Prophets dont lie

[salaam2011]

Prophet Ibrahim(pbuh) is one of the most prominent prophets of Islam. Allah(swt) addressed him as 'friend'. He is the chief architect to build the original Kaba. The religion Islam has inherited so many things directly from him. The very ritual of animal sacrifice at the time of Id-ul-Adha is based on the incidence pertaining to Ibrahim(pbuh). Most of the rituals of annual Hajj is based on commemorating prophet Ibrahim(pbu). Other than our very own Prophet Muhammad(pbuh), he is the only prophet who we Muslims mention in each prayer. We seek to Allah(swt) to bless us as He blessed the followers of prophet Ibrahim(pbuh).
 
Ironically, many Muslims derive immense pleasure when they knowingly and unknowingly denigrate such a great prophet. These Muslims derive satisfaction when they claim that this great prophet practiced wrong doings. Due to our sheer ignorance, these Muslims see many of our prophets as cheat /liars.
 
Did Ibrahim(pbuh) tell lies?
Most of the Muslims have come to accept that Ibrahim(pbu) used to tell lies. They believe that according to records, he told lies in three major occasions! They gather false or weak Hadith to support their ignorant claims, they gather endorsement by contemporary scholars who also think Ibrahim(pbu) told lies. Most Muslims accept the pronouncement of these scholars on its face value and never question if such a great prophet could ever do such a act.
 
These Muslims read one or two incorrect translations and think well, the Quran says Ibrahim(pbu) lied. Whereas, in reality the Quran never said that Ibrahim(pbu) lied. It is these scholars of Islam who are acting dishonestly and falsifying the truth. They are suggesting that telling occasional lies are accepted norm of Islam. Prophets did it!!!! The Quran specifically tells in verse 3:161 that no prophet could act dishonesty.

3:161 No prophet could (ever) act dishonestly if any person acts dishonestly he shall, on the Day of judgement, restore what he misappropriated..... (Yusuf Ali's translation)
 
 
We know the incidence of Idol breaking by prophet Ibrahim(pbu). Time and again we have heard stories of how he broke the idols with an axe, and how he placed the axe on the shoulder of a big idol. Then when he was questioned, how he told the audience that he did not break the idols, rather the big idol broke the smaller ones!
 
These scholars invented various sections and sub sections of self made injunctions to declare that under certain circumstances it is permissible to tell lies! You will find lengthy writing by such scholars whereby they justify Ibrahim's lies. They will argue with you saying how could Ibrahim(pbu) tell the truth in front of the audience who would have killed him if he told the truth! So according to them it was OK when he resorted to falsification for the sake of truth!
 
Verse 21:63 is the only place in the Quran where the events leading to Ibrahim(pbuh) breaking the idols are described. First let us critically analyze the verse and understand the meaning of each of the words in the sentence.
Qala: He said
Bal: But, of course, by all means, indeed, rather
F'alahu: (passive participle) someone did it
Kabiruhum: The big one of them
Haza: This
F'asaalu hum: Ask them, question them
In: If
Kaanu yantiqun: They can speak, they can talk,
 
It is very important to note that there is a small punctuation mark signifying pause (waqf) in the sentence right after 'Qaala bal f'aalahu'. According to Arabic grammar, the meaning of the punctuation (waqf) is much like comma (,) usage in English. This sign alone or in combination of circle or other word means a very brief pause. The reader may pause here briefly, but is recommended to continue with the sentence. The sign simply demarcates one part of the sentence from the other in bringing out the meaning. If this sign means absolutely nothing, why is it inserted here? Why is the sentence not like another sentence where the sign is not at all there? Obviously, the insertion of the sign bears some significance. Strangely enough, the under-mentioned scholars refuse to pause or acknowledge the presence of this punctuation mark, rather they want to pause at a different place of their choice.

Samples of Incorrect Translations
Here are some examples of famous commentators who became victims of wrong translation. If you do not see names of other familiar commentators of the Qur-an here, most likely they have translated this verse correctly.

Al-Hilali & Muhsin Khan:


(Abraham) said: "Nay, this one, the biggest of them (idols) did it. Ask them if they can speak!"

Yusuf Ali:

He said: "Nay, this was done by this The biggest one! Ask them if they can talk."


J.M. Rodwell:

He said: "Nay, that their chief hath done it; but ask ye them, if they can speak."


Ahmad Ali:

"No", he said, "It was done by that chief of theirs. Ask him in case they can speak."


Muhammad Sarwar:

I think the biggest one of them has broken the smaller ones. Ask them if they are able to speak.


Muhammad Asad:

He answered: "Nay, it was this one, the biggest of them, that did it; but ask them [yourselves] - provided they can speak."


Pickthall:

He said: But this, their chief hath done it. So question them, if they can speak.
 
Ibrahim did not reply saying "No"

When Ibrahim(pbuh) was asked whether he broke the idols, his reply was very tactful. Neither did he say 'Yes', nor did he say 'No'. His answer was passive "someone did it." This "someone" could be him, another person or the big idol or just anybody. There was no dearth of truth that someone truly did it.

 Instead of asking him, he wanted the audience to ask the victims directly. Let the victims testify if they can. The audience realized that these idols that they think as their gods, couldn't even protect themselves! How on earth these idols can be their gods! They realized futility of idol worshipping.

The above translators hace used the word "No" or "Nay" - to mean that Ibrahim(pbu) flatly denied that he broke the idols. In the Arabic verse 21:63 there is no word that would mean "Nay". So how on earth these commentators found this negation? What are they trying to justify? The verse does not say Ibrahim(pbu) blamed the biggest idol. If he said "No" - that is a lie, if he said the biggest idol broke it, that is another lie. So it is a lie upon a lie. Some commentators made him lie once, some twice. But all of them made him guilty of several other offences in addition to telling lies. How did the scholars commit such a major mistake? The answer is simple:
1st , they ignored the punctuation sign,
2nd, they changed the position of words in the Arabic verse,
3rd, they changed the grammar of the Arabic verse,
4th, and most likely these scholars were influenced by the oft-repeated story of Ibrahim telling lies

This translation is grammatically not correct to the Arabic words. Fa'lahu, a passive participle, does not mean "did it" - rather "someone did it".

Prophets don't lie.
 
(compiled from readings)

[Ruhi_Rose]

Verse 21:63 is the only place in the Quran where the events leading to Ibrahim(pbuh) breaking the idols are described. First let us critically analyze the verse and understand the meaning of each of the words in the sentence.
Qala: He said
Bal: But, of course, by all means, indeed, rather
F'alahu: (passive participle) someone did it
Kabiruhum: The big one of them
Haza: This
F'asaalu hum: Ask them, question them
In: If
Kaanu yantiqun: They can speak, they can talk,
 

Indeed, prophets never lied.   Verse 21:63 is a misunderstood one, not because of the mistranslation or mis-punctuations, but because most readers have failed to grasp its style and reference.

Quoting the full translations of Pickthall and Yusuf Ali:

He said: But this, their chief hath done it. So question them, if they can speak. Pickthall translation.

"[Ibrahim (Abraham)] said: "Nay, this one, the biggest of them (idols) did it. Ask them, if they can speak!"  Yusuf Ali translation.

All other translators have translated this verse in much the same way.

So, when Prophet Abraham said the peopole that "their chief" or "the biggest of them has done it,"  Abraham didn't say this with the intention of lying or really making them think that the chief of the idols had done it.  In fact, Abraham was sure that they knew he (Abraham) had broken the idols and he was not afraid to admit it.  But when the people asked, he told them that the chief or the biggest idol had done it out of sarcasm in order to expose to these people their own stupdity for worshipping something which cannot even speak for itself.   When Abraham told them to ask the chief or biggest idol, this was a direct and logical exposure of the foolishness of the people to worship something that was inanimate and totally powerless.  Therefor, Prophet Abraham's reply to the people was not at all a lie as you rightly pointed.  It was a sarcasm or a hint of satire to make the idolaters aware of their traditional misguidance and lack of intelligence to perceive the truth.   

[N. Truth Seeker]

So, when Prophet Abraham said the peopole that "their chief" or "the biggest of them has done it,"  Abraham didn't say this with the intention of lying or really making them think that the chief of the idols had done it.  In fact, Abraham was sure that they knew he (Abraham) had broken the idols and he was not afraid to admit it.  But when the people asked, he told them that the chief or the biggest idol had done it out of sarcasm in order to expose to these people their own stupdity for worshipping something which cannot even speak for itself.   When Abraham told them to ask the chief or biggest idol, this was a direct and logical exposure of the foolishness of the people to worship something that was inanimate and totally powerless.  Therefor, Prophet Abraham's reply to the people was not at all a lie as you rightly pointed.  It was a sarcasm or a hint of satire to make the idolaters aware of their traditional misguidance and lack of intelligence to perceive the truth.   

Exactly, this is the real point.

[Heba E. Husseyn]

Correct sister Rose.  Br. Salaam mentioned some relevant points but missed the main point.  Prophet Ibrahim's intention was to embarrass the idolaters by saying the "chief" did it.  Prophet Ibrahim did not expect the people to believe him when he said that nor was he afraid of them if they found out that Prophet Ibrahim had smashed the idols.  The purpose was to insult the idolaters for their ignorance and foolishness.