Prophet Abraham and the Most Ancient Inquisition 

Published in May 14, 2010

Translated by: Ahmed Fathy

Abraham and the most ancient Inquisition ever in the world:

"..."Are you the one who did this to our gods, O Abraham?"" (21:62)

Are today's Arabs (dis)similar to Abraham's people?

Firstly: introduction:

1- The term "Inquisition" emerged when Granada, the last city ruled by Arabs in Andalusia (modern Spain or the Iberia peninsula), was lost in 897 A.H./ 1492 A.D., and the Inquisition courts forced 'Muslims'/ or Muhammadans there to convert to Catholicism, while the new rulers were keen on removing any signs, monuments, and features of Arab rule there that remained flourishing for about eight centuries. Inquisition courts were, as a whole, the tool used by King Fernando for about 20 years as a ruler of Spain to control and catholicize it. Inquisition courts were established by virtue of a papal bull issued in Ramadan 888 A.H./ Oct. 1483 A.D., and later on and gradually, the Catholic Church adopted Inquisition as a tool to persecute, oppress, and chase 'heretics'; i.e., those who opposed the Church, and Church councils made up of cardinals and bishops were formed under the name: Inquisition courts; a century later, the Catholic pope authorized the Inquisition courts fully, which were controlled by the Dominicans, who controlled all local authorities and held trials for all 'heretics' within all levels, and this went on until the 19^th century, as Europe began to wake up and prevent the Church from assuming any roles in the political life.   

2- Despite the fact that Islam (i.e., Quranism) fights and opposes all types of clergy and religious authority, manipulating its name in the political life of Arabs created the tyrannical theocratic caliphates that claim to be 'embodiments' of Islam, and political divisions and disputes created the climate leading to the emergence of earthly, man-made religions of the Muhammadans: Sufism, Shiite creed, and Sunnite creed, and each has its branching doctrines. Because caliphs manipulated religious stances and views to control caliphates, they helped create Inquisition-like court trials imposed by the caliphs/sultans to oppress and persecute, with the help of the Muhammadan clergymen obsequiously subservient to the caliphate, political foes and rivals as well as opposition figures who were against the formal religious doctrine of the caliphate. For instance, when Al-Mu'tazala thinkers were nearer to some caliphs as favored retinue members, they urged caliphs to persecute the extremist sheikh Ibn Hanbal. In later eras, extremist Sunnite followers of Ibn Hanbal doctrine rose in power and became favored by and nearer to caliphs, and they in turn urged caliphs to persecute their foes: Al-Mu'tazala thinkers, Shiites, Sufis, and People of the Book (i.e., Jews + Christians). In later eras, Sufi sheikhs grew too powerful and in their turn, they urged caliphs to persecute extremist followers of Ibn Hanbal doctrine such as Ibn Taymiyya. This means that thousands of people in all eras were incarcerated and tortured, and some Sufi sheikhs at one time were put to death, such as Al-Sahrawardi, Al-Khozaai, and Al-Halaj. More details are found in our article titled "How Sunnite Sufism Emerged to Confront Shiite Sufism"            

Secondly: the Inquisition-like trial of Abraham:

1- The Quran mentions the very first Inquisition-like trial ever in human history; it is worthy of analysis and study. It is when the people of Abraham held a trial for Abraham in his adolescence after he smashed the idols worshipped by his people. Abraham reached the Truth as his own soul entered into an intellectual dialogue with his own mind, and he realized the absurdity of carving statues to be worshipped. We contemplate Quranic details of this trial of Abraham and we emphasize the fact that Arabs and Muhammadans of today in the 21^st century, who assume themselves to be 'Muslims', are more shamefully obscurantist and backward in comparison to Abraham's people who lived thousands of years ago.    

2- The internal monologue of Abraham (or the dialogue between his soul and his mind) is recorded in the Quran; how he reached the Truth of (There is no God but Allah); see 6:75-81, and how he faced  his polytheistic father; see 19:41-48. The Quran tells us how Abraham debated with his people and then confronted them by destroying their idols; see 21:51-70, 37:85-99, 26:69-89, and 29:16-27, and how Abraham debated with the polytheistic self-deified ruler; see 2:258. History tells us that Abraham left his people and immigrated for God's sake, most probably from the northern Iraq to the south of the Levant. In this article, we focus mainly on the Inquisition-like trial of Abraham and events before it.          

Thirdly: before the Inquisition-like trial of Abraham:

1- Abraham was an adolescent youth at the time, who deserted since his early age the worship of pagan idols, as he was guided to the Truth, and God describes him in the Quran as follows: "...the creed of Abraham the Monotheist, who was not a polytheist." (6:161); "...a monotheist, and was not of the polytheists." (16:120). It is normal to expect that Abraham as an adolescent at the time was not known among notables of his people; when his people were surprised their idols/deities smashed, they asked: "..."Who did this to our gods?..."" (21:59); and the response came to them with an indication that Abraham was not very much known to them: "They said, "We heard a youth mentioning them. He is called Abraham."" (21:60). This means they would not have known him if it had not been for the fact that he debated with them about their gods/idols.

2- This adolescent Abraham had a very good reasoning mind; he sought guidance with all his might and God granted him guidance at an early age, as we infer from the following verse: "We gave Abraham his integrity formerly, and We knew him well." (21:51). 

3- So as to learn from the experience of Abraham in guidance, we notice that he was the one to seek God first, in an ardent quest for guidance, with all the might of his intellectual faculties; this is deduced from this verse about Abraham: "When he came to his Lord with a sound heart." (37:84). This means that the first step of guidance is when one seeks it wholeheartedly with all one's might, heart, and mind; one is to be in search for the Truth by oneself, while imploring Almighty God to guide one to the Truth, with the intention to follow it faithfully. This way, one will come to the Lord with a sound heart, like what Abraham did. In contrast, the one with an unjust, sick heart is one who insists that the truth is confined only to traditions inherited from ancestors and forefathers. It is expected that those with sound hearts, free from polytheistic notions, would have some questions; even Abraham after he became a prophet of God who received divine inspiration, he asked God to show him how the dead are bright back to life, and God responded to his request by a practical evidence: "And when Abraham said, "My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead." He said, "Have you not believed?" He said, "Yes, but to put my heart at ease." He said, "Take four birds, and incline them to yourself, then place a part on each hill, then call to them; and they will come rushing to you. And know that God is Powerful and Wise."" (2:260).     

4- Abraham was a special person; he was raised and brought up within people who worshipped idols, but he shunned and rejected these idols since his early days, and he was the only and first one to do so as an adolescent, as he dedicated his heart entirely to God, and his relative (probably his nephew) Lot followed him, among others. Abraham did not keep his faith in his heart to himself while leaving his people to worship their idols; even during his adolescence and early youth, he was concerned with the idea of reform. Other young men at similar age are usually busy with the obsession of sex and trials and tribulations of adolescence.       

5- Such was the background of the first Inquisition trial in human history – as far as we know. Sadly, religious and intellectual Inquisition-like trials are still being held in backward tyrannical countries, especially countries of the Muhammadans who claim to belong to Quran and Islam. The Muhammadans read the Quran story of Abraham and his peaceful reform endeavors, and yet, they are keen on creating pagan idols to worship and deify, and we allude here to mausoleums around which many Muhammadans circle and they worship at them, implore and invoke them, and recite the Quran to them; this is frank worship of stones carved by men, such as Abraham's people did when they carved pagan idols of stone and worshipped them. Moreover, the Muhammadans have their own intellectual idols; they idolize, sanctify, and deify ancient imams/writers and their books and volumes, considering them as if they were divine revelation above the Quran, replacing and supplanting it. When reformist preachers read the Quran to them to refute their notions, the Muhammadans would hold Inquisition-like trials for them and accuse them of insulting and showing contempt to religion – the religion of worshipping and sanctifying stones and mortals, of course.            

6- The people of Abraham used to worship God alongside with the pagan idols and planets and stars; some of the pagan statues they carved represented these worshipped celestial bodies. Just like the polytheistic Muhammadans of our times, the people of Abraham never saw any contradiction between their worship of and belief in God and their worship of and belief in other pagan deities/statues carved by them simultaneously. The evidence we quote that prove they knew, honored, and revered God is what Abraham told them in his speech addressed to them before he smashed their idols: "... "What are you worshiping? Is it false deities, instead of God, that you want? So what is your opinion about the Lord of the Worlds?"" (37:85-87). This means they knew God the Creator of the universe, and Abraham rebuked them for their negative opinion of God, as they belittled Him by worshipping deities/idols they carve alongside with Him that will never harm or benefit them, as Abraham told them during the trial, as he severely reproached them: "He said, "Do you worship, instead of God, what can neither benefit you in anything, nor harm you? Fie on you, and on what you worship instead of God. Do you not understand?"" (21:66-67).      

7- Abraham as an adolescent resorted to his reasoning faculties and innate instinct when he entered into an interior monologue, or rather a dialogue between his mind and soul, reaching the conclusion that he rejected the polytheism of his people, and he sincerely sought guidance from God. in the Quran, God the Omniscient tells us about this interior monologue of Abraham before the Lord God: "Thus We showed Abraham the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, that he might be one of those with certainty. When the night fell over him, he saw a planet. He said, "This is my lord." But when it set, he said, "I do not love those that set." Then, when he saw the moon rising, he said, "This is my lord." But when it set, he said, "If my Lord does not guide me, I will be one of the misguided people." Then, when he saw the sun rising, he said, "This is my lord, this is bigger." But when it set, he said, "O my people, I am innocent of your polytheism. I have directed my attention towards Him Who created the heavens and the earth - a monotheist - and I am not of the polytheists."" (6:75-79). We infer that Abraham realized the fact that God must be Omnipresent and Sovereign Who watches over everything and everyone. Thus, Abraham realized the absurdity and futility of worshipping other deities beside God, and he declared his faith to his people in 6:79.        

8- This was a very important feature of the character of Abraham since his being guided as an adolescent: he was outspoken and vociferous in declaring the Truth as he aimed to guide his people to it.

Fourthly: how Abraham debated with his father and his people before the Inquisition-like trial:

1- We quote here the dialogue between Abraham and his father: "And mention in the Book Abraham. He was a man of truth, a prophet. He said to his father, "O my father, why do you worship what can neither hear, nor see, nor benefit you in any way? O my father, there has come to me knowledge that never came to you. So follow me, and I will guide you along a straight way. O my father, do not worship the Devil. The Devil is disobedient to the Dominant Lord. O my father, I fear that a punishment from the Dominant Lord will afflict you, and you become an ally of the Devil."" (19:41-45). This shows how Abraham began his intellectual speech addressing the mind with one of the nearest kin: his father. Abraham reminded him that these idols are dead, as they are deities carved of stone, never hearing or seeing anything, as idols and mausoleums are made of building materials like any other buildings: bathrooms, houses, stables, stys, etc. We assert here that the question of Abraham in 19:42, posed centuries ago, is indeed a slap on the face of most Muhammadans of today, who are still worship what they fashion and fabricate, despite their overt claim to believe in the Quran. after Abraham proved to his father that the polytheistic faith is null and void leading to nothing but Hell, he attempted to convince him to adhere to the Truth; we deduce from the verse 19:43 that Abraham became a prophet of God since his early age, as he told his father about the knowledge he received. The term ''knowledge'' here and throughout the Quranic text refers to divine revelation that must be followed by sincere believers, whereas its opposite is the devilish, Satanist revelation and the worship/obedience of the Devil, as per 19:44. Abraham had hit the core or the crux of the matter while addressing his father in 19:45; as one must choose between either to devote one's acts of worship, deification, and sanctification only to God without sanctifying items, creatures, or mortals at all, or to deify and sanctify creatures alongside with God, thus becoming a worshipper of the Devil not God. On the Day of Resurrection, polytheistic human beings will be addressed that way by God: "Did I not covenant with you, O Children of Adam, that you shall not serve the devil? That he is your sworn enemy? And that you shall serve Me? This is a straight path. He has misled a great multitude of you. Did you not understand?" (36:60-62). There are two types of polytheism; the first type is in terms of practice, when one worship stones or items like pagan idols, relics, tombs, and mausoleums. This type of polytheism is the working of the Devil, who convinces the polytheists to seek benediction from 'holy' location, relic, tomb, or item, as if the entombed person, made 'holy' as a 'saint', would cause miracles to occur with certain divine powers! The polytheists that way would worship the entombed mortals, bring offerings to them, and worship at their mausoleums (by circling them, reading the Quran to them, prostration and kneeling, etc.). Indeed, if we imagine that the so-called saints would be raised from their tombs, their worshippers would run away in fright. It is Satan who convinced those polytheists by such myths and falsehoods in such practices rejected by the reasoning human mind, and God asserts that such mausoleums are the work of the Devil: "O you who believe! Wine, gambling, sanctified buildings, and idols are abominations of Satan's doing. Avoid them, so that you may prosper. " (5:90). Of course, Satan did not built such mausoleums himself, but Satan convinced some people that the so-called saints and building materials built over their tombs are 'alive', 'immortal', and 'holy' as deities that have divine powers to control the living people and to bring them either harm or benediction. By rejecting such devilish myths, the 'holy' mausoleums turn into mere stones, building materials, and tombs that they actually are. It is these Satanist, devilish false beliefs that add sanctity to these items. The second type of polytheism scientific polytheism; i.e., to deify and sanctify ancient fiqh and hadiths books of the Middle Ages and their authors/imams/sheikhs as if they were immortal deities and as if their writings were irrefutable and infallible divine revelation, though their notions is devilish and Satanist as well. Those imams who claimed to receive divine revelation are human devils and enemies of the prophets of God, as per the following verses: "Likewise, We have assigned for every prophet an enemy - human and jinn devils - inspiring one another with fancy words in order to deceive. But had your Lord willed, they would not have done it. So leave them to their fabrications. So that the hearts of those who do not believe in the Hereafter may incline to it, and be content with it, and that they may perpetrate whatever they perpetrate. "Shall I seek a judge other than God, when He is the One who revealed to you the Book, explained in detail?"..." (6:112-114); "And the messenger will say, "My Lord, my people have abandoned this Quran." Likewise, to every prophet We assign enemies from among the wicked. But your Lord suffices as a Guide and Supporter." (25:30-31). Thus, Abraham reached this fact that refutes and undermines not only Muhammadans, but also all polytheists in their devilish earthly, man-made religions in all eras. They will not wake up from their ignorance and polytheism until they receive the shock on the Last Day, knowing they will reside in Hell forever; see 36:60-62. Abraham's misguide father was not convinced by the argument of his son who talked gently to him, as the heartless father told him angrily and threateningly: " He said, "Are you renouncing my gods, O Abraham? If you do not desist, I will stone you. So leave me alone for a while."" (19:46). This means he drove Abraham out of his sight, and maybe his house, while threatening him to stone him to death if he would not stop his preaching the truth. The gentle-hearted son, Abraham, gave a reply to his father in that manner: "He said, "Peace be with you. I will ask my Lord to forgive you; He has been Kind to me. And I will withdraw from you, and from what you pray to instead of God. And I will pray to my Lord, and I hope I will not be disappointed in my prayer to my Lord."" (19:47-48). We discern here that the people of Abraham used to worship God, but alongside with other deities they carved to worship and ask them for aid: "When he withdrew from them, and from what they worship besides God, We granted him Isaac and Jacob. And each We made a prophet." (19:49).    

2- Of course, Abraham was not afraid of his father's threat, he preached to his people and debated with them: "And Abraham, when he said to his people, "Worship God, and fear Him. That is better for you, if you only knew. You worship idols besides God, and you fabricate falsehoods. Those you worship, instead of God, cannot provide you with livelihood. So seek your livelihood from God, and worship Him, and thank Him. To Him you will be returned."" (29:16-17). This means that Abraham told them that pagan idols worshipped by them beside God are fabrications, as devotion of belief, deification, worship acts, and sanctification must be confined only to God. Hence, we deduce that polytheistic acts of worship are based on fabrications, falsehoods, and lies within the claims that the so-called deities and 'saints' can bring benediction, harm, earnings, or benefits, though God is the Sole Owner of all these things. Abraham said further to his people: "And he said, "You have chosen idols instead of God, out of affection for one another in the worldly life. But then, on the Day of Resurrection, you will disown one another, and curse one another. Your destiny is Hell, and you will have no supporters."" (29:25). We discern in this verse in particular the social aspect or indication about all societies dominated by the devilish earthly man-made religions; namely, the so-called religious feasts and festivities (e.g., moulids) turn into social events for polytheists to make friendships based on deifying and sanctifying entombed patron 'saints' and attending festivals/moulids to celebrate these 'saints'. Such affectionate friendships will turn into enmity on the Last Day, as these polytheists will curse and blame one another and will continue to do so in Hell, as the Quran informs us elsewhere.             

3- Abraham talked to his people in 29:25 based on divine revelation as a prophet of God, as God guided him since his adolescence, and Abraham combined his being guided and the next step of preaching verbally and providing practical example and evidence, and this resulted in his Inquisition-like trial that sentenced him to be burned alive.    

Fifthly: the Inquisition-like trial of Abraham: are today's Arabs (dis)similar to Abraham's people?  

1- This trial of Abraham is briefly mentioned in the following verses: "Of his kind was Abraham. When he came to his Lord with a sound heart. He said to his father and his people, "What are you worshipping? Is it false deities, instead of God, that you want? So what is your opinion about the Lord of the Worlds?" Then he took a glance at the stars. And said, "I am sick." But they turned their backs on him and went away. Then he turned to their gods, and said, "will you not eat? What is it with you, that you do not speak? Then he turned on them, striking with his right hand. And they came running towards him. He said, "Do you worship what you carve? When God created you, and what you manufacture?" They said, "Build a pyre for him, and throw him into the furnace." They wished him ill, but We made them the losers." (37:83-98). We read here that Abraham addressed to them a question about the use of worshipping falsehoods and fabrications and how this is belittling and insulting to God. When they urged them to attend their festivity or celebration of their gods (i.e., celestial bodies they deify), he apologized saying that he was sick; this means he was disappointed and displeased because of their rejection of the call for the Truth and their insistence on polytheism, proven by their invitation to him to attend their polytheistic feasts and gatherings, rejecting his preaching. When they left him to attend such celebrations of their deities, mausoleums, and idols, where offerings, oblations, and sacrificed animals will be consumed, Abraham was left alone with the stone idols, and he addressed them mockingly and then smashed them to pieces. When Abraham's people returned in their pagan processions, he repeated to them that they are deeply in the wrong to worship what they had carved while forgetting the fact that God created them and created the material of which their pagan idols were made. The trial of Abraham ended in the decree to burn him alive in a pyre built specially for him, but God's mercy intervened and Abraham was saved.          

2- More detailed picture of the trial of Abraham is found in the Quranic Chapter 21: "We gave Abraham his integrity formerly, and We knew him well. When he said to his father and his people, "What are these statues to which you are devoted?" They said, "We found our parents worshiping them." He said, "You and your parents are in evident error." They said, "Are you telling us the truth, or are you just playing?" He said, "Your Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, the One who created them, and I bear witness to that. "By God, I will have a plan for your idols after you have gone away." So he reduced them into pieces, except for their biggest, that they may return to it. They said, "Who did this to our gods? He is certainly one of the wrongdoers." They said, "We heard a youth mentioning them. He is called Abraham." They said, "Bring him before the eyes of the people, so that they may witness." They said, "Are you the one who did this to our gods, O Abraham?" He said, "But it was this biggest of them that did it. Ask them, if they can speak." Then they turned to one another, and said, "You yourselves are the wrongdoers." But they reverted to their own heads: "You certainly know that these do not speak." He said, "Do you worship, instead of God, what can neither benefit you in anything, nor harm you? Fie on you, and on what you worship instead of God. Do you not understand?" They said, "Burn him and support your gods, if you are going to act." We said, "O fire, be coolness and safety upon Abraham." They planned to harm him, but We made them the worst losers. And We delivered him, and Lot, to the land that We blessed for all people." (21:51-71). We read in these verses that Abraham began with an intellectual dialogue that addresses the human reason and mental faculties, as he posed a question about pagan idols worshipped by them, and his people answered him that this was among deeply rooted traditions inherited from their forefathers. This led Abraham to retort by insisting that they and their ancestors are truly misguided, and they ridiculed him because he made all deities into One God, and he responded by reminding them of the Truth and the True Faith and that God the Creator is the Only True God of all people in all eras. Abraham decided then to provide tangible, practical evidence by smashing their idols to pieces to prove to them that they are mere inanimate stones and could not defend themselves. Abraham ridiculed his people by leaving the biggest statue to blame it for the destruction of the rest. This means that Abraham aimed at undermining their wrong logic, as they would admit that statues of stone never move at all. When people of Abraham were surprised to see their idols smashed to pieces, they kept asking about the perpetrator of such crime or 'massacre', and they soon deduced that the adolescent Abraham was the one to do it, as he denigrated their idols before, and hence came his arrested and public trial.                 

3- Are today's Arabs (dis)similar to Abraham's people?

  We cannot help but notice that the people of Abraham were more civilized in comparison to Arab regimes of today; Abraham's people never tried him in court for ridiculing and cursing their gods, their traditions, and their ancestors, nor when he threatened in public to harm their gods, as their only response for them was to mock him. in other words, the people of Abraham believed in the freedom of thought and belief, and even in the freedom to reveal, proselytize, and preach one's beliefs, and this freedom included verbal abuse of gods and threatening to destroy them. All this was available for Abraham and the people around him never stopped him at that stage; they acted against him only when he actually smashed their idols to pieces. The people of Abraham were civilized even in their measures taken against Abraham; they held a public trial for him attended by everyone, and Abraham was allowed to respond to questions and pose his own and refute and denigrate words of the judges, though he was a mere adolescent at the time.            

Are today's Arabs (dis)similar to Abraham's people?

  Abraham's people never incriminated others' thought and beliefs, they objected only to the deed of smashing their idols. They did not resort to exceptional laws, emergency laws, or martial laws, and they did not issue a decree to put Abraham to death without trial. Abraham's father rejected his son, but this son never disappeared mysteriously or got arrested by dawn with police forced armed with guns, who would have fettered him with shackles and would move him to prison while guarding him with security forces and tanks, as we see in tyrannical Arab regimes, as if he were a criminal. Free, peaceful thinkers in the Arab world are incarcerated and humiliated in this way though they have nothing but their brains, ideas, and pens, with no hidden secrets or agendas, who publish their ideas without coercion or compulsion in religion. This is the difference in terms of civilization between Arabs of today and Abraham's people who used to live tens of centuries ago. Arabs in the 21^st century live as if they were in 90^th century B.C., and Abraham's people surpassed them in human rights, despite the fact that Abraham's people were unjust polytheists, but their injustice is nothing compared to the one of the Middle-Eastern tyrants now. People of Abraham held a public trial for him, with people acting as witnesses: "They said, "Bring him before the eyes of the people, so that they may witness."" (21:61), and upon trial, they asked him instead of readily accusing him first: "They said, "Are you the one who did this to our gods, O Abraham?"" (21:62). Maybe if Abraham had denied the deed or said he did not know anything, they would have set him free. In contrast, Middle-Eastern tyrants hold trials that feign being just, but in fact, they begin with accusation, and torture within cells, and not interrogation and the victims would confess anything under duress. In many cases, the victims would confess to avoid being tortured during their incarceration, but they are tortured anyway routinely and then they are forced to sign confessions, while the press would claim that they were faced with 'incriminating evidence' that led to confession!                

Are today's Arabs (dis)similar to Abraham's people?

  In the verse: "They said, "Are you the one who did this to our gods, O Abraham?"" (21:62), we notice a degree of respect and that they addressed him by his name though he was a mere adolescent at the time, though they were horrified by the deed of his smashing their 'holy' pagan idols/gods, a crime and a sacrilege for them. In contrast, in the countries of the Muhammadans, prisons are filled with millions of innocent ones who are incarcerated for no reason, unjustly, indiscriminately, and even those who remain behind bars even after their imprisonment terms ended, and they are tortured and raped in prison cells, and sometimes given a feminine name to be ridiculed.      

Are today's Arabs (dis)similar to Abraham's people?

 We conclude that Abraham lived within a free society that had not terrorist regime that spread oppression, torture, and terror to stifle and suppress freedom of expression, as Abraham answered his questioners derisively and defiantly: "..."But it was this biggest of them that did it. Ask them, if they can speak."" (21:63). Abraham was lucky as he never suffered emergency laws going on for three decades and thus was never tortured, his ridicule in 21:63 is deemed an insult to any 'dignified court' within Middle-Easter tyrannical regimes that would have provoked the ire of judges, while judges of Abraham reflected upon words of Abraham as if they realized suddenly that he was in the right and their conscience, as a society, was pricked as they realized that they were the unjust ones: "Then they turned to one another, and said, "You yourselves are the wrongdoers."" (21:64), though previously, they accused the smasher of idols as a wrongdoer.   

Are today's Arabs (dis)similar to Abraham's people?

 This is a simple and innocent question: Do judges within tyrannical regimes have conscience? How come they resort to exceptional laws? Judges of Abraham are much better that today's judges within tyrannical Arab regimes who obsequiously serve tyrants. The reason, judges of Abraham had conscience and Abraham managed to make them feel ashamed and disgraced: "But they reverted to their own heads: "You certainly know that these do not speak."" (21:64). This allowed Abraham to achieve moral victory over them that led him to smash their pagan idols. In the modern-age Arab world, no  defendants who are innocent managed to refute claims of judges, in the manner of Abraham when he said: "...Do you worship, instead of God, what can neither benefit you in anything, nor harm you?" (21:66). When Abraham said so, he turned the tables on them; judges became guilty defendants and the defendant became a judge, and in addition, Abraham mocked them and their gods: "Fie on you, and on what you worship instead of God. Do you not understand?"" (21:67). This made judges of Abraham realize that their authority, stature, high-rank position, and wealth were linked to the pagan idols and they had to defend the smashed idols accordingly. In fact, these judges had to choose between two stances: either to acknowledge the Truth and follow the adolescent Abraham, thus admitting they were like cattle without brains until awakened by him, or to defend their authority, stature, high-rank position, and wealth based on falsehoods. In the deliberation room, they had to exact severe punishment on Abraham: "They said, "Burn him and support your gods, if you are going to act."" (21:68). This means they wanted to put him to death by burning him alive, instead of following him as  leader to them. But God saved Abraham: "We said, "O fire, be coolness and safety upon Abraham."" (21:69). We conclude that Abraham's preaching criticizes and refutes the root and core of earthly man-made religions: they originated from the Devil/Satan who convince mortals to believe in myths and falsehoods, such as miracles attributed to 'saints' entombed in their mausoleums and divine traits ascribed to 'holy' stones and relics. Thus, Satan is the source of devilish revelations of falsehoods that insult the divine revelation. Abraham managed to make judges of his era face the social roots of the earthly, man-made religions; when he smashed the pagan statues to prove they are merely inanimate pieces of stones that never care about those supplicating them or even urinating on them, the judges realized they had to support such stone gods by burning Abraham alive so as not deter anyone who would think and use their minds, because the intellectual faculties of the human mind undermine myths dominant within any given society: "They said, "Burn him and support your gods, if you are going to act."" (21:68). Thus, this support was not for smashed gods or idols, but for protecting the authority, stature, high-rank position, and wealth of people of Abraham; thus, it served their interests to keep minds of people shackled with religious falsehoods and myths so as not to rebel and demand equality, freedom, and justice, and to resort instead to supplicate deities for aid!                        

Lastly:

  We repeat here that all Quranic stories repeat the same events while focusing on the moral, NOT on the historical elements of names, dates, eras, locations, etc. Thus, in this story of Abraham, we never know the name of the city or people involved, nor the date of the event, and details of the event are repeated in some Quranic chapters to emphasize the moral to make us heed the lessons drawn from the story. The Quran is no history textbook, or a book on science or laws; rather, it is a book of guidance from God. Methods of preaching for guidance include telling stories to draw moral lessons; yet, the Muhammadans have never paid attention to the moral behind the story of Abraham and never drawn useful lessons. Even the inveterate liar, Abou Hurayrah, the narrator/fabricator of hadiths is quoted in the book of Al-Bokhary to have said that Abraham was a liar! This contradicts this Quranic verse in which God says that Abraham was truthful person: "And mention in the Book Abraham. He was a man of truth, a prophet." (19:41). God makes Abraham a role-model and an imam for all people in piety and truthfulness, after he passed all tests successfully: "And when his Lord tested Abraham with certain words, and he fulfilled them. He said, "I am making you a leader of humanity." He said, "And my descendants?" He said, "My pledge does not include the wrongdoers."" (2:124); "And of Abraham, who fulfilled." (53:37). Those accusing Abraham of being a lair are enemies of God and the Quran; stances of people regarding Abraham show if they follow the divine Truth or the devilish, Satanist falsehoods: "Who would forsake the religion of Abraham, except he who fools himself? We chose him in this world, and in the Hereafter he will be among the righteous." (2:130). Those who support Abraham are allying themselves to God as we infer from the following verse: "The people most deserving of Abraham are those who followed him, and this prophet, and those who believe. God is the Guardian of the believers." (3:68). Yet, the liars Abou Hurayrah and Al-Bokhary make Abraham a liar and a cuckold who allowed a king to have sex with his wife Sarah! Enemies of Abraham fabricated such  a lie and accused him of things they never accept to do themselves, though such accusations fit them perfectly well because they ascribe falsehoods to God. May God, His angels, and all believing people curse these liars who deny the Quranic Truth.