|
"O' Lord! I have made some of my off-spring settle in this
barren valley near the Sacred House so that they may keep up
prayer." (14: 37)
The scene of departing Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) from
his family was highly pathetic. It is narrated on the authority
of Ibn 'Abbàs that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) said: The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him)
brought with him his wife Hajira and his son Prophet Isma'il
(peace be upon him) whom she suckled. They placed the child
close by the spot where Ka'bah now stands. In those days Mecca
was uninhabited and without water. The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be
upon him) placed beside them a bag full of dates and a skin full
of water. When Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) returned, the
mother of Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon him) ran after him and
said: Ibrahim! Where are you going? Why have you left me in the
wilderness where none is to take pity on us. Nothing is
available here to eat and drink. She repeated this several times
but Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) did not hearken to her
voice. Then she asked him. Have God Commanded you to do so? He
replied in affirmative. She said: Then God will cause no harm to
me. Thereupon she returned back. When Prophet Ibrahim (peace be
upon him) got out of sight, he faced towards Ka'bah and prayed:
0' Lord! Grant that the hearts of some men may be affected with
kindness towards them and bestow upon them all sorts of fruit so
that they may be thankful. After this the mother of Prophet
Isma'il (peace be upon him) began to suckle her child and to
drink water out of the skin until it was emptied. Soon after her
son felt thirsty. She could not bear to see him in such plight.
Hajira ran seven times from the hill of Safa to Marwa in quest
of water. As she was about to commence the eighth trip, her
attention was drawn to the crying child who in the agony of
thirst was kicking the ground. Lo! the water gushed forth
miraculously from the earth in the form of fountain to save
Prophet: Isma'il (peace be upon him) from the tortures of
thirst. Then she drank the water and suckled her child. May God
bless the mother of Prophet Isma'il! Had she left the Zam Zam as
it was or had she not filled her skin with water, the Zam Zam
would always have remained an overflowing mountain. (Bukhari)
Trial of Sincerity:
The origin of the custom of true believers running between Safa
and Marwa at the time of Hajj is deep connected with Hajira, the
mother of Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon him). Similarly the
rite of sacrifice also owes its origin to the Prophet Ibrahim
(peace be upon him) and his obedient son. He had received a
Divine Command to sacrifice his beloved son. Both of them stood
the test with credit. The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him)
decided to fulfil the vision on one hand whereas the Prophet
Isma'il (peace be upon him) was ready with alacrity to lay down
his life to win the favour and pleasure of Allah. While they
were proceeding towards Mina for the performance of the solemn
duty, Satan tried to dissuade them from their firm resolve but
to no effect. The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) passed the
sharp knife over the throat of his son but an angel turned the
knife upside down and a heavenly message forbade the act. The
Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was desired to sacrifice in
lieu of his son, a ram. So he slaughtered a well-fed ram
presented by Allah. When the Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon him)
grew up, he married a girl of the tribe but soon divorced her at
the request of his father to whom she proved to be discourteous.
After this he married a daughter of the Jurhum Chief.
Re-construction of the House of Allah:
Ka'bah is the veritable heart of Islam towards which all the
prayers of the Muslims flow to vivify their souls. It was built
by the Prophet Adam (peace be upon him), the father of the human
race. When it was damaged by flood, it was reconstructed on the
same foundations by the Prophet Ibrahim (peace he upon him) with
the help of his son Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon him), the
ancestors of the Arabs. The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him)
directed his son to bring a good stone to mark the corner of
foundation. He brought one of which the angel Gabriel gave him
information. It was the sacred Black stone-Hajar al-Aswad. When
the Prophet Ibrahim and Isma'il (peace be upon them) raised the
foundations of the House of Allah they prayed:
"Our Lord! Accept from us; surely You are the Hearing, the
Knowing. Our Lord! Make us both submissive to You and raise from
our off-spring a nation submitting to You and show us ways of
devotion and turn to us mercifully. You are the oft-Returning to
mercy, the Most Merciful." (1:127, 128)
"Our Lord! And raise up in them an Apostle from among them who
shall recite to them Your communications and teach them the Book
and the Wisdom and purify them. Surely You are the Mighty, the
Wise." (2: 129).
Mecca is Habitated:
The Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon him) and his mother settled
down in the vicinity of the Ka'bah. His progeny multiplied and
ramified into numerous tribes. One of these is known as the
Quraysh from which the Ishmaelite Arabs sprang up. The Holy
Prophet (peace be upon him) belonged to this family. They
habitated the city of Mecca which became the centre of Islam.
|
