The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 3) — Page 344
PT. 13 IBRAHIM E CH. 14 رَبِّ إِنَّهُنَّ أَضْلَلْنَ كَثِيرًا مِنَ النَّاسِ <mark>My</mark> <mark><mark>Lord</mark></mark>, "they have indeed. 37 led astray many among فَمَنْ تَبِعَنِي فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّى وَمَنْ عَصَانِي mankind. So whoever follows فَإِنَّكَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمُ me, he is certainly of me; and whoever disobeys me-Thou art, surely, Most Forgiving, Merciful. 1691 "71:25. he, keep me and <mark>my</mark> children away from <mark>worship</mark>ping idols. Was it at all possible for him to stoop to shirk? The answer to this question is that man has been endowed with two kinds of powers. First, there are powers which are embodied in the nature of man. With regard to these, he offers no prayers to <mark>God</mark>. For instance, man never prays that his head may ever remain one and may never be transformed into two. Secondly, there are powers which he acquires by his own exertion or which he receives as special gift from <mark>God</mark> and which distinguish him from his fellow beings. As these favours are subject to degeneration or diminution, he has to pray to <mark>God</mark> for their preservation, even though he may have received a promise from <mark>God</mark> that they will remain intact, for the prayer is also intended to signify that these gifts are <mark>not</mark> his personal possession but are <mark>God</mark>'s special favours. It is for this reason that the Prophets never cease to pray to <mark>God</mark> even with regard to matters pertaining to their position or their function as <mark>God</mark>'s Messengers. The prayer of the Holy Prophet asking for increase in knowledge (20:115) is a case in point. 1552 The prayers of the Prophets for (forgiveness) or their as (repentance) also belong to this class of prayers. These prayers do <mark>not</mark> show, as has been erroneously supposed, that the Prophets who offered these prayers were sinners. On the contrary, the prayers are offered so that the favours of <mark>God</mark> may continue to be conferred on them, for it is on the mercy and grace of <mark>God</mark> that their continuance depends. This is why the Quran repeatedly bids believers to repose their trust in <mark>God</mark>, for to whatever spiritual heights a man may attain, he must always rely on the help of <mark>God</mark> and <mark>not</mark> on his own powers, for there is always the possibility of his fall. Indeed, it is through their trust in <mark>God</mark> that the Faithful attain to perfection, and the constant confession of their own weaknesses combined with their dependence on <mark>God</mark>'s help serves to protect them from backsliding. 1691. Commentary: This verse shows Abraham to have been possessed of the love of his Creator in an unusually large measure, for he emphatically disowns those among his own children who would <mark>not</mark> <mark>worship</mark> the One Almighty <mark>God</mark>, though he offers an indirect