أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْحَقُ بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ عَنْ سُفْيَانَ عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَقَ عَنْ أَبِي الْخَلِيلِ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَجُلًا يَسْتَغْفِرُ لِأَبَوَيْهِ وَهُمَا مُشْرِکَانِ فَقُلْتُ أَتَسْتَغْفِرُ لَهُمَا وَهُمَا مُشْرِکَانِ فَقَالَ أَوَ لَمْ يَسْتَغْفِرْ إِبْرَاهِيمُ لِأَبِيهِ فَأَتَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَذَکَرْتُ ذَلِکَ لَهُ فَنَزَلَتْ وَمَا کَانَ اسْتِغْفَارُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ لِأَبِيهِ إِلَّا عَنْ مَوْعِدَةٍ وَعَدَهَا إِيَّاهُ
سنن نسائی · Hadith 2042
It was narrated that ‘Ali said: “I heard a man praying for forgiveness for his parents who Were idolators, and I said: ‘Are you praying for forgiveness for them even though they are idolators?’ He said: ‘Didn’t Ibrahim pray for forgiveness for his father?’ I went to the Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم and told him about that, then the following was revealed: And Ibrahim’s (Abraham) invoking (of Allah) for his father’s forgiveness was only because of a promise he (Ibrahim) had made to him (his father).” (Da’if)
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020