Abraham's Childhood He was endowed with spiritual understanding from an early age. Allah enlightened his heart and mind and gave him wisdom from childhood. Al- Quran 21:51: We bestowed aforetime on Abraham his rectitude of conduct, and well were We acquainted with him. During his early childhood Abraham realized that his father made strange statues. One day, he asked him about what it was he made. His father replied that he made statues of gods. Abraham was astonished and he spontaneously rejected the idea of worshipping an idol made by man. Being a child, he played with such statues, sitting on their backs as people sit on the backs of donkeys and mules. One day, his father saw him riding the statue of Mardukh and he became furious. He ordered his son not to play with it again. Abraham asked: "What is this statue, father? It has big ears, bigger than ours." His father answered: "It is Mardukh, the god of gods, son! These big ears show his deep knowledge." This made Abraham laugh. He was only seven years old at that time.
The Idolaters Try to burn AbrahamAnger was burning in their hearts. They decided to throw Abraham into the biggest fire they could build. All the citizens were ordered to gather wood as a service to their gods. Ignorant, sick women vowed that if they were cured they would donate so much wood to burn Abraham. For several days they collected fuel. They dug a deep pit, filled it with firewood and ignited it. They brought a catapult with which to cast Abraham into the fire. Abraham was put on the catapult, his hands and feet tied. The fire was ready with its flames reaching the sky. The people stood away from the pit because of the great heat. Then the chief priest gave his order to cast Abraham into the fire. The angel Gabriel came near Abraham's head and asked him: "0 Abraham, do you wish for anything?" Abraham replied: "Nothing from you but God alone." The catapult was shot, and Abraham was cast into the fire, but his descent into the blaze was as a descent on steps in a cool garden.
The flames were still there, but they did not burn, for Allah the Almighty had issued His command:
Al- Quran 21:69: 69. We said, "O Fire! be thou cool, and (a means of) safety for Abraham!" The fire submitted to the will of Allah, becoming cool and safe for Abraham. It only burned his bonds, and he sat in the midst of the fire as if he were sitting in a garden. He glorified and praised Allah the Almighty, with a heart that contained only his love for Allah. There was not any vacant space therein for fear, awe, or worry. It was filled with love only. Fear and awe were dead, and the fire was turned into coolness, making the air pleasant. Those who love Allah as Abraham did do not fear. The Faith of the Believers Almighty Allah declaredAl- Quran 3:173-175: Men said to them: "A great army is gathering against you": And frightened them: But it (only) increased
their Faith: They said: "For us God sufficeth, and He is the best disposer of affairs."And they returned with Grace and bounty from God: no harm ever touched them: For they followed the good pleasure of God: And God is the Lord of bounties unbounded. It is only the Evil One that suggests to you the fear of his votaries: Be ye not afraid of them, but fear Me, if ye have Faith.
The People's reaction to the Fire The throng, the chiefs, and the priests sat watching the fire from a distance. It was burning their faces and nearly suffocating them. It kept burning for such a long time that the disbelievers thought it would never be extinguished. When it did burn out, they were greatly amazed to find Abraham coming out of the pit untouched by the fire. Their faces were black from the smoke, but his was bright with the light and grace of Allah. The raging fire had become cool for Abraham and had only charred the ropes which held him. He walked out of the fire as if he were walking out of a garden. Cries of astonishment were heard from the heathens. Then they sought a stratagem against him: but We made them the ones that lost most!(Al - Quran 21:70) This miracle shamed the tyrants, but it did not cool the flame of anger in their hearts. However, after this event many of the people followed Abraham, although some kept their belief a secret for fear of harm or death at the hands of the rulers.
Beberapa hal yang menurut saya tidak jelas rujukannya. Saya tidak tahu dari mana sumber drama seperti itu yang ditambahkan melengkapi cerita yag disampaikan Al Quran. Cerita tambahan tersebut, memang membuat seolah-olah rangkaian cerita Al Quran menjadi semacam drama perjalanan hidup seorang anak manusia. Namun tanpa disadari, kita mencampuradukkan antara kisah yang disebutkan dalam Al Quran dengan cerita lain yang tidak jelas sumbernya.
Cerita tambahan itu memang menarik untuk mengembangkan daya khayal kita, tentang keajaiban Ibrahim AS yang tidak mempan dibakar. Tapi kita tidak tahu apakah cerita tambahan tersebut adalah nyata atau melebih-lebihkan saja. Sebagai contoh, ada cerita yang menyebutkan bahwa Ibrahim dibakar selama 40 hari, dan tidak terbakar apapun bagian tubuhnya kecuali tali pengikatnya. Entah darimana sumber cerita tersebut.
Cerita yang dikisahkan Al Quran bahkan tidak secara jelas menyebutkan apakah Ibrahim memang dilemparkan ke dalam api atau tidak, yang jelas Allah menyelamatkannya. Tentang api yang menjadi dingin, uraian yang disampaikan oleh Maulana Muhammad Ali sangatlah menarik. Menurutnya yang menjadi dingin adalah api kemarahan orang-orang yang hendak membakar Ibrahim. Lebih jauh MMA sendiri menegaskan bahwa tidak ada keterangan dalam Al Quran tentang dilemparkanya Ibrahim ke dalam api sebagaimana yang direncanakan oleh para penentangnya.
Kisah Ibrahim sebagaimana yang disebutkan dalam Al Quran adalah sebuah kisah tentang perjuangan seorang hamba Allah dalam menyampaikan apa yang diyakininya. Kisah ini disajikan untuk diambil pelajarannya. Penambahan cerita-cerita dapat menutup pelajaran yang sesunguhnya harus diperoleh. Lihat saja, kalau kita berbicara tentang Ibrahim, yang pertama kali muncul dalam ingatan kita adalah tentang mukjizatnya, dan bukan tentang keteguhan hatinya. Padahal, menurut saya yang bisa ditarik pelajarannya adalah: keteguhan hatinya, kekritisannya, kesungguhannya, keberaniannya, jalan pikirannya dan lain-lain. Ini semua adalah hal-hal yang sangat manusiawi yang bisa dipelajari dan dicontoh oleh semua manusia. Kesampingkanlah cerita tentang mukjizat yang memang tidak pernah disampaikan oleh Allah untuk dijadikan pelajaran bagi kita.