The Ahulbayt in Quran [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Islam of Abu Talib (Part 3 of 4)

Quran and the unbelievers

It is not ( fit )
for the Prophet and those who believe that

they should ask
forgiveness for the polytheists, even though

they should be
near relatives, after it has become clear to

them that they are
inmates of the flaiming fire.

[ 9 : 113 ]

Now since we have already proved that the above verse was not
revealed for

Abu Talib, where the Prophet and the Muslims have been
advised not to pray

for the polytheists, it would help us to look at those verses
that asked

the Prophet and the Believers not to eshtablish relations for
the

polytheists, let alone pray for them, out of love and respect
!

Surah 58 - The Pleading One (Mujadilah) - Verse 22

You shall not find
a people who believe in Allah and the latter

day befriending
those who act in opposition to Allah and His

Apostle, even
though they were their own fathers, or their sons,

or their brothers,
or their kinsfolk; these are they into whose

hearts He has
impressed faith, and whom He has strengthened with

an inspiration
from Him: and He will cause them to enter gardens

beneath
which rivers flow, abiding therein; Allah is well

pleased with them
and they are well pleased with Him; these are

Allah's party:
Surely the party of Allah are the successful ones.

This was revealed in the Battle of Badr and this event
occured in the 2

year of the Hijra.

However there are some
commentators that relate its

revelation with The Battle of the Uhud, that occured in the 3
year of the

Hijra.

How ever, the verse advises us not to make
friends with the non

believers or even love them.

This Chapter was
revealed well before Surah

Baarat ( Chapter 9, for the verse cited in the beginning )

Sunni references

- Tafseer Ibn
Katheer, v 4 p 329

- Tafseer Sho Kafi,
v 5 p 189

- Tafseer Aloosi,
v 28 p 37

Surah IV - Women (Surah Al Nisa)- Verses 139 and 144

--

Those who take the
unbelievers for guardians rather than believers.

Do they seek honor
for them ? Then surely all honor is for Allah.

O you who believe
! do not take the unbelievers as protectors

instead of than
believers; do you desire that you should give to

Allah a manifest
proof against yourselves ?

This is a Mecci Surah, where the above verses advise the
believers not to

take unbelievers as helpers or protectors.

How
could the Prophet get help

from an unbeliever if we assume Abu Talib is
unbeliever?! Ofcourse, this

verse was revealed well before Chapter 9, that has been the
focus our

attention!

Sunni reference :

- Tafseer Qurtubi,
v 5 p 1

Surah III - The Family Of Imran (Surah Ale Imran) - Verse 28

------

Let not the
believers take the unbelievers for friends rather

than the
believers; and whoever does this, he shall have

nothing of ( the
guardianship ) Allah, but you should guard

yourselves against
them, guarding carefully; and Allah makes you

cautious of (
retribition from ) Himself; and to Allah is the

eventual journey.

According to reference ( 1 ) the first eighty ( 80 ) verses
of this Chapter

were revealed during the beginning of the Hijra.

The
latter references

indicate that the above verse ( verse 28 ) was revealed
during the Battle

of Ihzab ( 5 Hijra ).

The last reference indicates
that Surah Ale Imran and

Surah Baarat were revealed with a difference of four Surahs.

Sunni references

- Seera of Ibn
Hisham, v 2 p 207

- Tafseer Qurtubi,
v 4 p 58

- Tafseer Khazan,
v 1 p 235

- Tafseer Itqan, v
1 p 17

Surah IX - Repentance - Verses 23 and 80 ( Surah Baarat )

---

O you who believe
! do not take your fathers and your brothers

for guardians if
they love unbelief more than belief; and who

ever of you takes
them for a guardian, these it is that are the

unjust.

Ask forgiveness
for them or do not ask forgiveness for them;

even if you ask
forgiveness for them seventy times, Allah will

not forgive them;
this is because they disbelieve in Allah and

the Apostle, and
Allah does not guide the transgressing people.

These two verses were revealed before Verse 9:113 (the verse
used against

Abu Talib), and as I conclude this discussion, let me pose a
question to

these accusers:

- Is it possible that the Prophet (
saw ) would ask for forgiveness

for Abu Talib ( May Allah bless his
soul ), especially when these two

verses declare that it is futile to
do so, assuming that Abu Talib

died as an unbeliever? If your
answer is yes, then isn't it against

the text of the Holy Book and the
Will of Allah, the Almighty?!!

- The fact is that the verse 9:113
is just a command to Prophets in

general, and not apprehension for
what Prophet Muhammad did not! This

will become clear when one looks at
the next verse that (i.

e.

, 9:114)

which shows this is the command of
Allah to Prophet Abraham who prayed

for his uncle Azar (not to be
confused with his father whose name was

Tarokh.

This needs a
separate discussion) before it was known to him

that he is the enemy of Allah.

Quran
states:

.

.

But when it became
clear to him that he (Azar) was an enemy to

Allah he dissociated himself from
him; for Abraham was most tender-

hearted forbearing.

[9:114]

End of Part 3 of 4