Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him)
His name is mentioned 69 times in The Glorious Qur`an. His mother was called Amilah and his father was Azar / Tarikh. The King at his time was called Namrood. His two beautiful sons, Isma`eel and Is`haaq (peace be upon them both), grew up to become righteous prophets too. He was 80 years old when he had his first son, Ismail, and 100 when Is`haq was born. Prophet Muhammed (peace and salutations be upon him) described him as `the father of the prophets` Hence his name means `a kind father`. The Holy Qur`an also describes him as, “Obedient”, “Muslim” (Submissive), “True Believer”, “Grateful”, “Truthful Prophet”, “Leader of the people” and “God`s best friend”. His journey in search for truth and propagation and implementation of true included Iraq – Syria – Palestine – Egypt – (returning to) Palestine – Makkah – (and once again finally spending last moments at) Palestine. He died in Palestine, and is buried in the city of Hebron. Who is he? He is none other than Prophet Ibrahim/ Abraham (peace be upon him).
It was about 4000 years ago, in the remote land of Iraq that a child named Ibrahim was born in the village of Ur. He was so kind, tender-hearted and strong in faith that Allah gave him wisdom when he was still very young, and made him His close friend (khaleel) and made him a great Prophet.
Ibrahim was a young child but very desirous on finding the right path. One night, while observing the sky, he spotted a particularly bright star. “This is my Lord,” he said. But as it set, he said: “I do not love that which fades.” After similar experiences with the moon and the sun, Ibrahim declared: “I will turn my face to Him who has created the skies and the earth, and live a righteous life …”
Even as a young child, he started inviting others to the truth. But his townspeople did not like what he taught. They became furious and attempted to kill him by burning him alive but Allah saved him. Allah commanded the fire, “O fire, be cool and peaceful for Ibrahim.” A miracle took place, and the fire, instead of burning Ibrahim, became a cool haven for him. The moral is that that faith in Allah is the only thing that can save a person in all the worlds.
Ibrahim described Allah as, “… the Lord of the Worlds, Who has created me, and it is He Who guides me. And it is He Who feeds me and gives me to drink. And when I am ill, it is He Who cures me. And Who will cause me to die, and then will bring me to life (again). And Who, I hope, will forgive me my faults on the Day of Judgement.”
When Ibrahim and his wife, Hajar, were blessed with their first son, Isma`eel, Allah ordered Ibrahim to take the mother and son on a long journey to a faraway land later called Makkah. Makkah was lonely, barren valley with no vegetation or soul residing therein, near two small hills called Safa and Marwah. Ibrahim was then ordered to leave them behind. Little Isma`eel soon became thirsty and started to cry for water. Hajar ran from one hill to another, but there was no signs of water at all, nor was there any human being to provide her any.
A miracle then happened by the mercy of Allah – a spring (Zamzam water) gushed forth beneath Isma`eel`s feet. The mother and son drank from the water and quenched their thirst. They began to reside in the valley and, due the Zamzam spring, more people eventually settled there, gradually building up a small town, now known as Makkah. The moral is that Allah`s creation who, despite their hardships and difficulties, follow the path of righteousness and are patient, will find that Allah will assist them in miraculous ways, just as Isma`eel was helped by the miracle of the Zamzam spring.
One night, Prophet Ibrahim dream that he was sacrificing his son, Isma`eel. He eventually recognised that this was a command by Allah. Isma`eel was a brave child and when his father informed him about the dream he was quite eager to submit to Allah`s order. Without hesitating, he said, “Do what you are commanded father: If Allah wills, you will find me one of the steadfast.” Ibrahim then led his son to a land, later called Mina – a valley near Makkah. Satan appeared there and tried to discourage him from sacrificing his son but Ibrahim just pelted him with pebbles. As Ibrahim took up a knife to sacrifice his son, Allah sent the angel Jibra`eel with a ram from paradise (Jannah) to be sacrificed instead. Allah was so pleased with the readiness of the Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his dear son, that He commanded the Muslims to commemorate this by sacrificing an animal each year on the occasion of Eid al-Adha (the Feast of Sacrifice).
The father and son were commanded by Allah to construct the Ka`bah – House of Allah –in Makkah. They carried stones from the nearby hills and began to build it. Prophet Ibrahim prayed for this sacred land, “My Lord, make this land safe, and provide its people with fruits, those who believe in Allah and the Last Day.” As the Prophets Ibrahim and Isma`eel laid the first stones on which the House of Allah would stand, they expressed their humility and supplicated, “Our Lord, accept this from us! You are the All-hearing, the All-seeing.” They also supplicated for a prophet to be born in their family who would recite the verses of Allah, purify them, teach the people goodness and guide them to the right path. Their prayer was answered many years later, when Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) was born in Makkah and sent by Allah to the people who came after them.
Allah then instructed the Prophet Ibrahim to clean the Ka`bah (the house of Allah in Makkah) for those who came there to worship, and to invite people to perform the pilgrimage (Hajj). Allah conversed with Ibrahim: “Call all people to make the Hajj. They will come to you on foot and on the backs of swift animals; they shall come from every deep valley.” And thus Allah made it incumbent upon all abled Muslims, male and female, to go on Hajj once in a lifetime. Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is amazing how today millions of different people from all around the globe gather in Makkah to perform Hajj. We request all readers to contact their local scholars for rulings on Hajj.
The story of Prophet Ibrahim and his son teaches us that Allah is our Lord and to try to achieve His pleasure should be our objective and focus in life. Allah blesses people with goodness when the obey Him. With every one difficulty there will be two eases [al-Qur`an]. May Allah give us the ability to follow the example set by the Prophet Ibrahim and his family. Ameen.
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Posted in General on 26th Jan 2016 by Our Imam | 1421 Views
