The Call of the Quran
1. Divine Planning
~ 10 ~
divine plan assigned to Abraham to prepare the
generation desired by God.
(Tafsir
Ibn-Kathir)
In this way, in that hostile, aloof environment, a
new generation began to be formed. What were the
characteristics of this race? The two most prominent
characteristics were their being in tune with nature
and possessing the human quality of manliness.
The only thing to influence man in this rugged,
hostile, Arabian Desert was nature: vast wilderness,
high mountains, starlit sky. These natural
phenomena gave man the message of the unity of
God. They were perpetual reminders to man of
God’s greatness and omniscience. These pure,
divine surroundings nurtured a generation which,
in the words of Abraham, had the real capacity to
become an Islamic community, that is, one which
could surrender itself completely to the Will of God.
The nature of this community was preserved intact
in its original state, hence it was fully capable of
accepting the religion of nature.
It was then the most suitable environment for
nurturing that characteristic which is called al-
Muruwah (manliness) in Arabic. Life was full of
