Thursday, March 21, 2013

9. IBRAHIM A.S., NAMRUD, AND THE KING OF EGYPT



The king of Babylon, Namrud, heard of Ibrahim’s a.s. safe exit from the fire and became very angry.  He feared the status of godhead he had proclaimed for himself was noe under threat.  Namrud summoned Ibrahim a.s. to the palace and held a dialogue with him.  Namrud was indeed a great and powerful king.  Ibrahim a.s. was not overawed by Namrud’s status.  He calmly and confidently articulated the basic concepts of Tawheed to the King of Babylon.
Namrud subsequently ordered two men from prison who were already sentenced to death to be brought to him.  He ordered one of them to be killed and the other freed.  He boasted arrogantly that he controls life and death.  Namrud did not confront Ibrahim a.s. further nor did he punish him.  He just ordered Ibrahim a.s. to leave his palace.  Ibrahim a.s. left and migrated to the land of Palestine.  He settles around the Haran area.
Ibrahim a.s. then lived in Haran and became part of its community.  He married Sarah.  In Haran, the people worshipped idols and the stars.  They practiced their worship at night when the stars appeared.  Ibrahim a.s. began to argue in jest about the falseness of the stars, the moon, the sun or any heavenly bodies as an object of worship.  The stars, the moon and the sun have a beginning and an end.  None of these created objects are permanent.
When nobody believed him, Ibrahim a.s. decided to migrate to Egypt.

News of his arrival with the most beautiful woman on earth (Sarah) reached the ruler of Egypt.  He desired her and sent his soldiers to bring this woman.  He gave instruction to kill the man accompanying her if he was the husband.  Allah s.w.t. informed Ibrahim a.s. of the impending danger.  So when the soldiers came towards them and asked Ibrahim a.s. who the woman was, he replied that she was his sister.
The tyrant king then called Sarah and he tried to grab her.  She prayed to Allah s.w.t. knowing that the king was dissolute and wanted to take her.  As the king stretched his hands for her, his hands became stiff.  He started to cry, unable to move his hands.  The king pleaded with Sarah to help him and he promised not to harm her.  Sarah asked Allah s.w.t. to cure the tyrant.  He was immediately cured.  He then tried to grab her a second time, but his hands became stiff again.  He again pleaded with Sarah giving the same assurance.  Sarah asked Allah s.w.t. again to cure him.  But he attacked her again for the third time and his hands became stiff yet again.  He pleaded again and this time assuring Sarah that he will set her free.  Sarah prayed to Allah s.w.t. for the third time.  Sarah was freed and the king was generous to her with gifts of gold and jewelry.  The tyrant king also gave Sarah a maid servant named Hajar.
Ibrahim a.s. decided that Egypt was not a safe place for them and returned to Palestine.  When Ibrahim a.s. settled in Palestine, Prophet Lut a.s. joined him.  He ordered Lu a.s. to move and preach to a group of people in the area of Sodom, also named Al-Mu’tafikah.  Ibrahim a.s. stayed in Palestine with wife Sarah and maidservant Hajar.  He earned a living as a merchant and was very successful accumulating wealth.


STORIES OF THE PROPHETS IN AL-QURAN
(Lessons that we can extract, lessons that we can apply)
(Teaser extraction from the book)

To be continued…
(Enjoy and read the full version from the book
or listen to the narrated stories through iPhone)

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