The Holy Quran Text. Translation & Commentary (the Example Commentary in Brief)(volume Three)

The Grandeur of Man in Qura"n (verse No. 31 - 34)

The above group of verses discuss the programme of the righteous servants of Allah, and God's infinite bounties and favours to all. At first; performing the prayer is enjoined, and then alms giving and charity is mentioned to be observed in this present life of us, and before the Day of Resurrection in which all the VALUES are changed, and all the bargains and transactions are abolished.

And here, one may ask; why only the prayer and alms have been named from among the so many Islamic commandments? This is because through the prayer man can improve and strengthen his relation with his Lord; and through charity and alms giving one may keep his connection firmly with the society. Thus the two precepts played a vital role in the first stage of Islam and among the primeval Muslims in Mecca:ِ When the prophet started his sacred mission in Mecca, before his emigration to Medina; intolerant persecution was the order of the day!! Muslims could not even see each other in a corner to discuss and learn the principles of their religion; or without a heavy risk, pay a visit to their religious leader Mohammad (AS). Their life, property, and even personality was every now and then attacked by the pagan idolaters who could not believe in the Only one God, introduced by the prophet?

In such that hard and critical condition, they found tranquility of mind and consolation of heart, only through the prayer and their private and sincere supplication with their Merciful Lord; and by

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giving the alms, they could help each other and keep up with their union, and hold their brotherhood. O, MAN! ALL THE CREATURES BOW DOWN THEIR HEADS BEFORE YOU.

Once again reference is made to the subservience of all the creatures to mankind. The sun, the moon, the night and the day, the sea and the ships, the sky and the rain, the earth and whatever is in it; all, have been subdued to the vicegerent of God (MAN) with the leave of Allah! As a matter of fact, all the powers of nature are the gifts of God that are subjected to man's power and knowledge by God's Grace and Mercy. To open this a little wider; Allah has created all the celestial bodies and whatever is in them, and also the various power of nature by fixed definite LAWS, of which man can take advantage by God's permission. We cannot compass anything of God's knowledge except as He Will. So to say; even the largest of the animals like the camel, cow, elephant, have been subdued to the vicegerent of Allah upon the earth and bow down to Man. The ships which are as big as the mountains sail on the oceans for the benefit of mankind by God's order and laws which man discovered and discovers by the guidance, and with the permission, of Allah.

Man uses the sun's energy, and the sky's rain to produce sustenance, and also the planets movements for his day work, and night sleep and repose. Even the gravity of the moon through the high tide and the low tide, is served in the man's irrigation and waterings. Man cannot even count and number the infinite bounties of Allah and yet through sincere and pure prayers he may have more, and whatever he asks for. (NO.34)

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THE EARTH, INDEED, IS THE CENTER OF UNIVERSE!

PTOLEMY, the famous geographer and astronomer who flourished at Alexandria about A.D.130, taught that the earth was fixed and poised in the center of our solar system. His theory was accepted as absolute

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truth in medieval times and dominated man's thinking until the days of Copernicus in the sixteenth century, when he maintained that the earth is not the center of our solar system, and that, all the planets revolve around the sun which is the center of the solar system. I am of opinion that once again we must return back to PTOLEMY'S era, and this time accept that not only the earth is the center of our solar system, but that it is really the center and the capital of the whole universe for being the home and the station of MAN, and the CAPITAL CITY of GOD'S VICEGERENT.

TRANSLATOR'S NOTE)

WILL ALLAH GIVE US WHATEVER WE ASK HIM? In the verse (NO.34) Allah has said:ِ ``And Allah, also, gives you OF all that you ask Him....'' Here the preposition, OF indicates some sort of a deprevation or separation, which implies that God will answer our prayers but not all of them. This is because many a time it happens that man prays to Allah to give him something which is not to his benefit, or may spoil or injure man's life or property or else; while he does not know, and Allah knows well the danger and loss! In such cases Allah will not give His servant his harmful and injurious plea that unknowingly he prays for. In such cases, Allah through His Grace and Mercy may grant His servant a favour or bounty other than what he prays for, in exchange of man's troublesome plea and earnest prayer.

IN THE DAY OF DOOM THE VALUES ARE CHANGED.

In the Ressurection Day all values will be changed. There, the rank and wealth and physical strengths will give its place to other values, such as the worship of God with pure heart and having done good deeds. Combines, bargains, partiality, and friendship; even blood relations, are not useful there. The wealth can only be useful in the Hereafter when the wealthy has used it in this present life, in a proper way; as alms giving, and helping the needy, and other good causes.

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وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّ اجْعَلْ هَذَا الْبَلَدَ آمِناً وَاجْنُبْنِي وَبَنِىَّ أَنْ نَّعْبُدَ الاَْصْنَامَ(( 35 ))

35- AND WHEN ABRAHAM SAID:ِ MY LORD! MAKE THIS LAND SECURE, AND KEEP ME AND MY SONS ALOOF OF WORSHIPPING IDOLS.

رَبِّ إِنَّهُنَّ أَضْلَلْنَ كَثِيراً مِّنْ النَّاسِ فَمَنْ تَبِعَنِي فَإِنَّهُ مِنِّي وَمَنْ عَصَانِي فَإِنَّكَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ(( 36 ))

36- MY LORD! THEY HAVE LED ASTRAY MANY OF THE PEOPLE. SO HE WHO FOLLOWED ME, THEN HE IS MINE, AND HE WHO TURNED AGAINST ME, THEN YOU ARE ALL-FORGIVING ALL-COMPASSIONATE.

رَّبَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنتُ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوَاد غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْع عِنْدَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلاَةَ فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مِّنْ النَّاسِ تَهْوِي إِلَيْهِمْ وَارْزُقْهُمْ مِّنْ الثَّمَرَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُونَ(( 37 ))

37- OUR LORD! I HAVE SETTLED SOME OF MY OFFSPRINGS IN A BARREN VALLEY BY YOUR SACRED HOUSE; OUR LORD, SO AS TO PERFORM THE PRAYER. SO MAKE THE HEARTS OF SOME PEOPLE YEARN FOR THEM, AND SUSTAIN THEM OF THE PRODUCES PERHAPS THEY GIVE THANKS.

رَّبَّنَا إِنَّكَ تَعْلَمُ مَا نُخْفِي وَمَا نُعْلِنُ وَمَا يَخْفَى عَلَى اللهِ مِنْ شَيْء فِي الاَْرْضِ وَلاَ فِي السَّمَاءِ (( 38 ))

38- OUR LORD! YOU KNOW WELL WHAT DO WE CONCEAL AND WHAT DO WE REVEAL. AND NOTHING IS HIDDEN FROM ALLAH IN THE EARTH, NOR IN THE SKY.

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الْحَمْدُ للهِِ الَّذِي وَهَبَ لِي عَلَى الْكِبَرِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ إِنَّ رَبِّي لَسَمِيعُ الدُّعَاءِ(( 39 ))

39- PRAISE BE TO ALLAH, WHO HAS GIVEN ME IN OLD AGE ISHMAEL AND ISAAC; THAT MY LORD IS INDEED THE HEARER OF PRAYER.

رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِي مُقِيمَ الصَّلاَةِ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَاءِ (( 40 ))

40- MY LORD! MAKE ME A PERFORMER OF THE PRAYER, AND ALSO MY OFFSPRING. OUR LORD! AND ACCEPT (OUR) PRAYER.

رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لِي وَلِوَالِدَىَّ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَوْمَ يَقُومُ الْحِسَابُ(( 41 ))

41- OUR LORD! FORGIVE ME, MY PARENT, AND THE BELIEVERS; ON THE DAY THAT RECKONING WILL ESTABLISH.

THE COMMENTARY THE CONSTRUCTIVE PRAYER OF THE IDOL SMASHER.

**(ABRAHAM) VERSE NO. 35 - 41

** To follow up the argument about the truthful believers and thank givers, a part of ABRAHAM'S prayers have been mentioned here in order to complete the discussion:ِ

``When ABRAHAM said:ِ My Lord! Make this land secure and keep me and my sons aloof of worshipping idols....'' ABRAHAM knew well that the idols and idolatries, was a main cause of leading astray so many people throughout the ages. Therefore, he who had rebuilt KAABEH with the help of his son Ishmael, prayed for a blessing on his handiwork, and that his offspring might be kept aloof from falling into idolatry. His creed was based upon Monotheism and he was anxious about the future of his doctrine.

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He frankly has declared that only those people are mine, who follow me and accept my creed; the foundation of which is the ONENESS OF GOD. And that; even my children, if they do not follow me, or turn against me, they are not mine, and, you know better how to deal with them that thou art All-forgiving, the compassionate. Then ABRAHAM fixes his attention in his prayer upon Mecca with KAABEH in its center, which he supposes to be the capital city of Monotheism in the future of the world:ِ

``Our Lord! I have settled some of my offsprings in a barren valley by your sacred house to establish the preayer.'' The Mecca valley is enclosed by hills on all sides, and has no level plain for cultivation. Here ABRAHAM prayed not only for his posterity but for all the believers who would come after him. The event of ABRAHAM, leaving his wife and child in the barren valley of Mecca, according to the Bible and Islamic traditions is as follows:ِ

ABRAHAM'S wife named SA"RAH had not born him any children upto their old age. But she had an Egyptian slave girl whose name was HA"JAR. Sa"rah said to her husband; Now that our Lord has kept me from having children, you may also marry my slave girl, perhaps she can have a child for me. Abraham agreed with SA"RAH'S proposal, and so she gave HA"JAR to him as his concubine. Then HA"JAR became pregnant, and bore Abraham a son when he was eighty six years old. Sa"rah felt a little despised in that, and could not help being jealous, and treated HA"JAR so that she could not live in that house any more. By the guidance of Allah, ABRAHAM took his concubine and her child to the valley of Mecca where the foundation of the first temple of man was laid. This temple was a relatively small cubic room (CAABEH) built by Adam and Eve, that by then there was only a surviving trace of it. Later ABRAHAM rebuilt that first temple or what we call to-day the first mosque, with the help of HA"JAR'S son. (ISHMAEL)

When Abraham left his poor wife and her baby in that barren and secluded valley near the first house of God in the earth, he could not avoid shedding bitter tears. The arch prophet of God committed

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his two beloved wife and son to the care of his Lord and in an earnest prayer that his words was mingled with tears he said:ِ ``Our Lord! I have settled some of me offspring in a barren valley by your Sacred house, in order to establish the prayer.'' Soon after; the lonely woman there discovered a fluent spring of crystalline water, and others came to live with them there, and that forgotten piece of barren land began to develope, that finally it had to turn up Mecca, which is now the QIBLEH of milliards of Muslims! Then in the following verses Abraham gives his sincere thanks to his Lord, saying:ِ ``Praise be to Allah who has given me in the old age Ishmael and Isaac.''

As to the old age of Abraham when he became the father of two sons, some commentators say; he was 99 years old when Ishmael was born to him, and he was 112 years old when Isaac was given him. But acording to the testament (Genِ16:15) he was 86 years old when HA"JAR gave birth to Ishmael, and again when Abraham was 99 years old (Gen.17) Sa"rah his first wife bore him another son whom he called Isaac. Through the above group of verses (NO.35ِ41) Abraham has prayed to his Lord, or their Lord, for seven of his requests to be granted. These requests are as follows:ِ

.ِThe security of Mecca which is the capital of Islam and the pivot of Monotheism.

.ِBeing aloof from the worship of idolsِhe and his children.

.ِMaking the hearts of some people yearn for his posterity and for those who follow him in his creed.

.ِSustaining the townsfolk of Mecca with products and fruits, so that they might be grateful and give thanks.

.ِThe performance of Daily Prayer which is the best medium and means of relation between Allah and His servants.

.ِAcceptance of his prayers which consist of keeping his heart pure and sincere.

.ِGod's forgiveness for himself, his parent, and his offspring, and all the believers.

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THAT WHICH I SAW IN MECCA OF THANKS GIVING.

In 1970 A.D. I was in Mecca. I hired a taxi to take me round about and to show me what was to be seen. When sometime elapsed I gave some pistachio to the driver to eat for refreshment. So far, he had not eaten that sort of a nut that I gave him. He asked me; what are these things which are of so a good taste!? I said to him; We call it PESTEH. It is the fruit of a small tree of the cashew family. It grows in my home town which is a big village of IsfahanِIran.

As soon as I explained that to him, he stopped his car in a corner. He then came out and prostrated himself with face on the ground in a humble thanks giving to the Lord God! I asked him why did he do so? In answer to me he said:ِ ``When My Lord has given me such a good kind of sustenance, which I do not know how it is produced, and where it is produced, and who is the gentleman who has brought it to me; should I not be grateful for such a bounty of my Lord, and should I not, at least say to him; thank you very much my Lord!?''

TRANSLATOR'S NOTE)

وَلاَ تَحْسَبَنَّ اللهَ غَافِلا عَمَّا يَعْمَلُ الظَّالِمُونَ إِنَّمَا يُؤَخِّرُهُمْ لِيَوْم تَشْخَصُ فِيهِ الاَْبْصَارُ(( 42 ))

42- AND DO NOT THINK THAT ALLAH IS UNAWARE (NEGLIGENT) OF WHAT THE OPPRESSORS DO. HE ONLY DEFERS THEM TO A DAY IN WHICH EYES SHALL STARE. (BY FEAR AND WONDER)

مُهْطِعِينَ مُقْنِعِي رُءُوسِهِمْ لاَ يَرْتَدُّ إِلَيْهِمْ طَرْفُهُمْ وَأَفْئِدَتُهُمْ هَوَاءٌ(( 43 ))

43- WITH NECKS OUTSTRETCHED, HEADS UPLIFTED THEIR GAZE WILL NOT TURN ON THEMSELVES, AND THEIR HEART IS UTTERLY VACANT.

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نُّجِبْ دَعْوَتَكَ وَنَتَّبِع الرُّسُلَ أَوَلَمْ تَكُونُوا أَقْسَمْتُمْ مِّنْ قَبْلُ مَا لَكُمْ مِّنْ زَوَال(( 44 ))

44- AND WARN PEOPLE OF THE DAY, WHEN THE TORMENT COMES TO THEM; AND THOSE WHO HAVE OPPRESSED WILL SAY; OUR LORD! DEFER US FOR A SHORT TERM (RESPITE US FOR A WHILE) SO AS TO ANSWER YOUR CALL, AND FOLLOW THE MESSENGERS. (BUT IT WILL BE SAID TO THEM):ِ DID YOU NOT SWEAR AFORETIME, THAT THERE WOULD BE NO DOWNFALL FOR YOU?

وَسَكَنتُمْ فِي مَسَاكِنِ الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا أَنفُسَهُمْ وَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمْ كَيْفَ فَعَلْنَا بِهِمْ وَضَرَبْنَا لَكُمُ الاَْمْثَالَ (( 45 ))

45- AND YOU DWELT IN THE ABODES OF THOSE WHO OPPRESSED THEMSELVES, AND IT WAS MADE CLEAR FOR YOU HOW DID WE DEAL WITH THEM. AND WE STRUCK FOR YOU THE SIMILITUDES.

THE COMMENTARY THE DAY WHEN EYES DO NOT MOVE (VERSE NO. 42 - 45)

Here again the immediate reference is to the Resurrection Day and God's Final Judgement. It illustrates, the horrors and dreads when the sinners encounter with the consequences of their deeds. They shall be struck with astonishment, and get dazed, when they see the real situation! Their eyes shall open wide, and stare at the sceneries of Resurrection by fear and wonder! Their necks will be outstretched, and

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their heads uplifted so as see what is going on. Their hearts will fall at once, and become utterly vacant of any hope for rescue, or the expectation of obtaining any help! They even lose all their knowledge and intelligence not knowing what to do or where to go? There appears nothing of the pride and vanity that they used to show of themselves here in this world. To this effect, the Merciful Lord tells His Messenger:ِ ``And warn all the people of the day, when the torment cames to them; and those who have oppressed will say; Our Lord! Give us respite for a while, so as to answer your call, and follow your Messengers....''

But it is too late for then. They used to think that there would never be any DOWNFALL for them! The Arabic word, ZAWA"L that we have translated to DOWNFALL denotes decline from the Zenith as that of the sun. But its connotation is falling down from the highest point of one's rise in the life. The ungodly are apt to think that they always will stand up on their platform of honour, which is the rank and wealth, strength and health, but sooner or later they will come to know that they were very wrong. They dwelt in the houses and positions of those who oppressed and ruined their soul, but took no lesson of their fate and continued their creed of idolatry and evil deeds until they entered eternal damnation.

وَقَدْ مَكَرُوا مَكْرَهُمْ وَعِنْدَ اللهِ مَكْرُهُمْ وَإِنْ كَانَ مَكْرُهُمْ لِتَزُولَ مِنْهُ الْجِبَالُ(( 46 ))

46- AND THEY PLOTTED THEIR (GREATEST) PLOT, AND THEIR PLOT WAS WITH ALLAH, (i.e. IT WAS WITHIN THE SIGHT AND THE CONTROL OF ALLAH) EVEN IF THEIR PLOT COULD MOVE THE MOUNTAINS.

فَلاَ تَحْسَبَنَّ اللهَ مُخْلِفَ وَعْدِهِ رُسُلَهُ إِنَّ اللهَ عَزِيزٌ ذُو انتِقَام(( 47 ))

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47- SO DO NOT THINK THAT ALLAH MAY FAIL IN HIS PROMISE TO HIS MESSENGERS. VERILY ALLAH IS ALL-MIGHTY, VENGEFUL.

يَوْمَ تُبَدَّلُ الاَْرْضُ غَيْرَ الاَْرْضِ وَالسَّمَاوَاتُ وَبَرَزُوا للهِِ الْوَاحِدِ الْقَهَّارِ(( 48 ))

48- THE DAY WHEN THE EARTH WILL CHANGE TO A DIFFERENT EARTH, AND THE SKIES, (TOO, WILL CHANGE TO DIFFERENT SKIES) AND THEY PRESENT THEMSELVES TO ALLAH THE ONE, THE SUBDUER.

وَتَرَى الْمُجْرِمِينَ يَوْمَئِذ مُّقَرَّنِينَ فِي الاَْصْفَادِ (( 49 ))

49- AND YOU WILL SEE THE GUILTIES LINKED TOGETHER IN CHAINS.

سَرَابِيلُهُمْ مِّنْ قَطِرَان وَتَغْشَى وُجُوهَهُمُ النَّارُ (( 50 ))

50- THEIR SHIRTS ARE (MADE) OF TAR, AND THEIR FACES ARE COVERED WITH FIRE.

لِيَجْزِىَ اللهُ كُلَّ نَفْس مَّا كَسَبَتْ إِنَّ اللهَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ(( 51 ))

51- THAT ALLAH MAY REWARD EVERY SOUL FOR WHAT IT HAS EARNED, THAT ALLAH IS QUICK IN RECKONING.

هَذَا بَلاَغٌ لِلنَّاسِ وَلِيُنذَرُوا بِهِ وَلِيَعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا هُوَ إِلَهٌ وَاحِدٌ وَلِيَذَّكَّرَ أُوْلُوا الاَْلْبَابِ(( 52 ))

52- THIS (QURA"N) IS A NOTICE FOR PEOPLE, AND TO WARN THEM BY IT. AND THAT THEY MIGHT KNOW THAT; ALLAH IS THE ONLY ONE (TRUE) GOD. AND THAT, THOSE OF UNDERSTANDING MAY BEAR IN MIND.

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THE COMMENTARY THE CONSPIRACY OF THE OPPRESSORS WILL FAIL (VERSE NO. 46 - 52)

The oppositions of Islam came no short of whatever they could do against the Messenger of God. They did their best to frustrate the prophet but they all failed! They conspired torether against him. They planned secretly with others to stop, to arrest, or to slay him. They combined with the Jews to carry out their treacheries and treasons, that could even move the mountains, but all the plans that they schemed was within the sight and the control of Allah who had sent Mohammad with His Message.... the Lord God Who encompassed all their tricks, plots, and conspiracies; frustrated them all in their endeavours. They believed not in the prophethood, and thought that Allah would fail or forget His promise. But the punishment of Allah not only touched them in this world, it awaited to afflict them in the next life too! In a day when the earth will change to a different earth, and the skies too, will be changed to other skies! And woe is unto them in that dreadful day. In the Resurrection Day our planets of the solar system will not perish or be reduced to nothing. They will be ruined and damaged, and after their destruction, using the same materials they are reconstructed once again to a new solar system. Therefore our earth changes to a new earth, and our sky will change to a new sky and the dead bodies will rise up from their grave to join their souls. In the Day of Doom everything changes, and all the conditions and all the values will differ. Man is settled in a completely new world the detail of which is unknown to us:

``And you will see the guilties linked together in chains''

The chains of their evil deeds that will link them together with evils and demons, of men and Satans. They all shall be driven in that link to the court of God's utmost justice and final judgement, with their shirts being made of TAR which can readily catch fire.

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GHATRA"N = TAR

(The Arabic GHATRA"N has almost by all been translated to black pitch; but I have preferred, TAR for the translation. TAR is a natural substance with a very old historical record. It is a black, oily, sticky, material formed by heating organic substances; such as wood, coal, or petroleum. This word is found in very old literatures too including that of Arabs whom they call it GHATRA"N. Therefore, TAR should not be confused with the black pitch which is now-a-days used in the construction of asphalt, and it is a remaining after the distillation of TAR, derived from various sources.

TRANSLATOR'S NOTE) ABRA"HAM THE IDOL SMASHER

Abraham was born in UR of the Chal-dees, a city of ancient Sumer in the South of Babylonia kingdom. The capital of the kingdom was the celebrated ancient city called, BABYLON on the Euphrates river bank about 55 miles South of Baghdad. The city first assumed great importance under HAMURA"BI (C.1728ِ1686 B.C.)who was the greatest king of the first dynasty of Babylon who made it the capital of his Empire. Babylon was famous for such structures as the HANGING GARDENS OF BABYLON, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. NEBUCHADNEZAR, during whose reign the gardens were rebuilt, is prominent in the Bible because of his conquest of JUDAH, and his deportation of the Jews. The history of Babylonia starts from before 2000 B.C. upto its conquest by Persian king CYRUS in 539 B.C. BABYLON remaind a great city under Persian rule. Alexander the great died there. Its decline was rapid in the SELUCIDE period and soon it became only a series of ruins never to rebuilt.

When ABRAHAM was born, NIMRUD the son of KANAAN; a cruel tyrant was the dictator of Babylonia, who had established a godship among his people deifying, himself as the greatest of the gods! The chaldean's main religion was idolatry. Besides the image of their dictator king; they worshipped many other idols, large or small, some being the symbols of the celestial bodies like the sun, moon, and

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the brighter stars. Nimrud, very seriously supported the idols and idolatry for being the best means of holding people in ignorance and unawareness! In their society, the least abuse or despise of an idol was greatest of sins who would be condemned to death without any trial by the priests. The Chaldeans, also had some knowledge of the stars and the celestial bodies, and therefore the worship of sun, moon and some of the stars was one of the prevailing forms of religion there.

Astronomers and diviners had predicted of the advent of a wonderful apostle who would come to defeat Nimrud in all respects. So the tyrant did his best to prevent the child birth, or if he born, to slay him; but he failed. The case of ABRAHAM'S birth was like that of Moses to some extent. Abraham was grown and nourished in a cave for the fear of Nimrud according to some Islamic narrations. When he was at the beginning of his teenages, he came out of his hiding place.

The boy's first challenge was against the astronomers superstitious ideals and creed, who thought the celestial bodies like jupiter and venus to be the Lord of heaven or the god or godess of beauty and love and other false ideas. In the dark of the night ABRAHAM stared at the bright star which his people had taken it for a god, and said:ِ ``Is this my Lord, the One who has created me? But a little while elapsed when the star disappeared!'' Abraham said:ِ ``I can't love something that dies away.'' He did the same thing to the moon which was brighter than the star, and came to the same conclusion. Next day he gazed at the glory of the sun rise, and said:ِ ``Is this my Lord? This is greater than the stars and the moon, which my people have taken for god. But very soon he saw the sunset!'' He then exclaimed:ِ``My people! I am quit of your guilt of ascribing partners to Allah. What a folly to worship the creatures, when it is possible to worship their creator? Let us then leave aside all these follies, and get rid of so much superstitions, and grasp our Lord who is the only one true God, without whose will nothing can happen.''

Abraham's second conflict was with idols and idolaters. His father or his uncle was an idol maker and idol seller, and Abraham

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began his combat with idolatry in his own house! He said to his father:ِ ``Do you really take these idols for gods? I see you and your people in a manifest error. What are these inanimate carved stones, before which you bow down!?'' They were struck with astonishment to hear that from the youth whom they expected to support! So they said to him:ِ ``O, ABRAHAM! Are you jesting, or you are serious in your assertion?'' In answer to his father he said:ِ ``Our Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth who has created All. I sincerely testify that as a witness.'' He then decided to show them practically, that their gods were powerless, and could do nothing of harm or benefit. Soon after he boldly did something curious to make the Chaldeans ashamed of worshipping some dead pieces of stones carved to an idol:

It was a general holiday in which according to their customs everybody had to go out of the town to enjoy the beauties of nature. In that very day in which the town was empty of people and population, ABRAHAM took an axe and went to the main temple. After taunting the idols with scornful critical remarks, he raised up his axe and smashed all the idols except the biggest of them on whose shoulder he fixed the axe! It seemed as if a fight had taken place among the idols!

When reports of the incident revealed and spread out in the town, there was a vehement out burst of excitement, anger, and anxiety! Some of the laymen were afraid that the wrath of the gods could destroy them all! The general topic of conversations was; he who has done this to our gods, he is a real oppressor. Then some people informed the authorities that; We heard a youth speak against our gods. He is called ABRAHAM. He is the son of AZAR, the famous idol maker.

Abraham's biting irony touched them to the quick. When they

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turned to themselves, they were confounded, and admitted to have been wrong-doers and oppressors. So they said to Abraham:ِ

``You know well enough that these idols cannot speak.''

This was precisely what Abraham was looking for. As soon as they said so, ABRAHAM made his attack on them ardently and said:ِ

``Why should you worship such useless and impotent things? Fie upon you, and the things that you worship besides Allah.''

When he said that the priests were filled with wrath, and reason gave its place to force and threat. Those who had all their privileges and authorities, through the ignorance of their common people cried out loudly; Burn the lad. Let him shut up once and for all! Burn him and protect your gods!

When Nimrud, the Chaldean tyrant who was the greatest supporter of idolatry, and who had enforced his people to worship him as the God of gods, was informed of the strange event of the lad and idols, he summond Abraham to his court and disputed with him saying:ِ

``Are you the boy who claims to have a god other than me?'' ``Yes I am!'' answered the boy. ``And who is the god whom you worship?'' Nimrud said again. ``I worship Allah, the Lord God who gives life and makes to die.'' answered Abraham. The haughty tyrant adhered to fallacy by violating the laws of valid argument and said:ِ ``I too can give life and make to die!'' And then he issued an order for two prisoners, one of them to be released and the other hanged.

The young believer in Allah did not lose his heart in that court of tyranny and oppression; and said in answer to Nimrud:ِ ``O.K. Be it so, but Allah my Lord causes the sun to rise from the east; then you cause him to rise from the west.'' The dictator was confounded, and in a state of perplexity and anger confirmed the decree of throwing the lad into a great blazing fire! All the physical means were provided to make the fire more dreadful and as large as possible. When the huge Hell was ablazed and

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its flames raised up to the sky; they set ABRAHAM into a catapult in order to hurl him in the middle of the Fire. In that awful catapult that was no better than a death bed, GABRIEL the archangel of God appeared to the godly youth and said:ِ ``O, ABRAHAM! Do you want any help?'' Abraham said:ِ ``Thank you; but I don't want any help from you or anyone else other than Allah my Lord!'' The angel said again:ِ ``Then ask your Lord to help you.'' And according to some tradition Abraham said:ِ ``My Lord does already see me in this condition. He may help me if He will.'' Any how, they cast Abraham in the middle of the fire, and the command of Allah his Lord was issued thus:ِ

``O, Fire! Be you cool and a means of safety for ABRAHAM.''

As per order of God, the Fire turned to a garden of bliss in the sight of Abraham, and harmed him not the least! Allah frustrated the heathens in their plots and evil plans, and when they saw Abraham alive, coming out of the fire, they were all amazed and struck with a sudden fear and wonder! Nimrud, and his courtiers, and the flatterer false priests, were all ashamed and astonished, not knowing how to explain the existing situation. They were so confounded and despised that they felt, had to get rid of this wonderful youth some how. Eventually they decided to banish him from his native land and he was exiled. In his banishment the Divine Light which was called ABRAHAM was not quenched. Thereafter he began his real carrier which was to convey God's Message of truth, and show to mankind the way of Monotheism and righteousness, which ends in man's salvation and prosperity.