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 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.
We said to the fire, "O fire! Be cool and safe for Abraham."
[58] The commentators say that when Prophet Ibrahimؑ was about to be thrown into the fire, Jibreelؑ appeared and said, "If you wish, shall I help you?" Prophet Ibrahimؑ replied, "I do not need your help. My Allah is sufficient for me." Then Jibreelؑ said, "Well, at least pray to your Lord." Prophet Ibrahimؑ replied, "My Lord is watching everything, and that is enough for me." Now Allah Almighty helped His sincere servant in such a way that He commanded the fire to become cool for Ibrahimؑ, but not so cool that the cold would harm him; rather, only to the extent that Ibrahimؑ could remain safe and sound within the fire. This fire, which had been prepared over many days, and in which Ibrahimؑ was kept for several days, did not harm even a single hair of his. The ropes that were used to bind him were burnt, but his body was not harmed at all. The commentators say that later, Prophet Ibrahimؑ used to say that those were days of comfort and ease when he was in the fire.
Denial of Miracle is Actually Denial of Divine Power:
Now it is evident that this incident is extraordinary or against the usual routine, in which the usual connection between cause and effect was severed. The property of fire is to burn and consume everything, and this is the property that Allah Almighty had removed. Now, for those who believe that even Allah Almighty cannot perform an extraordinary act or manifest a miracle, or sever the connection between cause and effect, and on this basis, they try to interpret such incidents in far-fetched ways so as to make them subject to natural phenomena, we ask them: why do they even bother to believe in Allah Almighty? All naturalists, materialists, and deniers of the existence of Allah believe in natural phenomena. And if it were something that could be molded according to the views of every era, then the introduction of Allah Almighty given by the Quran is that Allah is the Creator of natural laws, the One who can make exceptions to them, and when necessary, He has the power to change the laws He has made. Therefore, it is not at all obligatory for those who believe in Allah and the Quran to interpret the contents of the Quran according to the people of every era, even if for this purpose they have to resort to unreasonable and far-fetched interpretations. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan wrote regarding this incident that it was only the intention of the disbelievers to burn or kill Ibrahimؑ, but it was not carried out. Now the question arises: if that was all, then why did Allah Almighty need to say: ﴿قُلْنَا يٰنَارُكُوْنِيْ بَرْدًا وَّسَلٰمًا عَلٰٓي اِبْرٰهِيْمَ﴾ Now, moving forward, Hafiz Inayatullah Athari Sahib, since he also accepts hadith and refers to the marfu' hadith of Bukhari «حِيْنَ اُلْقِيَ فِيْ النَّارِ», yet still his nature is not inclined to accept this incident and seems very burdened. Thus, he himself raises a question and answers it, which we are presenting here for the interest of the readers:
Question:
Was Ibrahimؑ really thrown into the fire, or was it only the fire of the mischief and corruption of the disbelievers, which Allah made cool? Although the intention of casting is mentioned in the Quran, in Bukhari it is marfu': ﴿حِيْنَ اُلْقِيَ فِيْ النَّار﴾? [بيان المختار ص 115]
Answer:
It is possible that it was the fire of mischief and corruption which Allah made cool, as He says: ﴿كُلَّمَآ اَوْقَدُوْا نَارًا لِّلْحَرْبِ اَطْفَاَهَا اللّٰهُ﴾ [5: 64]
"These people keep kindling and igniting the fire of mischief and corruption against Islam and the Muslims, which We extinguish and cool down." [حواله ايضاً]
In this verse and its translation, Athari Sahib has given the following misconceptions:
(1) The use of "awqadu" in this verse is metaphorical; otherwise, the fire of battle is not actually such that wood, etc., would burn in it or that it would burn other things to ashes.
(2) The Noble Quran has used the word "harriquhu," meaning burn Ibrahimؑ by throwing him into the fire.
(3) The meaning of "itfa" is to extinguish, which is correct, but not to cool. You have added this meaning and tried to create confusion.
(4) The words of the Noble Quran ﴿بَرْدًا وَّسَلاَمًا﴾ (i.e., become cool and safe) do not mention extinguishing at all, that the fire should be completely put out and Ibrahimؑ be saved from burning. And these are the very words that nullify all the efforts of these gentlemen. It is worth pondering: if Ibrahimؑ was not thrown into the fire at all, then what is the meaning of Allah's command? Now listen to the second part of Athari Sahib's answer regarding the hadith. He says, "And it is also possible that they really intended to burn him in the fire, and from 'ulqiya fin-nar' in the hadith, the dangerous situation that arose is meant, that everything was ready, but Allah saved him by a hair's breadth." [حواله ايضاً]
Athari Interpretation of the Miracle and Its Answer:
Did you understand what is meant by "this subtle point"? That is, Ibrahimؑ was saved from and kept away from the fire, and the fire was saved from and kept away from Ibrahimؑ, meaning that even after being thrown into the fire, neither did the fire touch him nor did he touch the fire. Now the question is, this then becomes a miracle: that despite being in the midst of the fire, neither did the fire touch him nor did he touch the fire, and this is exactly what we say. Your example is like "falling from the sky and getting stuck in a date tree," and while interpreting one miracle, you got entangled in another. However, in Athari Sahib's view, it is impossible that Ibrahimؑ was in the fire and the fire did not perform its burning function, and this is nothing but a denial of Allah's power and a rejection of the Quran and Hadith.
[58] The commentators say that when Prophet Ibrahimؑ was about to be thrown into the fire, Jibreelؑ appeared and said, "If you wish, shall I help you?" Prophet Ibrahimؑ replied, "I do not need your help. My Allah is sufficient for me." Then Jibreelؑ said, "Well, at least pray to your Lord." Prophet Ibrahimؑ replied, "My Lord is watching everything, and that is enough for me." Now Allah Almighty helped His sincere servant in such a way that He commanded the fire to become cool for Ibrahimؑ, but not so cool that the cold would harm him; rather, only to the extent that Ibrahimؑ could remain safe and sound within the fire. This fire, which had been prepared over many days, and in which Ibrahimؑ was kept for several days, did not harm even a single hair of his. The ropes that were used to bind him were burnt, but his body was not harmed at all. The commentators say that later, Prophet Ibrahimؑ used to say that those were days of comfort and ease when he was in the fire.
Denial of Miracle is Actually Denial of Divine Power:
Now it is evident that this incident is extraordinary or against the usual routine, in which the usual connection between cause and effect was severed. The property of fire is to burn and consume everything, and this is the property that Allah Almighty had removed. Now, for those who believe that even Allah Almighty cannot perform an extraordinary act or manifest a miracle, or sever the connection between cause and effect, and on this basis, they try to interpret such incidents in far-fetched ways so as to make them subject to natural phenomena, we ask them: why do they even bother to believe in Allah Almighty? All naturalists, materialists, and deniers of the existence of Allah believe in natural phenomena. And if it were something that could be molded according to the views of every era, then the introduction of Allah Almighty given by the Quran is that Allah is the Creator of natural laws, the One who can make exceptions to them, and when necessary, He has the power to change the laws He has made. Therefore, it is not at all obligatory for those who believe in Allah and the Quran to interpret the contents of the Quran according to the people of every era, even if for this purpose they have to resort to unreasonable and far-fetched interpretations. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan wrote regarding this incident that it was only the intention of the disbelievers to burn or kill Ibrahimؑ, but it was not carried out. Now the question arises: if that was all, then why did Allah Almighty need to say: ﴿قُلْنَا يٰنَارُكُوْنِيْ بَرْدًا وَّسَلٰمًا عَلٰٓي اِبْرٰهِيْمَ﴾ Now, moving forward, Hafiz Inayatullah Athari Sahib, since he also accepts hadith and refers to the marfu' hadith of Bukhari «حِيْنَ اُلْقِيَ فِيْ النَّارِ», yet still his nature is not inclined to accept this incident and seems very burdened. Thus, he himself raises a question and answers it, which we are presenting here for the interest of the readers:
Question:
Was Ibrahimؑ really thrown into the fire, or was it only the fire of the mischief and corruption of the disbelievers, which Allah made cool? Although the intention of casting is mentioned in the Quran, in Bukhari it is marfu': ﴿حِيْنَ اُلْقِيَ فِيْ النَّار﴾? [بيان المختار ص 115]
Answer:
It is possible that it was the fire of mischief and corruption which Allah made cool, as He says: ﴿كُلَّمَآ اَوْقَدُوْا نَارًا لِّلْحَرْبِ اَطْفَاَهَا اللّٰهُ﴾ [5: 64]
"These people keep kindling and igniting the fire of mischief and corruption against Islam and the Muslims, which We extinguish and cool down." [حواله ايضاً]
In this verse and its translation, Athari Sahib has given the following misconceptions:
(1) The use of "awqadu" in this verse is metaphorical; otherwise, the fire of battle is not actually such that wood, etc., would burn in it or that it would burn other things to ashes.
(2) The Noble Quran has used the word "harriquhu," meaning burn Ibrahimؑ by throwing him into the fire.
(3) The meaning of "itfa" is to extinguish, which is correct, but not to cool. You have added this meaning and tried to create confusion.
(4) The words of the Noble Quran ﴿بَرْدًا وَّسَلاَمًا﴾ (i.e., become cool and safe) do not mention extinguishing at all, that the fire should be completely put out and Ibrahimؑ be saved from burning. And these are the very words that nullify all the efforts of these gentlemen. It is worth pondering: if Ibrahimؑ was not thrown into the fire at all, then what is the meaning of Allah's command? Now listen to the second part of Athari Sahib's answer regarding the hadith. He says, "And it is also possible that they really intended to burn him in the fire, and from 'ulqiya fin-nar' in the hadith, the dangerous situation that arose is meant, that everything was ready, but Allah saved him by a hair's breadth." [حواله ايضاً]
Athari Interpretation of the Miracle and Its Answer:
Did you understand what is meant by "this subtle point"? That is, Ibrahimؑ was saved from and kept away from the fire, and the fire was saved from and kept away from Ibrahimؑ, meaning that even after being thrown into the fire, neither did the fire touch him nor did he touch the fire. Now the question is, this then becomes a miracle: that despite being in the midst of the fire, neither did the fire touch him nor did he touch the fire, and this is exactly what we say. Your example is like "falling from the sky and getting stuck in a date tree," and while interpreting one miracle, you got entangled in another. However, in Athari Sahib's view, it is impossible that Ibrahimؑ was in the fire and the fire did not perform its burning function, and this is nothing but a denial of Allah's power and a rejection of the Quran and Hadith.
