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The Prophet 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. He hated even an idea of
worshipping the idols which could neither see, nor hear, nor
speak.
The Prophet Ibrahim's Preaching
The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) received the message of
Allah through a special angel Gabriel (Jibra'il). Gradually he
was commanded to start preaching. As he was a strong man in his
will and determination, he worked very hard. He began his
mission in the teeth of opposition. He argued with his people
with great vigour regarding the folly of worshipping the idols.
The Holy Qur'an 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." (21:
53-58)
Opposition by the People and Discussion with the King
The people paid no heed to his teachings. They insisted on their
ways. They did not refrain from 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 were afraid lest they should be deprived of their
priesthood if the people abandoned idol-worship. As a matter of
fact the king Nemrùd 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. Nemrud 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 which
stood motionless and helpless.
The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) lifted his heavy axe and
began to smite the idols turn 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. He
broke all the idols in the sanctuary but spared the Chief one.
He did so to demonstrate that the idols had no power to 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 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 were smashed 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 Qur'an 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." (21:57)
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 those stupid
people who worshipped helpless, dumb and deaf idols made of
stones. 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) were very sound and convincing. The Holy
Qur'an 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." (21: 65-68).
Although they felt ashamed yet they remained stubborn. They
decided 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 quite calm and cheerful believing 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 centre
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: 0' fire! Be thou a means of comfort and security for
Ibrahim." (21:70)
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 safe as 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 was ordered to leave
that area and go to the blessed land which is now called
Palestine. 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 and Migration to Mecca
As the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) had no off-spring
from his first wife Sarah, he entered into matrimonial alliance
with another woman called Hajira (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 to Isma'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 the valley
of Bathã (Mecca). 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 of thirst. His
mother began to look for water but it was not available
anywhere.
Zam Zam is Discovered
She ran desperately in quest of water between two hillocks
called Safa and Marwa but found no water. She came back to her
thirsty infant and was surprised to see the spring of Zam Zam
emerged 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 named Mecca became
the birth 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 to sacrifice his only son, Isma'il.
The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) had no hesitation in
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 his life was all dedicated to 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) had no objection and 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." (37: 10, 11)
This was a hard decision for a young man to take and it was a
moment of great faith in Allah.
The Ordeal of Sacrifice of Prophet Ismail
On the tenth of Dhil Hijja the father and his beloved son walked
side by side. A young lad possessed forbearance and the old man
was full of determination and spirit to 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 towards Mina with 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 highly appreciated them for their obedience and they heard a
voice:
"0' Ibrahim! you have indeed shown the truth of the vision.
Surely do We reward the doers of good." (37:105)
When Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) fulfilled the command
of the dream, he was ordered not to sacrifice his own son. A ram
was 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, the savage 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 Qur'an 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 ownselves." (37: 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
The first House of Allah, the Ka'bah was 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). The
Muqam-e-Ibrahim is 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 Qur'an testifies to the hallowed sanctity of this stone by
declaring it to be one of the Signs 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." (1:125)
Burial Place
The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) lived for 175 years. His
life was full of happenings, tests and trials. He had a firm
faith in Allah. He never missed a moment's rest in calling for
the message of Allah. He gained thousands upon thousands of
believers. When he passed away, he was buried in Hebron, twenty
miles south-west of Jerusalem.
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