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Who was Ibrahim?
The Story of Ibrahim is the fifth book in Stories of the Prophets (Qisas al-Anbiya) by Imam Ibn Kathīr, the 14th-century scholar known for the history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah and his commentary on the Qurʾan. It answers the question of who Ibrahim, peace be upon him, was and why he is called the friend of God. Ibn Kathīr draws the account from the Qurʾan and authentic traditions, and lets the verses carry the story before he explains them.
The book opens with the debate of Ibrahim, the friend of God. Allah asks, in chapter 2, verse 258 of the Qurʾan, about the one who argued with Ibrahim about his Lord merely because Allah had given him kingship. Ibrahim says, 'My Lord is the one who gives life and causes death.' The king answers that he too gives life and causes death. Ibrahim replies that Allah brings up the sun from the east, so let the king bring it up from the west. The disbeliever is confounded. Ibn Kathīr explains how Ibrahim exposed the king's ignorance and gave clear evidence of the truth.
The opening states the verse, then retells the same event in Ibn Kathīr's own words, so the listener has the Qurʾan before the commentary. Joyful Muslims also offers The Story of Ibrahim in the Arabic original, and in editions where each passage is read in Arabic, then in English. The same Arabic-first editions are available in Indonesian, Turkish, and Urdu.
Is there an English audiobook of The Story of Ibrahim?
Yes. Joyful Muslims publishes the complete Story of Ibrahim as an English audiobook (about 1.5 hours), translated from the Arabic, with a word-synced bilingual transcript. It is the story of Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, from Ibn Kathīr's Qisas al-Anbiya, drawn from the Qurʾan and authentic traditions.
Is it free to listen?
The whole library is open to everyone. Every member gets five hours of listening free each month; Joyful+ removes the time limit.
How long is it?
About 1.5 hours. It begins with Ibrahim's debate with the king who claimed lordship, from chapter 2, verse 258 of the Qurʾan, and continues with the story of Ibrahim, peace be upon him, from the Qurʾan and authentic traditions.
Last updated 2026-09-11
Inside the book.
Chapters
Word-synced with the narrator.
The first three minutes are transcribed here. In the app, the Living Manuscript scrolls through the entire book in rhythm with the audio — Arabic alongside English.
Living Manuscript
Listen to the full book in the app for the complete Living Manuscript.
The full, word-synced transcript in Arabic and English is in the app.
