فَلَمَّا رَءَا ٱلشَّمْسَ بَازِغَةً قَالَ هَـٰذَا رَبِّى هَـٰذَآ أَكْبَرُ ۖ فَلَمَّآ أَفَلَتْ قَالَ يَـٰقَوْمِ إِنِّى بَرِىٓءٌ مِّمَّا تُشْرِكُونَ 78
Translations
And when he saw the sun rising, he said, "This is my lord; this is greater." But when it set, he said, "O my people, indeed I am free from what you associate with Allāh.
Transliteration
Fa-lammā ra'ā ash-shamsa bāzighatan qāla hādhā rabbī hādhā akbar, fa-lammā afalat qāla yā qawmi innī barī'un mimmā tushrikūn
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes Prophet Ibrahim's intellectual journey toward monotheism, wherein he initially observes the sun rising and questions whether it might be his Lord due to its magnificence, but upon witnessing its setting, he rejects it and declares his disassociation from polytheism. Classical scholars like Ibn Kathir and Al-Qurtubi interpret this not as Ibrahim actually believing the sun was divine, but rather as a pedagogical method to demonstrate to his people the logical fallacy of worshipping celestial bodies—anything that sets or changes cannot be eternal or worthy of worship. This passage exemplifies the rational proof for Allah's oneness and the rejection of idolatry through observable natural phenomena.
Revelation Context
This ayah occurs within the broader narrative of Surah Al-An'am (verses 74-79), which recounts Ibrahim's dialogue with his father and people regarding the rejection of idolatry. It is set in a Meccan context addressing polytheistic beliefs prevalent in pre-Islamic Arabia, serving as a historical and theological precedent for monotheistic conviction that would resonate with the early Muslim community.
Related Hadiths
While no specific hadith directly quotes this verse's narrative, the methodology of intellectual argumentation against idolatry is supported by the broader principle in Sahih Muslim and other collections regarding the use of reason ('aql) in understanding divine signs. The ayah complements hadiths emphasizing that creation points to the Creator's existence and uniqueness.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah teaches believers that true faith must be grounded in rational reflection and genuine conviction rather than blind imitation of ancestral practices; it encourages the use of observable evidence and logical reasoning to strengthen one's belief in Allah's oneness and to resist social pressure toward false doctrines.
Related Ayahs
سُبْحَـٰنَهُۥ وَتَعَـٰلَىٰ عَمَّا يَقُولُونَ عُلُوًّا كَبِيرًا
Exalted is He and high above what they say by great sublimity.
لَا جَرَمَ أَنَّمَا تَدْعُونَنِىٓ إِلَيْهِ لَيْسَ لَهُۥ دَعْوَةٌ فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَلَا فِى ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَأَنَّ مَرَدَّنَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَأَنَّ ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ هُمْ أَصْحَـٰبُ ٱلنَّارِ
Assuredly, that to which you invite me has no [response to a] supplication in this world or in the Hereafter; and indeed, our return is to Allāh, and indeed, the transgressors will be companions of the Fire.
فَأْتِيَا فِرْعَوْنَ فَقُولَآ إِنَّا رَسُولُ رَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
Go to Pharaoh and say, 'We are the messengers of the Lord of the worlds,
إِنَّ فِى خَلْقِ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱخْتِلَـٰفِ ٱلَّيْلِ وَٱلنَّهَارِ وَٱلْفُلْكِ ٱلَّتِى تَجْرِى فِى ٱلْبَحْرِ بِمَا يَنفَعُ ٱلنَّاسَ وَمَآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مِن مَّآءٍ فَأَحْيَا بِهِ ٱلْأَرْضَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهَا وَبَثَّ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ دَآبَّةٍ وَتَصْرِيفِ ٱلرِّيَـٰحِ وَٱلسَّحَابِ ٱلْمُسَخَّرِ بَيْنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ لِّقَوْمٍ يَعْقِلُونَ
Indeed, in the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of the night and the day, and the [great] ships which sail through the sea with that which benefits people, and what Allāh has sent down from the heavens of rain, giving life thereby to the earth after its lifelessness and dispersing therein every [kind of] moving creature, and [His] directing of the winds and the clouds controlled between the heaven and earth are signs for a people who use reason.