What did Ibn Kathir say about Prophet Ibrāhīm?
Ibrāhīm is called the khalīl of Allah — His intimate friend. Ibn Kathir traces his life from the axe in his father's shop to the knife raised over his son.
10 passages from 6 books in the library
Ibn Kathir presents Ibrāhīm as the Khalīl, the intimate friend of al-Raḥmān, and stresses his exalted rank among the prophets. The passages recount how, after twenty years in the land, he left Hagar and Ismāʿīl, with Hagar clinging to his clothes asking where he was going; Ibn Kathir affirms that Ismāʿīl was his son and firstborn to speak. He preserves Ibrāhīm's encounter with the Angel of Death and his morning remembrance of Allah, and notes how Muslims invoke blessings upon Muhammad's family 'as You blessed Ibrāhīm and the family of Ibrāhīm.'
Drawn from the classical sources below — in the scholars' own words.
The classical approach.
These passages are drawn from 6 books by Ibn Kathir and Imam al-Ghazali — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.
14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir →
· Provenance →
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"of Abraham, the Khalil of Ar-Rahman. Furthermore, what indicates that Abraham is superior to"
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"When Abraham had been in the lands of Bathom-Macedes for twenty years, Sarah said to Abraham, peace"
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"As Ibrahim left them, Hagar clung to his clothes, asking, O Ibrahim, where are you going, leaving"
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"not enter until he ordered them to be erased. He saw images of Ibrahim and Ismail with divination"
14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir →
· Provenance →
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"Ismail ibn Ibrahim, the friend of Allah. Ismail, peace be upon them, was the first to speak"
14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir →
· Provenance →
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"Say, We believe in Allah and what was revealed to us and what was revealed to Ibrahim, Ismail, Ishaq."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"in. Ibrahim asked, Who are you among the angels? He replied, I am the angel of death. Ibrahim asked,"
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
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"Khalil Ibrahim, peace be upon him, is as follows. He would say when he awoke, O Allah, this is a"
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"Bless Muhammad and his wives and descendants as you blessed Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim."
14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir →
· Provenance →
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"He then specified the family of Ibrahim, including the descendants of Ismail, and highlighted"
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