Why Was Prophet Ibrahim Allowed To Destroy The Idols?

As-Salaamu Alaikum Quran Weekly

Today I want to share something with you about Ibrahim alayhis salaam that is not commonly understood and some people actually even get so confused about it messes them up in their faith.

First and foremost Ibrahim alayhis salaam looked at the sun and the moon and he said, “This is my Lord”. But it can’t be, it sets. And these are also ayat of the same surah, Sūrat Al-‘An’ām, but I want to share a clarification with you.

Ibrahim alayhis salaam was one of the most intelligent human beings that ever lived. It’s not literal that he saw the sun and got excited and started worshipping it and the moment it set he said, “I didn’t realize it sets. I can’t worship that.”

That it’s a demonstration of the stupidity of shirk. He’s not actually believing in these things, he’s demonstrating how silly can you be that you believe in these things. Now in doing so, if you consider the sarcasm, he’s offending his people. He’s going right at them and later on he gets even more offensive and he goes and he destroys the idols, doesn’t he?

He destroys all the idols and leaves the axe in the big ones hands and when they ask he said “فسألوا كبيرهم” (fas’aloo kabeerahum) “Ask the big one among them”

Now you notice that other prophets don’t do this, right? Other prophets don’t go break idols. They don’t go destroy the temples of the idol worshippers.

The Rasool salAllahu alayhi wasalaam didn’t do that until after the Opening of Makkah. In his stage of dawah he didn’t do that. He didn’t do that as a tool of dawah. He never did.

I spoke to a person from one of the countries in the Muslim world I’d rather not name, there were a bunch of really excited young men who said, “We’re going to revive the sunnah of Ibrahim alayhis salaam.” So they went into a temple and they destroyed the idols because they live in a country where there are some people of different religions and some religions have temples with idols in them. They went and destroyed the idols and they said “We’re reviving the legacy of Ibrahim alayhis salaam.”

Look at how Allah responds to that. Because somebody might even say, “Look, your religion teaches intolerance. Your prophet goes and destroys the sacred sites of other religions. How can you defend yourself?”

Allah azza wa jal is enough to clarify not just for the non-Muslims, for the Muslims themselves. Look at what He says,

وَتِلْكَ حُجَّتُنَا آتَيْنَاهَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ

Wa Tilka Ĥujjatunā ‘Ātaynāhā ‘Ibrāhīma

That in fact is the way We, We made a case, or it was Our way of making a case that We had in particular and exclusively given to Ibrahim. In other words, you can never use that line ever again for anybody else.

وَتِلْكَ حُجَّتُنَا آتَيْنَاهَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلَىٰ قَوْمِهِ

Wa Tilka Ĥujjatunā ‘Ātaynāhā ‘Ibrāhīma Ala Qawmihi

against his nation

not (Li Qawmihi)- for his nation.

Allah azza wa jal sent a particular admonition and this was a case made against them. And it was particular to Ibrahim alayhis salaam and cannot be repeated again in light of the ayah.

And some people say “Well what about the comparison between that and the Rasool Allah, salAllahu alayhi wasalaam, who destroyed the idols when Mecca was conquered?” Well actually, when Mecca was conquered it was the time of the punishment. It wasn’t the time of da’wah when Mecca was conquered. This is when a nation is defeated by Allah’s help then that nation is annihilated, it’s destroyed by Allah’s will.

But Allah only chose to destroy their false faith but not them. So this was actually a mercy given to Rasool Allah, salAllahu alayhi wasalaam, and not a punishment. It’s the other way around.

In the case of Ibrahim alayhis salaam however it was something very, very specific given to him to make a case against very difficult people. It seems as though those people were very hard to communicate with. So Allah gave Ibrahim alayhis salaam certain tactics that were never given to any other prophet.

وَتِلْكَ حُجَّتُنَا آتَيْنَاهَا إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلَىٰ قَوْمِهِ ۚ نَرْفَعُ دَرَجَاتٍ مَّن نَّشَاءُ

Wa Tilka Ĥujjatunā ‘Ātaynāhā ‘Ibrāhīma Ala Qawmihi Narfa’u Darajātin Man Nashā’u

and never think less of Ibrahim alayhis salaam, because in this ayah Allah says, “We raise the ranks of whoever We want”.

إِنَّ رَبَّكَ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌ

Inna Rabbaka Ĥakīmun Alīmun

No doubt your Master is full of wisdom. All knowledgeable. In other words, even that strategy for that time was the most wise strategy. It was still the one full of wisdom, it doesn’t matter what other critics say. We stand by the legacy of Ibrahim alayhis salaam for his time it was the perfect thing to do and that is why Allah revealed it to him.

This is the kind of confidence and reliance we have to have not only in revelations but also in the legacies of our prophets, alayhimu al salat wal salam, and we should never feel like we have to respond to critics to justify the behaviors of our prophets. It’s not this way.

The prophets didn’t come so we could justify them. The prophets came so other people would have to justify their faults. It’s the other way around.

May Allah azza wa jal give us love, respect, honor and even pride in all of our messengers, alayhimu alsalat wal salam.

BarakAllahu Walikum, Wa-Salaamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh