One may write a detailed history of his life...

One may write a detailed history of his life, basing it on his stories and the laudatory phrases used for him in the Qur'an; and we shall write something on these lines in Chapter 6 (The Cattle). QUR'AN: such of them as believe: Ibrahim (a.s.) asked his Lord to give the residents of Mecca security and provide them with fruits.

At the same time he realized that not all of the residents would be believers, that some of them would be unbelievers; also he understood that his prayer for their sustenance was general - it covered the believers as well as the unbelievers; and he was aware that he had already declared himself to be separate from the unbelievers and their idols (as Allah says about him: but when it became clear to him that he, that is, his father, was an enemy of Allah, he declared himself to be clear of him [9:114].

Here Allah bears witness that Ibrahim [a.s.] had declared his separation from every enemy of Allah, not excepting even his father). In this background, as soon as he realized that his prayer included both the believers and the unbelievers, he added the proviso, "such of them as believe . . .” although he was well aware that, according to the social structure of this world, sustenance could not be given only to the believing group, to the exclusion of the unbelievers; yet he qualified his prayer.

Even so, Allah knows better how He should decide about His creatures and what He should decree concerning them. Therefore, lbrahim's prayer was granted for the believers, and was extended to cover the unbelievers also.

The reply given to Ibrahim (a.s.) implies that Allah would give them sustenance according to the system He has created in this world; in other words, believers and unbelievers both would be given their livelihood, because restricting it to the believers would entail unnecessarily breaking the usual and established system.

Ibrahim (a.s.) could have said: and provide the believers of this town with fruits; but he did not, because what he wanted to ask was an attraction, a dignity, for the town, which would be centered around the Sacred House of Allah. That House was built in a valley devoid of every agricultural produce; and if it were not provided with fruits and food­stuff, nobody would settle in it, and the place would remain uninhabited.