The Seed · Messengers
Abraham
God's beloved friend, the father of the line, and the one who named us Submitters.
Abraham was indeed an exemplary vanguard in his submission to GOD, a monotheist who never worshiped idols.
[16:120]Many people look back to Abraham. Even when the Quran came down, people argued over him [3:65].
The Quran tells his story many times, across many suras. It shows a man who searched for God, found Him, and never looked back.
This page follows his life through the Quran. It ends where every messenger's story ends: worship God alone.
Who Abraham Was
The Quran tells us plainly who he was. He was a prophet: “Mention in the scripture Abraham; he was a saint, a prophet.” [19:41]
He was also a messenger, sent to his people. God says: “We sent Noah and Abraham” [57:26]. That “We” is God speaking. God also names Abraham's people among those whose messengers came to them with clear proofs [9:70].
God chose him as a close friend: “GOD has chosen Abraham as a beloved friend.” [4:125] And God made him a leader for all people: “I am appointing you an imam for the people.” [2:124]
He was not Jewish or Christian. Those names came later. “Abraham was neither Jewish, nor Christian; he was a monotheist submitter. He never was an idol worshiper.” [3:67]
He was a thankful man. God “chose him and guided him in a straight path,” because “he was appreciative of His Lord's blessings” [16:121].
A Young Man Looking for God
Abraham grew up among people who worshiped statues. His own father did too. Abraham asked him: “How could you worship statues as gods?” [6:74]
So Abraham looked up and thought. God says He “showed Abraham the marvels of the heavens and the earth, and blessed him with certainty” [6:75].
One night he saw a shining planet. “Maybe this is my Lord,” he said [6:76]. But it disappeared. He said: “I do not like (gods) that disappear.” [6:76]
Then the moon rose. It set too. Abraham knew he needed help: “Unless my Lord guides me, I will be with the strayers.” [6:77]
Then came the sun. “This is the biggest,” he said [6:78]. But the sun set as well.
So Abraham turned from everything that rises and sets. He said: “I have devoted myself absolutely to the One who initiated the heavens and the earth; I will never be an idol worshiper.” [6:79]
Something that comes and goes cannot be God. Abraham looked past all of it, to the One who made it.
Standing Up to the Idols
Then Abraham spoke up. First he spoke to his father, gently: “O my father, why do you worship what can neither hear, nor see, nor help you in any way?” [19:42]
His father threatened to stone him [19:46]. Abraham answered with peace: “Peace be upon you. I will implore my Lord to forgive you” [19:47].
Then he spoke to his people. They answered: “We found our parents worshiping them.” [21:53] Abraham did not accept it: “Indeed, you and your parents have gone totally astray.” [21:54]
So he broke their statues, all but the biggest one [21:58]. They asked him who did it. He said: “It is that big one who did it. Go ask them, if they can speak.” [21:63]
For a moment they saw the truth [21:64]. Then they turned back. And their answer was fire: “They said, ‘Burn him and support your gods’” [21:68].
God saved him. God said: “O fire, be cool and safe for Abraham.” [21:69]
A man to whom God had given kingship once argued with Abraham about his Lord. The man claimed to give life and death. Abraham said: “GOD brings the sun from the east, can you bring it from the west?” The king had no answer [2:258].
The Hardest Test
Abraham left his people for God's sake. He said: “I am going to my Lord; He will guide me.” [37:99] He prayed for righteous children, and God gave him good news of a son [37:100] [37:101].
When the boy was old enough to work beside him, Abraham saw a dream. In it, he was sacrificing his son [37:102]. The son said: “O my father, do what you are commanded to do. You will find me, GOD willing, patient.” [37:102]
They both submitted, and Abraham laid his son down [37:103]. Then God called out and stopped it: “O Abraham.” [37:104] “You have believed the dream.” [37:105] God ransomed Ismail with an animal sacrifice instead [37:107].
God calls it “an exacting test indeed” [37:106]. So we should be clear about what it was. God never commands evil. He says: “GOD never advocates sin.” [7:28] The dream was not a command from God to kill a child.
It was a severe test, like the test of Job, who said: “The devil has afflicted me with hardship and pain.” [38:41] The devil was permitted to put Abraham to that severe test. And God stepped in and saved them both.
The lesson is for us too. God never asks us to do evil. And He rescues those who trust Him.
Guests, Good News and Lot
Later, God's messengers came to Abraham as guests [11:69]. He did not know them. He called them “strangers” [51:25].
He greeted them with peace and quickly brought a roasted calf [11:69]. When they did not eat, he grew afraid [11:70].
They brought good news. His wife would have a son, Isaac, “and after Isaac, Jacob” [11:71]. She was amazed: “how could I bear a child at my age, and here is my husband; an old man?” [11:72]
Abraham thanked God for both of his sons: “Praise be to GOD for granting me, despite my old age, Ismail and Isaac. My Lord answers the prayers.” [14:39]
The guests were on their way to the people of Lot [11:70]. Lot had believed with Abraham [29:26]. Abraham even pleaded for Lot's wicked people [11:74]. That was Abraham: “Abraham was clement, extremely kind, and obedient.” [11:75]
The Shrine, and a Father's Prayer
Abraham and Ismail built the Shrine together [2:127]. The Quran calls it the shrine “in Becca” [3:96]. It is “the Ka'aba” [2:125].
As they raised its foundations, they prayed [2:127]. “Our Lord, make us submitters to You, and from our descendants let there be a community of submitters to You. Teach us the rites of our religion, and redeem us.” [2:128]
They also prayed for a messenger: “Our Lord, and raise among them a messenger to recite to them Your revelations, teach them the scripture and wisdom, and purify them.” [2:129]
Abraham prayed for that valley and for his family: “My Lord, make this a peaceful land, and protect me and my children from worshiping idols.” [14:35] And: “My Lord, make me one who consistently observes the Contact Prayers (Salat), and also my children.” [14:40]
Look at what he asked for. Above all, he asked that his children worship God alone and keep up the Contact Prayers.
What Abraham Left Us
The duties believers keep today came down through Abraham.
God says of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob: “we taught them how to work righteousness, and how to observe the Contact Prayers (Salat) and the obligatory charity (Zakat)” [21:73].
God told Abraham to call the people to the pilgrimage: “proclaim that the people shall observe Hajj pilgrimage” [22:27]. The Quran names “the station of Abraham” among the signs at the Shrine [3:97].
He also gave us our name. Our religion is “the religion of your father Abraham. He is the one who named you ‘Submitters’ originally.” [22:78]
And God told Muhammad to follow him: “Then we inspired you (Muhammad) to follow the religion of Abraham, the monotheist; he never was an idol worshiper.” [16:123] So when the Quran came, the prayers, the charity, the fasting and the pilgrimage were already known. They had come down from Abraham.
His Story, and Where to Read It
The Quran tells Abraham's story in pieces, in many suras. Here are the main parts.
| What happened | Where to read it |
|---|---|
| He looks at the stars, the moon and the sun, and turns to their Maker | [6:74] to [6:79] |
| He pleads gently with his father | [19:41] to [19:48] |
| He breaks the statues, and is thrown into the fire | [21:51] to [21:70] |
| He silences a king | [2:258] |
| He asks to see how God brings the dead to life | [2:260] |
| He leaves for God, and the test of his son | [37:99] to [37:111] |
| His guests bring news of Isaac | [11:69] to [11:76] |
| He and Ismail raise the Shrine and pray | [2:124] to [2:133] |
| His prayer for a peaceful land | [14:35] to [14:41] |
| He calls the people to Hajj | [22:26] to [22:27] |
A Mistake, and What It Teaches
The Quran does not hide that Abraham was human. God holds him up as an example, with one exception.
God says: “A good example has been set for you by Abraham and those with him.” [60:4] But the same verse says: “However, a mistake was committed by Abraham when he said to his father, ‘I will pray for your forgiveness’” [60:4].
God tells us why he asked forgiveness for his father: “The only reason Abraham asked forgiveness for his father was that he had promised him to do so. But as soon as he realized that he was an enemy of GOD, he disowned him.” [9:114]
Even a prophet's love for his father could not come before God. The Quran tells it plainly. We can learn from it.
For Jews, Christians and Muslims
People have argued about Abraham for a very long time. God asks the followers of the scripture: “why do you argue about Abraham, when the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed until after him?” [3:65]
And God asks: “Do you say that Abraham, Ismail, Isaac, Jacob, and the Patriarchs were Jewish or Christian?” [2:140]
The answer is the same for all of us: “The people most worthy of Abraham are those who followed him, and this prophet, and those who believe.” [3:68]
So following Abraham means doing what he did. Being born into his family is not enough [2:134]. Being called Jewish, Christian or Muslim is not enough either.
God commands: “You shall follow Abraham's religion—monotheism. He never was an idolator.” [3:95]
One Message: God Alone
Abraham's whole life says one thing. Worship God alone.
He said it to his father. He said it to his people. He said it before the fire. And he passed it to his children: “O my children, GOD has pointed out the religion for you; do not die except as submitters.” [2:132]
He and those with him told their people they would stand apart from them “until you believe in GOD ALONE” [60:4].
So we honour Abraham by following his message, not by raising him up. God calls him “one of our believing servants” [37:111]. He was a servant of God, a prophet and a messenger. The worship belongs to God alone.
Abraham in Four Verses
Four verses to keep close.
When his Lord said to him, “Submit,” he said, “I submit to the Lord of the universe.”[2:131]
“The One who created me, and guided me.”[26:78]
“My Lord, make me one who consistently observes the Contact Prayers (Salat), and also my children. Our Lord, please answer my prayers.”[14:40]
This example (of Abraham) was rendered an everlasting lesson for subsequent generations; perhaps they redeem their souls.[43:28]
What Are We Worshiping?
Abraham's people did not think they were doing wrong. They said: “We found our parents worshiping them.” [21:53]
Our statues may look different today. Money, a job, a person, a habit we cannot put down. Abraham's question is still the right one: “What is this you are worshiping?” [26:70]
Growth Prompt
Abraham looked at the sky and asked what deserves worship. Take ten quiet minutes and do the same. Write down what fills your mind most during the day. Then ask Abraham's question of each one.
Is there anything in my life that I follow only because my parents did?
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