sick,” meaning, “My leg pains me.” When they had gone on, he called out after them, while the weaker members of the people remained behind: “By Allah, I shall surely devise a plan against your idols.” They heard him say this.

Then Abraham returned to the house of the gods. They were arranged in a vast hall: a large idol faced the entrance to the hall, with a smaller one beside it; and the idols stood next to one another, each idol followed by one smaller than itself, all the way to the entrance of the hall. They had prepared food and placed it before the gods, saying, “When we return, and the gods have blessed our food, we shall eat.”

When Abraham looked at them and at the food before them, he said to them mockingly, “Will you not eat?” When they did not answer him, he said, “What is the matter with you that you do not speak?” Then he turned upon them, striking with his right hand, and began smashing them with the axe in his hand. When none remained except the largest idol, he hung the axe around its neck and then left. (1) This is what He, exalted is He, says.