THE SELLER OF IDOLS – COLD FIRE

WHO IS MY GOD? – THE INVITATION FOR THE FATHER

TO MECCA – BAIT AL MAQDIS

Describe the environment in which Prophet Ibraheem was born.

Explain why Ibraheem decided to break the idols worshipped by his people.

Explain how intelligently Ibraheem planned the destruction of the idols worshipped by his people.

Explain how Ibraheem was saved from the fire by Allah the Almighty.

Realize the power of Ibraheem’s arguments before which the idols’, celestial bodies’ and kings were left speechless.

Understand Allah’s caring for “His Friends” and their families.

Explain the origin of the water of “Zamzam”.

Understand how and why the Ka’ba was built.

Realize the human tendency of jealousy even for the true believers.

Ibraheem was born in an environment where people worshipped everything but Allah the Almighty.

Born in such an atmosphere, Ibraheem stood against the entire system of his community: against all kinds of polytheism. This is the beginning of a life-time struggle in order to bring humanity back to its Creator, the Almighty Allah.

Ibraheem’s family lived in a city called Babylonia long time ago. His father, Azar, was famous in the city because he was fabricating and selling idols.

Since his childhood Ibraheem had a strong aversion for the idols and he could understand why his people, his father included, are worshipping these man-made statues.

As a child he noticed that his father used to make strange statues and after long observations and thoughts, he finally decided to ask his father about what he is making.

Azar answered that he is making statues of gods. The small child was astonished by this answer and he spontaneously rejected the idea altogether.

He was shocked when he saw people, his own father included, prostrating and begging these idols for help and even crying in the process.

To make things worse, Azar expected Ibraheem to become a priest when he grew up.

Ibraheem’s father was very angry and furious about his son’s attitude towards the idols because his father not only worshipped idols but sculpted and sold them as well. Thus, the attitude of his son is very embarrassing for him.

On the other hand, Ibraheem thought that it was his duty as a good son to advise his father against this evil so that he could be saved from ALLAH’s punishment.

He approached his father wisely and began using gentle words in order to convince him to abandon worshipping lifeless idols.

His father’s reply was harsh. He (the father) said: “Do you reject my gods, O Abraham? If you stop not this, I will indeed stone you. So get away from me safely before I punish you.”

Notwithstanding that negative result from his own father, he decided to give the same advice to his people.

Like his father, the people became angry and did not understand what he meant.

When he realized that the people would not give up worshipping idols, he made the firm decision to destroy these idols.

Once the idols destroyed, there is no room for anyone of his people to still believe that the idols can do any good to someone since they cannot even protect themselves, Ibraheem thought.

He waited the day of their annual festival when everybody at the celebration outside the city to execute his plan.

He entered the temple and found the food laid in front of the stone and wood statues of the gods as offerings.

Ibraheem wanted to mock the idols before destroying them. So he approached one of the statues and asked: “Come on! The food in front of you is getting cold! Why don’t you eat?”

The statue remained silent. Then he went around asking all the other statues: “Will you not eat of the offering before you?” (Ch 37: 91). “What is the matter with you that you do not speak?” (Ch 37: 92).

Ibraheem then started hitting the false gods worshipped by the people and destroyed them except a big one on whose neck he put the axe.

After the festival was over, people returned back and as usual, they headed to the temple to show their respect to their idols in this special day but were surprised, shocked, and angry to find their gods lying in pieces all over the temple.

The name of Ibraheem came to their minds since he was the one who was questioning their worship of idols. A quick order was given to bring him now.

They said: “Are you the one who has done this to our gods, O Abraham?”

Abraham said: “nay, this one, the biggest of them (idols) did it, Ask them, if they can speak!”

So they turned to themselves and said: “Verily you are the Zalimun (polytheists, and wrongdoers).” Then they turned to themselves (their first thought and said): “Indeed you (Abraham) know well that these idols speak not?”

Abraham said: “Do you then worship besides Allah, things that can neither profit you nor harm you? (Ch 21: 59-67).

But instead of recognizing the truth, their arrogance pushed them to reject it and even deciding to punish Ibraheem.

Some of them suggested that they should burn him and this is what they went for.

Ibraheem was then tied and thrown into the fire.

Immediately Allah’s command to the fire “O fire! Be you coolness and safety for Abraham.” (Ch 21: 69).

Ibraheem demonstrated to the worshippers of the stars and alikethat these heavenly bodies should not be worshipped and taken for gods since they are creatures of Allah and they appeared at one time and disappeared at another time.

The Holy Quran narrated to us how he drew the attention of the worshippers to show them the falsity of their actions.

When he saw the stars, he said “This is my lord.” But when it set he said: “I like not that those who set.” He did the same when he saw the moon and the sun and concluded that they cannot be his gods since they disappeared.

He told them that his Lord is Allah the Almighty to whom nothing can be hidden and that there is no deity but Allah.

Ibraheem delivered the message revealed to him by Allah to his people. He challenged the people’s worship of idols.

He asked them: - “What do you worship?” They answered back - “We worship idols”. He said: - “Do they hear you when you call? Or help or harm

you?” - They said: “We found our fathers doing that.” Here Ibraheem is trying to show them the irrationality

of worshiping idols. Since everyday action people is motivated by either seeking rewards and profits or avoiding pains, he asked them their idols can do one of these things.

There was one king named Namrud who proclaimed himself god and was worshipped by people.

When he heard that Ibraheem walked out safely from the fire and that he only prostrated himself before Allah alone and not before anyone else, he became angry and afraid that Ibraheem may challenge his deity.

So the king Namrud decided to silence Ibraheem and sent for him.

When Ibraheem arrived, the king asked him “who is your Lord, Ibraheem”

He answered “My lord (Allah) is He Who gives life and causes death”.

Then the king said, “I also give life and cause death.”

It was reported that the king had a man brought before him and had him killed and then he had another man brought before him and let him alive. Then turned proudly to Ibraheem and said: “You see! I give life and death. I killed one man and let the other man live”

So he said to the king: “Allah brings the sun from the east. Now you bring it from the west.” The king was bewildered and could not find anything to attack back.

Ibraheem has became aged after spending many years worshiping Allah alone and calling people to follow his way of worship.

But he was not yet father because his wife and only follower, Sarah, was sterile.

Sarah was offered a female-slave, an Egyptian Coptic girl called “Hajar”.

After spending many years in Jerusalem, his wife Sarah told him, “As Allah deprived me of children, you may marry Hajar, hoping that she begets children to you.

He then married Hajar who became pregnant. She started feeling proud over her mistress Sarah who began to get jealous.

Sarah requested that he get Hajar far of her sight. He answered her request and took Hajar and her son Ismael to a far place which is the present Mecca.

He stayed at Mecca for some time and then left his wife Hajar and his son Ismael.

Zam Zam’s well 1/2

Hajar and her son Ismael stayed there alone in that uninhabited place and when the water finished, they felt thirsty.

She went forth and back between Mount Safa and Marwa searching for water seven times.

She then found the angel in the location of the Well of Zamzam. The angel dug the ground with his heal or with his wing until water sprung out. She went on limiting it from the four directions and took handfuls of water and put it in her container, while water kept gushing out every time she took a handful.

Hajar and her son drank. They lived there for some time before a group of people from a tribe called “Jurhum” passing by and found them.

They obtained her permission to settle down with her near the water.

This was how Mecca was established.

Ibraheem’s dream 1/2

During the stay of Hajar and Ismael at Mecca, Ibraheem was visiting them from time to time.

On the first visit, he was very happy with his son who began to run, play, and go around with his father.

Then he dreamed that he sacrificed his son Ismael.

Allah wanted to test him and see which one would he sacrifice for the other between his love for Allah and his love for his son.

He wanted first to see what is the opinion of his son and asked him, “I have seen in a dream that I must sacrifice you. So what do you think?”

His son Ismael replied: “My father, do what you are commanded. Allah willing, you will find me one of the steadfast.” Ch 37: 102).

Once he put the knife on the throat of his son, Ibraheem has already passed the test andAllah sent the angel Gabriel with a sheep from the Garden which he sacrificed instead of his own son

Al Ka’ba 1/2 After a long time away,

Ibraheem visited Ismael again at Mecca after the death of Hajar.

This time he informed his son that Allah has ordered him to build a house “Ka’ba” at Mecca and he needed the cooperation of his son.

Ismael assured him that he would give him his assistance in implementing Allah’s command.

They then started working; they carried stones from around Mecca and built the Ka’ba while remembering Allah and asking him to accept this from them, “Our Lord, accept this from us! You are the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing!” (Ch 2: 127).

Once again, Allah accepted this work from Ibraheem’s family and blessed the Ka’ba. Toady, millions of Muslims are facing the Ka’ba in each of the five daily prayers from all parts of the globe.

Other millions are traveling to it annually in order to perform the pilgrimage ‘Hajj’ and go around the Ka’ba in ‘tawaf’.

Bait Al Maqdis 1/2 When Ibraheem was

away from Hajar and Ismael at Mecca, he stayed at ‘Bait Al Maqdis – Jerusalem” with his other wife “Sarah”.

After 13 years of Ismael’s birth by Hajar, Allah the Most Merciful granted Sarah a so whose name was Ishaq.

Ibrahim, Sarah, and Ishaq lived in Palestine (Bait Al Maqdis – Jerusalem) while Hajar and Ismael lived in Mecca and Ibraheem visited them from time to time.

Ishaq erected a house for Allah in Palestine just as his father and brother had done in Mecca. It is in ‘Bait Al Maqdis – Jerusalem’ and it is known today as “Al-Aqsa Mosque” which Allah blessed the land around it.

Ishaq had a son named Ya’qub who was a Prophet and had twelve sons, including Yusuf ibn Ya’qub whose wonderful story was fully narrated to us in the Holy Quran.

This is the summary of the life of one the great Prophets of Allah – Ibraheem - whose whole life was devoted to the cause of Allah.

Allah blessed and rewarded his efforts and made him “His Close One”. He also made all the Prophets with divine books after from his descendants.

Moreover, Ibraheem was ranked second among the Messengers of Firm Will after Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon all of them). The rest three of Messengers of Firm Will were Noah, Moses, and Jesus.

According to Ibn Khathir, the People of the Book report that Sarah died in Hebron at the age of 127. Ibraheem buried her and shortly afterwards, he fell ill and died at the age of 175 or 190. Allah knows best.

ENGLISH

Ibn Kathir, Imam Abi al-Fidaa Ismail. Stories of the Prophets = Qissasul anbiya. Trans. Muhammad Mustapha, Azhar Unversity. From: www.islambasics.com 

bn Kathir, Imam Abi al-Fidaa Ismail. Stories of the Prophets = Qissasul anbiya. 2001. Trans. Sayed, G, Tamir, Abu A.,& Muhammad, A. M. Al-Mansoura: Dar Al-Manarah. 

Sayyed, Abul Hassan Ali Nadwi. 1990. The Stories of the Prophets. UK ISLAMIC ACADEMY. 

ARABIC

قصص أبو الحسن علي الندوي, -4, مؤسسة الرسالة النبيين لألطفال

م2001 .

قصص محمد متولي الشعراوي, -5 المكتبة العصرية األنلياء والمرسلين,

م2000للطباعة و النشر. بيروت .

قصص األنبياء: قصص حسن أيوب, -6الصفوة الممتازة أنبياء الله و رسله,

دار السالم للطباعة و النشر و التوزيع – م2003القاهرة .