Ibrahim (AS) Debates with the King

 Ibrahim (AS) was the prophet who argued with king Nimrod.

When the king, Nimrod, heard of Ibrahim (AS) and how he had survived the fire, he became angry. He claimed to be a god himself, and so that fact that Ibrahim (AS) was claiming that there was only one God who was the creator of everything threatened his status. So he ordered that Ibrahim (AS) be brought before him.

Allah describes Nimrod in the Quran as, ‘The one who debated with Ibrahim about his Lord because Allah had given him a kingdom.’ So Nimrod was a very powerful king but because of this he was arrogant and believed himself to be a god.

Nimrod asked Ibrahim (AS) who it was that he worshipped. To this, Ibrahim (AS) replied, ‘I worship the One who gives life and causes death.’

Nimrod thought that he was cleverer than Ibrahim (AS), and so he replied, ‘I also give life and cause death.’ He then called over two men who had been sentenced to death. He then ordered that one of them be freed and the other be killed, and claimed that this way he had ‘given’ life and ‘caused’ death.

Of course, this was not what Ibrahim (AS) was talking about, and really this didn’t show anything. So Ibrahim (AS) came up with a response that the king could not argue against. He said, ‘Allah causes the sun to rise from the east. So cause it to rise from the west, if you are truthful.'

Nimrod had no response to this, and was completely defeated by Ibrahim (AS).