Abraham... was sunk in Ur of the Chaldees among foolish idolaters. His father and mother and all the people worshipped the stars.... He knew that all were mistaken and that what caused them to err was worship of the images which drove the Truth out of their minds.... It was proper to destroy and smash the idols so that the people should not err by them like those who think there is no god save images.

Treatise 4: Idolatry, H. Russell, trans. (1983), p. 73 - Mishneh Torah (c. 1180)