His saying, exalted and majestic is He:

﴿And the seeking forgiveness of Ibrahim for his father was only by a promise he had made to him. But when it became clear to him that he was an enemy to Allah, he disassociated himself from him. Indeed, Ibrahim was ever forbearing and patient.﴾ ﴿And Allah would not lead a people astray after He had guided them until He makes clear to them what they should avoid. Indeed, Allah is Knowing of all things.﴾ ﴿Indeed, to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. He gives life and causes death. And you have not besides Allah any protector or any helper.﴾

The meaning: There is no argument, O believers, in the seeking forgiveness of Ibrahim, the intimate friend, for his father. For that was only by a promise, and there is a difference of opinion regarding this. It is said: It was by a promise from Ibrahim to seek forgiveness for his father, and that is his saying: ﴿I will ask forgiveness for you, my Lord. Indeed, He has always been gracious to me.﴾ [Maryam: 47]. And it is said: It was by a promise from his father to him that he would believe. So Ibrahim had strong hope in his faith, which led him to seek forgiveness for him until he was prohibited from it. And Talhah read: "And Ibrahim does not seek forgiveness" and it has been narrated from him: "And Ibrahim did not seek forgiveness." And "a promise" is a noun derived from the act of promising. As for his becoming clear that he was an enemy to Allah, it is said: It was due to the death of Azar while he was upon disbelief. And it is said: That was because he was prohibited from it while he was alive. And Sa'id ibn Jubayr said: All of this is on the Day of Resurrection. This is because it is mentioned in the hadith that Ibrahim, peace be upon him, will meet him and recognize him, and he will remember his saying: "I will ask forgiveness for you, my Lord" and he will say to him: "Stick to my waist, for I will not leave you today for anything." So he will cling to him until he reaches the Sirat, and he will turn to him and find that he has been transformed into a pig, and he will disassociate himself from him at that time.

Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

And the connection of the matter of seeking forgiveness with the Hereafter is weak.

And His saying, exalted is He: ﴿Indeed, Ibrahim was ever forbearing and patient.﴾ is praise from Allah, exalted is He, for Ibrahim. And "the forbearing" is said by Ibn Mas'ud to mean the one who supplicates. It is said that he is the one who calls upon Allah with humility. It is said that he is the one who is certain, as stated by Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them. It is said that he is the merciful, as Ibn Mas'ud also said. It is said that he is the repentant believer. It is said that he is the one who remembers Allah abundantly, exalted and majestic is He. It is said that he is the one who recites the Qur'an frequently. It is said that he is the one who says out of fear of Allah, exalted and majestic is He, always: "O woe!" and he often does that. It has been narrated that Abu Dharr heard a man frequently saying that during his Tawaf, so he complained about him to the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, who said: "Leave him, for he is a forbearing one." And "the forbearing" is the lamentation that occurs frequently until a person utters "O woe!" The author said: It is also said: "O woe!" From the first, there is the saying of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, to Bilal regarding a transaction or purchase that he disapproved of: (O woe! That is usury in its essence). And from the second is the saying of the poet:

O woe for her remembrance when I remember her, And from the distance of land between us and the sky.

And from this meaning is the saying of Al-Muthaqab Al-Abdi:

When I rise, I travel to her at night, I lament the lament of the sorrowful man.

And it is narrated: "The lament of the sorrowful man," and from that is the saying of the Prophet, blessings and peace be upon him: "O woe for the offspring of Muhammad!" And "the forbearing" means: patient, enduring, of great intellect. And "forbearance" is intellect.

'And the saying of Allah, the Exalted: ﴿And Allah would not lead a people astray﴾, its meaning is: reassurance for the believers. It is said that some of them feared for themselves from seeking forgiveness for the polytheists without a command from Allah, glorified and exalted is He, so the verse was revealed as a source of reassurance. That is, Allah would not, after guiding to Islam and saving from the Fire, nullify that and lead its people astray for committing a sin for which there had not been a prior prohibition against it. As for when He clarifies to them what they should avoid from matters and what they should steer clear of, then at that time whoever commits a sin after the prohibition has deserved punishment. It is also said that this verse was revealed because of a group from the companions of the Messenger of Allah, blessings and peace be upon him, who were absent when the qiblah was changed, so they prayed - before that reached them - towards Bayt al-Maqdis. Others drank alcohol after its prohibition before it reached them, so they feared for themselves and spoke about that, and the verse was revealed. The first saying is more correct and more fitting with the verse. And al-Tabari went to say that His saying, glorified is He: ﴿He gives life and causes death﴾ is an indication that it is necessary, O believers, that you do not despair from an enemy even if they are many, and do not fear anyone, for indeed the feared death and the beloved life are in the hands of Allah, glorified and exalted is He. Qadi Abu Muhammad, may Allah have mercy on him, said: The meaning he stated is correct in itself, but his saying: 'Indeed, the intention of the verse is only for this' is a saying that is far-fetched. The apparent meaning of the verse is that when He stated in the preceding verse His grace and favor upon His servants, that whenever He bestows upon them guidance, His favor is too abundant to lead them astray before a disobedience or violation of a command occurs from them. He follows that with descriptions in which there is glorification of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, and magnification of Him, and urging the souls to persist in thanking Him and acknowledging His servitude.