How do I tell my child the story of Prophet Ibrahim and the idols?

The story of Ibrahim, peace be upon him, is told in Surah Al-Anbiya (21:51–70). It teaches courage, clear thinking and trust in Allah.

The story in four parts

1. The question. Ibrahim saw his people, and even his father, worshipping statues. He asked, “What are these statues you keep worshipping?” They said, “We found our fathers worshipping them.”
2. The plan. When the people went out of the town, Ibrahim broke the idols into pieces, except the biggest one (21:58).
3. The clever answer. The people asked, “Did you do this to our gods, Ibrahim?” He said, “Rather, this biggest one did it. Ask them, if they can speak” (21:63). They knew the idols could not speak, and so could not help anyone.
4. The fire. Angry, they threw Ibrahim into a huge fire. Allah said: “O fire, be coolness and safety for Ibrahim” (21:69), and he came out unharmed.

Lessons to talk about

• Think for yourself: doing something because “everyone does it” is not a good reason.
• Only Allah can help: statues cannot hear, see or answer.
• Courage: Ibrahim spoke the truth even when it was hard.
• Trust in Allah: Allah protects those who trust Him.

Questions to ask

• “Why did Ibrahim leave the biggest idol?”
• “What did Allah tell the fire?”
• “When might you need to be brave like Ibrahim?”

More: stories of the Prophets for kids. We never show Prophets in pictures.