by Antonio Napoli
Abraham often accompanied his father Terach to the market, where the latter sold small statues of idols that he fervently worshipped. One day, Terach left for the entire morning, leaving his son in charge of the stall.
After a while, an old man with bushy hair and beard approached. He examined the merchandise carefully, then pointed at a statue and said:
“I have no money with me, but I’ll give you this staff. It is more noble and useful than all this merchandise.”
Abraham accepted the trade, watching as the old man walked away. He saw him hobbling toward the river, where he threw the statue into the water, as if to rid himself of a burden.
Later, a woman arrived, holding a bowl full of flour with both hands. Smiling, she said to Abraham:
“Your idols must be hungry. Take this flour and offer it to them.”
Then she left, leaving the bowl in the young man’s hands.
Abraham stood in silence for a moment. Then he rose from the stool, made of the same wood as the idols, and placed the bowl of flour on the ground. Grabbing the staff left by the old man, he began to destroy the statues with decisive blows, shaking the table on which they were displayed. When he had reduced all the idols to pieces, he spared one, the largest. He placed the staff in its hands and left the bowl of flour at its feet.
When Terach returned to the stall and saw the scene, his face filled with dismay. With a voice full of anger, he asked Abraham:
“Who did this? Another merchant? A customer? A soldier? A thief?”
Abraham, sitting calmly, replied:
“Father, an old man came with a staff and gave it to me. Then a woman came with a bowl of flour and told me to offer it to the idols. I did as she said, but one of the idols exclaimed, ‘I will eat it first!’ Another replied, ‘No, I will eat it first!’ A quarrel broke out, and in the chaos, the largest idol rose, took the staff, and smashed all the others before my eyes. I couldn’t do anything to stop it.”
Terach stared at him in disbelief, then burst out:
“What nonsense are you saying? Idols can’t speak, they have no will or intellect!”
He raised the staff angrily, ready to strike his son. But Abraham, without moving, replied:
“Father, let your ears hear what your mouth has just said!”
Terach stood frozen, hesitating. The staff trembled in the air, then, with a sudden gesture, it fell—not on Abraham, but on the head of the last remaining idol, shattering it in two.