سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْۣبِيَآءِ
Surah Al-Anbiyaa (21) — Ayah 63
قَالَ بَلْ فَعَلَهُۥ كَبِيرُهُمْ هَـٰذَا فَسْـَٔلُوهُمْ إِن كَانُوا۟ يَنطِقُونَ ﴿63﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
[Ibrâhîm (Abraham)] said: "Nay, this one, the biggest of them (idols) did it. Ask them, if they can speak!"
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
قَالَ
qāla
He said
بَلْ
bal
Nay
فَعَلَهُۥ
faʿalahu
(some doer) did it
كَبِيرُهُمْ
kabīruhum
Their chief
هَـٰذَا
hādhā
(is) this
فَسْـَٔلُوهُمْ
fasalūhum
So ask them
إِن
in
if
كَانُوا۟
kānū
they (can)
يَنطِقُونَ
yanṭiqūna
speak
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.
Abraham replied, "No, rather this biggest one did it. So ask them (the broken idols), if they can speak!"
[55] Thus, Prophet Ibrahimؑ was brought before all the people in the open, and the first question asked of him was related to the confession of guilt. Because until the crime of the accused is proven, the question of punishment does not arise. Prophet Ibrahimؑ was asked: Was it you who broke our helpers? In response to this question, Prophet Ibrahimؑ said that the circumstantial evidence indicates that all this mischief was done by the big idol, the one who has the axe hanging on his shoulder. It is possible that after you left, the big god became angry with the smaller gods and destroyed them. And the real solution to this question is that you should ask these oppressed and broken helpers themselves as to who has committed this injustice against them, and rest assured that if they can speak, they will surely give you the answer to this question.
[55] Thus, Prophet Ibrahimؑ was brought before all the people in the open, and the first question asked of him was related to the confession of guilt. Because until the crime of the accused is proven, the question of punishment does not arise. Prophet Ibrahimؑ was asked: Was it you who broke our helpers? In response to this question, Prophet Ibrahimؑ said that the circumstantial evidence indicates that all this mischief was done by the big idol, the one who has the axe hanging on his shoulder. It is possible that after you left, the big god became angry with the smaller gods and destroyed them. And the real solution to this question is that you should ask these oppressed and broken helpers themselves as to who has committed this injustice against them, and rest assured that if they can speak, they will surely give you the answer to this question.
