Posted by marky on 11/03/07 21:44

eh?


"msk2000" <msk2000@naseej.com> wrote in message
news:1194049695.850838.127110@y42g2000hsy.googlegroups.com...
> not, however, moved by the miracle that had just happened before their
> very eyes. But Allah said: "O fire, be coolness and peace for
> Abraham". (Koran xxi.69)
> The people waited until the fire had completely died down, and it was
> then that they saw Abraham still sitting there as though nothing had
> happened! At that moment they were utterly confused. They were
> Still Abraham tried to persuade his own dear father, who was named
> Azar, not to worship powerless, un-seeing, un-hearing statues. Abraham
> explained that special knowledge had come to him and implored his
> father, 'So follow me and I will lead you on the right path. O my
> father! Don't serve the Devil.' But Azar would not listen. He
> threatened his son with stoning if he continued to reject the gods of
> Ur. He ordered Abraham to leave the city with these words: 'Depart
> from me a long while.' Abraham said, 'Peace be upon you! I shall ask
> my Lord's forgiveness for you. Surely He was ever gracious to
> me.' (Koran xix.43-7)
> Imagine how terrible it must have been for him to leave his home,
> his family and all that he knew, and set out across the wilderness
> into the unknown. But at the same time, how could he have remained
> among people who did not believe in Allah and who worshipped statues?
> Abraham always had a sense that Allah cared for him and he felt Allah
> near him as he traveled. At last, after a long hard journey, he
> arrived at a place by the Mediterranean Sea, not far from Egypt. There
> he married a noble woman by the name of Sarah and settled in the land
> of Palestine. Many years passed but Abraham and his wife were not
> blessed with any children. In the hope that there would be a child,
> and in keeping with tradition, Sarah suggested that Abraham should
> marry Hagar, her Egyptian handmaid. Soon after this took place, Hagar
> had a little boy named Ishmael. Some time later Allah promised Abraham
> another son, but this time the mother of the child would be his first
> wife, Sarah. This second son would be called Isaac. Allah also told
> Abraham that from his two sons-Ishmael and Isaac-two nations and three
> messages would be founded and because of this he must take Hagar and
> Ishmael away from Palestine to a new land.
> These events were an important part of Allah's plan, for the
> descendants of Ishmael would form a nation from which would come a
> great Prophet, who would guide the people in the way of Allah. This
> was to be Muhammad (pbuh), the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). From the
> descendants of Sarah's child, Isaac, would come Moses and Jesus.
> So it was that Abraham, Hagar, and Ishmael left Palestine. They
> traveled for many days until finally they reached the arid valley of
> Bacca ( later to be called Mecca), which was on one of the great
> caravan routes. There was no water in the valley and although Hagar
> and Ishmael only had a small supply of water left, Abraham left them
> there knowing Allah would take care of them. Soon all the water was
> gone. The child began to grow weak from thirst. There were two hills
> nearby, one called Safa and the other Marwah. Hagar went up one hill
> and looked into the distance to see if she could find any water,
> but found none. So she went to the other hill and did the same. She
> did this seven times. Then sadly she returned to her son, and to her
> great surprise and joy she found a spring of water bubbling out of the
> earth near him. This spring, near which the mother and child settled,
> was later called Zamzam. The area around it became a place of rest for
> the caravans travelling across the desert and in time grew into the
> famous trading city of Mecca.
>>From time to time Abraham traveled from Palestine to visit his family
> and he saw Ishmael grow into a strong young man. It was during one of
> these visits that Allah commanded them to rebuild the Ka'bah-the very
> first place where people had worshipped Allah. They were told exactly
> where and how to build it. It was to be erected by the well of Zamzam
> and built in the shape of a cube. In its eastern corner was to be
> placed a black stone that had fallen to earth from heaven. An angel
> brought the stone to them from the nearby hill of Abu Qubays
>

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