Surah Al Anbiya Tafseer

How Ibrahim was thrown into the Fire and how Allah controlled it

When their arguments were refuted and their incapability became clear, when truth was made manifest and falsehood was defeated, they resorted to using their power and strength, and;

قَالُوا حَرِّقُوهُ وَانصُرُوا الِهَتَكُمْ إِن كُنتُمْ فَاعِلِينَ

They said:"Burn him and help your gods, if you will be doing."

So they gathered together a huge amount of wood.

As-Suddi said,

"I if a woman was sick, she would make a vow that if she recovered she would bring wood to burn Ibrahim. Then they made a hole in the ground and set it aflame, and it burned with huge sparks and immense flames. There had never been a fire like it. They put Ibrahim, peace be upon him, into a catapult, at the suggestion of a nomadic Kurdish man from Persia."

Shu`ayb Al-Jaba'i said,

"His name was Hayzan, and Allah caused the earth to swallow him up, and he will remain sinking into it until the Day of Resurrection.

When they threw him he said, `Sufficient for me is Allah, and He is the best disposer of affairs."'

This is similar to what Al-Bukhari recorded from Ibn Abbas that Ibrahim said,

"`Sufficient for me is Allah, and He is the best disposer of affairs,"

when he was thrown into the fire, and Muhammad said it when they said:

إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ جَمَعُواْ لَكُمْ فَاخْشَوْهُمْ فَزَادَهُمْ إِيمَـناً وَقَالُواْ حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ

Verily, the people have gathered against you, therefore, fear them. But it increased them in faith, and they said:"Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs." (3:173)

Sa`id bin Jubayr reported that Ibn Abbas said:

"When Ibrahim was thrown into the fire, the keeper (angel) of the rain said:`When will I be commanded to send rain.' But the command of Allah was more swift.

قُلْنَا يَا نَارُ كُونِي بَرْدًا وَسَلَمًا عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ