Page 56 - The Courage of the Faithful

THE COURAGE OF THE FA I T H F U L

ple on a number of varied subjects. The most important virtues of
the Prophet Ibrahim (as) were the deep faith which he possessed, his
great devotion to Allah, and his great courage in doing battle against
the unbelievers. In a verse of the Qur'an, Allah refers to him as " a
community unto himself" (Surat an-Nahl, 120). This accorded sta-
tus should be regarded as an example by all Muslims. Every Muslim

schould become "a community in himself", which is to say, that even
if he is alone, he can possess faith, courage and determination, by
which he may also inspire others.
In a number of verses, Allah relates the examples of the courage
that was coupled with powerful insight in Prophet Ibrahim (as).
One account provided in the Qur'an describes the astounding
courage shown by him in the face of the unbelievers who wor-

shipped idols:
One of his followers in faith was Ibrahim when he came to
his Lord with an unblemished heart, and said to his father
and his people, "What are you worshipping? Is it false-
hood—deities besides Allah—that you desire?" "So what
are your thoughts about the Lord of all the worlds?" He
took a look at the stars and said, "I am sick." So they turned
their backs on him. He turned surreptitiously to their
deities and said, "Do you not eat? What is the matter with

you that you do not speak?" He turned on them, striking
out with his right hand. (Surat as-Saffat, 83-93)
As we are told in these verses, Prophet Ibrahim (as) opposed
himself to the entire tribe, and through clever dialogue, made them
recognize that their idols were not deities, but only manmade sculp-
t u res of wood. The unbelievers, who had not until then ever met

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