سورة الأنبياء

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family): It is narrated from Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was passing by a group who were playing chess, and he said: "ما هذِهِ التَّماثِیلُ الَّتِی أَنْتُمْ لَها عاکِفُونَ [What are these images to which you are devoting yourselves?]"

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Mufaddal narrates from Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him) in a hadith in which he mentions the tests by which Allah tried Ibrahim (peace be upon him) with words, and he fulfilled them: among these tests was courage, which the passage of time unveiled through this verse: إِذْ قَالَ لِأَبِیهِ وَ قَوْمِهِ مَا هَذِهِ التَّمَاثِیلُ الَّتِی أَنتُمْ لَهَا عَاکِفُونَ * قَالُوا وَجَدْنَا آبَاءنَا لَهَا عَابِدِینَ * قَالَ لَقَدْ کُنتُمْ أَنتُمْ وَ آبَاؤُکُمْ فِی ضَلَالٍ مُّبِینٍ * قَالُوا أَجِئْتَنَا بِالحَقِّ أَمْ أَنتَ مِنَ اللَّاعِبِینَ * قَالَ بَل رَّبُّکُمْ رَبُّ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ الَّذِی فَطَرَهُنَّ وَأَنَا عَلَی ذَلِکُم مِّنَ الشَّاهِدِینَ * وَ تَاللهِ لَأَکِیدَنَّ أَصْنَامَکُم بَعْدَ أَن تُوَلُّوا مُدْبِرِینَ * فَجَعَلَهُمْ جُذَاذًا إِلَّا کَبِیرًا لهُمْ لَعَلَّهُمْ إِلَیْهِ یَرْجِعُونَ [When he said to his father and his people: What are these images to whose worship you cleave? They said: We found our fathers worshipping them. He said: Certainly you and your fathers have been in manifest error. They said: Have you brought us the truth, or are you of the triflers? He said: Nay, your Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth, He Who brought them into existence, and I am of those who bear witness to this. And, by Allah! I will certainly do something against your idols after you go away, turning back. So he broke them into pieces, except the chief of them, that haply they may return to it]; and the other is the standing of one man against thousands upon thousands of the enemies of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, which is itself the utmost of courage.