Ihyaaud Deen An Effort to Revive Deen in Totality
Namrood was the king in the time of Nabi Ebrahim (‘alaihis salaam). He was a disbeliever and claimed to be a god. He was a tyrant and was forcing people to worship him.
When Namrood heard that Nabi Ebrahim (‘alaihis salaam) was inviting people to believe in Allah Ta’ala alone and to worship none other than Him, he summoned Nabi Ebrahim (‘alaihis salaam) to his court.
When Hazrat Ebrahim (‘alaihis salaam) came before Namrood, he invited him to the oneness of Allah Ta’ala. However, Namrood did not accept the da’wah of Nabi Ebrahim (‘alaihis salaam) and said to him, “There is no lord besides myself!”
Nabi Ebrahim (‘alaihis salaam) told him, “My Lord is Allah, the Lord who alone gives life and death.” Namrood, not understanding the reality of life and death, foolishly responded by saying, “I also give life and death!”
In order to prove his claim, he then called for two prisoners and commanded that one be executed and the other be released and set free.
Namrood failed to comprehend the reality of what is life and death. Giving life is to blow the soul into something lifeless and bring it into existence, and causing death is to remove the soul from a living thing, where despite all the limbs remaining intact, the person is regarded as dead.
Seeing that this line of reasoning could not be correctly understood by Namrood, Hazrat Ebrahim (‘alaihis salaam) decided to change the style of debate and present a different argument.
Nabi Ebrahim (‘alaihis salaam) said to Namrood, “My Allah is the one who causes the sun to rise from the east and set in the west. O Namrood! If you claim to be god, then why don’t you try to reverse the cycle and cause the sun to rise from the west and set in the east?”
This argument was such that Namrood was unable to answer it and was left dumbfounded and speechless.
In the Qur’aan Majeed, Allah Ta’ala describes Namrood’s speechlessness saying:
فَبُہِتَ الَّذِیۡ کَفَرَ ؕ
Then, the one who disbelieved (i.e. Namrood) was left dumbstruck. (Surah Baqarah v. 258)
It was then that Namrood and his people lit the fire to burn Nabi Ebrahim (‘alaihis salaam). They burned the fire for several days, until its heat reached such a level of intensity that they could not even come close to it without being burnt. Hence, a catapult was required to fling Nabi Ebrahim (‘alaihis salaam) into the fire from a distance.
However, since Nabi Ebrahim (‘alaihis salaam) had remained steadfast upon imaan and had made such sacrifices for the sake of Allah Ta’ala, Allah Ta’ala addressed the fire directly and commanded it to be cool and comfortable for Nabi Ebrahim (‘alaihis salaam). Allah Ta’ala said:
یٰنَارُ کُوۡنِیۡ بَرۡدًا وَّ سَلٰمًا عَلٰۤی اِبۡرٰہِیۡمَ ﴿ۙ۶۹﴾
O fire! Be cool and peaceful upon Ebrahim! (Surah Ambiya v. 69)
By the command of Allah Ta’ala, the fire became a place of such peace and comfort for Nabi Ebrahim (‘alaihis salaam) that the Ulama say that the days which Nabi Ebrahim (‘alaihis salaam) spent in the fire were the most comfortable and enjoyable days of his life.
When Nabi Ebrahim (‘alaihis salaam) saw that the king and the people were not prepared to accept Islam and were opposed to his da’wah, he separated himself from them and left.
First, he left his father and home, then he left his people, and finally he even left the country he lived in – Iraq.
