What added to the problem was that his father wanted him to be a priest when he was grown? He wanted nothing more from his son but reverences for those statues from Ibrahim (A.S.), yet Ibrahim (A.S.) never stopped displaying his hatred and disdain for them. At first, such a sight seemed funny to him, but later he began to feel angry. They even cried and begged for various things as if the statues heard what they complained and talked about. What surprised him was the way his people behaved when they entered the place of worship, they showed submission and honor in front of the statues. Ibrahim (A.S.), who used to go to the temple with his father when he was a child, greatly despised all these idols made of wood and stone. The largest statues were placed in the middle of the temple.
How do humans imagine that these statues can bring harm and benefit to them? Ibrahim's (A.S.) people had a big temple full of idols. Ibrahim (A.S.) noticed that the statues, which were made by his father, did not eat and drink and were unable to speak, even if somebody overturned it unable to rise and stand as it was. IBRAHIM’S (A.S.) HATRED FOR THE IDOLS/STATUES:
Ibrahim (A.S.) asked: "What is this statue, my father? It has big ears, bigger than ours." His father replied: "It is Mardukh, god of gods, my son, and the two great ears as a symbol of great intelligence." This made Abraham laugh, he was only seven years old at that time. At that moment his father was angry and ordered his son not to play with the statue again. One day, his father saw him riding a statue called Mardukh.
Ibrahim (A.S.) was astonished and he spontaneously rejected the idea.īeing a child he played with such statues sitting on their backs as people sit on the backs of donkeys and mules. One day, he asked about his father's creation then his father told him that these were the statues of the gods. “Indeed We bestowed aforetime on Abraham his (portion of) guidance, and We Were Well Acquainted with him (as to his Belief in the Oneness of Allah etc)” (Surah Anbiya: 21:51)ĭuring his early childhood, Ibrahim (A.S.) realized that his father made strange statues. Allah has gifted Ibrahim (A.S.) with spiritual understanding and gave him wisdom from an early age. At that time some people worshipped idols of stone and wood, others worshipped the planets, stars, sun, moon and some other worshipped their kings and rulers. As a young child, Ibrahim (A.S.) used to watch his father sculpting these idols from stones or wood. He was born in a house of idolaters and his father was a well-known idol sculptor. Ibrahim (A.S.) was born in the ancient city of Ur of the Chaldea, also known as Babylonia or Babylon (currently located in Iraq). Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) was the son of Aazar ibn Nahur, ibn Sarough, ibn Raghu, ibn Phaligh, ibn Aher, ibn Shalih, ibn Arfghshand, ibn Sam, ibn Nuh (A.S.). “And of Ibrahim (Abraham) who fulfilled (or conveyed) all that (what Allah ordered him to do or convey)” (Surah An-Najam: 53:37)
Ibrahim (A.S.) is a prophet who is tested by Allah and despite severe trials and challenges, Ibrahim (A.S.) was shown as a servant who kept his promise and always showed a respectable attitude. However, all narrations suggest that Ibrahim (A.S.) lived form more than 150 years on earth. Some say that he lived for 169 years, some say he lived on earth for 175 years and some says that Ibrahim’s (A.S.) age was 195 years. There are different narrations, by different Islamic Scholars, about the age of Ibrahim (A.S.).