Shortly after, an old woman brought a dish of meal to set before the idols. Abraham took it, and then with a stick smashed all the gods except the biggest, into whose hands he placed the stick. Terah, who was returning home, heard the noise of blows, and quickened his pace. When he entered, his gods were in pieces. He accused Abraham angrily; but Abraham said, “My father, a woman brought this dish of meal for the gods: they all wanted to have it, and the strongest knocked the heads off the rest, lest they should eat it all.” And this, say the Mussulmans, was the _first_ lie that Abraham told, but it was not a lie, but a justifiable falsehood. Terah said this could not be true, for the images were of wood and stone. “Let thine ear hear what thy mouth hath spoken,” said Abraham, and then he exhorted his father against idolatry. Terah complained to Nimrod, who sent for Abraham, and he said to him, “Wilt thou not worship these idols? Well, then, adore fire.” “Why not water which quenches fire?” asked Abraham. _Nimrod._--“Very well; then worship water.” _Abraham._--“Why not the clouds which swallow the water?” _Nimrod._--“So be it; adore the clouds.” _Abraham._--“Rather let me adore wind which blows the clouds about.” _Nimrod._--“So be it; pray to the wind.” _Abraham._--“But man can stand up against the wind, and build it out of his house.” Then Nimrod in a fury exclaimed, “Fire is my god, and that shall consume you.” According to another version, a woman came to Abraham to buy a god, because thieves had stolen her former god; this gave the patriarch a text for his homily against idolatry. The woman was convinced. “Believe in the true God,” said he, “and you will recover the things the thieves stole from your house.” A few days after, the woman recovered all her lost goods, amongst them her image. Then she took a stone, and smashed its head, saying, “Oh, thou blockhead, not to be able to preserve my property and thyself from thieves!” The report of what she had said and done reached the king, who ordered her to be executed. But Nimrod was uneasy, and he announced a grand ceremony to last for seven days, during which every one was to produce his gods and carry them about the streets, which were to be hung with gold and silks. His object was to dazzle Abraham’s eyes by the splendor of idol worship. He sent for Terah and Abraham, but the latter refused to attend. The Mussulmans say that Abraham excused himself thus: “I see in the stars that I am going to be very sick to-day.” This was the _second_ lie Abraham told, but it was not a lie, it was a justifiable falsehood. Then the king sent his guard, who arrested him and cast him into a dungeon. He lay in the dungeon ten days. The angel Gabriel brought him food, and a crystal fountain bubbled up through the soil of his cell.