Prophet Ibrahim (AS): Shaping the History
Four millenniums ago, when humanity stooped to polytheism and moral degeneration in the helm of material progress, there came a man of vision and of towering personality who redirected humanity towards their role of vicegerency on earth. His unquestionable obedience to Allah (SWT), indomitable character and supreme sacrifice for his mission rewarded him with a covenant from Allah that his seeds would inherit the land.
'And when his Sustainer tried Ibrahim by His commandments and the later fulfilled them, He said : "Behold I shall make thee a leader of humanity." Ibrahim asked: "And of my offspring as well?" (Allah answered): "My covenant does not embrace the evil doers"' (Qur'an: 2:124).
Ever since Ibrahim (AS) challenged polytheism on earth, human history has been directly influenced by his legacy-the three monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam, which had set the course of world affairs.
Ibrahim (AS), the maker of history, was born in a Mesopotamian city, Ur, in present day Iraq. His family belonged to the ruling class, the vested interest, so he could have easily absorbed in the traditional easy-going life and could have enjoyed himself well. But he chose a different course of life. Since his childhood, he was bent on reflection and inquisitiveness. He was inspired to rationalise his arguments in order to re-discover his Lord. 'But when it (the sun) went down, he exclaimed: O my people! Behold; far be it from me to ascribe divinity, as you do, to aught beside Allah. Behold, unto Him who brought into being the heavens and the earth have I turned my face, having turned away from all that is false' (Qur'an: 6:78). His intelligent and imaginative tactics to strike at the heart of polytheism by breaking all the idols, while leaving the biggest one undamaged, shattered the pride of the rulers. But they were fat with arrogance and could respond only with passing a severe punishment on him. He was thrown into a blazing fire. That was young Ibrahim's first test in which he showed extraordinary courage and reliance on Allah. The fire refused to burn Ibrahim (AS) by Allah's will and he came out unscathed. But, eventually, Ibrahim could not stay in his own homeland and had to leave with only few of his family members.
At an old age, Ibrahim was blessed with a lovely son, Ismail. However, the divine plan had to be administered in an apparently strange way. Ibrahim was asked by Allah to leave his beloved wife, Hajar, with her little son Ismail, in a barren and uninhabited land, Makkah, as it was at that time. Who then could imagine that 3000 years later Makkah would offer herself for a central stage in the new world and become the heart of a divine civilisation!
As the son was happily growing with the mother and the father visiting them occasionally, Ibrahim's love for Ismail knew no bounds. Allah wanted to test him once again by asking him to slaughter Ismail. Both father and son were on the verge of carrying out the apparently weird command when heavenly mercy fell on humanity. 'But as soon as the two had surrendered themselves to the will of Allah and Ibrahim laid him down on his face, We called out to him:
"O Ibrahim, thou hast already fulfilled that dream vision"' (Qur'an: 37:103-105).
Ibrahim became Allah's khaleel (friend) and Allah saved human beings from slaughtering their beloved ones. The ritual of Hajj, commanded to every capable Muslim, is directly linked with the willing surrender of three great men and women; Ibrahim, Hajar and Ismail (peace be upon them). The legacy and spirit of human self-surrender to Allah is maintained in this fifth pillar of Islam. Ibrahim (AS) surrendered to Allah wholeheartedly. He was a thorough Muslim and as such Allah has made him the father of the Muslim nation.
'(And He made you follow) the creed of your father Ibrahim. It is He Who has named you Muslims in bygone time as well as in the divine writ' (Qur'an: 22:78).
Prophet Ibrahim (AS) had a clear mission ahead, so he deployed his elder son Ismail in Hijaj, younger son Ishaq in Palestine and nephew Lut in Jordan. These are the lands which had always been the cradle of human existence. Three millenniums after his death, humankind had seen their patriarch Ibrahim's prayer coming true through his progeny through Ismail (AS), Muhammad (pbuh), the leader of humanity, who rekindled and revitalised the original message to its peak.
'O our Sustainer ! Raise up from the midst of our offspring an apostle from among themselves who shall convey unto them Thy message and impart unto them revelation as well as wisdom and cause them to grow in purity' (Qur'an: 2:129).
Ibrahim (AS) was chosen to lead humanity in its darkest period. His legacy as a prophet and a great leader is a living memory for human kind. What is that we learn from his life in the midst of an overwhelming darkness in the post-modern world? The Qur'an refers to some of these qualities for us to emulate.
1. Prophet Ibrahim (AS) had an open and creative mind. He employed this openness on one occasion and observed the arrival and departure of heavenly bodies in order to come to a rationalistic conclusion about the all-pervasive power of Allah, the Lord (al-Qur'an 6:78). He even begged Allah to provide him with the tranquillity of heart apropos His omnipotence so that, as a prophet, he can discharge his mission with the fullest conviction. When Allah asked him to carry out an experiment with a bird, which came to life after being torn asunder and spread into four mountains, he prostrated to Allah in veneration.
2. Ibrahim's power of logical argument has crushed the myth that religion has little to do with rationality. He encountered the ignorant and non-believing king about the all-pervasive power of Allah. At the end 'he who was bent on denying the truth remained dumfounded' (Qur'an: 2:258). Thus Ibrahim marked the victory of faith over non-belief.
3. Ibrahim's unbending character in pursuing his mission is legendary in history. He displayed his strength of character in his youth when he was thrown into fire for establishing the fallacy of paganism and idolatry. His indomitable courage in the face of being burnt alive in fire is a lesson for righteous people. Later on, the prophets (AS) of Bani Israil, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the upright people on earth followed his footstep with unwavering determination.
4. Prophet Ibrahim (AS) was fully aware of his responsibility to family. He left his dearest wife and son in the arid sands of Makkah by divine will only to visit them every now and then. The metaphor in advising Ismail (AS) regarding the door of the house (wife in the family), mentioned in a prophetic tradition, is a reminder for all the fathers' responsibility towards their sons in choosing grateful and righteous wives.
5. Ibrahim's reliance on Allah is epical in human history. He was unnerved in all the tests and tribulations that came upon him. He was like a traveller climbing up and up to the peak of spiritual height, and the more he was going up the severer the test became. The serenity he displayed during his attempted sacrifice of his dearest son has been preserved by Allah as part of a ritual for the rest of humanity till the end of the world. His was a sacrifice that knew no bounds.
Prophet Ibrahim (AS) remained a missionary and visionary all along. He witnessed the ignominy and sufferings of fellow human beings by their enslavement to the whims, desires, man-made idols and, of course, to other powerful men around. He remained in the front line of struggle by dedicating his life to liberate human beings from this enslavement and bring them to the real destiny, that is, Allah's emissary on earth. He started this alone, but this has now multiplied manifold over the millennia, by Allah's grace.
Four millenniums ago, when humanity stooped to polytheism and moral degeneration in the helm of material progress, there came a man of vision and of towering personality who redirected humanity towards their role of vicegerency on earth. His unquestionable obedience to Allah (SWT), indomitable character and supreme sacrifice for his mission rewarded him with a covenant from Allah that his seeds would inherit the land.
'And when his Sustainer tried Ibrahim by His commandments and the later fulfilled them, He said : "Behold I shall make thee a leader of humanity." Ibrahim asked: "And of my offspring as well?" (Allah answered): "My covenant does not embrace the evil doers"' (Qur'an: 2:124).
Ever since Ibrahim (AS) challenged polytheism on earth, human history has been directly influenced by his legacy-the three monotheistic religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam, which had set the course of world affairs.
Ibrahim (AS), the maker of history, was born in a Mesopotamian city, Ur, in present day Iraq. His family belonged to the ruling class, the vested interest, so he could have easily absorbed in the traditional easy-going life and could have enjoyed himself well. But he chose a different course of life. Since his childhood, he was bent on reflection and inquisitiveness. He was inspired to rationalise his arguments in order to re-discover his Lord. 'But when it (the sun) went down, he exclaimed: O my people! Behold; far be it from me to ascribe divinity, as you do, to aught beside Allah. Behold, unto Him who brought into being the heavens and the earth have I turned my face, having turned away from all that is false' (Qur'an: 6:78). His intelligent and imaginative tactics to strike at the heart of polytheism by breaking all the idols, while leaving the biggest one undamaged, shattered the pride of the rulers. But they were fat with arrogance and could respond only with passing a severe punishment on him. He was thrown into a blazing fire. That was young Ibrahim's first test in which he showed extraordinary courage and reliance on Allah. The fire refused to burn Ibrahim (AS) by Allah's will and he came out unscathed. But, eventually, Ibrahim could not stay in his own homeland and had to leave with only few of his family members.
At an old age, Ibrahim was blessed with a lovely son, Ismail. However, the divine plan had to be administered in an apparently strange way. Ibrahim was asked by Allah to leave his beloved wife, Hajar, with her little son Ismail, in a barren and uninhabited land, Makkah, as it was at that time. Who then could imagine that 3000 years later Makkah would offer herself for a central stage in the new world and become the heart of a divine civilisation!
As the son was happily growing with the mother and the father visiting them occasionally, Ibrahim's love for Ismail knew no bounds. Allah wanted to test him once again by asking him to slaughter Ismail. Both father and son were on the verge of carrying out the apparently weird command when heavenly mercy fell on humanity. 'But as soon as the two had surrendered themselves to the will of Allah and Ibrahim laid him down on his face, We called out to him:
"O Ibrahim, thou hast already fulfilled that dream vision"' (Qur'an: 37:103-105).
Ibrahim became Allah's khaleel (friend) and Allah saved human beings from slaughtering their beloved ones. The ritual of Hajj, commanded to every capable Muslim, is directly linked with the willing surrender of three great men and women; Ibrahim, Hajar and Ismail (peace be upon them). The legacy and spirit of human self-surrender to Allah is maintained in this fifth pillar of Islam. Ibrahim (AS) surrendered to Allah wholeheartedly. He was a thorough Muslim and as such Allah has made him the father of the Muslim nation.
'(And He made you follow) the creed of your father Ibrahim. It is He Who has named you Muslims in bygone time as well as in the divine writ' (Qur'an: 22:78).
Prophet Ibrahim (AS) had a clear mission ahead, so he deployed his elder son Ismail in Hijaj, younger son Ishaq in Palestine and nephew Lut in Jordan. These are the lands which had always been the cradle of human existence. Three millenniums after his death, humankind had seen their patriarch Ibrahim's prayer coming true through his progeny through Ismail (AS), Muhammad (pbuh), the leader of humanity, who rekindled and revitalised the original message to its peak.
'O our Sustainer ! Raise up from the midst of our offspring an apostle from among themselves who shall convey unto them Thy message and impart unto them revelation as well as wisdom and cause them to grow in purity' (Qur'an: 2:129).
Ibrahim (AS) was chosen to lead humanity in its darkest period. His legacy as a prophet and a great leader is a living memory for human kind. What is that we learn from his life in the midst of an overwhelming darkness in the post-modern world? The Qur'an refers to some of these qualities for us to emulate.
1. Prophet Ibrahim (AS) had an open and creative mind. He employed this openness on one occasion and observed the arrival and departure of heavenly bodies in order to come to a rationalistic conclusion about the all-pervasive power of Allah, the Lord (al-Qur'an 6:78). He even begged Allah to provide him with the tranquillity of heart apropos His omnipotence so that, as a prophet, he can discharge his mission with the fullest conviction. When Allah asked him to carry out an experiment with a bird, which came to life after being torn asunder and spread into four mountains, he prostrated to Allah in veneration.
2. Ibrahim's power of logical argument has crushed the myth that religion has little to do with rationality. He encountered the ignorant and non-believing king about the all-pervasive power of Allah. At the end 'he who was bent on denying the truth remained dumfounded' (Qur'an: 2:258). Thus Ibrahim marked the victory of faith over non-belief.
3. Ibrahim's unbending character in pursuing his mission is legendary in history. He displayed his strength of character in his youth when he was thrown into fire for establishing the fallacy of paganism and idolatry. His indomitable courage in the face of being burnt alive in fire is a lesson for righteous people. Later on, the prophets (AS) of Bani Israil, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the upright people on earth followed his footstep with unwavering determination.
4. Prophet Ibrahim (AS) was fully aware of his responsibility to family. He left his dearest wife and son in the arid sands of Makkah by divine will only to visit them every now and then. The metaphor in advising Ismail (AS) regarding the door of the house (wife in the family), mentioned in a prophetic tradition, is a reminder for all the fathers' responsibility towards their sons in choosing grateful and righteous wives.
5. Ibrahim's reliance on Allah is epical in human history. He was unnerved in all the tests and tribulations that came upon him. He was like a traveller climbing up and up to the peak of spiritual height, and the more he was going up the severer the test became. The serenity he displayed during his attempted sacrifice of his dearest son has been preserved by Allah as part of a ritual for the rest of humanity till the end of the world. His was a sacrifice that knew no bounds.
Prophet Ibrahim (AS) remained a missionary and visionary all along. He witnessed the ignominy and sufferings of fellow human beings by their enslavement to the whims, desires, man-made idols and, of course, to other powerful men around. He remained in the front line of struggle by dedicating his life to liberate human beings from this enslavement and bring them to the real destiny, that is, Allah's emissary on earth. He started this alone, but this has now multiplied manifold over the millennia, by Allah's grace.
