Why has God chosen Abraham as His friend? Dive deeper into ifilm pick

As this weekend's movie is titled 'Abraham, Friend of Allah', you may wonder why the prophet Abraham (PBUH) is given the significant title that shows his friendship with God. 

Based on the interpretations of Quranic verses and quotes from Prophet Muhammad and his Households,  the Arabic word Khalil can be interpreted as a friend on the surface while the deeper sense of the lexicon suggests that the prophet Abraham (PBUH) believed everything in the world is dependent on Allah. 

The reason for using the word Khalil in reference to Abraham (PBUH) should not be considered at the word level without the religious context given that God is not required to have someone as His friend in its material sense. 

As Imam Sadiq notes, the word Khalil means a servant of God who tries to attain Allah's satisfaction upon whatever they do in this material world. 

According to some other Islamic sources, Abraham (PBUH) was named "Friend of Allah" due to being obedient to Allah, making sacrifices, helping the needy and praising God profusely.

With this prelude to the upcoming movie on ifilm, you can dive deeper into the flick tonight at 22:00 GMT. 

Read more:

ifilm English TV to air ‘Abraham, Friend of Allah’

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