Surah 21

Surah 21:68

"They said, ‘Burn him, and help your gods, if you are going to do (anything).’"
How Ibrahim was thrown into the Fire and how Allah controlled it Verses 21:68-70
Show Full Scripture Context (21:68-70) — 3 Verses
Verse 68

قَالُواْ حَرِّقُوهُ وَٱنصُرُوٓاْ ءَالِهَتَكُمۡ إِن كُنتُمۡ فَٰعِلِينَ

They said, ‘Burn him, and help your gods, if you are going to do (anything).’

Verse 69

قُلۡنَا يَٰنَارُ كُونِي بَرۡدٗا وَسَلَٰمًا عَلَىٰٓ إِبۡرَٰهِيمَ

We said, ‘Fire! Be coolness and peace for Abraham!’

Verse 70

وَأَرَادُواْ بِهِۦ كَيۡدٗا فَجَعَلۡنَٰهُمُ ٱلۡأَخۡسَرِينَ

They intended a plot against him, but We made them the worst losers,

When their arguments were refuted and their incapability became clear, when truth was made manifest and falsehood was defeated, they resorted to using their power and strength, and said:

Quoted Scripture
""Burti him and help your gods, if you will be doing.""

So they gathered together a huge amount *of wood.

As-Suddi said, “I if a woman was sick, she would make a vow that if she recovered she would bring wood to bum Ibrahim. Then they made a hole in the ground and set it aflame, and it burned with huge sparks and immense flames. There had never been a fire like it. They put Ibrahim, peace be upon him, into a catapult, at the suggestion of a nomadic Kurdish than from Persia.” Shu'ayb Al-Jaba’i said, “His name was Hayzan, and Allah caused the earth to swallow him up, and he will remain sinking into it until the Day of Resurrection. When they threw him he said, ‘Sufficient for me is Allah, and He is the best disposer of affairs.’” This is similar to what Al-Bukhari recorded from Ibn ‘Abbas that Ibrahim said, “Sufficient for me is Allah, and He is the best disposer of affairs,” when he was thrown into the fire, and Muhammad said it when they said:

{Verily, the people have gathered against you, therefore, fear them. But it increased them in faith, and they said: "Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs."} [3:173].

Said bin Jubayr reported that Ibn ‘Abbas said: “When Ibrahim was thrown into the fire, the keeper (angel) of the rain said: “When will I be commanded to send rain?’ But the command of Allah was more swift. Allah said:

{O fire! Be you cool and safety for Ibrahim!}, and there was no fire left on earth that was not extinguished.”

Ibn ‘Abbas and Abu Al-‘Aliyah said: “Were it not for the fact that Allah said,

{and safety }, Ibrahim would have been harmed by its coldness.”

Qatadah said: “On that day there was no creature that did not try to extinguish the fire for Ibrahim, except for the gecko.” Az-Zuhri said: “The Prophet commanded that it should be killed, and called it a harmful vermin.”

Quoted Scripture
"And they roan ted to harm him, but We made them the loorst losers."

they were defeated and humiliated, because they wanted to plot against the Prophet of Allah, but Allah planned against them and saved him from the fire, and thus they were defeated.

About this Source & Scholarly Authority (Tafsir Ibn Kathir)

Universal Sunni Consensus: Tafsir al-Qur'an al-Azim by Hafiz Ibn Kathir (701–774 AH / 1301–1373 AD) is universally regarded across all major schools of Sunni Islam (traditional, Salafi, Ash'ari) as the most authoritative classical exegesis. It is prized because it relies on Tafsir bil-Ma'thur—interpreting the Quran using the Quran itself, authentic Hadiths of Prophet Muhammad, and recorded statements of the early Companions (Sahabah).

Standard English Edition: This text is from the standard 10-volume English abridgment published by Dar-us-Salam Publications (supervised by Shaykh Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri), which is the official, most widely distributed English Quranic commentary in mosques and Islamic libraries worldwide today.