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𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐀𝐳𝐚𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐭 𝐈𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐨𝐫 𝐧𝐨𝐭?

Mohamad Mostafa Nassar
Twitter:@NassarMohamadMR

The name and story of the father of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) were mentioned in the Glorious Holy Quran in several verses. Despite many scholars, Historians including prominent companions of Prophet Muhammed peace be upon him, such as ibn Abas acknowledgd that the name of Prophet Ibrahim’s father possibly is Terah or Terach.

Yet all Muslims acknowledge that the name of Prophet’s Ibrahim (Abraham) is Azar as clearly stated in the the Glorious Qur’an in Quran (6:74). There is no contradictions between his name being Terah or Terach and Azar as well. Which would be similar to Prophet Yacoub (Jacob) who is well-known by the name of Israel as well in Islam.

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐐𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐭 𝐈𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐡𝐢𝐦 (𝐀𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐡𝐚𝐦) 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝:

Allah Exalted he states in the Glorious Quran:

“And ˹remember˺ when Abraham said to his father, Ȃzar, “Do you take idols as gods? It is clear to me that you and your people are entirely misguided.” Quran (6:74)

And

“As for Abraham’s prayer for his father’s forgiveness, it was only in fulfilment of a promise he had made to him. But when it became clear to Abraham that his father was an enemy of Allah, he broke ties with him.¹ Abraham was truly tender-hearted, forbearing.” Quran (9:114)

And

“And mention in the Book ˹O Prophet, the story of˺ Abraham. He was surely a man of truth and a prophet.˹Remember˺ when he said to his father, “O dear father! Why do you worship what can neither hear nor see, nor benefit you at all?O  dear father! I have certainly received some knowledge which you have not received, so follow me and I will guide you to the Straight Path. O  dear father! Do not worship Satan. Surely Satan is ever rebellious against the Most Compassionate. O  dear father! I truly fear that you will be touched by a torment from the Most Compassionate, and become Satan’s companion ˹in Hell˺.” He threatened, “How dare you reject my idols, O  Abraham! If you do not desist, I will certainly stone you ˹to death˺. So be gone from me for a long time!” Abraham responded, “Peace be upon you! I will pray to my Lord for your forgiveness. He has truly been Most Gracious to me. Quran (19:41-47)

And

“Forgive my father, for he is certainly one of the misguided.” Quran (26:86)

Note:

Prophet Ibrahim ask Allah to forgive his father in this above-mentioned Quranic verse Quran (26:86). However when prophet Ibrahim realised that his father: Azar insisting on rejecting the message of Allah.

The Prophet Ibrahim broke ties with his father Azar, as per the above-mentioned Quran (9:114)

Prophet Muhammed peace be upon him said: I have been given words which are concise but comprehensive in meaning; which means any word He say in any of his authentic Statements (Hadiths) is rich and accurate in meanings, yet concisely worded. According to Sahih Muslim Hadith 523a

The Glorious Holy Quran and Authentic Statements of Prophet Muhammed CONFIRM each other of course. Building on all of that we reach the other Authentic Statement ( Hadith of Prophet Muhammed) that He states that the name of the father of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) is Azar.

Here is the Authentic Statement ( Hadith) in Bukhari 3350 where the Prophet CONFIRMS that name of the Father of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) to Be Azar:

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Question:

Who is the father of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham – peace be upon him)? I heard some scholars say that Azar is not the biological father of Prophet Ibrahim but his paternal uncle. Those scholars take as evidence the following Hadith in which the Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “I was born of the best and noblest lineage after lineage, and nothing of the fornication of Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic time of ignorance) touched my birth.”

They have based on this Hadith their claim that Azar is not the father of Prophet Ibrahim; arguing that since Ibrahim is one of the Messenger’s grandparents, then his father can never be a Kafir (disbeliever). Consequently, they believe that Azar is not the biological father of Prophet Ibrahim. I, along with some other students.

Also heard another scholar claiming that Azar is the biological father of Prophet Ibrahim, taking as evidence the following Qur’anic Ayah (which means): And (remember) when Ibrâhîm (Abraham) said to his father Azar . I hope you can provide a clear explanation of this matter so we can be assured, for we are students.

Answer:

The correct opinion is that of the latter scholar; that is, Azar being the father of Ibrahim. This is based on the following Ayah in which Allah (Exalted be He) says (what means): And (remember) when Ibrâhîm (Abraham) said to his father Azar: “Do you take idols as âlihah (gods)? This Ayah serves as conclusive and explicit textual-evidence that does not require any Ijtihad (juristic effort to infer expert legal rulings). (Part No. 4; Page No. 217) 

This same opinion is preferred by Imams Ibn Jarir and Ibn Kathir. As for the quoted Hadith, Al-Suyuty reported in “Al-Jami‘ Al-Saghir” on the authority of `Aly, (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “I was born from a legal marriage, not out of fornication, from (the descendants) of Adam until my parents gave birth to me.

Nothing of the fornication of the Jahiliyyah befell me.” Related by Al-Tabarany in “Al-Awsat” and Ibn ‘Ady. About this Hadith, Al-Haythamy said: Its Isnad (chain of narrators) includes Muhammad ibn Ja‘far ibn Muhammad about whom there is some weakness but whose narration was authenticated by Al-Hakim.

The rest of the narrators are Thiqah (trustworthy).Thus, the Hadith signifies the purity of the lineage of the Prophet (peace be upon him), without referring to whether his grandparents were disbelievers or Muslims. The disbelief of Azar does not mean that his marriage is considered to be fornication (i.e. Illegal).

Hence, even if we suppose that the cited Hadith is Sahih (a Hadith that has been transmitted by people known for their uprightness and exactitude; free from eccentricity and blemish), it does not entail that just because Azar was a Kafir, his marriage is deemed to be illegal.

May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.

Question:

 Was the father of Ibrahim (Abraham) Al-Khalil (The Close Servant) (peace be upon him) called Azar or Azaar? Is it derived, as some people claim, from a past tense verb meaning “committed a sin” – that is to say, disobeying Ibrahim (Abraham) Al-Khalil, or from the noun “wizr” (sin)? Which of them is correct?

Answer:

Azar is a Persian name of the father of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) according to the most authentic scholars’ opinions. Linguistically, “Azar” is an Apposition to the word “father” or an Explanatory Apposition, not a past tense verb derived from “wizr” (sin), for the past tense of “wizr” is “wazara”, a triliteral verb meaning “to commit (a sin); to bear.”

Whereas “Azar” is a quadrilateral word and was not the name of an idol that was worshiped by the people of Ibrahim and his father, because this would be contradicting the context of Ibrahim’s speech (peace be upon him) to his father and to the idols mentioned in the same Ayah=verse in detail afterwards, including planets, the moon and the sun.May Allah grant us success.

May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.

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