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Glossary Entry

Ba'l

Definition

Ba'l — Baal — was the prominent deity of the ancient Levantine and Canaanite religious systems, worshipped as a lord of storm, rain, and fertility, and associated with temples that included practices deeply incompatible with the monotheism the prophets were sent to restore. Ilyas confronted the people's attachment to Baal with a directness that echoes Ibrahim's confrontation of his father's idols: 'Do you call upon Baal?' The absurdity of preferring a fabricated deity — unable to speak, to hear, to act — over the Creator of the universe is the same absurdity that every prophet in the Qisas has confronted in different forms. Ibn Kathir uses Ba'l to illustrate the persistent human susceptibility to worshipping the created rather than the Creator.

As understood in the classical tradition of Ibn Kathir and the scholars of his school.

In the library's own words

How the scholars use Ba'l.

  1. "Others say Elias was the son of Eliezer, the son of Aaron, son of Imran. He was sent to the people of Baalbek, calling them to Allah and to abandon the worship of an idol called Baal. It is said there was a woman named Baal, but Allah knows best. Elias challenged them, Will you not fear? Do you call upon Baal and leave the best of creators, Allah, your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers?"

    — Ibn Kathir, Yusha, al-Khidr & Ilyas

  2. "Aran bin Imran. He was sent to the people of Baalabak, west of Damascus, to call them to worship Allah and abandon their idol, Baal. Some say Baal was a woman, but the first account is more accurate. Ilyas said to them, Will you not fear Allah? Do you call upon Baal and leave the best of creators, Allah your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers?"

    — Ibn Kathir, Volume 1 — From Creation to Mūsā

  3. "As for Ilyas, peace be upon him, Allah the Almighty mentioned his story in Surah al-Saffat. And indeed Ilyas was one of the messengers, when he said to his people, Will you not fear Allah? Do you call upon Baal and leave the best of creators, Allah your Lord and the Lord of your forefathers? But they denied him, so they will certainly be brought to punishment, except for the chosen servants of Allah."

    — Ibn Kathir, Volume 1 — From Creation to Mūsā

Appears in

1 book in the library

Cover art for Yusha, al-Khidr & Ilyas by Imam Ibn Kathīr

The Story of Yusha, Khidr & Ilyas

Ibn Kathir · 1h 4m

Hear the term in context.

Every book above uses Ba'l the way the classical scholars meant it. Listen with the full Study Kit in the app.

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