Hazrat Ibrahim عليه السلام – a Great Role Model for the Youths – Part 1

Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) ‘alaihis salaam,, a Great Role Model for the Youths of the Entire World!

Prophet Ibrahim (‘alayhis salaam), was definitely one of the greatest of the human beings upon whom our Creator bestowed Prophethood.

(In Islam, (‘alayhis salaam) is used whenever we mention the name of a Prophet. It means ‘Peace be upon him’).

The Glorious Qur’an mentions Ibrahim many times and pays a glowing tribute to his wisdom, bravery, love for Allah and dedication to the progress of humanity.   

The story of his sacrifices has carried across millennia and the example of his unwavering faith in Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala continues to inspire Muslims (and even non-Muslims) of each generation.

His life was filled with tribulations through which he became an exemplar for the entire mankind. Through his sincere submissions, unflinching faith and obedience of Allah’s commands, he came to be known as Khalilullah – The Friend of Allah.

A Prophet is born

Ibrahim was born nearly 4,000 years ago in the kingdom of Babylon, which is now known as Iraq. The city was a famous center for worship of the sun, the moon and the stars, and they believed that these celestial bodies had an enormous influence on human destiny. In addition, many people worshipped idols made of wood, stone or any other material they could lay their hands on.

Ibrahim’s father Aazer (also spelled as Aazar and Azar), was a well-known sculptor and he would craft these idols from stone or wood.

His Childhood

As a child, Ibrahim would watch his father work. He often used to play with these idols. They were like toys for him!

Ibrahim couldn’t understand why people were worshipping these ornaments of stone in temples. His father explained that the statues represented gods and people would offer them food and other gifts whilst asking them for their favours.

This explanation did not satisfy Ibrahim at all. In his heart, he felt that all these actions were absolutely inappropriate and weird!

As he grew older, the Lord made Ibrahim become even more convinced that the idols his people worshipped were false. He would often question his father: “How could the statues of wood and stone be gods?”

He especially considered the fact that these statues, being mere objects, would have no power to either benefit or harm anyone.

As he started acquiring adulthood, he began to understand that there was a Mighty One who has created everything, even the heavens and the earth, and he felt that these false gods, worshipped by the people, in  no way had the power of creativity and they could not even protect them from hunger or poverty.

This awareness led him to take upon himself the task of discovering the True Creator.

In the beginning he considered various creations of Allah like the sun, the moon, the stars etc. as gods but he was not satisfied.

Allah Reveals Himself to Ibrahim

Subsequently, Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala Himself revealed to Prophet Ibrahim ‘AlahisSalaam that He only was The True Lord and He commanded Ibrahim to submit to Him and become a Muslim.

Due to the True Lord’s identification, Ibrahim’s life was significantly changed. It was filled with immense peace and tranquility – and he was eventually transformed into a very great person, abiding by all Allah’s commands.

Ibrahim ‘AlayhisSalaam tries to spread the Message of Allah

Ibrahim ‘AlayhisSalaam now had a brand new mission – to call his people to the Truth and help them to accept Allah as their only One True Lord.

First of all, he turned to his father whom he loved so dearly. Ibrahim said: “Yaa Abati (O Father)! Why do you worship that which doesn’t hear, doesn’t see, and cannot avail you in anything? Yaa Abati, I have got knowledge which you have not, so follow me. I will guide you to a straight path.” [Qur’an 19:42-48]

Angrily, his father rejected Ibrahim’s request and told his son to get out of his sight.

Ibrahim’s Plan

On the eve of a big celebration, Ibrahim ‘AlayhisSalaam knew that the townsfolk would be leaving the town to share a huge feast. When they had left, Ibrahim went into their temple to carry out a Prophetic mission: to demolish their idols, except one, the largest idol, so that he (Ibrahim) could explain to them the error of their ways.

When the townsfolk returned, they were stunned. Their idols lay in ruins! They instantly remembered that Ibrahim had been encouraging them to worship Allah alone and to submit to the monotheistic (relating to the belief that there is only one God) faith of Ibrahim. They asked him: “Are you the one who has done this?” Ibrahim said “No! This statue, the one who is the biggest of them all, has done it! Ask them (the tumbled-down idols) about it!” The townspeople replied: “You know they cannot speak!” And Ibrahim at once said: “Then how can you worship things that can neither speak nor see. They can’t even protect themselves. Have you all lost your minds?”

They all remained silent, knowing that Ibrahim had made a valid point, but their pride wouldn’t allow them to reject the idols they had been worshipping for generations. Anger surged in the crowd.

Untouched by Fire

The people of Prophet Ibrahim’s town were so furious over the ‘murder’ of their idols that they yelled for Ibrahim to be burnt down. They wanted to avenge the damage done to their idols and they believed that only Ibrahim’s blood would do so. However, Ibrahim ‘AlayhisSalaam did not ask for forgiveness.

The decision to burn him alive was sanctioned by Nimrud, the king of Babylon, and his priests. News travelled fast and thousands of people from all over the kingdom arrived to witness the execution.

A huge pit was dug in the ground and filled with wood and it was then set on fire. It was the biggest fire anyone had ever witnessed. Ibrahim was shackled, his hands and feet chained tightly. At that moment Ibrahim said: “Allah alone is Sufficient for us, and how good a protector He is!”  

And then he was thrown into the fire.

When he was still in the air, Angel Jibreel came to him and asked him: “Do you need anything from me?”

Ibrahim confidently responded: “From you, no. But from Allah, yes!”

Allah did not allow the Prophet to be executed. He ordered the fire to be nothing but cool and peaceful for Ibrahim, and the fire obeyed, burning only Ibrahim’s chains. Ibrahim walked out the fire without a bead of sweat upon his skin or a hint of smoke coming from his clothing. Spectators gasped in amazement, crying: “Ibrahim’s God has saved him from the flames!”

His nation still did not accept him and neither did they believe in Allah, even after witnessing this event. Instead, he was banished from his land.

By: Haqqseeker