Millat Ibrahim

In Islam, Ibrahim (Abraham) is a central figure in the Qur'an. He is described as a leader of humankind (Qur'an 2:124), a prophet, a friend of God (Qur'an 4:125) and one who is among the righteous. He became the leader of the righteous in his time and it was through him that the Arabs and Hebrew people came. The Qur'an refers to the faith of Ibrahim as Millat Ibrahim (millatu Ibrāhīm), and it also says that he coined the term "Muslim". Allah named his followers Muslims. (Qur'an 22:78)[1]

Millat means a path or a way in Arabic. Millat Ibrahim denotes the ideology of Ibrahim in the Qur'an and how he reached them after his intellectual and spiritual journey. The Qur'an tells about his experiences in the quest for the truth. How he first considered a star, moon and sun as his gods but rejected them as mere creatures and how he finally believed in their Creator (Qur'an 6:76-79).[2] Islamic scholars such as Ibn Kathir state that this episode is to be viewed as Abraham debating with and responding to the claims of his people; Imam ibn Kathir writes in his Tafsir ibn Kathir "We should note here that, in these Ayat, Ibrahim, peace be upon him, was debating with his people, explaining to them the error of their way in worshipping idols and images. ... When he proved that these three objects were not gods, although they are the brightest objects the eyes can see, (he said: "O my people! I am indeed free from all that you join as partners in worship with Allah.) meaning, I am free from worshipping these objects and from taking them as protectors. Therefore, if they are indeed gods as you claim, then all of you bring your plot against me and do not give me respite."[3]

The word Millat is used in 15 different verses of Qur'an. Ten of them (2:120, 2:130, 2:135, 3:95, 4:125, 6:161, 12:37, 12:38, 16:123, 22:78) refers, either directly or indirectly, to Ibrahim.


See also

References

  1. ↑ "Surat Al-Ĥaj (The Pilgrimage)". Quran.com. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
  2. ↑ "Surat Al-'An`ām (The Cattle)". Quran.com. Retrieved 2010-09-23.
  3. ↑ http://www.qtafsir.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=994&Itemid=61
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