اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ بِجَمِیعِ مَحَامِدِه کُلِّهَا عَلَی جَمِیعِ نِعَمِهِ کُلِّهَا… اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ مالِکِ الْمُلْکِ مُجْرِی الْفُلْکِ مُسَخِّرِ الرِّیاحِ فالِقِ الاْصْباحِ دَیّانِ الدّینِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمینَ اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی حِلْمِهِ بَعْدَ عِلمِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی عَفْوِهِ بَعْدَ قُدْرَتِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی طُولِ اَناتِهِ فی غَضَبِهِ وَهُوَ قادِرٌ عَلی ما یُریدُ
Praise is to God with all his praises, for all his blessings. . . Praise is to God, the owner of the property, the operator of the orbit, the bender of the wind, the glory of the morning, the religion of the beliefs, lord of the worlds; praise is to God for his dream after his knowledge and thank God for forgiveness after his power, and praise be to God for his long patience in his wrath and he is capable to do what he wills
و نشهد أن لا اله الا الله وحده لا شریک له، و أَنَّ محمداً عبده و رسوله ارسله بالهدی و دین الحق لیظهره علی الدین کله و لو کره المشرکون اوصیکم عبادالله و نفسی بتقوی الله و اتباع امره و نهیه، و اخوفکم من عقابه
And we bear witness that there is no god but God alone, without partner, and that Muhammad is his servant and messenger, he sent him with guidance and the religion of truth, that he might proclaim it over all religion, even if the polytheists hated it.
Prophet Ibrahim’s manner
Ibrahim is the great prophet of God and the second arch prophet who has the Shari’a; he is the head of the great monotheistic religions. The holy Qur’an mentions his name after the prophet Noah. Prophets with Shari’a are sometimes mentioned in Qur’an:
شَرَعَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الدِّينِ مَا وَصَّى بِهِ نُوحًا وَالَّذِي أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ وَمَا وَصَّيْنَا بِهِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَى وَعِيسَى؛
He has prescribed for you the religion which He had enjoined upon Noah and which We have [also] revealed to you, and which We had enjoined upon Abraham, Moses and Jesus, declaring, (Shora: 13)
And sometimes the divine law is interpreted as the covenant of God, the same interpretation that is common in Judaism and Christianity:
وَإِذْ أَخَذْنَا مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ مِيثَاقَهُمْ وَمِنْكَ وَمِنْ نُوحٍ وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ وَمُوسَى وَعِيسَى ابْنِ مَرْيَمَ وَأَخَذْنَا مِنْهُمْ مِيثَاقاً غَلِيظاً؛
[Recall] when We took a pledge from the prophets, and from you and from Noah and Abraham and Moses and Jesus son of Mary, and We took from them a solemn pledge, (Ahzab: 7)
Life cycles of the prophet Ibrahim Khalil
The Holy Qur’an mentions three stages for Ibrahim’s life: life in Iraq, in Palestine, and in the Hejaz;
1. Life in Iraq
Apparently, the birth of Ibrahim Khalil and his growth and development took place in Mesopotamia and the land of Iraq, and his involvement with polytheism and idolatry also took place in this land. “Azor” is an idolatrous and polytheistic figure, who is described in the holy Qur’an as Ibrahim’s father, and the first scene of Ibrahim’s opposition to polytheism and idolatry is reported from Ibrahim’s encounter with Azor:
وَ إِذْ قالَ إِبْراهيمُ لِأَبيهِ آزَرَ أَ تَتَّخِذُ أَصْناماً آلِهَةً إِنِّي أَراكَ وَ قَوْمَكَ في ضَلالٍ مُبينٍ؛
When Abraham said to Azar, his father, ‘Do you take idols for gods? Indeed I see you and your people in manifest error.’ (An’am: 74)
According to the holy Qur’an, Ibrahim and Azor encountered by a loving and kind expression. Ibrahim tried to acquaint Azor with the reality of the universe and its creator in order to renounce polytheism and idolatry:
وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِنَّهُ كَانَ صِدِّيقاً نَبِيّاً؛ إِذْ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ يَا أَبَتِ لِمَ تَعْبُدُ مَا لَا يَسْمَعُ وَلَا يُبْصِرُ وَلَا يُغْنِي عَنْكَ شَيْئاً؛ يَا أَبَتِ إِنِّي قَدْ جَاءَنِي مِنَ الْعِلْمِ مَا لَمْ يَأْتِكَ فَاتَّبِعْنِي أَهْدِكَ صِرَاطاً سَوِيّاً؛ يَا أَبَتِ لَا تَعْبُدِ الشَّيْطَانَ إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ كَانَ لِلرَّحْمَنِ عَصِيّاً؛ يَا أَبَتِ إِنِّي أَخَافُ أَنْ يَمَسَّكَ عَذَابٌ مِنَ الرَّحْمَنِ فَتَكُونَ لِلشَّيْطَانِ وَلِيّاً؛
And mention in the Book Abraham. Indeed, he was a truthful man and a prophet. When he said to his father, ‘Father! Why do you worship that which neither hears nor sees, and is of no avail to you in any way? Father! Indeed a knowledge has already come to me, which has not come to you. So follow me that I may guide you to a right path. Father! Do not worship Satan. Indeed Satan is disobedient to the All-beneficent. Father! I am indeed afraid that a punishment from the All-beneficent will befall you, and you will become Satan’s accomplice.’ (Maryam: 41 – 45)
Azor’s relationship with Ibrahim
What emerges from the holy Qur’an is that Azor was not the true father of Ibrahim. The holy Qur’an after saying: مَا كَانَ لِلنَّبِيِّ وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنْ يَسْتَغْفِرُوا لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ وَلَوْ كَانُوا أُولِي قُرْبَى مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ أَصْحَابُ الْجَحِيمِ؛ The Prophet and the faithful may not plead for the forgiveness of the polytheists, even if they should be [their] relatives, after it has become clear to them that they will be the inmates of hell (Tobe: 113); reports that he first sought forgiveness for his promise to Azor, but after it became clear that Azor was an enemy of God, he hated him:
وَمَا كَانَ اسْتِغْفَارُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ لِأَبِيهِ إِلَّا عَنْ مَوْعِدَةٍ وَعَدَهَا إِيَّاهُ فَلَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ أَنَّهُ عَدُوٌّ لِلَّهِ تَبَرَّأَ مِنْهُ إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ لَأَوَّاهٌ حَلِيمٌ؛
Abraham’s pleading forgiveness for his father was only to fulfill a promise he had made him. So when it became manifest to him that he was an enemy of God, he repudiated him. Indeed Abraham was most plaintive and forbearing. (Tobe: 114)
This statement of the holy Qur’an refers to the intercession that Ibrahim asked God for Azor at the very beginning of his life and during his life in Iraq, where he had no children: وَاغْفِرْ لِأَبِي إِنَّهُ كَانَ مِنَ الضَّالِّينَ؛ Forgive my father, for he is one of those who are astray. (Sho’ara: 86)
Whereas, according to the report of the holy Qur’an, Ibrahim Khalil at the end of his life, and after God gave him children in his old age, praised and thanked him for this and said: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي وَهَبَ لِي عَلَى الْكِبَرِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ إِنَّ رَبِّي لَسَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِ؛ All praise belongs to Allah, who gave me Ishmael and Isaac despite [my] old age. Indeed my Lord hears all supplications (Ibrahim: 39). Then he prays for himself and his children: رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِي مُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةِ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَاءِ؛ My Lord! Make me a maintainer of prayer, and my descendants [as well]. Our Lord, accept my supplication (Ibrahim: 40). Then he asks God for forgiveness for his “parent”, who is used only for the true father, and prays to God:
رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَيَّ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَوْمَ يَقُومُ الْحِسَابُ؛
Our Lord! Forgive me and my parents, and all the faithful, on the day when the reckoning is held.’ (Ibrahim: 41)
Since all the fathers of the Prophet of Islam are considered as theist, Azor was not the real father of Ibrahim, so the commentators have considered Azor to be Ibrahim’s uncle or stepfather.