اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ بِجَمِیعِ مَحَامِدِه کُلِّهَا عَلَی جَمِیعِ نِعَمِهِ کُلِّهَا… اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ مالِکِ الْمُلْکِ مُجْرِی الْفُلْکِ مُسَخِّرِ الرِّیاحِ فالِقِ الاْصْباحِ دَیّانِ الدّینِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمینَ اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی حِلْمِهِ بَعْدَ عِلمِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی عَفْوِهِ بَعْدَ قُدْرَتِهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلّهِ عَلی طُولِ اَناتِهِ فی غَضَبِهِ وَهُوَ قادِرٌ عَلی ما یُریدُ
Praise is to God with all his praises, for all his blessings. . . Praise is to God, the owner of the property, the operator of the orbit, the bender of the wind, the glory of the morning, the religion of the beliefs, lord of the worlds; praise is to God for his dream after his knowledge and thank God for forgiveness after his power, and praise be to God for his long patience in his wrath and he is capable to do what he wills
و نشهد أن لا اله الا الله وحده لا شریک له، و أَنَّ محمداً عبده و رسوله ارسله بالهدی و دین الحق لیظهره علی الدین کله و لو کره المشرکون اوصیکم عبادالله و نفسی بتقوی الله و اتباع امره و نهیه، و اخوفکم من عقابه
And we bear witness that there is no god but God alone, without partner, and that Muhammad is his servant and messenger, he sent him with guidance and the religion of truth, that he might proclaim it over all religion, even if the polytheists hated it.
Ibrahim Khalil’s encounter with Nimrod
Nimrod was a descendant of the Prophet Noah; he was the king of Iraq during the time that Ibrahim Khalil claimed his invitation toward God. In the Torah, there is nothing about the meeting and conversation between Nimrod and Ibrahim; however, in Jewish traditions, including the Talmud, the argument between Nimrod and Ibrahim states that “Nimrod stood before God and claimed to be a God, and the Sumerians prostrated before him.”
The holy Qur’an narrates Ibrahim’s conversation with Nimrod without mentioning his name:
أَلَمْ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِي حَاجَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ فِي رَبِّهِ أَنْ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ الْمُلْكَ إِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّيَ الَّذِي يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ. قَالَ أَنَا أُحْيِي وَأُمِيتُ. قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْتِي بِالشَّمْسِ مِنَ الْمَشْرِقِ فَأْتِ بِهَا مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ. فَبُهِتَ الَّذِي كَفَرَ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ؛
Have you not regarded him who argued with Abraham about his Lord, [only] because Allah had given him kingdom? When Abraham said, ‘My Lord is He who gives life and brings death,’ he replied, ‘I [too] give life and bring death.’ Abraham said, ‘Indeed Allah brings the sun from the east; now you bring it from the west.’ Thereat the faithless one was dumbfounded. And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing lot. (Baghare: 258)
Jewish traditions narrate Ibrahim and Nimrod’s encountering in as follows:
And they brought Ibrahim near to Nimrod. Nimrod told him to prostrate before the fire. Ibrahim said, “I wish I could prostrate to water, to put out the fire!” Nimrod said to prostrate to the water. Ibrahim said, “I wish I could prostrate to the cloud to bring water!” Nimrod said to prostrate to the cloud. Ibrahim said, “I wish I could prostrate to the wind to scatter the clouds in the sky.” Nimrod said to prostrate to the wind. Ibrahim said to him, “Give me an order now, unless I prostrate to the one who can bear it.”
Nimrod said to him, “Uou confuse the speech, I will prostrate before the fire, and I will not prostrate before anyone, and I will throw you into the fire, unless the God whom you prostrate comes and frees you from the torment of my fire.”
Burning of Ibrahim Khalil by Nimrod and the polytheists
At the behest of King Nimrod of Iraq, the pagans including the moon and the star-worshipers and the idolaters, gathered firewood and set a great fire after they could not resist Ibrahim’s rational and practical arguments. The fire was so large that no one could get close to it, and according to Ya’qubi’s history, “after the firewood was set on fire, he was thrown into the fire with a catapult because no one could come near the fire to send Ibrahim, peace be upon him, into the fire flames.”
The holy Qur’an reports on the burning of Ibrahim and his salvation by divine power:
قَالُوا حَرِّقُوهُ وَانْصُرُوا آلِهَتَكُمْ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ فَاعِلِينَ؛ قُلْنَا يَا نَارُ كُونِي بَرْداً وَسَلَاماً عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ؛ وَأَرَادُوا بِهِ كَيْداً فَجَعَلْنَاهُمُ الْأَخْسَرِينَ؛
They said, ‘Burn him, and help your gods, if you are to do anything!’ We said, ‘O fire! Be cool and safe for Abraham!’ They plotted to harm him, but We made them the biggest losers. (Anbiya: 68-70)
فَمَا كَانَ جَوَابَ قَوْمِهِ إِلَّا أَنْ قَالُوا اقْتُلُوهُ أَوْ حَرِّقُوهُ فَأَنْجَاهُ اللَّهُ مِنَ النَّارِ إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لَآيَاتٍ لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ؛
But the only answer of his people was that they said, ‘Kill him, or burn him.’ Then Allah delivered him from the fire. There are indeed signs in that for a people who have faith. (Ankaboot: 24)
You will walk on the sea, you will find me and us;
You are a nightingale not a mute like bronco; you are a rebel in the enamel dome;
Like Khalil, seek immortality; keep your eyes on the single witness;
If you want the fire to turn into a garden, get up and be prepared;
In the history of Tabari it is stated that:
A few days after this incident, Nimrod passed by the site of Ibrahim’s fire, this was still burning. He saw with suspicion that Ibrahim was sitting in the middle of the fire. In order to be sure of Ibrahim’s condition, he ordered a tower to be built for him so that he could see inside the flames from above. After Nimrod was convinced that Ibrahim was safe, he said to him, “Your God is great, and who saved you from the fire. Can you get out of the fire?” Ibrahim said: “Yes, I can.” Nimrod asked again, “Will you be harmed if you stay in the fire?” Ibrahim replied: “No.” After Nimrod asked Ibrahim to come out of the fire, he came out while the fire was still burning.
After seeing this divine miracle, lot and many others who were doubted about Ibrahim’s words believed in him. And this story is the last part of the first phase of the life of the Prophet Ibrahim and the end of his presence in the land of Iraq, and the beginning of the phase of Ibrahim’s life in Palestine. The holy Qur’an says:
فَآمَنَ لَهُ لُوطٌ وَقَالَ إِنِّي مُهَاجِرٌ إِلَى رَبِّي إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ؛
Thereupon Lot believed in him, and he said, ‘Indeed I am migrating toward my Lord. Indeed He is the All-mighty, the All-wise.’ (Ankabooy: 26)
وَنَجَّيْنَاهُ وَلُوطًا إِلَى الْأَرْضِ الَّتِي بَارَكْنَا فِيهَا لِلْعَالَمِينَ؛
We delivered him and Lot toward the land, which We have blessed for all nations. (Anbiya: 71)