Hazrat Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) – Part 4
When the people were left speechless, they adopted the same
attitude that every rebellious nation adopts after being defeated. They planned
to make Hazrat Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) a target of punishment. Allah Ta‘ala
mentioned their evil plot, saying: _They said, “Build for him a structure, then
throw him into the blazing fire.” They intended a plot against him, but We made
them the lowest.
It happened like this: they began to gather firewood from every
possible place and kept collecting it for a long time. It reached the point
that if a woman fell ill, she would vow, “If I am cured, I will give so much
firewood to burn Ibrahim.” Then they placed all that firewood in a level place
and set fire to it. The fire was lit, it blazed, and its flames rose high. Such
huge sparks began to fly from it as no one had ever seen before.
Then they placed Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) in a catapult that a
man named Jaan had made. He was the first person to make one. Allah Ta‘ala
caused him to sink into the earth, and he will continue to sink until the Day
of Judgment. Then the people seized you, tied you up, and at that time you were
saying, “O Allah, there is no deity besides You. You are the Lord of the
worlds. All praise is Yours, yours is the dominion, and You have no partner.”
When Hazrat Ibrahim was bound hand and foot and placed in the
catapult to be thrown into the fire, you were saying, _“Sufficient for us is
Allah, and He is the best Disposer of affairs.”_ And when the disbelievers had
gathered armies against you, and they said, “Fear them,” it only increased
their faith, and they said, _“Sufficient for us is Allah, and He is the best
Disposer of affairs.”_ Then they returned with blessing and bounty from Allah,
and no harm touched them.
It is mentioned that when Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) was in the
air, Jibra’il (Peace be upon him) appeared and said, “O Ibrahim, do you have
any need?” He replied, “From you, I have no need.” It is narrated from Hazrat
Ibn Abbas and Hazrat Sa‘id bin Jubayr that the angel of rain said, “When will I
be commanded to send down rain?” But Allah’s command had already preceded mine.
The command of Allah came: “We said, O fire, be coolness and safety upon
Ibrahim.”
Have you not seen the one who, because Allah had given him
kingship, argued with Ibrahim about his Lord? When Ibrahim said, “My Lord is
the One Who gives life and causes death,” he said, “I too give life and cause
death.” Ibrahim said, “Indeed, Allah brings the sun from the east, so you bring
it from the west.” So the disbeliever was confounded. And Allah does not guide
the wrongdoing people.
At this place, Allah Ta‘ala has mentioned the debate of His Khalil
(Peace be upon him) with this rebellious, tyrannical king who claimed lordship.
Hazrat Ibrahim Khalil-ur-Rahman (Peace be upon him) proved his argument false,
exposed his ignorance and lack of intellect, silenced him in the field of
debate, and presented the straight path before him.
Historians and commentators say that this king was the king of
Babylon, whose name was Namrud bin Kinaan bin Kawish bin Sam bin Nuh. Mujahid
(may Allah have mercy on him) said the same. Some scholars have given his
lineage like this: Namrud bin Salih bin Abir bin Salih bin Falakh bin Sam bin
Nuh (Peace be upon him).
Mujahid (may Allah have mercy on him) and other scholars state
that this person ruled over the entire world, because according to sayings,
four kings ruled the whole world — two were believers and two were
disbelievers. The believers were Dhul-Qarnayn and Sulayman, and the
disbelievers were Namrud and Bakht Nasr.[Nebuchadnezzar]
The scholars say that Namrud remained king continuously for 400
years. He adopted the path of rebellion, oppression, and tyranny, and kept the
principle of the world before him instead of the Hereafter. When Hazrat Ibrahim
(Peace be upon him) invited him to the worship of Allah, the One without
partner, he denied the Creator due to ignorance and misguidance. Hazrat Ibrahim
debated with him. When he claimed lordship, Hazrat Ibrahim said, “My Lord gives
life and causes death.” He said, “I too give life and cause death.” Ibrahim
said, “Indeed, Allah is the One Who brings the sun from the east, so you bring
it from the west.”
At sunrise, Namrud gathered all his army. Allah Ta‘ala sent so
many mosquitoes that the sun was hidden by their swarm. Allah set the
mosquitoes upon the soldiers, and they ate their flesh until only bones
remained. One mosquito entered the king’s nose. Through it, Allah kept him
afflicted with punishment for 400 years, so much so that he would be beaten on the
head with hammers, until he died in that condition.
_Source: Al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, Imam Ibn Kathir_
Comments
Post a Comment