Surah At-Tawba 9:114 — translation and meaning
التوبة · Verse 114 / 129 · Page 205
ۚ وَمَا كَانَ اسْتِغْفَارُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ لِأَبِيهِ إِلَّا عَن مَّوْعِدَةٍ وَعَدَهَا إِيَّاهُ فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ أَنَّهُ عَدُوٌّ لِّلَّهِ تَبَرَّأَ مِنْهُ إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ لَأَوَّاهٌ حَلِيمٌ
Word by Word
Transliteration
Wa maa kaanas tighfaaru ibraaheema li abeehi illaa 'ammaw 'idatinw wa 'adahaaa iyyaahu falammaa tabaiyana lahooo annahoo 'aduwwul lillaahi tabarra a minh; inna Ibraaheema la awwaahum haleem
Translation
And the request of forgiveness of Abraham for his father was only because of a promise he had made to him. But when it became apparent to Abraham that his father was an enemy to Allah, he disassociated himself from him. Indeed was Abraham compassionate and patient.
Verse interpretation (Tafsir)
Abraham’s seeking forgiveness for his polytheist father was only because of a promise he had made to him to do so, in the hope that he would submit. When it became clear to Abraham that his father was an enemy of Allah, due to the advice not being of benefit to him or due to his coming to know through revelation that he will die as a disbeliever, he renounced him. He had asked forgiveness for him on the basis of his own reasoning and not in contradiction of any law that Allah had revealed to him. Abraham (peace be with him) used to frequently turn to Allah in humility and he used to overlook and pardon his people who were wrongdoers.
Source: Al-Mukhtasar Tafsir — Tafsir Center for Quranic Studies.
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