Al Ḥijr

وَنَبّـِئْهُمْ عَن ضَيْفِ إبْرَاهِيمَ

إِذْ دَخَلُوا عَلَيْهِ فَقَالُوا سَلاَماً قَالَ إِنَّا مِنكُمْ وَجِلُونَ

51. “And inform them of the guests of Abraham.”
52. “When they entered upon him and said: ‘Peace’, he said: ‘Verily we are scared of you!’”

From this verse on, the Qur’an discusses some instructive parts of the history of great prophets and the disobedient nations as clear examples of the devotee servants and the followers of Satan. It begins with the story of ‘Ibrahim’s guests, saying:

“And inform them of the guests of Abraham.”

These uninvited guests were the same angels who anonymously called on ‘Ibrahim first, and said /salam/ (peace) to him. The verse says:

“When they entered upon him and said: ‘Peace’, he said: ‘Verily we are scared of you!’”

‘Ibrahim got ready to receive them, as is the case with a great and kind host, and prepared immediately a proper food for them. But when he spread the dinner table, the unknown guests did not stretch their hands to take food. Abraham terrified by this act and, without concealing his terror, he explicitly told them that he was afraid of them:

“Verily we are scared of you.”.

This kind of fear was because of a tradition prevalent at that time and at later times, even at the present among some nations that whenever someone eats out of someone else’s bread and salt, he would feel safe from his side for he feels he owes him something. It was for this reason that when the angels did not eat the food, ‘Ibrahim reasoned it as the sign of having ill-intentions, rancour, and enmity with regard to him.