The Story of Abraham, the Friend of the Most Merciful—peace be upon him

Allah has recounted in His Book many passages from the life of Abraham. In them lies a model for us with regard to all the prophets in general and to him in particular, for Allah commanded our Prophet—and through him, all of us—to follow Abraham’s way. That way comprises the beliefs he held, his noble character, and his deeds, both personal and those that benefit others. Allah granted him sound judgment and taught him wisdom from his earliest years, and He showed him the realm of the heavens and the earth. Consequently, Abraham surpassed all people in certainty, knowledge, and strength in Allah’s religion, while remaining a mercy to His servants.

Allah sent him to an idolatrous people who worshipped the sun, the moon, and the stars—philosophers among the Sabians, one of the most malignant and harmful sects to mankind. Abraham called them to the truth by various means, the first of which was a method no rational person could reject. Because they revered the seven moving heavenly bodies—among them the sun and the moon—and had built houses for them which they called “temples,” he addressed them as an observer and disputant: “Come, my people, let us see whether any of these bodies truly deserves divinity or lordship.”

“When night fell upon him, he saw a star and said, ‘This is my Lord’” (Q 6:76).

Debate differs from other forms of discourse in several respects, one of which is that the debater may state something he does not actually believe in order to build an argument upon it and thereby establish proof against his opponent. This is precisely what Abraham did when he smashed their idols. When they asked him, “Did you do this to our gods, O Abraham?” (Q 21:62), he pointed to the idol he had left intact and said, “Rather, it was this chief of theirs who did it” (Q 21:63). Clearly, his goal was to bind them with evidence—and he achieved it.