What are the three lies mentioned by Ibrahim (peace and blessings be upon him)?
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Question:
What are the three lies of Ibrahim (peace and blessings be upon him)?
Answer:
His statement regarding the idols,[Al-Anbya 21:63] when he broke them, he said: "It was their chief"; perhaps they would take heed, perhaps they would realize. Their chief is an inanimate object with no knowledge, and for this reason they became alert and prepared fire for him, but Allah saved him from their evil.
The second is his statement,, when he lagged behind regarding their idols, they passed by him... he said: "I am ill." He gave the impression that he was sick, though he was not sick, but their disbelief and their evil made him ill.
The third is that he went with his wife Sarah to Egypt, and she was mentioned to the king, so she was brought to him. He asked Ibrahim about her, and he said: "She is my sister." He did not say she was his wife, fearing that he would be jealous and take her. He said: "She is my sister." So he reached out his hand to her, and Allah struck him with paralysis in his hand; he could not reach out to her. He said: "Call upon Allah for me, and I will not harm you." So she called upon Allah for him, then he reached out his hand and was taken again, so she called for him and he was released. Then he said: "Take her away from me; you have not brought me a woman, but a female devil." Allah thwarted his plot, and she was safe from his evil. Sarah (may Allah be pleased with her and have mercy on her), the wife of the Intimate Friend (Khalil).
Q: Are these three called lies? Are they not from the circumlocutions of speech?
The Shaykh: Due to his scrupulousness (peace and blessings be upon him), he called it a lie, and he intended by that circumlocution, but he called it a lie in relation to what appears to people, whom they would consider it a lie. He intended by that to draw their attention to the fact that the idols have no power to bind or loose, but rather it was their chief who did it; it does nothing. And regarding "I am ill," they would excuse him because he is sick according to what they know in their custom, and he is ill because of their wicked deeds.
What are the three lies of Ibrahim (peace and blessings be upon him)?
Answer:
His statement regarding the idols,
Rather, this - the largest of them - did it
بل فعله كبيرهم هذاThey said: Who did this?
قالوا من فعل هذاThe second is his statement,
Indeed, I am ill
إني سقيمThe third is that he went with his wife Sarah to Egypt, and she was mentioned to the king, so she was brought to him. He asked Ibrahim about her, and he said: "She is my sister." He did not say she was his wife, fearing that he would be jealous and take her. He said: "She is my sister." So he reached out his hand to her, and Allah struck him with paralysis in his hand; he could not reach out to her. He said: "Call upon Allah for me, and I will not harm you." So she called upon Allah for him, then he reached out his hand and was taken again, so she called for him and he was released. Then he said: "Take her away from me; you have not brought me a woman, but a female devil." Allah thwarted his plot, and she was safe from his evil. Sarah (may Allah be pleased with her and have mercy on her), the wife of the Intimate Friend (Khalil).
Q: Are these three called lies? Are they not from the circumlocutions of speech?
The Shaykh: Due to his scrupulousness (peace and blessings be upon him), he called it a lie, and he intended by that circumlocution, but he called it a lie in relation to what appears to people, whom they would consider it a lie. He intended by that to draw their attention to the fact that the idols have no power to bind or loose, but rather it was their chief who did it; it does nothing. And regarding "I am ill," they would excuse him because he is sick according to what they know in their custom, and he is ill because of their wicked deeds.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.