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Tafsir of Surah Al-An‘am
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Part No :
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Fatwa no.
6612
Q:
Who is the father of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham - peace be upon him)?
I heard some scholars say that
Azar
is not the biological father of Prophet Ibrahim but his paternal uncle. Those scholars take as evidence the following Hadith in which the Messenger (peace be upon him) said:
“I was born of the best and noblest lineage after lineage, and nothing of the fornication of Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic time of ignorance) touched my birth.”
They have based on this Hadith their claim that
Azar
is not the father of Prophet
Ibrahim;
arguing that since Ibrahim is one of the Messenger’s grandparents, then his father can never be a Kafir (disbeliever). Consequently, they believe that
Azar
is not the biological father of Prophet
Ibrahim.
I, along with some other students, also heard another scholar claiming that
Azar
is the biological father of Prophet Ibrahim, taking as evidence the following Qur’anic Ayah (which means):
Surah Al-An`am, 6:
74
And (remember) when Ibrâhîm (Abraham) said to his father Azar
. I hope you can provide a clear explanation of this matter so we can be assured, for we are students.
A:
The correct opinion is that of the latter scholar; that is,
Azar
being the father of Ibrahim. This is based on the following Ayah in which Allah (Exalted be He) says (what means):Surah Al-An`am, 6:
74
And (remember) when Ibrâhîm (Abraham) said to his father Azar: "Do you take idols as âlihah (gods)?
This Ayah serves as conclusive and explicit textual-evidence that does not require any Ijtihad (juristic effort to infer expert legal rulings).
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This same opinion is preferred by Imams
Ibn Jarir
and Ibn Kathir.
As for the quoted Hadith,
Al-Suyuty
reported in “Al-Jami‘ Al-Saghir” on the authority of
‘Aly
(may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
“I was born from a legal marriage, not out of fornication, from (the descendants) of
Adam
until my parents gave birth to me. Nothing of the fornication of the Jahiliyyah befell me.”
Related by
Al-Tabarany
in “Al-Awsat”
and Ibn ‘Adiyy.
Aboutthis Hadith,
Al-Haythamy
said: Its Isnad (chain of narrators) includes
Muhammad ibn Ja‘far ibn Muhammad
about whom there is some weakness but whose narration was authenticated by
Al-Hakim.
The rest of the narrators are Thiqah (trustworthy).
Thus, the Hadith signifies the purity of the lineage of the Prophet (peace be upon him), without referring to whether his grandparents were disbelievers or Muslims. The disbelief of
Azar
does not mean that his marriage is considered to be fornication (i.e. illegal). Hence, even if we suppose that the cited Hadith is Sahih (a Hadith that has been transmitted by people known for their uprightness and exactitude; free from eccentricity and blemish), it does not entail that just because
Azar
was a Kafir, his marriage is deemed to be illegal.
May Allah grant us success! May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions!
Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta’