The name of Abraham's father


Question:

Was the father of Ibrahim (Abraham) Al-Khalil (The Close Servant) (peace be upon him) called Azar or Azaar? Is it derived, as some people claim, from a past tense verb meaning “committed a sin” - that is to say, disobeying Ibrahim (Abraham) Al-Khalil, or from the noun “wizr” (sin)? Which of them is correct?

Answer:

Azar is a Persian name of the father of Ibrahim (Abraham, peace be upon him) according to the most authentic scholars’ opinions. Linguistically, “Azar” is an Apposition to the word “father” or an Explanatory Apposition, not a past tense verb derived from “wizr” (sin), for the past tense of “wizr” is “wazara”, a triliteral verb meaning “to commit (a sin); to bear.” Whereas “Azar” is a quadrilateral word and was not the name of an idol that was worshiped by the people of Ibrahim and his father, because this would be contradicting the context of Ibrahim’s speech (peace be upon him) to his father and to the idols mentioned in the same Ayah in detail afterwards, including planets, the moon and the sun.

May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet, his family and Companions