Ali Quli Qarai, The Qur’ān with a Phrase-by-Phrase English Translation (2005)
62 They said, ‘Was it you who did this to our gods,
O Abraham?’
63 He said, ‘Rather it was this biggest of them who did it!
Ask them, if they can speak.’
64 There at they came to themselves
and said [to one another],
‘Indeed it is you who are the wrongdoers!’
65 Then they hung their heads.
[They said], ‘You certainly know
that they cannot speak.’
66 He said, ‘Do you then worship, besides Allah,
that which cannot cause you any benefit or harm?
67 Fie on you and what you worship besides Allah!
Do you not apply reason?’
68 They said, ‘Burn him, and help your gods,
if you are to do anything!’
69 We said, ‘O fire!
Be cool and safe for Abraham!’
70 They sought to outmaneuver him,
but We made them the biggest losers.
71 We delivered him and Lot toward the land
which We have blessed for all nations.1
72 And We gave him Isaac,
and Jacob as well for a grandson,2
and each of them We made righteous.
73 We made them imams, guiding by Our command,
and We revealed to them
1 That is, Canaan.
2 In a tradition of al-Imam al-Ṣādiq (‘a), nāfilatan here is interpreted as meaning walad al-walad nāfilatan. Cf. Ma‘ānī al-akhbār, p. 225.
