Why it is such an immediate move to issues related to life and death. If we have a look back at the verses talking about Saul and Goliath and the checking of Allah (swt):
{وَلَوْلَا دَفْعُ اللَّهِ النَّاسَ بَعْضَهُم بِبَعْضٍ لَّفَسَدَتِ الْأَرْضُ}
(And if it were not for Allah checking [some] people by means of others, the earth would have been corrupted.) (Al-Baqara: 251)
All such verses and issued were revealed to the messengers and clarified. Still, there is one main issue that prevents the people of a messenger to be guided, that’s the issue of life and death, which is still a hot topic today and would remain till Allah (swt) inherits earth and whoever is on it. This is due to a single reason that no one could have ever, and will never, reject death. Moreover, nobody is able to know the nature or essence of death nor control it in terms of time or place. All discoveries, knowledge, wars, or whatever took, is taking or will take place on Earth is due to one reason: clinging to life. Why some countries have hegemony over other countries? why do some countries occupy others? Why do some people kill other people? It’s only for one reason: to possess life and have control over it. And those two things are in the hands of Allah (swt) only. No one could have repelled the angel of death who comes to everyone: the young and the old, the healthy and the ill, the strong and the weak, the ruler and the subject, … all with no exception:
{ كلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ * وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلَالِ وَالْإِكْرَامِ}
(Everyone upon the earth will perish % And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor.) (Al-Rahman: 26-27)
In addition, there used to be one question raised before the calls of all prophets:
{قَالُوا أَإِذَا مِتْنَا وَكُنَّا تُرَابًا وَعِظَامًا أَإِنَّا لَمَبْعُوثُونَ }
(They said, “When we have died and become dust and bones, are we indeed to be resurrected?) (Al-Muminoon: 82)
Death and resurrection had always been the topic of all controversies among the prophets and the people to whom they were sent to guide.
(… أَلَمْ تَرَ ) (Have you not considered …): Prophet Muhammad (saws) neither saw Abraham nor witnessed such discussion and argument. It’s worth to mention that all religions revealed by Allah (swt) were characterized by mindfulness, reason, dialogue, and provoking evidence rather than tyranny and compulsion. after Allah (swt) says: (There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion.) comes a verse about one of the most tyrannical kings on the face of earth, Nimrod. Allah (swt) didn’t state who the king was but mentioned Abraham. Allah (swt) doesn’t name people in the Quranic stories as He doesn’t want to immortalize the event, people, story or time. He wants to immortalize the moral of the story. The elements of the Quranic story ae different from those of the human story that are related to people, events, time and place. Meanwhile, the Quranic story has one main pillar: the moral or the universal rule of the story that, in turn, happened and would happen at every age. The proof of the same is that we’re talking about such arguments and dialogues depicted by the Quran to Prophet Muhammad (saws) hundreds of centuries ago. The means of communication for historical events is hearing the stories told: have you not heard? Have you not seen? Seeing is more credible than hearing of course. The question “where?” isn’t raised as long as you’ve seen. So, the eye and the ear are functioning when you either witness the story or hear about it from a credible source. The creator of the senses is more credible than the senses themselves, and you move from hearing to a clearer stage than seeing when the story is told by Him. That’s why He tells Prophet Muhmmad (saws): “Haven’t you considered?” The Prophet saw neither Abraham nor Nimrod; nor heard he of their story. Nonetheless, what Allah (swt) tells is more credible than what he witnesses.
(… إِلَى الَّذِي حَاجَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ فِي رَبِّهِ أَنْ آتَاهُ اللَّهُ الْمُلْكَ …) (…the one who argued with Abraham about his Lord [merely] because Allah had given him kingship? …): argued: from argument, discussion between two persons. Had a person written the Quran, they couldn’t have told the story of Abraham and Nimrod with such couple of words. He (swt) didn’t say he was a king or named Nimrod but (…the one who argued with Abraham) instead. He didn’t say: as he’s a king, a human or Nimrod… never, but (about his Lord [merely] because Allah had given him kingship?) instead. Such sentence can never be produced by a human being. What made Nimrod argue about the divinity of Allah (swt) is that he had been given the kingship by Allah (swt), and that’s why he transgressed. Allah (swt) didn’t name Nimrod since names don’t matter. It’s rather the fact that anybody gets kingship or fortune transgresses:
{ كَلَّا إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَيَطْغَىٰ *أَن رَّآهُ اسْتَغْنَىٰ}
(No! [But] indeed, man transgresses % Because he sees himself self-sufficient.) (Al-Alaq: 6-7)
Will a person living in a hut in devastating poverty transgress? Or the one who transgresses is who has fortune, wealth and palaces? This is the key to transgression, as such a person thinks he can buy all people and do whatever he wants. However, no one does what he wants but Allah (swt), the One. Back to the argument we have; Nimrod, who had been given the kingship by Allah, transgressed and defied the divinity of Allah (swt) instead of worshiping Him.
(… إِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ رَبِّيَ الَّذِي يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ …) (…When Abraham said, “My Lord is the one who gives life and causes death …): The Quran has left something to the reader’s mind. “Who’s your god,” the transgressing man asked Abraham. Such a story has not much of details since it’s not by humans. The Quranic context, in turn, focuses on the moral of the story to immortalize. “Who’s your god,” Nimrod asked Abraham. “My god is the one who gives life and causes death,” said Abraham. Why do we have such a question and an answer? It’s because Abraham, like all humans, knows that life and death are in the hands of Allah (swt) and never in the hands of humans. That’s why he supported his argument with the most important point: (“My Lord is the one who gives life and causes death,”) What was Nimrod’s response then?
(… قَالَ أَنَا أُحْيِي وَأُمِيتُ …) (…he said, “I give life and cause death …): This is his point of view. So, he brought two prisoners and said: “I ordered one to be killed, and thus, caused his death. Then, I ordered the other one to be released giving him life. Abraham didn’t chop the logic here. The only one who can give life and causes death is Allah (swt). To give life is to create out of scratches. Yet, Nimrod thought that he could have given life if he kept the prisoner alive or caused death when he ordered the other one to be killed. There is a difference between death and killing despite having one common thing, that’s the soul leaves the body. Still, there is a difference. Allah (swt) says:
{وَمَا مُحَمَّدٌ إِلَّا رَسُولٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ مِن قَبْلِهِ الرُّسُلُ ۚ أَفَإِن مَّاتَ أَوْ قُتِلَ انقَلَبْتُمْ عَلَىٰ أَعْقَابِكُمْ ۚ}
(Muhammad is not but a messenger. [Other] messengers have passed on before him. So if he was to die or be killed, would you turn back on your heels [to unbelief]?.) (Ali-Imran: 144)
Death is one thing and killing is another, no doubt. Killing is destroying the structure that contains the soul, which dwells in a certain structure and leaves it when it’s damaged or destroyed. Death, on the other hand, has no reason, occurs when the soul leaves the body, and is followed by the decay of the structure:
You die by sword or other All lead to death no other
Everything dies with a single word {be} or die, so they die without being poisoned, killed, thrown or shot. This is death. That’s why Abraham didn’t chop the logic with Nimrod but rather challenged him with something he couldn’t attribute to himself:
(… قَالَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يَأْتِي بِالشَّمْسِ مِنَ الْمَشْرِقِ فَأْتِ بِهَا مِنَ الْمَغْرِبِ فَبُهِتَ الَّذِي كَفَرَ …) (…Abraham said, “Indeed, Allah brings up the sun from the east, so bring it up from the west.” So the disbeliever was overwhelmed [by astonishment],…): Nimrod was overwhelmed by astonishment when he faced something he could never attribute to himself. This is such a universal rule that neither Nimrod nor any other person can attribute to himself. Nimrod couldn’t also claim that he can give life or cause death, yet, he argued and played tricks with respect to the death and life issue.
( وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ … ) (and Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people …): There are many verses:
{وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ}
(and Allah does not guide the defiantly disobedient people..) (Al-Maaida: 108)
{ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْكَافِرِينَ}
(And Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.) (Al-Baqara: 264)
What’s the fault of the disobedient and the wrongdoing since Allah (swt) doesn’t guide them?” someone may inquire. Allah (swt) responds with a fixed rule:
( وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الظَّالِمِينَ … ) (and Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people …): Allah (swt) doesn’t guide whoever does wrong. Don’t do wrong so that Allah (swt) guides you. Guidance can be for the wrongdoers, the disobedient, and disbelievers.