سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْۣبِيَآءِ
Surah Al-Anbiyaa (21) — Ayah 58
فَجَعَلَهُمْ جُذَٰذًا إِلَّا كَبِيرًا لَّهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ إِلَيْهِ يَرْجِعُونَ ﴿58﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
So he broke them to pieces, (all) except the biggest of them, that they might turn to it.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
فَجَعَلَهُمْ
fajaʿalahum
So he made them
جُذَٰذًا
judhādhan
(into) pieces
إِلَّا
illā
except
كَبِيرًۭا
kabīran
a large (one)
لَّهُمْ
lahum
of them
لَعَلَّهُمْ
laʿallahum
so that they may
إِلَيْهِ
ilayhi
to it
يَرْجِعُونَ
yarjiʿūna
return
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
So he broke them all into pieces, except for the biggest one, so that they might turn to it (for answers).
[52]
Sayyiduna Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him) Breaking the Idols:
The people of Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him) were star-worshippers. And they had extreme belief in the effects of celestial bodies on human life. They had assigned a specific form to the spirits of these celestial bodies, such as the sun, moon, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn, etc. And idols were made in these forms. These people used to worship them. At the beginning of his awareness, Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him) first experimented on himself and observed whether these celestial bodies, this moon, and this sun had any effect on his life or not. And experience told him that all such things are merely human superstitions. On this basis, with heartfelt conviction, he began to argue and confront his people. These people celebrated the festival of Nowruz on the day when the sun enters Aries, and according to the current calendar, this day falls on the first of April, which is the spring season and a moderate climate. On the festival of Nowruz, when everyone was about to leave, they first placed offerings of sweets before their idols. Then, as they were about to go to the idol-house, Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was also invited to join this festival. So he cast a glance towards the sky as if he were observing the movement of the stars and said, "I am about to become ill, so do not take me along and spoil your celebration." And let me stay here. Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him) did not look towards the celestial bodies because he believed in their effects, but rather so that his star-worshipping people would consider his excuse reasonable. When all these people went to the festival, this was a golden opportunity for Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him). He took an axe or a hatchet, opened the door of the idol-house, and struck the idols, breaking them into pieces. However, he left the largest idol and placed the axe on its shoulder so that it would appear that all this was the work of the big idol. The words of the verse are: ﴿لَعَلَّهُمْ اِلَيْهِ يَرْجِعُوْنَ﴾ (so that they might return to it). The pronoun in ﴿اليه﴾ can refer to the big idol, as is apparent from the translation, and Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him) placing the axe on the big idol's shoulder was also for this very purpose. Also, in times of great difficulty, these people would turn to the big idol. And the pronoun in ﴿اليه﴾ can also refer to Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him) himself, as is evident from the next two verses.
[52]
Sayyiduna Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him) Breaking the Idols:
The people of Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him) were star-worshippers. And they had extreme belief in the effects of celestial bodies on human life. They had assigned a specific form to the spirits of these celestial bodies, such as the sun, moon, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn, etc. And idols were made in these forms. These people used to worship them. At the beginning of his awareness, Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him) first experimented on himself and observed whether these celestial bodies, this moon, and this sun had any effect on his life or not. And experience told him that all such things are merely human superstitions. On this basis, with heartfelt conviction, he began to argue and confront his people. These people celebrated the festival of Nowruz on the day when the sun enters Aries, and according to the current calendar, this day falls on the first of April, which is the spring season and a moderate climate. On the festival of Nowruz, when everyone was about to leave, they first placed offerings of sweets before their idols. Then, as they were about to go to the idol-house, Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was also invited to join this festival. So he cast a glance towards the sky as if he were observing the movement of the stars and said, "I am about to become ill, so do not take me along and spoil your celebration." And let me stay here. Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him) did not look towards the celestial bodies because he believed in their effects, but rather so that his star-worshipping people would consider his excuse reasonable. When all these people went to the festival, this was a golden opportunity for Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him). He took an axe or a hatchet, opened the door of the idol-house, and struck the idols, breaking them into pieces. However, he left the largest idol and placed the axe on its shoulder so that it would appear that all this was the work of the big idol. The words of the verse are: ﴿لَعَلَّهُمْ اِلَيْهِ يَرْجِعُوْنَ﴾ (so that they might return to it). The pronoun in ﴿اليه﴾ can refer to the big idol, as is apparent from the translation, and Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him) placing the axe on the big idol's shoulder was also for this very purpose. Also, in times of great difficulty, these people would turn to the big idol. And the pronoun in ﴿اليه﴾ can also refer to Hazrat Ibrahim (peace be upon him) himself, as is evident from the next two verses.
