Islamic Views On Abraham - Personality and Wisdom

Personality and Wisdom

Abraham's personality and character is one of the most in-depth in the whole Qur'an, and Abraham is specifically mentioned as being a kind and compassionate man. Abraham's father is understood by all Muslims to have been a wicked, ignorant and idolatrous man who ignored all of his son's advice. The relationship between Abraham and his father, who in the Qur'an is named Azar, is central to Abraham's story as Muslims understand it to establish a large part of Abraham's personality. The Qur'an mentions that Abraham's father threatened to stone his son to death if he did not cease in preaching to the people. Despite this, the Qur'an states that Abraham in his later years prayed to God to forgive the sins of all his descendants and his parents. Muslims have frequently cited Abraham's character as an example of how kind one must be towards people, and especially one's own parents. A similar example of Abraham's compassionate nature is demonstrated when Abraham began to pray for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah after hearing of God's plan for them. Although God told Abraham that His plan was the final word, and therefore Abraham's prayers would be of no effect, the Qur'an nonetheless reinforces Abraham's kind nature through this particular event.

The Qur'an discusses a certain conversation between a an unrighteous ruler and Abraham. Although identification for the unnamed king has been recognized as being least important in the narrative, many historical sources suggest that it was Nimrod, the king who had ordered the building of the Tower of Babel. According to the narrative, the king became extremely arrogant due to his wealth and power, to the point that he made the claim that he possessed the power of Creation. Claiming divinity for himself, the king quarreled with Abraham but the Qur'an describes that he only deepened in confusion. According to the Qur'an, Abraham told the king that it is God who makes the sun rise and set everyday, which rendered the king confounded. This event has been noted as particularly important because, in the Muslim perspective, it almost foreshadowed the prophetic careers of future prophets, most significantly the career of Moses. Abraham's quarrel with the king has been interpreted by some to be a precursor to Moses's preaching to Pharaoh. Just as the ruler who argued against Abraham claimed divinity for himself, so did the Pharaoh of the Exodus, who refused to hear the call of Moses and perished in the Red Sea. In this particular incident, scholars have further commented on Abraham's wisdom in employing "rational, wise and target-oriented" speech, as opposed to pointless arguments.

Abraham, in the eyes of many Muslims, also symbolized the highest moral values essential to any person. The Qur'an details the account of the angels coming to Abraham to tell him of the birth of Isaac. It says that, as soon as Abraham saw the messengers, he brought to them a "roasted calf without delay". This action has been interpreted by all the scholars as exemplary; many scholars have commentated upon this one action, saying that it symbolizes Abraham's exceedingly high moral level and thus is a model for how men should act in a similar situation. This incident has only further heightened the "compassionate" character of Abraham in Muslim theology.