The Miraculous escape of Abraham from the fire
The pit was dug and a large fire was lit in it. When it was roaring with flames and the heat could be felt from a distance, Abraham was thrown in it. Abraham prayed to the true God for His mercy in that hour of trial. By the Grace of God, neither the fire nor the heat touched Abraham. He walked around as if in a garden and left the pit totally unharmed. This indeed was a miracle that convinced some of the onlookers who bowed. to the true God and accepted the true religion of God and gave up idolatry.
Abraham left his ancestral city of Ur and migrated north to Haran where he stayed for a short period of time. Then he moved west to Canaan (Kin’an), alongwith his wife Sarah and nephew Lot (Lut). After awhile. Lot was appointed messenger by God to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah who lived north of Canaan.
The Progeny of Abraham
Before finally settling in Canaan, Abraham visited Egypt where the king gave him a maiden (according to some, his daughter) in marriage. Her name was Hager (Hajiral). God gave Ishmael as the first-born child to Abraham through his second wife Hager at the old age of eighty-sixes years. Sarah was infertile and became jealous of Hager. Under instructions from God, Abraham took his son Ishmael and his wife Hager from Canaan and brought them down south in the land of Arabia where they were left to live for the rest of their lives. Ishmael grew up to be handsome and tall young man who had many children and is popularly known as the patriarch of the Arabs. Back in Canaan, after a few years, Sarah who had grown
old and given up hope of ever bearing a child of her own, also conceived and bore a son to Abraham named Isaac (Isshaq). It is worth noting here that Abraham had then turned ninety-nine years of age. Isaac was a great prophet of God in the land of Canaan. He remained settled in Canaan and had several prominent prophets amongst his progeny.
After the death of his wife Sarah, Abraham took another wife named Qutura from whom he had many sons and daughters. These children of Abraham settled and populated the lands of Madain, Midyan and Saba.
The Trial of Abraham by God
One night Abraham saw in his dream that he had sacrificed his son Ishmael to please God. He wondered about this dream and pondered over its meaning. He saw the same dream during three consecutive nights. He called his son Ishmael and told him about his dreams. The son asked his father to do exactly what he had seen in his dreams if that was the wish of the Creator Almighty and that he would find him patient. Abraham tied his son just as he would tie a sacrificial lamb and placed the knife on the throat of his son to carry out the sacrifice. The Sustainer of life and of all mankind sent the archangel Gabriel with salutations from God and told the father and the son that their belief in God and their resolve to give their most valued possession in life in His way had pleased Him greatly. God had sent a lamb to be sacrificed in place of Ishmael, Abraham thanked the Lord for the acceptance of his service and returned home with humility and gratitude towards God. This act of has been perpetuated by God forever and is celebrated Muslims all over the world every year when they sacrifice a . This festival is known as Eid-al-Adha,
Construction of Ka’ba and Pilgrimage (Hajj)
Abraham and his son Ishmael built the Ka’ba and the Black Stone in one of the comers of the building in with the Will of God. The ritual of pilgrimage (Hajj) was initiated at that time and has continued to this day.
to the question of Death and Resurrection
Once Abraham asked God how would He bring them to
life again when the living had died and perished? God asked Abraham if he had doubts about that question. He said he had no doubt about the absolute powers of his Lord but he wanted to satisfy his curiosity over the mechanism of resurrection.
God instructed Abraham to “gather four birds, let them become familiar with you, then sacrifice them, mix their meat and scatter it on four hills across one another. Then call the birds by their names and they will come to you.” Abraham did as instructed and verily the same happened as predicted by the Supreme God. Thus Abraham solved the riddle of resurrection of the dead on the Day of Judgement. God will call His creation, as He Wills and they will all rise from their graves.
The Ritual of Circumcision
When Abraham turned ninety-nine years of age. God ordained that he himself, his male progeny and all believers be circumcised. The divine order was obeyed. It might be noted here that Isaac was born to Abraham at that old age and after the ritual of circumcision. This ritual is practised by the Muslims and the Jews, the followers of Abraham and all those who recognize the hygienic advantages of circumcision.
The Death of Abraham
This great prophet and a friend of God, also known as the patriarch of all subsequent prophets, died at the age of one hundred and seventy five years.
Major Lessons from the Life of Abraham
1. Do not remain ignorant about religion, nor be stubborn about the old ways of our forefathers. Seek the truth. Accept when discovered.
2.Do not associate any thing or any one with The Creator
Nothing can share with Him the glory of His Oneness.
3. Submit to God in total submission to enjoy His bounty and benevolence.
4. When it is difficult to practise your faith in safety and in peace, move to another place, for His territory is vast and His bounty limitless.
5. Whenever occasions arise requiring sacrifice to preserve or protect Faith, do not hesitate, for all we have, came from Him. We are independent owners of nothing in this world.
References: The Qur’an: Sura Baqarah, ale Imran, Nisaa’, An’am, Taubah, Hud, Yusuf, Ibrahim, Hajar, Nahl, Mariyam, Anbiya, Hajj, Shu’ra, A’nkaboot, Sa’fat, Jinn, Zakhraf, Hadeed, Mumtahna, Zariyat, Najam and Taha.
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 