9. Surah At Tawbah

The Quranic Text & Ali’s Version:

مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِيِّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ أَن يَسْتَغْفِرُواْ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَلَوْ كَانُواْ أُوْلِي قُرْبَى...   

9: 113. It is not fitting, for the prophet and those who believe, that they should pray for forgiveness for pagans, even though they be of kin,

... مِن بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ أَصْحَابُ الْجَحِيمِ ﴿١١٣﴾  

after it is clear to them that they are companions of the Fire.

C1364. This is usually understood to refer to the prayer for the dead,

-        if they died unrepentant after Islam was preached to them,

-         if they actively resisted or opposed the Faith to the last. And

-         if the person praying knows that on account of deliberate contumacy the deceased may be said to have had the doors of mercy closed to him.

How is he to know?

The knowledge must come from special commands as declared by the Holy Prophet in his lifetime regarding individuals. Where no light is available from this source we must follow the best Judgement we can.

وَمَا كَانَ اسْتِغْفَارُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ لِأَبِيهِ إِلاَّ عَن مَّوْعِدَةٍ وَعَدَهَا إِيَّاهُ...   

9: 114. And Abraham prayed for his father's forgiveness only because of a promise he had made to him.

C1365. Abraham and his unbelieving father are referred to in 6:74.

Apparently when Abraham was convinced that the conditions mentioned in the last note applied to his father, he gave up praying for him, as the physical bond was cut off by the spiritual hostility. For the promise to pray for his father, see 19:47.

... فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ أَنَّهُ عَدُوٌّ لِلّهِ تَبَرَّأَ مِنْهُ... 

But when it became clear to him that he was an enemy to Allah, he dissociated himself from him:

... إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ لأوَّاهٌ حَلِيمٌ ﴿١١٤﴾  

for Abraham was most tender-hearted, forbearing.

C1366. Abraham was loyal and tender-hearted, and bore with much that he disapproved, being in this a prototype of Al-Mustafa, and it must have gone against his grain to cut off relations in that way.

But it would obviously be wrong for a human being to entreat Allah for mercy on people who had finally rejected Allah.

Asad’s Version:

Abraham’s Father

9: 114 And Abraham’s prayer that his father be forgiven was but due to a promise which he had given the latter [in this lifetime]; but when it was made clear unto him that he had been God’s enemy, [Abraham] disavowed him – behold, Abraham was most tender-hearted, most clement. [asad]

[asad note 149: Abraham’s promise to his father mentioned in 19: 47-48 and 60: 4 for the actual prayer, see 26: 86-87 ]

{ Ruby’s note: Asad’s translation is better of this verse: what it means is that even though Abraham was most tender hearted and clement, even then he did disavowed and refrain from praying for his father when he learned his father was an enemy of God. Loyalty and love of God superceded his son-father relationship of love-loyalty. ]

9: 114 …….But when it became clear to him that he was an enemy to God, he dissociated himself from him: fro Abraham was most tender-hearted, forbearing.

[ali’s note 1365 : …..Abraham and his unbelieving father are referred to in 6:74. …..he gave up praying for him, as the physical bond was cut off by the spiritual hostility. For promise to pray for his father, see 19: 47]

[see

9: 113 It is not fitting for the Prophet and those who believe, that they should pray for forgiveness for Pagans, even though they be of kin, after it is clear to them that the yare companions of the Fire. [ali]

[Note 1364 : This is usually understood to refer to the prayer of the dead, 1. if they died unrepentant after Islam was preached to them, 2. if they actively resisted or opposed the Faith to the last, and 3. if the person praying knows that on account of deliberate contumacy the deceased may be said to have had the doors of mercy closed to him. How is he to know? The knowledge must come from special commands as declared by the Holy Prophet in his lifetime regarding individuals. Where no light is available from this

source we must follow the best judgment we can. ]

9: 113 ……..they who ascribed divinity to aught beside God, be forgiven – even though they happened to be near of kin – after it has been made clear unto them that those [dead sinners] are destined for the blazing fire. [asad]

[asad note 148 : AS is obvious from the sequence, this prohibition relates to the dead among such sinners – those who have died without repentance [Zamakhshari, Razi] and not to those who are still living: for “ a prayer for forgiveness in respect of a living [sinner] …….amounts to asking God that He grace him with His guidance………and this is permissible” (Manar XI, 60) ] ]