The Quran

قَد كانَت لَكُم أُسوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ في إِبراهيمَ وَالَّذينَ مَعَهُ إِذ قالوا لِقَومِهِم إِنّا بُرَآءُ مِنكُم وَمِمّا تَعبُدونَ مِن دونِ اللَّهِ كَفَرنا بِكُم وَبَدا بَينَنا وَبَينَكُمُ العَداوَةُ وَالبَغضاءُ أَبَدًا حَتّىٰ تُؤمِنوا بِاللَّهِ وَحدَهُ إِلّا قَولَ إِبراهيمَ لِأَبيهِ لَأَستَغفِرَنَّ لَكَ وَما أَملِكُ لَكَ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِن شَيءٍ ۖ رَبَّنا عَلَيكَ تَوَكَّلنا وَإِلَيكَ أَنَبنا وَإِلَيكَ المَصيرُ

Ali Unal

Indeed, you have had an excellent example to follow in Abraham and those in his company, when they said to their (idolatrous) people (who were their kin): “We are quit of you and whatever you worship besides God. We have rejected you (in your polytheism), and there has arisen between us and you enmity and hate forever until you believe in God alone (as the only One to be worshipped.” (So it was) except for Abraham’s saying to his father: “I most surely will plead for God’s forgiveness for you, though I have no power at all to do anything for you against God.”¹ (And their prayer was:) “O Our Lord! It is in You that We have put our trust, and it is to You that we turn in utmost sincerity and devotion; and to You is the homecoming.

This saying of Abraham, upon him be peace, should be considered and evaluated together with 9: 114: The prayer of Abraham for the forgiveness of his father was only because of a promise which he had made to him. But when it became clear that he was an enemy of God, he (Abraham) dissociated himself from him. Abraham was most tender-hearted, most clement.” For the identity of Abraham’s father, see 9: 114, note 25.