The Ahulbayt in Quran [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Was Azar the Father of Prophet Abraham?

Surah Al Anaam - Chapter VI - Verse 74

And when Ibrahim said to
his sire, Azar : Do you take idle for

gods ? Surely I see you
and your people in manifest error.

and Surah Al Tauba - Chapter IX - Verse 114

And Ibrahim asking
forgiveness for his sire was only owing to

a promise that he made
to him; but when it became clear to him

that he was an enemy of
Allah, he declared himself to be clear

of him; most surely
Ibrahim was very tenderhearted and forbearing.

In the above verses, the word ' Ab ' has been used for Azar.

However,
'Ab'

has different meanings and does not necessarily mean 'Walid'
(biological

father).

The Holy Prophet (PBUH&HF) has said that the essence of
his existence had

been transmitted and ultimately conveyed to his immediate
parents through a

pure, a holy and sanctified progeny.

Now the word ' Ab ' in Arabic language may mean father as
well as ancestor

or even uncle as Ishmael ( Ismail ) the uncle of Jacob (
Yaqoub ) has been

addressed as ' Ab ' in the following Quranic verse .

.

.

Nay ! were you witnesses
when death visited Yaqoub, when he said

to his sons : What will
you serve after me ? They said : Well

will serve your God and
the God of your fathers, Ibrahim and Ismail

and Ishaq, one God only,
and to Him do we submit.

[ 2 : 113 ]

Since Ishmael was not the father of Jacob, and yet Quran uses
the word 'Ab'

for him as uncle, then the usage of this word for other than
biological

father is established.

.

.

Besides Prophet Abraham prays for his biological father (Walid)
along with

the other believers, which clearly indicates that his
biological father was

not a polytheist.

This is evident from the
following Quranic verse .

.

.

O our Lord ! grant me
protection and my parents (Walidayn) and the

believers on the day
when the reckoning shall come to pass.

[14:41]

.

|
| |
|
| | .

.

|

.

_,_,_o q_o_|_| q
]_| | q_| q _| _9_c | .

__,

(_):
/ /
(_S /
/ (_S /
.

/

| || :

.

__,|_w_7_|| o q_o_, o q_,

.

( / : ( /:

But what is surprising, that knowing for fact Ibrahim's ( as
) father was

'Tarakh' and not 'Azar' as stipulated by some Sunni
historians, which

is in total conformity with the opinion of Shia.

Ibn
Katheer in his work

on history writes:

Ibrahim ( as ) was the
son of Tarakh.

When Tarakh was 75 years of

age, Ibrahim ( as ) was
born to him.

Sunni reference: al-Bidaya wan Nahaya, by Ibn Katheer, v 1 p
139

This is also confirmed by Tabari, as he gives the lineage of
Ibrahim's (AS)

family in his history collection, but then also in his
Commentary of the

Quran he states that 'Azar' was NOT the father of Ibrahim
(AS).

Sunni references :

- History of al-Tabari,
v 1 p 119

- Tafsir Tabari, by Ibn
Jarir al-Tabari, v 7 p 158