْدَعُ تُطْفِئُ النَّارَ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيْمَ وَكَانَ الْوَزَغُ يَنْفُخُ فِيْهِ فَنَهَی عَنْ قَتْلِ هٰذا وَ أَمَرَ بِقَتْلِ هٰذَا ] “The frogs were putting out the fire for Ibrahim (peace be upon him), and the lizard was blowing into it, so he forbade killing the frogs and ordered the killing of the lizard.” The researcher of Musnad Ahmad wrote that this chain is Sahih according to the conditions of the two Shaykhs. In a hadith of Sahih Bukhari, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: [ أَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لِلْوَزَغِ اَلْفُوَيْسِقُ وَلَمْ أَسْمَعْهٗ أَمَرَ بِقَتْلِهٖ ] “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called the lizard ‘fawaysiq’ (very rebellious), and I did not hear him order its killing.” And Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: [ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَمَرَ بِقَتْلِهِ ] [ بخاري : ۳۳۰۶ ] “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered its killing.” This shows that Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) heard the hadith about killing the lizard from another companion, and even in this case, the hadith is Sahih, because all the companions are reliable in narrating hadith.
➍ Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said that the last words of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) when he was thrown into the fire were {’’حَسْبِيَ اللّٰهُ وَ نِعْمَ الْوَكِيْلُ ‘‘}, meaning: Allah is sufficient for me, and He is the best disposer of affairs. [ بخاري، التفسیر، باب : «الذین قال لھم الناس… » : ۴۵۶۴ ]
➎ Al-Baghawi wrote in the commentary of this verse that it is narrated from Ka’b al-Ahbar that when they placed Ibrahim (peace be upon him) in the catapult and threw him towards the fire, Jibril (peace be upon him) came before him and said: “Ibrahim! Do you have any need?” He replied: “Not from you.” He said: “Then ask your Lord.” He replied: [ حَسْبِيْ مِنْ سُؤَالِيْ عِلْمُهُ بِحَالِيْ ] “His knowledge of my condition is sufficient for me, without my asking.” Al-Baghawi indicated its weakness by saying: { ’’ رُوِيَ عَنْ كَعْبٍ ‘‘} that it is narrated from Ka’b. It is clear that this narration has no basis, so Shaykh al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: {’’ لَا أَصْلَ لَهُ ‘‘} [ سلسلۃ الأحادیث الضعیفۃ : ۲۱ ] and Ibn Iraq mentioned this narration in {’’ تنزيہ الشريعة المرفوعة عن الأخبار الشنيعة الموضوعة ‘‘} and said: “Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said, this narration is fabricated.” Moreover, this narration is also against those verses and hadiths in which supplication is commanded, as He said: «{ وَ قَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُوْنِيْۤ اَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ يَسْتَكْبِرُوْنَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِيْ سَيَدْخُلُوْنَ جَهَنَّمَ دٰخِرِيْنَ }» [ المؤمن : ۶۰ ] “And your Lord said: Call upon Me, I will respond to you. Indeed, those who are too proud to worship Me will soon enter Hell humiliated.” And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ مَنْ لَمْ يَدْعُ اللّٰهَ يَغْضَبْ عَلَيْهِ ] [ سلسلۃ الأحادیث الصحیحۃ : 153/6، ح : ۲۶۵۴۔ ترمذی : ۳۳۷۳۔ ابن ماجہ : ۳۸۲۷ ] “Whoever does not supplicate to Allah, Allah becomes angry with him.”
The false narration of Ka’b al-Ahbar is also against the hadith of Sahih Bukhari mentioned above, that the last words of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) when he was thrown into the fire were {’’ حَسْبِيَ اللّٰهُ وَ نِعْمَ الْوَكِيْلُ ‘‘ }. Many supplications of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) are mentioned in the Qur’an; if Allah’s knowledge alone were sufficient instead of supplication, then Allah knows the condition of every person, so the matter of supplication and asking would be nullified altogether, whereas supplication is not because Allah does not know our condition, but supplication itself is an act of worship. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ اَلدُّعَاءُ هُوَ الْعِبَادَةُ ] [ ترمذی، التفسیر، باب ومن سورۃ البقرۃ : ۲۹۶۹ ] “Supplication is worship.” In the same hadith, it is mentioned that then he (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse: «{ وَ قَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُوْنِيْۤ اَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ يَسْتَكْبِرُوْنَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِيْ سَيَدْخُلُوْنَ جَهَنَّمَ دٰخِرِيْنَ }» [ المؤمن : ۶۰ ] “And your Lord said: Call upon Me, I will respond to you. Indeed, those who are too proud to worship Me will soon enter Hell humiliated.” Some Sufis, using this false narration as evidence, have said that your asking Him is an accusation against Him; this is their great misguidance, as they consider supplicating to Allah as accusing Allah. (Summary of Silsilah Sahihah) Shaykh Muhammad Amin Shanqiti (may Allah have mercy on him) said in “Adwa’ al-Bayan”: “It is narrated from Abu’l-‘Aliyah that if Allah had not said {’’ وَ سَلٰمًا ‘‘}, its coldness would have been more painful for him than its heat, and if He had not said {’’ عَلٰۤى اِبْرٰهِيْمَ ‘‘}, its coolness would have remained forever. And from As-Suddi: that all the fires were extinguished that day. And from Ka’b and Qatadah: that the fire only burned the ropes that bound Ibrahim (peace be upon him). And from Nihal bin Amr: that Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said: ‘I was never as happy as I was during the days I was in the fire.’ And from Shu’ayb Hammani: that he was thrown into the fire at the age of sixteen (16) years. And from Ibn Jurayj: that at that time he was twenty-six (26) years old. And from Al-Kalbi: that all the fires became cool, so no fire even roasted a grasshopper. And some have mentioned in the story that Nimrod looked out from his palace and saw that Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was on a throne and an angel of shade was comforting him, so he said: ‘Your Lord is a very good Lord; I will sacrifice four thousand cows for Him,’ and then he said nothing to Ibrahim (peace be upon him).”
Shaykh Shanqiti (may Allah have mercy on him), after writing all this, said: “All these are Isra’iliyyat, and the commentators mention many such things in this story and in many other stories.” Here, a little reflection is needed: all these Tabi’in and narrators were not even present when Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was thrown into the fire, nor did revelation come to them, nor do they mention any chain of transmission in between, so how did they come to know these things? Clearly, these are just hearsay stories, which cannot be accepted in the commentary of the Qur’an in any way. See also the introduction to this commentary.
➏ This incident is a strange and wonderful example of calling to the truth and remaining steadfast upon it. In it is a lesson for our noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the entire Muslim Ummah to risk their lives for the sake of truth, and also that when Allah wills, even when all means are exhausted, not a hair of His servant can be harmed.
➋ This was a miracle from Allah for Ibrahim (peace be upon him), that is, an event contrary to the usual laws of nature, just as Allah commanded Musa (peace be upon him) to strike the sea with his staff, so the sea split and each part stood like a huge mountain, as He said: «{ فَانْفَلَقَ فَكَانَ كُلُّ فِرْقٍ كَالطَّوْدِ الْعَظِيْمِ }» [ الشعراء : ۶۳ ] “So it split, and each part became like a huge mountain.” Whereas the nature of water is to flow, similarly, the nature of fire is to burn, but after Allah’s command, it became a garden for Ibrahim (peace be upon him). If someone does not understand this, let him read Allah’s statement: «{ اِذَا قَضٰۤى اَمْرًا فَاِنَّمَا يَقُوْلُ لَهٗ كُنْ فَيَكُوْنُ }» [ آل عمران : ۴۷ ] “When He decides a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” On this occasion too, Allah addressed the fire with {’’ كُوْنِيْ ‘‘} (Be), so how could the fire not become cool and safe? (Thanai) If someone still insists that the function of fire is only to burn, and that it cannot become cool even by Allah’s command, then he should not bother to claim faith in the Qur’an.
➌ Umm Sharik (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered the killing of the lizard and said: [ وَكَانَ يَنْفُخُ عَلٰی إِبْرَاهِيْمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ ] “It used to blow on Ibrahim (peace be upon him).” [ بخاري، الأنبیاء، باب قولہ تعالٰی: « واتخذ اللہ إبراہیم خلیلا… » : ۳۳۵۹ ] The hadith scholar Abdul Razzaq narrated in his Musannaf (8392) from Ma’mar, from Az-Zuhri, from Urwah, from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ كَانَتِ الضِّفْدَعُ تُطْفِئُ النَّارَ عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيْمَ وَكَانَ الْوَزَغُ يَنْفُخُ فِيْهِ فَنَهَی عَنْ قَتْلِ هٰذا وَ أَمَرَ بِقَتْلِ هٰذَا ] “The frogs were putting out the fire for Ibrahim (peace be upon him), and the lizard was blowing into it, so he forbade killing the frogs and ordered the killing of the lizard.” The researcher of Musnad Ahmad wrote that this chain is Sahih according to the conditions of the two Shaykhs. In a hadith of Sahih Bukhari, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: [ أَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللّٰهِ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ لِلْوَزَغِ اَلْفُوَيْسِقُ وَلَمْ أَسْمَعْهٗ أَمَرَ بِقَتْلِهٖ ] “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called the lizard ‘fawaysiq’ (very rebellious), and I did not hear him order its killing.” And Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: [ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّی اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَمَرَ بِقَتْلِهِ ] [ بخاري : ۳۳۰۶ ] “The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered its killing.” This shows that Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) heard the hadith about killing the lizard from another companion, and even in this case, the hadith is Sahih, because all the companions are reliable in narrating hadith.
➍ Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) said that the last words of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) when he was thrown into the fire were {’’حَسْبِيَ اللّٰهُ وَ نِعْمَ الْوَكِيْلُ ‘‘}, meaning: Allah is sufficient for me, and He is the best disposer of affairs. [ بخاري، التفسیر، باب : «الذین قال لھم الناس… » : ۴۵۶۴ ]
➎ Al-Baghawi wrote in the commentary of this verse that it is narrated from Ka’b al-Ahbar that when they placed Ibrahim (peace be upon him) in the catapult and threw him towards the fire, Jibril (peace be upon him) came before him and said: “Ibrahim! Do you have any need?” He replied: “Not from you.” He said: “Then ask your Lord.” He replied: [ حَسْبِيْ مِنْ سُؤَالِيْ عِلْمُهُ بِحَالِيْ ] “His knowledge of my condition is sufficient for me, without my asking.” Al-Baghawi indicated its weakness by saying: { ’’ رُوِيَ عَنْ كَعْبٍ ‘‘} that it is narrated from Ka’b. It is clear that this narration has no basis, so Shaykh al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: {’’ لَا أَصْلَ لَهُ ‘‘} [ سلسلۃ الأحادیث الضعیفۃ : ۲۱ ] and Ibn Iraq mentioned this narration in {’’ تنزيہ الشريعة المرفوعة عن الأخبار الشنيعة الموضوعة ‘‘} and said: “Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said, this narration is fabricated.” Moreover, this narration is also against those verses and hadiths in which supplication is commanded, as He said: «{ وَ قَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُوْنِيْۤ اَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ يَسْتَكْبِرُوْنَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِيْ سَيَدْخُلُوْنَ جَهَنَّمَ دٰخِرِيْنَ }» [ المؤمن : ۶۰ ] “And your Lord said: Call upon Me, I will respond to you. Indeed, those who are too proud to worship Me will soon enter Hell humiliated.” And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ مَنْ لَمْ يَدْعُ اللّٰهَ يَغْضَبْ عَلَيْهِ ] [ سلسلۃ الأحادیث الصحیحۃ : 153/6، ح : ۲۶۵۴۔ ترمذی : ۳۳۷۳۔ ابن ماجہ : ۳۸۲۷ ] “Whoever does not supplicate to Allah, Allah becomes angry with him.”
The false narration of Ka’b al-Ahbar is also against the hadith of Sahih Bukhari mentioned above, that the last words of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) when he was thrown into the fire were {’’ حَسْبِيَ اللّٰهُ وَ نِعْمَ الْوَكِيْلُ ‘‘ }. Many supplications of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) are mentioned in the Qur’an; if Allah’s knowledge alone were sufficient instead of supplication, then Allah knows the condition of every person, so the matter of supplication and asking would be nullified altogether, whereas supplication is not because Allah does not know our condition, but supplication itself is an act of worship. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: [ اَلدُّعَاءُ هُوَ الْعِبَادَةُ ] [ ترمذی، التفسیر، باب ومن سورۃ البقرۃ : ۲۹۶۹ ] “Supplication is worship.” In the same hadith, it is mentioned that then he (peace and blessings be upon him) recited this verse: «{ وَ قَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُوْنِيْۤ اَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ اِنَّ الَّذِيْنَ يَسْتَكْبِرُوْنَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِيْ سَيَدْخُلُوْنَ جَهَنَّمَ دٰخِرِيْنَ }» [ المؤمن : ۶۰ ] “And your Lord said: Call upon Me, I will respond to you. Indeed, those who are too proud to worship Me will soon enter Hell humiliated.” Some Sufis, using this false narration as evidence, have said that your asking Him is an accusation against Him; this is their great misguidance, as they consider supplicating to Allah as accusing Allah. (Summary of Silsilah Sahihah) Shaykh Muhammad Amin Shanqiti (may Allah have mercy on him) said in “Adwa’ al-Bayan”: “It is narrated from Abu’l-‘Aliyah that if Allah had not said {’’ وَ سَلٰمًا ‘‘}, its coldness would have been more painful for him than its heat, and if He had not said {’’ عَلٰۤى اِبْرٰهِيْمَ ‘‘}, its coolness would have remained forever. And from As-Suddi: that all the fires were extinguished that day. And from Ka’b and Qatadah: that the fire only burned the ropes that bound Ibrahim (peace be upon him). And from Nihal bin Amr: that Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said: ‘I was never as happy as I was during the days I was in the fire.’ And from Shu’ayb Hammani: that he was thrown into the fire at the age of sixteen (16) years. And from Ibn Jurayj: that at that time he was twenty-six (26) years old. And from Al-Kalbi: that all the fires became cool, so no fire even roasted a grasshopper. And some have mentioned in the story that Nimrod looked out from his palace and saw that Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was on a throne and an angel of shade was comforting him, so he said: ‘Your Lord is a very good Lord; I will sacrifice four thousand cows for Him,’ and then he said nothing to Ibrahim (peace be upon him).”
Shaykh Shanqiti (may Allah have mercy on him), after writing all this, said: “All these are Isra’iliyyat, and the commentators mention many such things in this story and in many other stories.” Here, a little reflection is needed: all these Tabi’in and narrators were not even present when Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was thrown into the fire, nor did revelation come to them, nor do they mention any chain of transmission in between, so how did they come to know these things? Clearly, these are just hearsay stories, which cannot be accepted in the commentary of the Qur’an in any way. See also the introduction to this commentary.
➏ This incident is a strange and wonderful example of calling to the truth and remaining steadfast upon it. In it is a lesson for our noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the entire Muslim Ummah to risk their lives for the sake of truth, and also that when Allah wills, even when all means are exhausted, not a hair of His servant can be harmed.
