Transliteration:( Faqaala innee saqeem )
"And said: 'I am going to be sick [89],'"
When Hazrat Ebrahim (On whom be peace) said, "I am going to be sick," there are two possible meanings:
He may have been referring to a real physical illness or expressing grief and emotional distress due to the people’s continuous idol-worship and disobedience to Allah. His “sickness” could be a metaphor for the sorrow he felt seeing their polytheism.
Alternatively, he may have meant that he was about to fall ill—possibly alluding to an infectious disease. The people of that time were known to be fearful of contagious illnesses, much like some today are overly anxious about diseases like cholera or smallpox.
This statement was not a lie but a form of permissible concealment (tauriyah). In such cases, a word is used that holds a broader or deeper meaning, while still remaining truthful. Here, the farthest possible interpretation was intended, which is valid when done to avoid harm or uphold a higher religious purpose.
The tafsir of Surah As-Saffat verse 89 by Ibn Kathir is unavailable here.
Please refer to Surah Saffat ayat 88 which provides the complete commentary from verse 88 through 98.
(37:89) and said: “I am sick.”[49]
49. This is one of those three things concerning which it is said that the Prophet Abraham had told three lies in his life, whereas it should be ascertained before declaring it a lie, or anything contrary to fact, whether the Prophet Abraham at that time was not suffering from any illness, and therefore, he had made this excuse only as a pretense. If there is no proof, there is no reason why it should be regarded as a lie. For a detailed discussion, please refer to (Surah Al-Anbiya, ayat 63) note 60 and Rasail-o-Masail, vol. II, pp. 35 to 39. (A book by Abul Aala Moududi).
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