Page 62 - The Prophet Abraham (pbuh)
P. 62
The Prophet Abraham (pbuh)
After sending the unbelievers away, he went up to the
idols and smashed them:
He turned surreptitiously to their deities and asked:
"Don't you eat? What is the matter with you that you don't
speak?" He turned on them, striking out with his right
hand. ( Surat as-Saffat: 91-93)
He broke them in pieces, except for the largest one, so that
they would have it to consult! (Surat al-Anbiya: 58)
Leaving the largest idol untouched shows great wisdom.
When his tribe saw what had happened and that only the
largest idol remained, they immediately began looking for the
person who had done this. Since they were aware of the
Prophet Abraham's (pbuh) opposition to their idols and pa-
ganism, they quickly realized that he was responsible and so
sought him out to take their revenge:
They exclaimed: "Who has done this to our deities? He is
definitely one of the wrongdoers!" They said: "We heard a
young man mentioning them. They call him Abraham."
They ordered: "Bring him before the people's eyes so they
can be witnesses!" They asked: "Did you do this to our
deities, Abraham?" (Surat al-Anbiya: 59-62)
That question revealed why the Prophet Abraham (pbuh)
did not destroy the largest idol:
He said: "No, this one, the largest of them, did it. Ask
them, if they are able to speak!" (Surat al-Anbiya: 63)
Hearing this response, the unbelievers inevitably began
thinking and understanding that their idols would never have
the power of speech. And so his plan succeeded, for it caused
them to question their pagan belief system. Allah says:
They consulted among themselves and said: "It is you
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