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Baal
was the greatest of all the gods of ancient Semitic nations especially those of
Phoenicians. Statue, representing the god, made of gold, was 100 feet high. It
had four faces. 400 priests were appointed to look after this statue, which
also had Ashtoreth goddess as his wife.
In
Samaria, the capital of Israel, a temple and alter of Baal was constructed,
which later on was known as Baalbek; the city of Baal. In Semitic and Hebrew
languages Baal means master, owner, lord and ruler, a husband is also called Baal by Arabs.
Watching the royal interests and inclinations towards Baal people started
offering sacrifices in the name of Baal openly.
Infidelity
and straying had reached its peak in the Israelites when God, sent Elias to
guide and preach the righteousness. He resided in Galahad. He was from the
linage of Aaron. In Bible he has been mentioned as Elijah.
Elias preached monotheism to
Israelites and denounced all the sins. He told them that worshipping Baal as
compared to God is wrong because these idols can neither benefit them nor can
cause any harm to them so they should turn towards that God, who is their and
their ancestor’s Lord and the Lord of all the creatures of the earth and in the
heavens.
The people of his nation had gone so
far away on the wrong path that they had no mind to pay attention to Elias’s
teachings rather they arrogantly and adamantly insisted in doing what they were
practicing. Elias invited the king Ahab towards the monotheism and preached him
to forsake the sinful acts and deeds otherwise he, being the king of those
people would be even more responsible for the sins and God may inflict His
punishment upon them and the nation would suffer the calamity of drought. But
Ahab refused to pay heed to Elias’s preaching and ignored him arrogantly.
For more than three years, Israel
did not receive any rain; the nation was facing the famine of its worst kind.
People were hunger struck. They started to die of starvation and the situation
grew very grave. This led Ahab to consider what Elias had told him, so he sent
for him. He apologized-to him for his arrogance and requested him to pray to
God for rain. All the priests and Baal-worshipper considering it their defeat
opposed the king’s request. Elias suggested that he would offer sacrifice in the
name ' of God and they should offer their sacrifice in the name of
Baal. Whose sacrifice would be accepted, prayer for rain would be
submitted to that deity only.
In
those times, it was the custom to place the sacrificial offer on a high place
and if fire from heaven would burn it, it was considered to be a sign of
acceptance of the sacrifice and if fire did not burn the sacrificial offering, it
meant non-acceptance 0l the sacrifice by the heavenly powers. About 900 people
from the Baal side gathered on the mount Carmel. On one side Elias was standing
alone with his sacrifice and on the other side a mob of people was present
there. Both the parties slaughtered their sacrificial animals and placed them on
the peak of the mountain. The divine fire appeared and burnt the sacrificial
offering of Elias made in the name of God.
Seeing
the irrefutable proof of truth and righteousness Of Elias, the king trembled
and repented. He regretted his insolence and apologized to Elias, asked for his
forgiveness and ordered to kill the priests who had misled him. Elias prayed to
God for his Mercy. His prayer was accepted and it rained and the drought was
over.
Jezebel,
the wicked queen of Ahab, could not take the killing of the priests and she
turned an enemy of Elias and swore to avenge the killing of priests from Elias.
She conspired with the aid of idolaters and trapped Ahab in her snare of
conspiracies so well that Elias was forced to take refuge in the valley of
Siena.
Elias
supplicated to God, “Children of Israel have forsaken their covenant with Thee,
destroyed Thy Alters and slain Thy prophets. I alone have survived so far and
now they are after my life. (Kings, 2: 12-15)
Jezebel
wedded her daughter with Jehoram, the ruler, of Jewish state of Jerusalem,
which resulted in spreading of idolater beliefs and traditions in that part the
country as well. Elias wrote a letter to Jehoram and told him not to leave the
path of his ancestors otherwise he would suffer a disastrous end.
It
is written in the Old Testament;
“And, there
came a writing to him from Elijah the prophet, saying; Thus saith the Lord of
David thy father, Because thou hast not walked in the ways of Jehoshaphat thy
father, nor in the ways of Asa king of Judah. But hast walked in the way of
the kings of Israel and hast make Judah and the inhabitants
of Jerusalem to go a whoring, like to the whoredoms of the house of Ahab.
And also slain thy brethren of thy father’s house, which were better than
thyself Behold, with a great plague will the Lord smite thy people; and thy
children and thy wives and all the goods. And thou shall have sickness disease
of my bowels, until thy bowels fall out by reason of the disease day by day.”
(2 Chronicles, 21: 12-15)
Jehoram did not pay any attention to
this advice and arrogantly followed his desires. Finally the fate predicted by
Elias seized him. Intruders overran his empire; his wives were made prisoners
and taken away. He himself suffered from intestinal disease and finally died
because of the same.
Elias
kept on striving to accomplish the mission of spreading the word of God
patiently and with perseverance. After Jehoram, son of Jezebel came into power.
But he, too, opted to follow the path suggested by his mother. Elias invited
him towards the path of God but he refused and attempted to harm Elias, like
his father.
When
Elias finally resolved that the Israelites were in no mood to come to the
straight path, he submitted to God that these people were Thy creatures, they
have gone astray and are not listening to Thy prophet, now it is up to you,
whether you show them the right path or punish them.
God’s
punishment seized them and the entire family of Jezebel was killed. According
to the Old Testament, when the people of Elias were subjected to punishment of
God, Elias was taken to heavens.
The
holy Quran, in this context tells:
“So Elias was
also among those sent by Us. Behold he said to his people, “Will ye not fear
God? Will ye call upon Baal and forsake the Best of creators; God, your Lord
and Cherisher of your fathers of old? But they rejected him. And, they will
certainly be called up for punishment, except the sincere and devoted servants
of God, And We left his name among generations to come in later times. Peace
and salutations to such as Elias. Thus, indeed, do we reward those who do
right.'
(S: 37, V: l23-I31)
