The Ultimate Sacrifice
The years passed, and Ibrahim AS used to visit Hagar and Ismail AS regularly.
Ismail AS was most beloved to him. He was his only son, and the only descendant who could continue his line. Ismail’s AS birth into this world was a long time coming, and having had his prayers for a child and an heir for the message of Islam answered by Allah, it was only natural that Ibrahim AS loved his precious boy fiercely. It was also natural that over the years, his paternal love and affection increased as the boy grew from an infant to a youth who was poised to succeed Ibrahim AS in transmitting the message of Allah to his people.
When Ismail AS was at the brink of manhood (by most accounts, 13 years old) Ibrahim AS received a recurring dream that he was to slaughter him. Dreams of Prophets are revelations, so there was no doubt that this dream was a divine command from Allah. By this time, Ibrahim AS was close to one hundred years old.
Ibrahim AS had an unimaginable task ahead: to end the life of his beloved son with his own hands. It was the ultimate trial for him, and the decision would have been heart wrenching for any father. However, Allah’s wishes had been communicated clearly, and it was a command that Ibrahim AS was willing to obey in order to please his Lord.
Ibrahim’s AS love for Allah was greater than the love he had for his son. After all, his son was not his to own, but a trust from Allah, to whom all things belong. Love of Allah involves momentous sacrifices of what one loves in this world, and Ibrahim AS chose the love of Allah above what he loved most dearly in this world. The sincerity of his action reflected his submission to the will of Allah.
He consulted with his wife, Hagar. She had the strength of faith befitting of a Prophet’s wife, and she supported his decision. Imagine how heartbreaking such a decision must have been for a mother in respect of her only child, yet, the same way she had trusted Allah when placed alone in the middle of the desert, her faith and obedience to Allah reigned supreme in her heart.
Ibrahim AS then consulted his son on his vision – for even though the decision was made, could he then force his son to the place of sacrifice without his consent and cooperation? He said: O my son! I see a dream that I offer you in sacrifice, so tell me what is your view?” (37:102). To his joy, Ismail AS replied “O my father! Do as you are commanded, you will find me, if Allah so willed, one of the patient.”(37:102). Ismail’s AS mature response, his deep insight into the nature of his father’s dreams, his commitment to God, and ultimately his willingness to sacrifice his own life for the sake of Allah were all absolute and unconditional.
Hence, preparations were made for the sacrifice. During this time, Satan tried to tempt Ibrahim AS, Hagar and Ismail AS from carrying out Allah’s command. However, Ibrahim AS drove Satan away by throwing pebbles at him. In commemoration of their rejection of Satan, stones are thrown at three symbolic pillars signifying Satan during the hajj rituals.
The time had come. Ibrahim AS sharpened his knife in order to make death swift, and lay his beloved son face down to spare him the terror of witnessing the fatal strike. ”So when they had both submitted to the Will of Allah, and he laid him down upon his brow…” (37:103) However, upon contact, the blade suddenly became blunt and made no impact on Ismail’s AS neck. Ibrahim AS tested the knife – it was indeed sharp – but again, it became dull and incapable of cutting Ismail’s AS skin. Allah had changed the nature of the blade, the same way that He had changed the quality of the fire into which Ibrahim AS had earlier been thrown.
Then came a call from Allah: “O Ibrahim! You have indeed fulfilled the vision.” (37:104-37:105), meaning that the purpose of the trial had already been achieved. Ibrahim AS had been given the most difficult trial of his life, and had passed. The trial was the supreme and complete obedience to Allah. He had demonstrated that he was willing to offer his only son as sacrifice to Allah.
Allah did not want to end Ismail’s AS life – He just wanted to test Ibrahim’s AS love and sincerity to Him. Some scholars express their interpretation that what was to be slaughtered was not Ismail’s AS flesh, but rather any excessive attachment that Ibrahim AS might have had for his son.
At this time, Allah “… redeemed him with a momentous sacrifice” (37:107) – a ram was sent in substitution of Ismail AS as the sacrifice to Allah. Until today, on the festival of Eid al Adha, camels, cattle and sheep are offered as a sacrifice to Allah in remembrance of Ibrahim’s AS ultimate sacrifice to Allah.
Whenever a sacrifice is made for Allah, or Allah places a trial onto a person, and that sacrifice is made or the person has passed the trial, Allah rewards His slave. The rewards for Ibrahim AS were immense, the first being the construction of the Ka’abah, and the second being the birth of his second son, Ishaq AS, by his wife Sara, from which a long line of noble Prophets and Messengers was born.
The Construction of the Ka’abah
The population of Makkah grew, as tribes from far and wide were attracted to the Zam Zam and its reliable source of water. Eventually it was commanded by Allah for Ibrahim AS and his son Ismail AS to build the first place on earth dedicated to the worship of Allah alone. “Indeed, the first House [of worship] established for mankind was that at Makkah – blessed and a guidance for the worlds.” (3:97) This is also known as the Ka’abah, a modest rectangular structure to which all Muslims, regardless of where they are situated in the world, face when performing their prayers.
Allah guided father and son on the exact specifications of the Ka’abah. There is also the Ka’abah of the heavenly realm, poised exactly above the earthly Ka’abah in Makkah. This other Ka’abah (Al Baitul Makmur) is in the seventh heaven, and on each day a fresh batch of 70,000 angels enter it for the purpose of worship. It is said that the Ka’bah on earth is a replica of Al Baitul Makmur, and was seen by Prophet Muhammad SAW on his ascension to heaven (the mi’raj).
The construction of the Ka’abah was solemnized through the beautiful du’a below:
And [mention] when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House and [with him] Ismail, [saying], “Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed You are the Hearing, the Knowing. Our Lord, and make us Muslims [in submission] to You and from our descendants a Muslim nation [in submission] to You. And show us our rites and accept our repentance. Indeed, You are the Accepting of repentance, the Merciful. Our Lord, and send among them a messenger from themselves who will recite to them Your verses and teach them the Book and wisdom and purify them. Indeed, You are the Exalted in Might, the Wise.” (2:126-2:129)
From a time where there was not a single believer in the world, Ibrahim AS was in himself a nation in re-establishing the message of Allah. In a world where Islam had been extinguished, he was the first one to revive it, and lived his life accordingly. He perfectly exemplified the following verse in the Qur’an that referred to him:“Say, “Indeed, my prayer, my rites of sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, Lord of the worlds. No partner has He. And this I have been commanded, and I am the first [among you] of the Muslims.” (6:162-6:163).
Ibrahim AS was bestowed the honour of being the forefather of all the Prophets and Messengers who came after him. From his son Ishaq AS, was born a chain of prophets, including Yaqub (Jacob) AS, Yusuf (Joseph) AS, Sulaiman (Solomon) AS, Musa (Moses) AS, Yahya (John) AS and ending with Isa (Jesus) AS. From the descendants of his son Ismail AS was born the final seal of the Prophets and Messengers, Muhammad SAW.
Up to today, Makkah, being the home of the Ka’abah is a place of assembly and sanctuary for Muslims. Muslims all over the word are obligated to make pilgrimage towards the Ka’abah for hajj, and also face the Ka’abah from all corners of the globe when standing and bowing in prayer. All these are attributable to the obedience of Ibrahim AS and his wife Hagar, to the commandments of Allah.
Over generations, the practice of monotheism once again declined, and the Ka’abah was eventually filled with various idols and images of false gods. This decline continued until the conquest of Makkah by Ibrahim’s AS descendant, Muhammad SAW, who finalised the teachings of Islam.
The Religion of Ibrahim AS
Many of the major Islamic rites today can be traced back to the time of Ibrahim’s AS family – these include the sacrifice during Eid al Adha, the symbolic stoning of Satan during hajj, the rite of sai’e during umrah and hajj, and the facing of all Muslims towards the Ka’abah during prayer. Each Muslim supplicates for the blessings of Ibrahim AS and his family during every salat. Much of what Ibrahim AS practiced, preached and built are physically manifested up to today. So what was the religion of Ibrahim AS?
Christians and Jews, being the other followers of the Holy Scriptures, have both staked a claim that Ibrahim AS belongs to their religion. However, this claim is illogical, and as the Qur’an points out: “O People of the Scripture, why do you argue about Abraham while the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed until after him? Then will you not reason?” (3:65)
Ibrahim’s AS religion was simply that of Islam, the original religion, the same religion of the Prophets and Messengers that came before and after him. He did not submit himself to any tribes or groups, but worshipped Allah alone. That is why Allah said of him: “Indeed, the most worthy of Abraham among the people are those who followed him [in submission to Allah] and this prophet [i.e. Muhammad SAW], and those who believe [in his message].” (3:68) Ibrahim AS was a man pure in faith, who fulfilled all his pledges to Allah, and whose monotheistic submission to Allah was unequivocal. This is why he has the following honour: “…Allah took Ibrahim as a friend.” (4:125)
Ibrahim AS passed away when he was approximately 175 years old, outliving his wife Sara and his son Ismail AS. The human lifespan was already significantly shorter than that of Adam AS or Nuh AS – this lifespan reducing over the coming generations.
The work of Ibrahim AS continued through his sons, Ismail AS and Ishaq AS.
Lessons for us
Verse 53:37 of the Qur’an describes Ibrahim AS as one who has fulfilled his obligations or covenants. Scholars interpret this as total sacrifice – he had sacrificed his body to the fire, his heart when commanded to slaughter his son and his money to feed his guests. In other words, he had sacrificed the three most beloved things to mankind – themselves, their family members and their money. The Islamic faith demands belief by three elements: love, obedience and sacrifice. All of these were fulfilled by Ibrahim AS. He showed us how to love Allah and the Message above all else, setting the example of how we are to love and sacrifice our love for the path of Allah.
His family structure was inspiring and unprecedented – and hence they were rewarded immensely by Allah. Father, mothers and sons consistently displayed all the components of obedience to Allah. They were willing to make heartbreaking and monumental sacrifices, and were willing to be sacrificed in turn. It was through this remarkable family unit that the Message of Islam was revived, spread by generation upon generation of their descendants. Each of them had to overcome their individual emotions and personal obstacles – Sara, by offering Hagar to be wed to her own husband in order for the Message of Islam to continue; Hagar in overcoming her terror of being abandoned in the desert with her young boy; Ibrahim AS and Hagar by quelling the love they had for Ismail AS in favour of the love of Allah. Each of the family members understood the Message and the mission, and lived their lives in constant mutual support and sacrifice in order for the mission to be fulfilled.
The way that Ibrahim AS, Hagar and Ismail AS remained immune to the whisperings of the devil when Ismail AS was due to be sacrificed by Allah shows us that any message to do goodness comes from Allah, whereas any inclination to delay good deeds originates from the devil. The pillars in Jamarat where the pilgrims symbolically stone the devil during the hajj season commemorates the ultimate victory of man over the temptations of the devil and his own personal evil tendencies. It is an arduous process, with the crowds, dust and heat, but each pebble eradiates a major sin, absolving one from years of torture in hellfire. Such is the mercy of Allah, that an act replicating the actions of a man and his family generations ago can have the impact of giving us strength over temptations and desires, as well as to dissolve the sins of the past.
These people are the role models for us to follow. Their footsteps left a legacy of guidance to mankind. Now what about me and you? What footsteps do we have in this life and what legacy do we have in this life and to meet Allah with it?
