Prophets in the Quran: Ibrahim I

Eman Mahmoud

10 Apr 2018

Ibrahim, in Arabic, or Abraham, as known in Hebrew, was born in, what is today, Iraq. His people, including his father, used to worship idols. Ibrahim’s father used to make these idols for people to worship, but Ibrahim could not understand how these idols would answer people’s requests. Allah says, “And recite to them the news of Abraham, when he said to his father and his people, "What do you worship?" They said, "We worship idols and remain to them devoted." He said, "Do they hear you when you supplicate? Or do they benefit you, or do they harm?" They said, "But we found our fathers doing thus," [Ash-Shu’ara, 69-74].

Ibrahim rejected these idols as he believed that they could do nothing to or for people. Then, he started to look for other objects that could be worshipped. He, first, looked at the star declaring that he would take it as a God, but when it disappeared, he changed his mind; Ibrahim said, “I like not those that disappear," [Al-An’am, 76]. He did the same with the moon and sun but found them to disappear. He, then, declared to worship the only God; He said: “Indeed, I have turned my face toward He who created the heavens and the earth, inclining toward truth, and I am not of those who associate others with Allah," [Al-An’am, 79].

He took the mission after that to call his people to worship Allah and not the idols. He kept asking his father to repent to Allah but refused his message, so Ibrahim decided to destroy all of the idols except the biggest one. When they found them, they asked Ibrahim if he did that, but he replied, "Rather, this - the largest of them - did it, so ask them, if they should [be able to] speak," [Al-Anbya, 68]. They got angry with his answer and decided to burn him, but Allah said, "O fire, be cool and safe for Abraham," [Al-Anbya, 69].

People were shocked by this miracle, which was a test from Allah to Ibrahim. Then, he decided to leave his place, father, and people and migrated with his wife Sarah to another city moving from a place called Ur to Egypt, where he kept calling people to worship Allah.

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