فَتَوَلَّوْا۟ عَنْهُ مُدْبِرِينَ 90
Translations
So they turned away from him, departing.
Transliteration
Fatawallawu anhu mudbirin
Tafsir (Explanation)
This ayah describes how the people turned away from Prophet Abraham in rejection and mockery after he destroyed their idols. According to Ibn Kathir and Al-Tabari, their turning away with their backs (mudbirin) represents their stubborn refusal to accept monotheism and their complete dismissal of Abraham's message. This turning away was not merely physical but symbolic of their spiritual rejection and hardness of heart toward the truth.
Revelation Context
This ayah is part of the narrative in Surah As-Saffat describing Abraham's confrontation with his idolatrous people. When Abraham destroyed the idols except the largest one and left an axe with it, the people's response was disbelief and mockery rather than reflection. This illustrates the typical response of those who rejected the prophets' messages during the Meccan period.
Related Hadiths
Sahih Bukhari (3373): The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) mentioned that Abraham was tried with ten trials, all of which he fulfilled, connecting the theme of the prophets' persecution by their peoples. Also relevant is the general hadith about the rejection faced by all messengers as mentioned in various sources describing the challenges prophets endured.
Themes
Key Lesson
This ayah reminds us that even when presented with clear signs and wisdom, people may still turn away due to arrogance and attachment to falsehood; believers should persevere in conveying truth and entrust outcomes to Allah, knowing that not all will accept the message.
Related Ayahs
وَلَمَّا جَآءَهُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ عِندِ ٱللَّهِ مُصَدِّقٌ لِّمَا مَعَهُمْ نَبَذَ فَرِيقٌ مِّنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أُوتُوا۟ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ كِتَـٰبَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَآءَ ظُهُورِهِمْ كَأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ
And when a messenger from Allāh came to them confirming that which was with them, a party of those who had been given the Scripture threw the Scripture of Allāh [i.e., the Torah] behind their backs as if they did not know [what it contained].
وَضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًا قَرْيَةً كَانَتْ ءَامِنَةً مُّطْمَئِنَّةً يَأْتِيهَا رِزْقُهَا رَغَدًا مِّن كُلِّ مَكَانٍ فَكَفَرَتْ بِأَنْعُمِ ٱللَّهِ فَأَذَٰقَهَا ٱللَّهُ لِبَاسَ ٱلْجُوعِ وَٱلْخَوْفِ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَصْنَعُونَ
And Allāh presents an example: a city [i.e., Makkah] which was safe and secure, its provision coming to it in abundance from every location, but it denied the favors of Allāh. So Allāh made it taste the envelopment of hunger and fear for what they had been doing.
أَوْ تُسْقِطَ ٱلسَّمَآءَ كَمَا زَعَمْتَ عَلَيْنَا كِسَفًا أَوْ تَأْتِىَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةِ قَبِيلًا
Or you make the heaven fall upon us in fragments as you have claimed or you bring Allāh and the angels before [us]
ثُمَّ أَدْبَرَ وَٱسْتَكْبَرَ
Then he turned back and was arrogant