Legacy of Ibrahim A.S.

Legacy of Ibrahim A.S.

As human beings, it's natural that we look for role models and people to look up to. In every given field, someone will strive to be the best in their profession. However, our journey as Muslims and in our path of becoming the best version of ourselves, in the sight of Allah, the path is no different.

The lives of the Anbiya, the galaxy of Sahaba, and the countless scholars who have left a beautiful example for you and I, each serve as a guiding star for the refinement in character that we all so desire, we're so desirous of. However, given the days of Hajj are so near, and the most blessed 10 days of the year are just around the corner, it's customary that we speak about the life of none other than our forefather, Ibrahim A.S. And there's so much to unpack in his blessed life, but the unfortunate reality is, we're often so blind to his noble legacy — as they say, it's hiding in plain sight.

There's so much to speak about, but in the short time that we have together, I just want to highlight what Allah is trying to convey, when He says:

That if you want to describe somebody with good qualities, you would say, he's courageous, she's generous, he's understanding, she's compassionate. Allah uses such a comprehensive, exhaustive description, where He says simply, إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ كَانَ أُمَّةً — that Ibrahim A.S. exhibited so many beautiful qualities, that he is best described not as an individual, but as an entire nation of multiple qualities. This is very reminiscent of the Prophet being described as:

O Prophet Muhammad, you don't only possess qualities that are great, you are in charge of the noblest of qualities.

Three Qualities of Ibrahim A.S.

If we want to summarize the three main characteristics in the life of Ibrahim A.S., you will notice that these three qualities are found consistently throughout the most iconic leaders of our past. At whatever degree or level we look at it, we will find these three qualities shining in each of the greatest luminaries, whose lives we read about all the time. Whether it's Salahuddin Ayyubi or Imam Al-Bukhari. Whether it's Shah Waliullah Al-Dahlawi, or whether it's the Abbasid and the Mamluk rulers. Whether it's the Prophet or his noble companions. You will find these three qualities shining in their lives.

What are they? Sincerity, sacrifice, and submission. Sincerity, sacrifice, and submission. And the moment we realize that these three qualities can really enhance my connection with Allah, and we put the legwork to make our character in line with these three qualities, the quicker we will see progress in our journey to Allah.

Submission

No discussion on the life of Ibrahim A.S. is complete without talking about his submission. His submission to Allah at times where you and I would pause and say, wait a second, this is very hard for me to accept. Leave Hajar and Ismail in a barren desert, and the only question asked is: did Allah command? And it just took one nod, and they submitted to the command of Allah.

This is, in the modern world, one of the most difficult and one of the most insurmountable challenges that many people face — being able to put my trust in Allah, and understand that I'm only looking at a pixel, whereas Allah has a comprehensive view of the entire picture.

Jalaluddin Ar-Rumi in his Mathnawi gives a very interesting analogy. He says, our example and the knowledge that we have in comparison to the knowledge of Allah is very similar to an ant that's crawling on a very beautiful rug. There are designs, embroidery — someone looking at it from the top will realize that these designs are eye-catching, they're jaw-dropping. But the ant that's crawling on this very beautiful rug is only one-dimensional. It can only see what's in front of itself. So the bumps, the crevices, the trips, the changes — it makes no sense to it.

And Jalaluddin Ar-Rumi says, oftentimes when we have our bumps — when we're reading headlines, or when I'm looking at my paycheck, or I'm looking at my rent, or I'm looking at my health, or I'm struggling in my family — there are ways to overcome it. But the challenge that we face, subhanAllah, is submission to Allah's will, who is أَحْكَمُ الْحَاكِمِينَ.

Ibn Khaldun, one of the famous historians of our past, says, sometimes we try to rationalize the decision of Allah. And he says, that's no different than someone who has a scale, and the purpose of the scale is to weigh gold. And then he goes to a mountain and says, I'm kind of curious how heavy this mountain is. So he starts taking boulders and rocks from that mountain and puts them on that scale. And he says, eventually you're going to break your scale because your ability to understand the world is very limited.

And this is found in the life of the Prophet ﷺ most clearly in the episode of Sulh al-Hudaybiyyah. By all worldly metrics, it seemed like a loss. Yet he was willing to concede at every single level because he understood Allah is أَحْكَمُ الْحَاكِمِينَ.

So the first lesson that we learn from the life of Ibrahim A.S. — and something that we need so dearly today in the chaotic world that we live in, and I address myself first and foremost here — is the idea of آمَنَّا وَسَلَّمْنَا. What does Iman mean? Allah, in the opening verses of Surah Al-Baqarah, says:

What defines us — what's that فَاصِل, the distinguishing factor between a believing Muslim and anyone else — is that they believe in the unseen. And the Prophet ﷺ said:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 23074)

That when I sacrifice something for Allah, Allah will give me something greater. It's not the amount that we have as communities, or the education that we have as a community that we're really struggling with. What we're struggling with is trusting in the plan of Allah. آمَنَّا وَسَلَّمْنَا.

Sincerity

Which then brings us into the second point, and that is sincerity for the sake of Allah. Just think about this for a moment. You're in a barren desert, and you're given this command that you and your son will have to build a structure — no one in sight, not entirely sure why you're doing what you're doing — and you go through the arduous process of building it in the beating heat and the sun on your back. And once you're done, you don't complain. You just ask Allah this question:

You know, this barren land. But this is Your حُكْم, Ya Allah! And I'm willing to do it because You asked me to do it. But what's so beautiful is the du'a that he makes:

That, Ya Allah! You are all-hearing, You are all-knowing. If I were to use a rational approach to this, it would make no sense to build a structure in the middle of nowhere. But Ya Allah! Your حُكْم was, I do this — I did it solely for You.

And the grammarians, the مُفَسِّرُون, they explain that in Arabic, the verb تَقَبَّلْ is a very interesting conjugation. In Arabic generally, when you want to accept something, you say اقْبَلْ — I accept. تَقَبَّلْ is a change in the conjugation which means: Ya Allah! This that I have done, my effort in building the Ka'bah, where millions of people will eventually go — he says تَقَبَّلْ — Ya Allah! Accept it from me, even though — they say تَصَنُّع — even though it is not deserving of acceptance in my sight. You are the one who accepts our very meager efforts, so please accept it from me. That's Ibrahim A.S. speaking.

When we have sincerity in the work that we do, the submission that we had spoken about already becomes that much more easy to digest and do. Imagine — I know no one is seeing me when I'm fasting. Why is it that fasting is so important? I'm making wudu, I can just quickly gargle water and drink while I'm at it. No one is seeing — I can eat. When I'm all by myself and I have my phone by me, the number of things that I could do, but I decide not to for the sake of Allah. Allah says:

That those people who truly have taqwa, when Shaytan starts to whisper in their ears, they become aware, and they say أَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ.

Sacrifice

Submission, sincerity, and perhaps the most quintessential quality in the narrative of Ibrahim A.S. is sacrifice. What does sacrifice mean? Sacrifice doesn't mean when I have a surplus, I give what I don't already need. Sacrifice is:

Allah describes the Sahaba as those who, when the Muhajirun came to what was then known as Yathrib, they were welcomed with open arms — half my home for you; if I have two homes, one home is yours; if I have two businesses, one business is yours; if I have this much wealth, half of it is yours. That's very difficult to do, especially for someone who, biologically speaking, is unrelated to you. وَيُؤْثِرُونَ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِمْ وَلَوْ كَانَ بِهِمْ خَصَاصَةٌ — making that sacrifice.

And this doesn't have to be grand. In our lives, we're always often at this crossroads of making a decision of what is important to me. I wake up in the morning, Salatul Fajr is at 5:15 or 5:30, and I think to myself, man, I got to go and pray, I got to make wudu, but I got to go to class, I got work. But pulling off the blanket, making wudu, going to the masjid and praying — that's a sacrifice. It's time to give zakah. Am I going to cut corners or not? We're not being asked to sacrifice a child. We're being asked to sacrifice something so minimal. And that is the ultimate testament of how much I truly want to commit to this faith.

The submission, the sacrifice that I make — the tadhiyyah — why is that so important? Because when a person has submission to Allah, has sincerity and trust in the promise of Allah, the logical conclusion is you're going to sacrifice for Allah. And when you sacrifice for Allah with submission and sincerity, the Prophet ﷺ says:

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 23074)

That Allah will always give you something better. That's Allah's promise.

SubhanAllah, some months back, a brother came to me and said, I came to pray Salatul Jumu'ah, and after Jumu'ah was done, I passed by the donation box and I wanted to give some money. I pulled out my wallet, the only thing I had was a $50 bill, and I felt it was a little difficult for me to give that much money. If I had some change, I would give it. But I thought to myself, you know what, I've very seldom felt that pinch whenever I give — I give in a way where I don't think twice about it. Today I want to feel that pinch. So he literally emptied his wallet, took that $50 out and put it inside.

And he said to me, Wallahi, it was literally miraculous — that was a Friday, and on Sunday he was going to get his biweekly check. He was working in Irving, and he told me this had never happened in all the years he was working there. He said the place he was working had a glitch in the payroll — he looked at his bank balance and got $500 extra. He could have kept it, but he decided to go to the manager and ask what happened. The manager said, unfortunately there was a glitch, but our policy here is if any money goes to a bank, we're not allowed to take it back. So enjoy the money. And he says, it must have been God-sent. SubhanAllah.

Stories like this abound. When you sacrifice for Allah — and what is sacrifice for Allah? Where I know that I'm getting a job offer — is it conducive for the iman of my family? You know how many brothers and sisters sacrifice that opportunity to make an extra digit on their yearly income, just so that they can be in a community where their children will be able to see Islam manifested, where they can pray salah. That sacrifice never goes unnoticed.

But also the small sacrifices that we make — the decision that I'm in school, you know what, I'm going to don the hijab. It's hard, people are going to look at me differently, but I'm going to still do it. When I go to work and I have to pray salah, it's time to make wudu — everybody's going to look at me side-eyed, but I'm still going to make that sacrifice. It may not be on the scale of the sacrifice of Ibrahim A.S., but it's sacrifice nonetheless.

Conclusion

In summary, we're all craving for an uswa — an example, a model to follow. And Allah has blessed us with exemplars throughout our history. And whichever exemplar we feel resonates best with our lives — whether it's a scholar, whether it is a khalifa, whether it is just an average person — if their life resonates with me, I can follow in their footsteps, just like I follow in the footsteps of the Prophet ﷺ.

But one of the most comprehensive exemplars, the uswa hasana, is the life of Ibrahim A.S. that we so dearly need in the modern world. And what are the three qualities that really highlight what the legacy of Ibrahim A.S. meant? These three qualities are sincerity, sacrifice, and submission. When I submit to the will of Allah, it engenders within me some sincerity. And when I worship Allah and submit to Him with sincerity, making the sacrifice for Him becomes that much more easy. And the promise of the Prophet ﷺ is: when you sacrifice for Allah, Allah will compensate you with something far greater than what you can imagine. When we are able to instill and inculcate these qualities, the path to Allah becomes that much more easy.

Du'a

We ask Allah to inspire us with the life of Ibrahim A.S. We ask Allah that we are able to submit to His decree, no matter how difficult it is on our hearts. We ask Allah to grant us sincerity in every decision and action that we do, so that on the Day of Judgment, the reward only comes from Allah. And last but not least, when we're at a crossroads and we have to choose between our faith and our worldly needs, we ask Allah to inspire us to make the right decision and sacrifice solely for Allah.