Long ago Almighty Allah gave the honor of His choice to a man
calledIbrahim. He became the Prophet. His native Mesopotamia is the
present southern Iraq. He was anideal model for mankind. Speaking
highly of him the Holy Quran says:
"Ibrahim was indeed a paragon of virtue, obedient to Allah, ever
inclined to Him and he was not of those who set up equals to Allah. He
was ever grateful for His favors, We chose him and guided him to a
straight path; and We bestowed on him good in this world and in the
Hereafter, he will surely be among the righteous." ( Surah 16: Verses
121-123)
His Nation was Staunch Worshippers of Idols
In the days of the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon
him)ignoranceprevailed upon the minds of the people. Most of the
people had no knowledge of Allah and His teachings. They worshipped
thesun, the moon and the stars. They wereastronomersand maintained the
records of the movements of the planets. They prayed to theidolsmade
of wood and stone and made many offerings for them. The priests
enjoyed a prominent place in the society. They commanded respect among
their followers. They were paid well. The poor people were ruled by
the chiefs. They were subjected to their cruelty and injustice.
TheProphet Ibrahim(peace be upon him) was the son of Terah whose
surname Adhar was popularly known. He was a doll carver and a staunch
worshipper of idols. He did all he could to compel Ibrahim (peace be
upon him) to worship the handicrafts of man but flatly refused to do
so. Hehated even an idea of worshipping the idolswhich could neither
see, nor hear, nor speak.
The Prophet Ibrahim's Preaching
The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him)received the message of
Allahthrough a specialAngel Gabriel (Jibra'il). Gradually he was
commanded to start preaching. As he was astrong manin his will and
determination, he worked very hard. He began his mission in the teeth
of opposition. He argued with his people with great vigor regarding
the folly of worshipping the idols. The Holy Quran says:
"When he said to his father and his people: What are these images to
which you are so devoted ? They replied: We found our fathers
worshipping them. He said: Then you as well as your fathers have
indeed, been in manifest error. They said: Is it really the truth that
you have brought for us or are you jesting ? He replied: Nay, your
Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth; He brought them into
existence and I am of those who bear witness to this, and by Allah, I
will certainly plan against your idols after you have gone away and
turned your backs." ( Surah 21: Verses 53-58)
Opposition by the People and Discussion with the King
The people paid no heed to his teachings. They insisted on their ways.
Theydid not refrainfrom worshipping the twinkling stars, shining moon
and ugly idols. The priests kept on encouraging the people to
disbelieve in the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him). They
wereafraidlest they should be deprived of theirpriesthoodif the people
abandoned idol-worship.
As a matter of fact the kingNemrùd(Namrood) in that area thought
himself to be god. He had a big castle and many soldiers at his
disposal. He desired to argue with the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon
him) one day.
They met to hold discussions: The king looked at the Prophet Ibrahim
(peace be upon him) mockingly for a while. Then he said: What is this
thing you are calling the people for? Why do you persuade the People
to worship God Who is invisible?
The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) replied boldly: My God is the
One: Who gives and takes away life.
Nemrùd answered arrogantly: I have also the power to do that. I can
kill the persons and can spare them also.
The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) asked a clever question that
caught every one by surprise. He said:My God causes the sun to rise
from the East and set it in the West. Can you make it come from the
east?
On hearing the king remained silent because he knew that no man had
the power to do so.
Breakage of the Idols
After a few days a special event took place. There was a grand
ceremony outside the locality and every one had to participate in the
celebrations. Most of the evil-doers drank; liquor and became noisy
and wild. They were losing their balance of mind in a state of
intoxication. There was a great hustle. Almost every one from the town
attended the ceremony except the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him).
He had a special plan in his mind. He proceeded towards the Temple
escaping the sight of others. When he entered the Temple, he saw there
many statues whichstood motionless and helpless.
The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) lifted his heavy axe andbegan
to smite the idolsturn by turn. The idols fell to the ground with a
big thud. The floor was loaded with numerous noses, ears, heads, arms,
legs and other parts of the idols. Hebroke all the idolsin the
sanctuary but spared the Chief one. He did so todemonstrate that the
idols had no powerto cause harm to any one or bestow benefits upon
others. They were as helpless as mere stones and it is against the
dignity of human beings to pay homage to them. When the Prophet
Ibrahim (peace be upon him) finished his job, he left the Temple
cautiously making sure that no one had seen him.
Decision to burn Ibrahim (PBUH) alive
When the celebrations came to an end, the people returned. The priests
went directly towards the Temple as usual and some people accompanied
them. They saw that the idols weresmashed to pieces. The floor was
littered with stones and the Chief idol was standing with an axe
hanging down along its neck.
The priests began to scream and became confused. The people rushed to
the Temple on hearing a deafening hue and cry. Every one was in a
furious mood. They wanted to know who had dared do this trouble to the
idols. They wished to take revenge. Then some one said that the
Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) would have done so because he
consistently spoke ill of our gods and advised the people to worship
One God. The Holy Quran relates:
"Then he broke them into pieces except the Chief of them that haply
they may return to him. They said: Who has done so to our gods? Most
surely he is one of the evil-doers. We heard a youth called Ibrahim
making mention of them." ( Surah 21: Verse 57)
The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was summoned to appear before
the king. When he came, he was asked if he had destroyed all those
idols. He remained silent for a while. Afterwards he directed the king
to ask the chief idol on whose neck was hung the axe with which the
havoc was done.
The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was mocking and making fun of
thosestupid people who worshipped helpless,dumbanddeaf idolsmade
ofstones. The king as well as the priests did not like to prolong
their discussions because the arguments of the Prophet Ibrahim (peace
be upon him) werevery sound and convincing. The Holy Quran relates:
"Then they said to Ibrahim: Is it you who has done so to our gods? He
replied: Well, some one has surely done this. Here is the chief of
them, so ask them if they can speak. Then they turned towards one
another and said: You yourselves are surely in the wrong. Then they
were made to hung down their heads out of shame and said to Ibrahim:
Certainly you know that they do not speak." ( Surah 21: Verses
65-68).
Although they felt ashamed yet they remained stubborn. Theydecided to
burn the Prophet Ibrahim(peace be upon him) alive for causing
destruction to their idols.
Fire does not Burn The Prophet Ibrahim
A big furnace was prepared for this purpose. The Prophet Ibrahim
(peace be upon him) was tied with a rope and he could hardly move. He
was quitecalm and cheerfulbelieving firmly that Allah would save him.
He did not even resist and the spectators were amazed at his attitude.
The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was thrown in the center of
the furnace. The flames of the fire were blazing. They sizzled and
hissed but the Almighty Allah ordered the fire not to harm His friend
Ibrahim (peace be upon him):
"We said: O' fire! Be thou a means of comfort and security for
Ibrahim." ( Surah 21: Verses 70)
The transgressors thought that the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him)
had burnt to death. They did not hear the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be
upon him) shouting with pain. Some time later the people saw the
prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him)walking out of the fire safeas if
nothing had touched him. They were much surprised to see him.
Migration to Palestine
In spite of this miracle the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) could
not have a large number of people following his teachings. He went on
preaching and underwent a chain of tests and trials to prove his
obedience and sincerity. When his people tortured the Prophet Ibrahim
(peace be upon him), he wasordered to leavethat area and go to the
blessed land which is now calledPalestine.
In compliance with the Commandment of Almighty Allah the Prophet
Ibrahim (peace be upon him) did not lose a moment's rest without
getting in touch with the people and teaching them about God and His
message. Nothing seemed to discourage him.
Birth of the Prophet Isma'il (PBUH) and Migration to Mecca
As the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) had no off-spring from his
first wifeSarah, he entered into matrimonial alliance with another
woman calledHajira(Hagar). He prayed for a son in all sublimity and
his prayer was granted. Some time later Hajira announced happy news
that she was expecting a baby.
As time passed she gave birth toIsma'il (Ishmael). Soon after God
ordered the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) to take his wife
Hajira and the Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon him) to thevalley of
Bathã (Makkah).
In accordance with the Divine Commandment he set out on a long and
troublesome journey. They arrived at the spot after a long time. It
was hilly area without any trees and water. They set up their tents
and looked around but nothing was visible except sand. The Prophet
Ismail (peace be upon him) had attained the age of a few months only
when the event of migration took place. He began to cry because
ofthirst. His mother began to look for water but it was not available
anywhere.
Zam Zam is Discovered
She ran desperately inquest of waterbetween two hillocks
calledSafaandMarwabut found no water. She came back to her thirsty
infant and was surprised to see the spring ofZam Zamemerged from
beneath the foot of the Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon him). She
heaved a sigh of relief. She quenched the thirst of her baby with
water.
Many people from far and wide came to the spot where Prophet Ibrahim
(peace be upon him) and his family had settled. Gradually this
locality namedMecca (Makkah)became thebirth place of Islam.
Vision of the Prophet Ibrahim Regarding the Sacrifice of the Prophet Isma'il
The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) went back to Palestine to join
his first wife, the beloved Sarah. He received a Commandment in his
vision tosacrifice his only son, Isma'il. The Prophet Ibrahim (peace
be upon him) hadno hesitationin complying with what he was ordered to
do but his son was infant at that time. He had to wait until he grew
older.
Due to delay the temptation of not doing what he was supposed to do,
was certainly there. But the Prophet Ibrahim (peace he upon him) had a
solid faith in Allah and hislife was all dedicatedto His' service. So
he kept on waiting until Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon him) became a
teenager.
One day the father told his son about the dream. To his great surprise
he saw that Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon him) hadno objectionand was
willing to be sacrificed as Allah had willed it. He said:
"O' my father! Do what you have been commanded to do; then you will
find me of the patients." ( Surah 37: Verses 10-11)
This was a hard decision for a young man to take and it was amoment of
great faithin Allah.
The Ordeal of Sacrifice of Prophet Ismail
On thetenth of Dhil Hijjathe father and his beloved son walked side by
side. A young ladpossessed for bearanceand the old man wasfull of
determination and spiritto complete submission to Allah. Their purpose
was to carry out the orders of their Lord. Nothing was dearer to them
than the service of Allah.
They proceeded towardsMinawith a sharp butcher's knife that, the old
shaky Ibrahim had in his hand. Many a thought and memories of the past
must have crossed in their minds. Finally they reached a special spot.
The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) looked at his loving son
whereas Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon him) cast a glance at his,
father obediently and cheerfully.
The father laid his son prostrate on the ground. He was standing
beside him. His heart was beating violently. He was shaking with
emotions when he drew the knife across the neck of his son. It was a
moment of action, an action that was very hard to put into practice.
God highlyappreciated them for their obedienceand they heard a voice:
"O' Ibrahim! you have indeed shown the truth of the vision. Surely do
We reward the doers of good." ( Surah 37: Verse 105)
When Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him)fulfilled the command of the
dream, he was ordered not to sacrifice his own son. Aramwas provided
in his stead. The Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon him) stood up and the
ram was sacrificed.
So the moment of suspense came to an end and both the father and the
son expressed a deep sense of happiness and gratitude. From that time
until today, thesavage custom human sacrifice has been absolutely
abolished.
Glad Tidings Regarding the Birth of Prophet Ishaq
When the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) displayed his unstinted
submission to the orders of Allah by trying to sacrifice his beloved
son Ismail he was informed of a glad-tiding regarding the birth of
baby from Sarah, his first wife. The Holy Quran affirms:
"And We gave him the good news of Ishaq (Isaac), a Prophet among the
good ones and We showered our blessings on him and on Ishaq, and of
their offspring are the doers of good and also those who are clearly
unjust to their own selves." ( Surah 37: Verses 112-113)
Time passed by and Sarah, the old lady got pregnant. At last she gave
birth to a male baby and they gave him the name of Ishaq. Later on
Isma'il (peace be upon him) proved to be the Prophet of the Muslims
and Ishaq (peace be upon him) became the Prophet of the Jews.
Re-construction of Ka'bah
Thefirst House of Allah, theKa'bahwas erected by the Prophet
Adam(peace be upon him). It was reconstructed by the Prophet Ibrahim
and the Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon them).
TheMuqam-e-Ibrahimis still outside the enclosure. It is a place of
marble-like stone on which he stood to raise the walls of the
sanctuary at Mecca. This stone contains the sunken imprints of the
feet of the great Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him). The Holy Quran
testifies to the hallowed sanctity of this stone by declaring it to be
one of theSigns of Allah. It says:
"We made the House a resort for men and a place of security after
saying: Take as your place of worship the spot where Ibrahim stood to
pray. And We enjoined Ibrahim and Isma'il by saying: Purify My House
for those who visit it and those who meditate therein; and those who
bow down and those who prostrate themselves." ( Surah 2: Verse 125)
Burial Place
The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) lived for175 years. His life
wasfull of happenings,testsandtrials. He had afirm faithin Allah. He
nevermissed a moment's restin calling for the message of Allah.
Hegainedthousands upon thousands of believers. When he passed away, he
was buried inHebron, twenty miles south-west ofJerusalem.
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