Abraham worshipped idols like his father, Terah. Abraham was an intelligent man, like Terah. But Abraham recognized the falsehood of the idols, while Terah remained behind.
Because Terah never believed in idols and never truly served them. But when Abraham served idols, he did so with all his heart, mind, and soul, every hour of the day and night. It had to be real.
Everything Abraham did had to be real. Then he found the truth.