易卜拉欣的族人回来后,发现他们的偶像除了那尊最大的之外全都被毁坏殆尽。然而他们没有质问那尊偶像,也没有自问:他们的神灵怎会遭此厄运而不能自卫?他们也没有追问:那尊大的偶像为何不站出来保护他们所有的偶像?他们无法提出这些问题,因为他们所信奉的神话扭曲了他们的心智,束缚了他们的思考能力。实质上,他们无法客观地看待此事,也无法提出最合乎逻辑的问题。他们只是愤怒地对付那个毁坏了他们偶像的人。"他们说:谁对我们的神灵做了这样的事?他一定是不义的人之一。"(第59节)随后,那些听过易卜拉欣既反对他父亲和同族人拜偶像、又威胁要摧毁这些偶像的人,找到了答案:"他们说:我们听见一个少年提到它们,他名叫易卜拉欣。"(第60节)
Abraham’s people returned to find the utter destruction of their idols except this largest one. But they did not question that idol or even ask themselves how their deities could suffer such a fate without defending themselves. Nor did they ask why the large idol did not take it upon itself to defend them all. They could not ask such questions, because the myths in which they believed rendered their minds useless, chaining their power of thought. Essentially, they could not consider the matter objectively, and were unable to ask the most logical question. They were only furious with the one who had brought all this upon their idols. “They said: Who has done this to our gods? He is definitely one of the wrongdoers.” (Verse 59) Then, those who had heard Abraham both object to his father’s and peers’ idol worship and threaten to destroy the same found their answer: “They said: We heard a youth speak of them; he is called Abraham.” (Verse 60)
看来亚伯拉罕（愿主赐其平安）在年少时，真主便赐予他辨别是非的天赋。因此，他反对拜偶像，并在时机来临时将偶像毁掉。然而，问题在于：他是在获得使命之前就已接受了使命，还是在获得使命之前，因受某种启示而走向真理？如果是后者，那么他对拜偶像的斥责，以及他呼吁父亲跟随他的道路，都是那种启示的结果。这种情况很可能就是事实。
It appears that Abraham (peace he upon him) was still a young man when God bestowed on him the gift of knowing what is right. Hence, he objected to the worship of idols and destroyed them when the chance presented itself. The question arises, however, as to whether he had already been given his message, or whether he acted on an inspiration that led him to the truth before he had received his message. In this latter case, his denunciation of idol worship and his call upon his father to follow his path were the result of that inspiration. This was most probably the case.
另一方面，易卜拉欣（Abraham）的族人称他为“少年”，也可能只是出于轻蔑。他们的话以被动语态提及他，说“有一个叫易卜拉欣的人”（‘he is called Abraham’），这一点也支持这种理解。
On the other hand, it is possible that Abraham’s people’s reference to him as ‘a youth’ was meant merely as a slight. This is supported by their words referring to him in the passive voice, ‘he is called Abraham’.
他们暗示此人默默无闻，构不成威胁。这种可能性是存在的，但我们认为第一种解释更为可能，即他当时只是一个年轻人。
They implied that he was unknown, and represented no threat. This is possible, but we think the first explanation to be more probable, viz. that he was only a young man at the time.
他们说：“那就把他带到众人面前，好让他们作证。”（第61节）他们想要当众谴责他，使人们知道他的所作所为及其后果。当他被带到他们面前时，他们说：
“They said: Then bring him here in sight of all people, so that they may bear witness.” (Verse 61) They wanted to denounce him in public so that people should know of his deeds and their consequences. And when he was brought before them, they said:
“易卜拉欣，是你对我们的神做了这事吗？”（第62节）即便那些偶像已被砸成碎片，堆成一堆瓦砾，他们仍然把它们当作神来称呼。易卜拉欣嘲讽他们的想法，虽然只有他一人面对他们，却讥笑他们的愚蠢。他以开放的心态、清明的心灵看待这一切。因此，他用一个讥讽的回答来回应他们，这个回答正符合他们低下的思维水平：“他说：不，是这个最大的神干的，你们问问它吧。”
“Abraham, was it you who did this to our gods?’” (Verse 62) They continued to describe their idols as gods even when they had been smashed into pieces and formed little more than a heap of rubble. Abraham derided their thinking, and even though he faced them alone, mocked their stupidity. He was looking at the whole thing with an open mind and a clear heart. Hence, he gave them this mocking answer that fits their lowly level of thinking: “He answered: Nay, it was this one, the biggest of them, who did it.
“但你们可以问问他们，如果他们能说话的话！”（第63节）
But ask them, if they can speak!” (Verse 63)
他的回答中的嘲讽非常明显。因此无需将其说成谎言，也无需像《古兰经》的注释者们那样，试图为其寻找某种辩解。
Derision is very clear in his answer. Hence there is no need to describe it as a lie and to try to find some justification for it, as commentators on the Qur’ān have done.
易卜拉欣的意思其实很简单：他想对他的族人说，这些偶像不知道是谁把它们打碎的，也不知道是我，还是那个大偶像，和它们一样一动不动。它们都是没有生命的东西，没有辨别的能力。你们也同样失去了理智，所以你们分不清什么是可能的，什么是不可能的。你们甚至无法判断，是我打碎了它们，还是那个大的。
The whole thing is much simpler than that. Abraham simply wanted to say to his people: these figures do not know who smashed them to pieces, nor whether it was me or this large idol which is as motionless as they were. All of them are inanimate and have no faculty of recognition. You are also deprived of your faculties, which accounts for your inability to distinguish between what is possible and what is impossible. You cannot even tell whether it was me who broke them or this big one.
因此,(他说):“你们问问它们,如果它们能说话的话!”看来他的讥讽使他们有所反省。“于是他们回过头来互相责备,说:‘的确,是你们自己在作恶。’”(第64节)这是一个好兆头:他们不仅意识到了自己立场的荒谬,也意识到崇拜这类偶像是多么错误。这一刻,他们似乎有可能睁开双眼,看清自己的立场是多么站不住脚。
Hence, ‘ask them, if they can speak!’ It seems that his sarcasm shook them into some sort of reflection. “So they turned to themselves, saying, ‘Surely, it is you who are doing wrong.” (Verse 64) This was a good sign: not only were they aware of the absurdity of their stance but also how wrong it was to worship such statues. For once it seemed possible that they would open their eyes and see how untenable their position was.
可悲的是,那只是一道短暂的光亮,随之而来的是彻底的黑暗。他们的心智似乎看到了光明,但很快又沉沦回麻木的状态:"然后他们又恢复了原来的立场,说:'你很清楚这些(偶像)是不会说话的!'"(第65节)
Sadly, it was just a bright flash followed by utter darkness. Their minds seemed to see the light, but they soon sank back into lifelessness: “But then they relapsed into their old position and said, ‘You know very well that these (idols] cannot speak!” (Verse 65)
他们最初的反应是回过神来，但紧接着的第二个反应却是退缩反复，正如《古兰经》所描述的那样，他们又“颠倒了头脑”。起初，有某种东西触动了他们去反思，但不久之后，他们又失去了理智，缺乏清晰的思考和合乎逻辑的论证。如果他们还有任何逻辑，那么他们的最后一句话就给了易卜拉欣一个有力的论据来反驳他们。他还能提出什么更有力的论证呢？那些偶像和神明是哑的，不能说话，这一事实本身就足够了。因此，易卜拉欣不耐烦地质问他们，这一点顺便说一下，与他平时的性格很不相符。
Their first reaction was one of returning to their senses, but their second was a relapse, a tumbling over their heads, as the Qur’ān describes. Initially, something had stirred them to reflect, but soon thereafter they had again lost their senses, lacking clear thought, and logical argument. Had there been any logic, their last statement gives Abraham a forceful argument against them. What more could he argue than the fact that those statues and deities were dumb, unable to speak? Hence, Abraham confronts them with impatience, which incidentally was very uncharacteristic of him.
简言之,他们的荒谬即便对最有耐心的人而言也难以忍受:"易卜拉欣说:'难道你们舍真主而崇拜那些既不能给你们带来益处,也不能给你们带来危害的东西吗?你们和你们舍真主而崇拜的东西都该受诅咒!难道你们不运用理智吗?'"(第66-67节)在这里,我们看到易卜拉欣的耐心已经耗尽,他对他们的荒谬表示惊讶。
Basically, their absurdity was intolerable even for the most forbearing person: “Said [Abraham]: Do you then worship, instead of God, something that cannot benefit or harm you in any way? Fie upon you and upon all that you worship instead of God! Will you not, then, use your reason?” (Verses 66-67) Here we see Abraham’s patience exhausted, as he expresses his amazement at their absurdity.
在此时，他们诉诸暴政——当暴君无言以对、拿不出一个像样的反驳论点时，暴政总是会占上风。他们诉诸蛮力，急于对他施加痛苦的折磨：“他们说：你们若要有所作为，就把他烧死，帮助你们的神灵吧。”（第68节）
At this point, they resorted to tyranny which always prevails when tyrants are left speechless, unable to produce a coherent counter- argument. They resorted to brute force, rushing to inflict on him a painful suffering: “They cried: Burn him, and succour your gods, if you are going to do [anything at all].” (Verse 68)
然而，这些所谓的神灵，既然需要它们的崇拜者来帮助，自己却无法凭借任何东西，它们究竟算是什么样的神明呢？它们软弱无力，毫无能为。
Yet what sort of deities are these which need the support of their servants, while they avail themselves of nothing? They are powerless, helpless.