سُوْرَةُ الْاَنْۣبِيَآءِ
Surah Al-Anbiyaa (21) — Ayah 68
قَالُوا۟ حَرِّقُوهُ وَٱنصُرُوٓا۟ ءَالِهَتَكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ فَـٰعِلِينَ ﴿68﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
They said: "Burn him and help your âlihah (gods), if you will be doing."
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
قَالُوا۟
qālū
They said
حَرِّقُوهُ
ḥarriqūhu
Burn him
وَٱنصُرُوٓا۟
wa-unṣurū
and support
ءَالِهَتَكُمْ
ālihatakum
your gods
إِن
in
if
كُنتُمْ
kuntum
you are
فَـٰعِلِينَ
fāʿilīna
doers
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.
They said, "If you must do something, then burn Abraham and help your gods!"
[57]
Throwing Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) into the Fire:
When the people of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) were left ashamed and speechless before him in the intellectual arena, they began to talk about the use of force. And it has always been the way of the ignorant that when they are defeated in the field of argument and proof, they resort to stubbornness and, relying on their majority, turn to the use of force. Now the situation was that the father of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), Azar, was himself an idol sculptor, idol seller, and a court priest of Nimrod, the king of Iraq. If he accepted the words of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), his livelihood, his sources of income, and his status and position in the royal court would all be lost. Therefore, more than the people, Azar himself became the enemy of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and his religion. Now these people unanimously decided that, in whatever way possible, they must save the honor and prestige of their removers of difficulties (the idols), and the best solution is to burn Ibrahim in a blazing fire and remove him from the face of the earth. Thus, for this purpose, a very large bonfire was prepared at the official level, and Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was thrown into it by means of a catapult.
[57]
Throwing Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) into the Fire:
When the people of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) were left ashamed and speechless before him in the intellectual arena, they began to talk about the use of force. And it has always been the way of the ignorant that when they are defeated in the field of argument and proof, they resort to stubbornness and, relying on their majority, turn to the use of force. Now the situation was that the father of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), Azar, was himself an idol sculptor, idol seller, and a court priest of Nimrod, the king of Iraq. If he accepted the words of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), his livelihood, his sources of income, and his status and position in the royal court would all be lost. Therefore, more than the people, Azar himself became the enemy of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and his religion. Now these people unanimously decided that, in whatever way possible, they must save the honor and prestige of their removers of difficulties (the idols), and the best solution is to burn Ibrahim in a blazing fire and remove him from the face of the earth. Thus, for this purpose, a very large bonfire was prepared at the official level, and Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was thrown into it by means of a catapult.
