Have you ever asked a question that nobody wanted to answer? Tonight's story is about a boy who asked the biggest question of all, and would not stop until he found the truth.
Long ago, in a city called Babylon, there lived a boy named Ibrahim (alayhis salam), which means peace be upon him. In his city, people carved statues out of wood and stone with their own hands. Then they bowed down to those statues and asked them for things! Even Ibrahim's own father carved statues in his workshop.
Little Ibrahim watched and wondered. He asked the people: can these statues hear you? Can they see you? Can they help you at all? Nobody had a good answer. They only said: our fathers and grandfathers did it, so we do it too.
But Ibrahim thought hard, all by himself, like this: who made me? Who feeds me when I am hungry? Who gives me a drink when I am thirsty? Who makes me better when I am sick? Only Allah! So Ibrahim decided: I will only worship the One who made me. He was still young, and he had already worked out the most important thing in the whole world.
One day, when everyone in town went out to a festival, Ibrahim stayed behind with the statues. He broke them into pieces, all except the biggest one, and he hung his axe on the big one's shoulder. When the people came back, they cried: who did this to our gods? Ibrahim said: why not ask the big one? Ask them, if they can talk! And for a moment, the people knew deep inside that statues cannot talk at all.
But instead of thanking Ibrahim, the people got very angry. They built a huge fire and wanted to throw Ibrahim into it. Ibrahim stood all alone, but his heart was calm, because he said: hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakil, which means Allah is enough for me, and He takes care of everything.
Then Allah spoke to the fire itself. Allah told the fire to be cool and safe for Ibrahim. And the fire obeyed its Maker! It could not burn Ibrahim. It only burned the ropes off his hands. Ibrahim sat in the middle of that fire as comfortably as if he were sitting in a garden. Later in his life, he even said it was the best time he ever spent. And everybody saw the truth with their own eyes: the statues could do nothing, but Allah kept His friend perfectly safe.
A young man named Lut (alayhis salam) watched all this and believed, the very first one to join Ibrahim. And Ibrahim grew up to become one of the greatest prophets ever. Allah gave him the most beautiful title: the friend of Allah.
So tonight, think like Ibrahim. Who made you? Who feeds you? Who keeps you safe while you sleep? Allah does. And just like Ibrahim said in front of that fire, Allah is enough for you, always.