The Third Covenant With Abraham (PBUH)

Why was Abraham thrown into the fire? How did he become an Imam? And what does the divine promise made to his descendants mean?

Abraham holds a central place in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Yet his story cannot be reduced to the break with idolatry.

In the third Door of The Goal of the Wise, his path is presented as a fundamental stage in the evolution of the Covenants between God and humanity.

This Door notably explores the links between the fire, Nimrod, the Tower of Babel, the Imamate and the transmission of divine authority.

1. Fire: an ancient symbol with opposing meanings

The chapter begins by revisiting the role of fire in the earliest religious traditions.

According to a narration attributed to Imam Al-Sadiq, Cain is said to have interpreted the acceptance of Abel’s offering as a form of fire worship.

This misunderstanding is said to have contributed to the development of religious practices detached from their original meaning.

The book also draws a parallel with Zoroastrianism.

It presents Zoroaster as a prophet whose teachings were gradually distorted by some of his successors.

This interpretation allows the author to distinguish the religious symbol from the object of worship.

Fire can represent a manifestation or a sign, without itself being the divinity.

2. Abraham and the refusal of idolatry

Abraham appears in a world dominated by religious and political powers that claim to determine what people must worship.

Nimrod embodies this authority.

The book compares his story with an account from the Midrash in which Abraham refuses to worship fire and successively questions the power of water, of the clouds and of the wind.

Abraham’s reasoning highlights a fundamental contradiction: why worship an element of creation when it itself depends on other forces?

This reflection goes beyond ancient idolatry.

It raises a question that is still relevant: do we turn certain material realities, institutions or human authorities into absolutes in which we place excessive trust?

3. Nimrod’s furnace

Faced with Abraham’s refusal, Nimrod chooses violence.

The prophet is thrown into the fire.

Yet, according to the religious accounts drawn upon in this Door, the flames do not consume him.

The book interprets this event as a demonstration of Nimrod’s powerlessness before the divine will.

Political power can impose a trial, but it does not possess ultimate authority over the destiny of the messenger.

The account also becomes a lesson in faithfulness to one’s convictions.

Abraham does not renounce his call in order to obtain the sovereign’s protection.

4. The Tower of Babel and the dispersion of the peoples

The third Door links the fall of Nimrod to the episode of the Tower of Babel.

The biblical account presents a humanity speaking a common language and seeking to build a tower whose top would reach the heavens.

In the book’s interpretation, this undertaking symbolises the pride of a civilisation claiming to rise independently of God.

The confusion of languages and the dispersion of the peoples are then presented as the consequences of this rebellion.

This episode makes it possible to examine a recurring theme: the difference between a materially powerful civilisation and a civilisation truly guided by wisdom.

A society can accomplish technical feats while drifting away from its moral responsibilities.

5. From servant to Imam: the stages of Abraham’s elevation

One of the major teachings of the chapter concerns the different spiritual ranks of Abraham.

A tradition attributed to Imam Al-Sadiq describes a progression: Abraham first becomes a servant, then a prophet, a messenger, a friend of God and finally an Imam.

This succession is important.

It presents the Imamate as a particular responsibility, distinct from the stages that precede it.

The Imam is not simply a learned or respected person.

From the book’s perspective, he is a guide to whom God entrusts authority over people.

The Third Covenant thus establishes a principle that will run through the entire work: divine guidance rests on a designation and not on popular recognition alone.

6. The promise made to Abraham’s descendants

Abraham asks that this Covenant also concern his descendants.

But the divine answer introduces an essential limit: the Covenant does not extend to the unjust.

The book draws in particular on the Quran, Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 124, to develop this question.

Belonging to a lineage is therefore not enough, on its own, to guarantee legitimate spiritual authority.

Justice, faithfulness and divine designation remain decisive.

This principle invites us to distinguish family inheritance from true spiritual succession.

It foreshadows the later debates concerning the prophets, the Imams and their successors.

7. A Covenant that spans the generations

Genesis also presents the Covenant with Abraham as a promise intended for his posterity.

The book examines the signs and obligations associated with this relationship, notably circumcision, as well as the questions of descent and succession.

The collective dimension of the Covenant becomes more visible here.

It is no longer only a matter of the relationship between an individual and God, but of a responsibility destined to be passed on.

However, this transmission does not erase the moral requirement.

Faithfulness to God remains at the heart of the Covenant.

8. Abraham and spiritual freedom

The story of Abraham confronts us with an opposition between two forms of authority.

Nimrod demands submission to his power.

Abraham recognises an authority that surpasses him.

This opposition reminds us that authentic faith may require resisting social conventions, fear and collective pressures.

Abraham’s greatness does not lie solely in the miracle of the furnace.

It also lies in his ability to refuse to confuse the power of a sovereign with the truth.

Conclusion — The Covenant is not passed on without justice

The Third Covenant with Abraham marks a new stage in the relationship between God and humanity.

It reveals the importance of divine designation, of the rank of Imam and of the responsibility attached to succession.

It also reminds us that material power guarantees neither truth nor justice.

Abraham leaves us with an essential question: do we follow the truth because it is just, or only when it is accepted by those around us?

This question leads us to Moses, Pharaoh and the Fourth Covenant.