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Then the time came when preaching had to be accompanied
with physical action. Abraham planned a bold and decisive blow at idolatry. The
Quranic account is slightly different than what is mentioned in Judeo-Christian
traditions, as they say for Abraham to have destroyed his father’s personal
idols.
The Quran tells that he destroyed the idols of his people, kept at a religious
altar. Abraham had hinted at a plan involving the idols:
“And, by God, I shall circumvent your idols after you have
gone away and turned your backs.” (Quran 21:57)
It was time for a religious festival, perhaps dedicated
to Sin, for which they left the town. Abraham was invited to attend the
festivities, but he excused himself,
“And he glanced a glance at the stars. Then said: ‘Lo! I
feel sick!’”
So, when his peers left without him, it became his opportunity.
As the temple was deserted, Abraham made his way there and approached the
gold-plated wooden idols, which had had elaborate meals left in front of them
by the priests. Abraham mocked them in disbelief:
“Then turned he to their gods and said: ‘Will you not eat? What
ails you that you speak not?’”
After all, what could have deluded man to worship gods
of his own carving?
“Then he attacked them, striking with his right hand.”
The Quran tells us:
“He reduced them to fragments, all except the chief of them.”
When the temple priests returned, they were shocked to
see the sacrilege, the destruction of the temple. They were wondering who
could have done this to their idols when someone mentioned the name of Abraham,
explaining that he used to speak ill of them. When they called him to their
presence, it was for Abraham to show them their foolishness:
“He said: ‘Worship you that which you yourselves do carve when
God has created you and what you make?’”
Their anger was mounting; in no mood for being preached
to, they got straight to the point:
“Is it you who has done this to our gods, O Abraham?”
But Abraham had left the largest idol untouched for a
reason:
“He said: ‘But this, their chief has done it. So question
them, if they can speak!’”
When Abraham so challenged them, they were cast into
confusion. They blamed each other for not guarding the idols and, refusing to
meet his eyes, said:
“Indeed you know well these speak not!”
So Abraham pressed his case.
“He said: ‘Worship you then instead of God that which cannot
profit you at all, nor harm you? Fie on you and all that you worship instead
of God! Have you then no sense?’”
The accusers had become the accused. They were accused
of logical inconsistency, and so had no answer for Abraham. Because Abraham’s
reasoning was unanswerable, their response was rage and fury, and they
condemned Abraham to be burned alive,
“Build for him a building and fling him in the red hot fire.”
The townspeople all helped in gathering wood for the
fire, until it was the largest fire they had ever seen. The young Abraham
submitted to the fate chosen for him by the Lord of the Worlds. He did not
loose faith, rather the trial made him stronger. Abraham did not flinch in the
face of a fiery death even at this tender age; rather his last words before entering
it were,
“God is sufficient for me and He is the best
disposer of affairs.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
Here again is an example of Abraham proving true to the
trials he faced. His belief in the True God was tested here, and he proved
that he was even prepared to surrender his existence to the call of God. His
belief was evidenced by his action.
God had not willed that this be the fate of Abraham, for
he had a great mission ahead of him. He was to be the father of some of the
greatest prophets known to humanity. God saved Abraham as a sign for him and
his people as well.
“We (God) said: ‘O fire, be coolness and peace for Abraham.’ And
they wished to set a snare for him, but We made them the greater losers.”
Thus did Abraham escape the fire, unharmed. They tried
to seek revenge for their gods, but they and their idols were in the end humiliated.
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