The Tests of Love: Prophet Ibrahim's Ultimate Devotion

Opening

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ. الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ. الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ الْكَرِيمِ. سُبْحَانَكَ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ. اللَّهُمَّ عَلِّمْنَا مَا يَنْفَعُنَا وَزِدْنَا عِلْمًا.

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَبَارِكْ وَسَلِّمْ. رَبَّنَا آتِنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ رَحْمَةً وَهَيِّئْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَدًا.

The Principle of True Love

When a person gets married, they often find themselves in a bit of a predicament. It's a happy time for them, but it's also a bit of a confusing time. Because what happens sometimes is that their new spouse — let's say their wife, for example — might tell them that they want something, they might tell them to do something. And then that's all fine and good.

But then what happens when the person's mother, for example, tells them to do the opposite? Then that person, that guy who was previously happy, he finds himself in a big predicament. What is he supposed to do? Because if he follows what his wife is telling him, his new wife, then he'll make her happy, but he'll make his mother upset. Vice versa, if he follows what his mother is telling him, then he'll make her happy, but then he'll make his new wife upset.

So what is he supposed to do? And each person will capitalize on the predicament of this individual and scrutinize him. The wife is saying, well, didn't he say that he loves me? If he really loves me, he would listen to me. And the mother says that he better listen to me — I raised him, and he better do what I want. His love for me should be stronger than everyone else. It can't just be that someone new came into the picture right now, and suddenly he's listening to her and forsaking what I want him to do.

So each person — the wife and the mother in this example — will scrutinize this guy, and they'll see what he is going to do in this situation. And the reason they might be doing this is because intuitively they understand that if there's any person who loves more than one thing, and you put both of those things that they love in front of them, whichever one he chooses from those two — that means that his love for that thing, the one that he chose, is stronger than everything else.

So intuitively both the wife and the mother understand this. And they recognize this, and that's why they want to scrutinize him to see what he's going to do in this particular situation.

Sayyidina Ibrahim and the Tests of Love

This is a principle that we also, in some sense, see displayed in the life of Sayyidina Ibrahim as well. This, of course, is the month of Dhul-Hijjah — we're just coming out of the days of Hajj. May Allah Ta'ala take all of us who haven't gone for Hajj. May Allah Ta'ala take us again and again. May Allah Ta'ala accept those who went.

So these are the days of Dhul-Hijjah, and this is a very opportune time to reflect on Sayyidina Ibrahim a.s. Whatever a person could possibly love in life, Allah Ta'ala put that thing in front of him, along with the will of Allah Ta'ala, to see what he would choose.

Test One: His Father

It started out from the very beginning. Ibrahim a.s. was a child. And his father, of course he loved his father, but his father also happened to be an idol worshipper — also happened to be selling idols. So he told his father: why are you worshipping these idols?

Why are you doing this? I see that you and your people are in great misguidance. Then Ibrahim a.s. said to his father:

Oh my dear beloved father, why are you worshipping something that's not going to benefit you or harm you in the slightest? His father did not like to be questioned; he did not like to be criticized. He said:

If you don't stop, then I'm going to stone you — basically, I'm going to kill you, so you better stop this.

So Allah Ta'ala put two options in front of him — two things that Ibrahim a.s. loved. Obviously he loved his father, and that's expressed many times in the Qur'an. And of course he had his duty to Allah Ta'ala — he loved the concept of Tawheed, that Allah Ta'ala alone be worshipped and nothing else. So those two things Allah Ta'ala put in front of him, to see what he would choose. And he chose the love of Allah Ta'ala.

Test Two: His Community

Then it went to his community. Naturally everybody likes the place that they were born in, the place they grew up, their home community. But then Ibrahim a.s. was faced with a choice — his community was worshipping idols. He tried to communicate with them, they weren't really listening much. So he said, I'm going to take it to the next level — I'm going to break the idols. And I'll tell them that the biggest one, ask him, maybe he knows who did it. That's exactly what he did.

His community sought then to burn him alive. So again, Allah Ta'ala placed two choices in front of him — two things that he loved. One was the love for his community, his hometown. The other was the love for Allah Ta'ala, to see what he would choose. And of course Ibrahim a.s. chose the love of Allah Ta'ala over everything else, even over the love of his community.

Test Three: His Family in the Desert

Let's fast forward many decades. Ibrahim a.s. is not just a grown man, but he's grown very advanced in age. Finally Allah Ta'ala blesses him with a son. And then now he's told: go to this barren land, this desert, and settle your family therein — and just leave them.

Imagine this. He has this family. He has a son who is not only such a wonderful son, but also a son that he's been wanting for so long. Finally he has a baby, the baby is born. And then now he's told to settle them down in a desert that is extremely hot, that has no vegetation, and no source of water either. If there's no water, how long do you think that they're going to survive? Not very long — probably just a couple of days, maybe even less. There's no water, no food, and no animals to hunt because there's no source of water. But he's told to settle his family down in that place.

So then he gladly obliges — he accepts it. Again, there is a choice put in front of him: the love of his family, his newborn child, and on the other hand there is the love of Allah Ta'ala. And he chose the order of Allah Ta'ala over everything else.

Test Four: His Son — the Ultimate Test

Let's fast forward a little bit more. Ibrahim a.s. — his son, whom he's wanted for so long, so many decades — finally the son grows up.

His son is able to run around, his son is able to maybe even help him. So he's told: Oh my son, I've seen in a dream that I'm about to slaughter you. So what do you think about it? His son says:

Do whatever you've been commanded. Insha'Allah I'll be patient.

Now, the dreams of prophets are revelation. Of course if a normal person has a dream like this, it's not permissible to act upon it, because our dreams are always going to be subject to the Sharia. And of course the Sharia does not allow us to harm anyone, especially our children, let alone anyone else. But Ibrahim a.s. is a prophet — his dreams are much more than the dreams of me and you.

Now again, Allah Ta'ala is placing a choice in front of him. He has, of course, the seemingly insurmountable love for his son. On the other hand, there's the order of Allah. This is the ultimate test. Allah Ta'ala was sort of priming Ibrahim a.s. for this through all the tests that came before. Every possible thing that a person could love, Allah Ta'ala put it before Sayyidina Ibrahim a.s. to see what he would choose. And he always, consistently, chose the order of Allah Ta'ala over everything else. So now this was perhaps the ultimate test.

His son gladly obliges — says, if that's the order of Allah, then do whatever you've been commanded. That's a lesson in itself. Ibrahim a.s. — perhaps it's an even greater test for him. If anybody has children, you know how much parents love their children. If anyone doesn't have children, you know how much your parents love you. And especially if anybody has had a child who has moved on to Allah Ta'ala, then we know how difficult that is for a person. Ibrahim a.s. is being asked to do this — but not just that, to do it with his own hands.

So then he chooses the order of Allah Ta'ala over everything else. So then Allah Ta'ala tells him:

Allah Ta'ala says: Ibrahim, indeed you have fulfilled your dream — you have proven it true. إِنَّا كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ — this was an immense test, a great test. إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَهُوَ الْبَلَاءُ الْمُبِينُ — and we substituted it with a great sacrifice, i.e., the ram that Allah Ta'ala sent down. And then Allah Ta'ala says that we left a beautiful legacy for him afterwards.

وَتَرَكْنَا عَلَيْهِ فِي الْآخِرِينَ — meaning: أَيْ تَرَكْنَا عَلَيْهِ الثَّنَاءَ الْحَسَنَ فِي الْآخِرِينَ — all the people who came after Ibrahim a.s., due to the great sacrifices that he put in, they only have good things to say about him.

So we see that every single time that a person could love something, Allah Ta'ala put that thing in front of Sayyidina Ibrahim a.s., along with the will of Allah, wanting to see what he would choose. And we said that in order to see whether the love of anybody is true or stands stronger than everything else, you have to take two things that they love, put them both before that person — and then whichever one they choose, that means that their love for that thing is stronger than everything else. Every single time, Sayyidina Ibrahim a.s. gave preference to the love of Allah, to the will of Allah, the order of Allah, over everything else that he could possibly love in life.

The Five Du'as of Sayyidina Ibrahim

Now, Ibrahim a.s. had many concerns, and he put these concerns and du'as before Allah Ta'ala. We'll briefly discuss five different du'as or requests of Sayyidina Ibrahim a.s. that are mentioned in the Qur'an — and every single one, we see the acceptance of that du'a in the Qur'an itself.

First Du'a: Provision of Fruit

He settled his family into a barren land. He says:

That I have settled my family down in this barren land that is void of any vegetation near the sacred house. Then he says:

O Allah, grant them sustenance of fruit so that they can offer gratitude towards you. Now this is counterintuitive — this is a barren land, there's no vegetation, there's no water. Yet in spite of that, Ibrahim a.s. is asking for them to be granted fruit.

Anybody who's been to Umrah or Hajj — may Allah Ta'ala take us again and again — we see that you just go to any supermarket and you see fruit everywhere. Sometimes they have smoothie shops too. There's a smoothie shop I saw over there with the whole window just a display of exotic fruits. And Allah Ta'ala says:

Allah Ta'ala causes fruits from all around the world to be brought there. So one of the du'as of Ibrahim a.s. was that they be provided fruit — and Allah Ta'ala responded in the Qur'an that He will give them fruit.

Second Du'a: That People's Hearts Incline Towards Mecca

Another du'a of Ibrahim a.s. is in Surah Ibrahim:

Cause the hearts of people to incline towards them. If people's hearts are inclining towards Mecca, that means that they're going to be visiting there frequently, and they're even going to be settling there. And anybody who's visited for Hajj or Umrah — may Allah Ta'ala take us again and again — you know that it is perhaps one of the most crowded places you have ever been. So now when Ibrahim a.s. first set foot there, it was a barren land. And now it's one of the most crowded places in the world. He made du'a that people's hearts incline towards them — in other words, caused people to go there. And that's exactly what happened. Allah Ta'ala made it not just that, but one of the most crowded places in the world.

Third Du'a: Protection of Iman for His Progeny

Then another concern he had was for the iman of his children. He said:

Protect me and my progeny from worshipping idols. Now Allah Ta'ala tells us a story of when Ibrahim a.s. was on his deathbed, in his final moments. Allah Ta'ala says:

Ibrahim a.s. was in his final moments. He called his children and his grandchildren and said: all my children, Allah Ta'ala has chosen the deen for you — may Allah Ta'ala grant that for all of us. In the very next verse, after that verse in Surah al-Baqarah, Allah Ta'ala shows us how that du'a was responded to:

He said to his sons: what will you worship after me? They said: we will worship your Lord, your God, and the God of our forefathers — Ibrahim, Ismail, and Ishaq. So Ibrahim a.s. made du'a that Allah Ta'ala protect him and his progeny from the worship of idols. And the very next verse, Allah Ta'ala shows him that his grandson is making the exact same wasiyah that he made at his deathbed. Fast forward many decades — his grandson Ya'qub a.s. is on his deathbed, and he is telling his progeny: what are you going to worship after me? This is a manifestation of the acceptance of the du'a of Ibrahim a.s.

Fourth Du'a: Establishment of Salah

The fourth concern was for salah. He says in Surah Ibrahim:

O my Lord, allow me to establish prayer and also my offspring. Now his son, Sayyidina Ismail a.s. — there's not that much that's said about him in the Qur'an. A few things here and there. But one of the few things that Allah Ta'ala says about Sayyidina Ismail a.s., Allah Ta'ala says in Surah Maryam:

Ibrahim a.s. had concern for his salah and the salah of his offspring. One of the few things that Allah Ta'ala tells us about Ismail a.s. is that he would command his offspring to perform salah. So we see that that fourth du'a of Ibrahim a.s. was accepted.

Fifth Du'a: Education Through a Messenger

And the final du'a we'll discuss is his concern for the education of his progeny. He said:

O Allah, send them a messenger who will purify them, recite the verses to them, and teach them the book and wisdom. Allah Ta'ala says later on:

Allah has bestowed an immense blessing on the believers — when He sent to them a messenger from amongst them, who recites the verses, purifies them, and teaches them the book and wisdom. So the very du'a that Ibrahim a.s. made, Allah Ta'ala accepted it.

Conclusion: Giving Preference to Allah's Order

So the idea is this: we discussed in the beginning that whatever a person could have loved in life, Allah Ta'ala put that before Ibrahim a.s. along with the order of Allah, to see what he would choose. Every single time, Ibrahim a.s. chose the order of Allah. He gave preference to Allah Ta'ala over everything else.

And then we see five concerns of his that are mentioned in the Qur'an — five du'as of his. Every single one, we see the acceptance of that du'a in the Qur'an itself. So the idea is this: that if we give preference to the order of Allah over whatever we love or whatever we desire, then of course Allah Ta'ala will respond to our requests.

May Allah Ta'ala give us tawfiq to take heed from the legacy of Ibrahim a.s. Have concern for our own iman, and the iman of our offspring. Have concern for our own salah, and the salah of our offspring. And also the education of our offspring. May Allah Ta'ala give all of us tawfiq. We ask Allah Ta'ala to give us tawfiq to give preference to the order of Allah over everything else — such that insha'Allah we hope that Allah Ta'ala will respond to our du'as as well, just as He responded to the du'as of Ibrahim a.s.

Second Khutbah

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. All praise is due to Allah — we praise Him and ask His help. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our deeds. Whom Allah guides, none will misguide him, and whom He misguides, none will guide him. We bear witness that there is no god but Allah — He is alone and has no partner. We bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. He sent him with the truth as a bearer of glad tidings and a warner.

Allah Ta'ala said:

O you who believe, fear Allah and be mindful of what your soul has put forth for tomorrow, and fear Allah — for Allah is well-aware of what you do.

O people, when we look at the life of our Master Ibrahim, we see that he gave precedence to Allah Ta'ala over everything that he desired — over his love for his father, over his love for his people, over his love for his son, and his love for his wife. And because of this giving of precedence to Allah Ta'ala over his love for his people, Allah Ta'ala answered all his prayers.

When we look at the Qur'an, we see that Ibrahim prayed that Allah Ta'ala would protect his progeny from the worship of idols — Allah Ta'ala answered his prayer, as shown in the scene of Ya'qub a.s. on his deathbed. He prayed that Allah Ta'ala would provide the people of Mecca with fruits — and Allah Ta'ala answered his prayer. He prayed that people's hearts would incline towards them — Allah Ta'ala answered his prayer. He prayed for his own prayer and the prayer of his progeny — Allah Ta'ala answered his prayer, as shown in what is said about Ismail a.s. in Surah Maryam.

I say this and ask Allah to forgive me and you and the rest of the Muslims. Indeed He is the Forgiving, the Merciful.

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon His Trustworthy Messenger. Allah Ta'ala said:

O Allah, show us the truth as truth and grant us to follow it, and show us falsehood as falsehood and grant us to avoid it. O Allah, make us firm upon Islam. O Allah, support Islam and the Muslims. O Allah, help those who support the religion of Muhammad and make us of them, and humble those who forsake the religion of Muhammad and do not make us of them. O Allah, help the weak Muslims everywhere — especially in Gaza, and in China, and in Syria, and in Sudan, and everywhere.

O servants of Allah, Allah commands justice, goodness, and giving to those who are near, and forbids immorality and evil and transgression. He warns you that you may remember. Remember Allah — He will remember you. And let Him respond to you.

Announcements

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There's a special program tonight here at Masjid Dar Es Salaam after Maghrib — tonight, Friday, June 21st, after Maghrib at 8:33. It's about understanding weak narrations. It's a somewhat controversial topic: weak narrations — should they be accepted, should they be discarded? This session will insha'Allah discuss that. Topics of discussion will include:

• Should weak narrations be discarded entirely?
• Why did scholars maintain and keep weak narrations?
• What is their function in Islamic law or practice?
• How are narrations graded as weak?

There are summer programs going on at Dar Es Salaam — there is still time to join. There is QIS (Qur'an, Islamic Studies and Sports Camp) for boys and girls ages 6 to 13. And Tarbiya for Tots for boys and girls ages 4 to 5. Please register at our website: masjid.org/summer.

Join us for our weekly programs. Team Fajr will start tomorrow after Fajr at 4:45 a.m. Tuesday Tafsir will continue with the Tafsir of Surah al-Ghafir. There is a weekly Salawat program every Thursday after Maghrib.

And of course, just a reminder to myself and all of us: let's continue to make du'a for Muslims who are being oppressed around the world — in Palestine, Sudan, China, and other places around the world. May Allah Ta'ala alleviate their suffering.