If He Speaks the Truth, His Father's Business Closes

Ibrahim (peace be upon him) knew that making idols was his father's biggest source of income. Yet he spoke up, and he spoke in the gentlest language.

The Scene as It Was

His father Azar sits all day carving idols. The more perfect the eyes, the nose, the head, the higher the price. Through this trade he is one of the wealthy men of the tribe.

The boy stands and watches: the stone does not hear, does not see, does not even move. The very man who made it with his own hands bows his head before it, asks it for provision, asks it for relief from illness.

Ibrahim (peace be upon him) decided to tell his father the truth. But if he told the truth, the household income would stop, the business would stop, and perhaps poverty would follow.

Still, he spoke. And he began with a call that should make anyone's anger fade when they hear it.

The Shaykh's Explanation

He did not say 'O disbeliever', he did not say 'O ignorant one'. He said 'O my dear father'.

Shaykh Bali points out that in Surah Maryam, Ibrahim (peace be upon him) addressed him again and again with 'Ya abati'. The argument is simple too: how can something that does not hear, does not see, and is of no use be a god (ilah)? An ilah must be the One who hears, sees and has power.

His father's reply was harsh: 'Are you turning away from my gods? If you do not stop, I will stone you.' Ibrahim (peace be upon him) answered, 'Salamun alayk' — no harm will reach you from me.

The Evidence: Tawhid and Parents Together

وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوٓا۟ إِلَّآ إِيَّاهُ وَبِٱلْوَٰلِدَيْنِ إِحْسَٰنًا

And your Lord has decreed that you worship not except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], "uff," and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word. (Surah Al-Israa 17:23 — Saheeh International; meaning of the complete verse)Copy

Ibrahim's (peace be upon him) words are found in Surah Maryam. He even made istighfar for his father; later, when it became clear that his father was an enemy of Allah, he disassociated himself from him.

What to Do

1. Keep your language gentle when you speak the truth. No one has ever found guidance through insults.
2. Even when you correct your parents' mistakes, do not abandon good manners. Remember the address 'Ya abati'.
3. Do not cling to what is haram out of fear of reduced income. The Owner of provision is One alone.
4. Keep making dua for those you are advising; the outcome is in Allah's hands.

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Source: Based on a talk by Shaykh Waheed Abdussalam Bali

Translation and compilation: Raqi Faisal Ahmed Sabit — Al Qur'an Ruqyah Healing Center