Al-Anbiyā’ (The Prophets): (68–71) They said, "Burn him and support your gods..."

It is known that after the Almighty demonstrated the proofs of Tawhid (monotheism) and refuted their practice of idol worship, He followed this by showing their ignorance through their statement: {They said, "Burn him and support your gods"}. Herein lie several issues:

Issue 1: Identifying the Speaker

It is not explicitly stated in the Qur'an who uttered this. The famous opinion is that it was Nimrod, son of Canaan, son of Senacherib, son of Nimrod, son of Cush, son of Ham, son of Noah.

• Mujahid said: I heard Ibn 'Umar saying that the one who suggested burning Abraham (عليه السلام) was a man from the Kurds, among the Bedouins of Persia.
• Ibn Jurayj narrated from Wahb, from Shu'ayb al-Juba'i, that the one who said, "Burn him," was a man named Hibrin. Allah caused the earth to swallow him, and he continues to sink therein until the Day of Resurrection.

Issue 2: The Manner of the Story

According to Muqatil: When Nimrod and his people gathered to burn Abraham (عليه السلام), they imprisoned him in a house and built a structure like an enclosure, which is alluded to in the verse: {They said, "Construct a structure for him and cast him into the blazing Fire"} (As-Saffat: 97).

They then collected an immense amount of firewood. So much so that if a woman fell ill, she would say, "If Allah heals me, I will make my wood fuel for Abraham." They transported the wood on beasts of burden for forty days.

When the fire was lit, it intensified, and the air became so hot that if a bird flew at the highest altitude, it would burn. They then took Abraham (عليه السلام), raised him to the top of the structure, and chained him. They used a catapult to place him, bound and shackled, into it.

The heavens, the earth, and all their inhabitants—except the two weighty things (humans and jinn)—cried out in unison: "Our Lord! There is no one on Your earth worshipping You except Abraham, and he is being burned in Your creation! Grant us permission to support him."

Allah, the Exalted, responded: "If he calls upon any of you, then aid him. But if he calls upon no one but Me, then I know best about him, and I am his guardian. Leave Me to deal with him."

When they were about to cast him into the fire, the Angel of Winds came to him and said, "If you wish, I can blow the fire into the air." Abraham (عليه السلام) replied, "I have no need of you."

Then, he raised his head to the sky and said: "O Allah, You are the One in the heavens, and I am the one in the earth. There is no one on earth worshipping You besides me. You are sufficient for us, and [You are] the best disposer of affairs."

It is also narrated that when he was cast into the fire, he said: "There is no god but You; exalted are You. To You be praise and to You be dominion. You have no partner."

They placed him in the catapult and hurled him toward the fire. Gabriel (عليه السلام) came to him and asked, "O Abraham, do you have a need?" He replied, "Not from you." Gabriel said, "Then ask your Lord." Abraham said, "My knowledge of my state from Him is sufficient for me."

Then Allah the Almighty said: {We said, "O fire, be cool and safe for Abraham"} (Al-Anbiyā’: 69).

Al-Saddi said that Gabriel (عليه السلام) was the one who said this. Ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنهما), in a narration by Mujahid, said: If "safety" had not followed "coolness," Abraham would have died from the coldness of the fire. He added that every fire on earth was extinguished that day.

Al-Saddi further narrated that the angels took Abraham by his armpits and seated him on the ground, where there was a spring of sweet water, a red rose, and narcissus. The fire only burned his bonds.

Al-Minhal ibn 'Amr reported that when Abraham (عليه السلام) was cast into the fire, he remained there for either forty or fifty days. He said, "I never lived a better life than when I was in it."

Ibn Ishaq said that Allah sent the Angel of Shade in the likeness of Abraham, who sat beside Abraham to keep him company. Gabriel brought him a garment of silk from Paradise and said, "O Abraham, your Lord says: 'Did you not know that fire does not harm My beloved ones?'"

Nimrod looked from a high tower and saw Abraham sitting in a garden, seeing the angel sitting beside him, while the fire around them burned the wood. Nimrod called out to him, "O Abraham, are you able to come out of it?" Abraham replied, "Yes." Nimrod said, "Get up and come out." So he stood up and walked until he emerged from it.

When he came out, Nimrod asked him, "Who was the man you saw with you in your form?" Abraham replied, "That was the Angel of Shade, whom my Lord sent to keep me company in it." Nimrod said, "I will offer a sacrifice to your Lord because of what I saw of His power and might in what He did to you. I will slaughter four thousand cows for Him." Abraham (عليه السلام) replied, "Allah will not accept anything from you as long as you remain upon your religion." Nimrod said, "I cannot abandon my kingship, but I will slaughter them for Him." So he slaughtered them and ceased troubling Abraham (عليه السلام).

This story is also narrated in another way: They built a structure for Abraham and cast him into it, then lit the fire beneath him for seven days. Then they covered it over. The next day, they opened it, and he was unburnt, sweating profusely. Harun, the father of Lot, told them, "The fire does not burn him because he has bewitched the fire. Instead, place him on something and light a fire beneath it, and the smoke will kill him." So they placed him over a well and lit a fire beneath it. A spark flew up and fell onto the beard of Lot's father, burning him.

Issue 3: The Choice of Fire Punishment

They chose punishment by fire because it is the severest form of punishment. This is why it is said: {If you are doers}—meaning, if you are going to support your gods with strong support, then choose the severest punishment, which is burning.

Regarding the Almighty’s saying: {We said, "O fire, be cool and safe for Abraham"}: Herein lie several issues:

Issue 1: The Speaker of the Command

Abu Muslim al-Isfahani, interpreting {We said, "O fire, be cool"}, suggested that the meaning is that the Almighty made the fire cool and safe, not that there was an actual verbal address, similar to the saying: {His command is only that when He intends a thing, He says to it, "Be," and it is} (Yasin: 82)—meaning, He causes it to be.

The objection raised against this view is that fire is inanimate, so addressing it is impermissible. However, the majority hold that this verbal command indeed occurred. Among them, there are two opinions:

1. The opinion of Al-Saddi: The speaker was Gabriel (عليه السلام).
2. The opinion of the majority: The speaker was Allah (تعالى), which is more fitting and closer to the apparent meaning.

As for the objection that fire is inanimate and addressing it is pointless, we reply: Why should it not be permissible if the intended result is a benefit accruing to the angels (or perhaps to Abraham himself)?

Issue 2: How the Fire Became Cool

They differed on how the fire became cool, with three opinions:

1. Allah Almighty removed the heat and burning quality from it, retaining only its light and radiance. Allah is capable of all things.
2. Allah created a quality within Abraham’s body that prevented the harm of the fire from reaching him, similar to how He deals with the keepers of Hell in the Hereafter, or how the ostrich is structured not to be harmed by swallowing hot iron, or how the salamander is structured not to be harmed by remaining in fire.
3. Allah created a barrier between him and the fire that prevented the effect of the fire from reaching him.

The verified scholars prefer the first opinion because the apparent meaning of {We said, "O fire, be cool"} is that the fire itself became cool, thus Abraham was safe from its effect, not that the fire remained as it was.

If one argues: Fire is a body characterized by heat and lightness. If heat is part of the definition of fire, it is impossible for fire to be cool. Therefore, we must say that "fire" here refers metaphorically to the body that is one part of the definition of fire, which is a metaphor. Why is your metaphor preferable to the other two metaphors?

We reply: The metaphor we mentioned still results in the presence of coolness. In the two metaphors you mentioned, that result (coolness) is not achieved, making our metaphorical interpretation superior.

Regarding the Almighty’s saying: {Be cool and safe for Abraham}: This means that excessive coldness, like excessive heat, is destructive; moderation is necessary. There are three views regarding how this moderation was achieved:

1. Allah Almighty decreed its coolness to the extent that it had no effect (i.e., it was harmlessly cool).
2. Part of the fire became cold while another part remained hot, so the heat and cold balanced each other out.
3. Allah created an excess of heat in Abraham’s body, so he was safe from the coldness and even benefited from it and enjoyed it.

Here are some related questions:

Answer: Fire is the name of the essence (māhiyyah). This coolness must occur within that essence, implying it should apply to all instances of that essence. Alternatively, it was specific to that particular fire because the purpose was related only to the coolness of that fire. Since fire has benefits for creation, it is not permissible to nullify it entirely; the goal was Abraham’s safety, not harming the rest of creation.

Answer: The apparent meaning is that just as He made the fire cool, He made it safe for him to be delivered. What Al-Hasan said is distant and disrupts the ordered discourse.

Answer: This is far-fetched because the coldness of the fire did not originate from the fire itself; it originated from Allah, who is capable of both heat and cold. It is not permissible to say that the cold would have been severe were it not for the word "safe."

Answer: This is not impossible, as it involved an increase and perfection of blessing upon him. It is possible that he experienced a better life there due to the immense joy he attained from being saved from that great ordeal, and the great pleasure of overcoming his enemies and manifesting the religion of Allah Almighty.

Regarding the Almighty’s saying: {And they intended a plot against him, but We made them the losers}: Meaning, they intended to plot against him, but they were only defeated. They contended with him through argument, and Allah taught him the silencing proof. Then they resorted to force and tyranny, but Allah supported him and strengthened him against them. Furthermore, the Almighty completed His favor upon him by saving him and saving Lot along with him—his nephew, Lot son of Haran—to the land that We blessed for all worlds.

It is reported that this incident occurred near Babel. Allah saved him from that region to the blessed land. It is said that this land is Mecca, and others say it is the Land of Sham (Greater Syria), due to the verse: {to the Al-Aqsa Mosque which We have blessed around it} (Al-Isra’: 1).

The reason for its blessing is:

• In religion: Because most prophets (عليهم السلام) were sent from there, and their laws and religious legacies spread from there.
• In the world: Because Allah blessed it with abundant water, trees, fruits, fertility, and pleasant living. It is also said that every sweet water spring originates beneath the rock in Jerusalem.

7. {And We granted him Isaac and Jacob as a supplement, and We made them both righteous. And We made them leaders guiding by Our command. And We inspired to them the doing of good deeds, and the establishment of prayer, and the giving of zakāh. And they were worshippers of Us.}