The Legacy of Ibrahim (AS)

The Legacy of Ibrahim (AS)

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds. And peace and blessings be upon the Master of the Prophets and the Messengers, and upon his family and his companions.

Allah, the Exalted, said in His Noble Book — after I seek refuge with Allah from the accursed Satan, in the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful:

Indeed, Abraham was a people devout to Allah, turning to Him, and he was not of the polytheists — grateful for His favours. He chose him and guided him to a straight path. And We gave him in this world a good deed, and indeed in the Hereafter he is of the righteous. Then We revealed to him that he should follow the religion of Abraham, turning to Him, and he was not of the polytheists.

The Sacred Months and the First Ten Days

In the eyes of Allah, there are 12 months in the year, and 4 of them are sacred. What are these 4 months? Three that come right after another, and the fourth is Rajab. So the entire month of Dhul Hijjah is considered to be one of the sacred months.

And what does it mean for a month to be sacred? The ulema write that every deed that is performed during this month is multiplied more than normal. We know that normally a person who performs a good deed gets a minimum of ten times the reward for that deed. But the ulema write that anyone who performs a good deed within this month gets more than ten.

And the first ten days of these months are the most sacred days in the entire year. One of the things that we are reminded about in these ten days — and also the 11th and 12th day — is about the legacy of Ibrahim (AS). Allah reminds us, and the Prophet (ﷺ) reminds us, about the legacy of Ibrahim (AS) and the importance for us — even the ummah of the Prophet (ﷺ) — to recognize and connect to that legacy.

Only a Fool Turns Away from the Legacy of Ibrahim

Allah says in Surah al-Baqarah:

That only a fool turns away from the legacy of Ibrahim (AS).

And it comes in a narration that one man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said:

Meaning, "O best of mankind." And of course we know the best to ever come, and the best that there ever was, was the Prophet (ﷺ) — there will be no one that is better than him. But out of his humbleness, what did the Prophet (ﷺ) say when that person addressed him as يَا خَيْرَ الْبَرِيَّةِ — "O greatest of mankind"? He said:

"No, that was Ibrahim (AS)." That shows us that even the Prophet (ﷺ) held Ibrahim (AS) in a very high position.

The Prophet (ﷺ) Was Commanded to Follow Ibrahim's Legacy

Not only that, but when you look at the Quran, Allah specifically — in many different verses — tells the Prophet (ﷺ) that he must follow the legacy of Ibrahim (AS). In one verse:

"Indeed, for you is a great example in the life of Ibrahim (AS)."

And in another set of verses — which were recited at the beginning, from Surah al-Nahl — Allah describes, rather orders, the Prophet (ﷺ) to follow the legacy of Ibrahim (AS). But before doing so, Allah introduces Ibrahim (AS). He spends three or four verses introducing Ibrahim (AS) before telling the Prophet (ﷺ) that he must follow him.

The Qualities Allah Highlights in Ibrahim (AS)

What does Allah say? What are the qualities He highlights? He says:

He says, "Ibrahim (AS) was an Ummah." Allah described Ibrahim (AS) himself to be an entire Ummah. The ulema of tafsir give two possible explanations for this. Number one: the reason why he was an Ummah was because at his time, at that particular point, there was no one else believing in the oneness of Allah — he was the only believer, and everyone else were non-believers. So he by himself was an Ummah. Another interpretation is that Ibrahim (AS) was someone who was going to be followed for the rest of mankind, for the rest of eternity. If we look at the three main religions of this world — Christianity, Judaism, and Islam — one of the commonalities is that we stem from what are called the Abrahamic faiths. But of course, after that common origin, the Christians and the Jews went in deviant ways, while we stayed on the moderate path by accepting the rest of the prophets as prophets of Allah.

Then Allah says:

He says Ibrahim (AS) was qanit — meaning he was khashi'; he had true fear of Allah inside of his heart.

And he was not from amongst the polytheists. Then Allah says:

This shows how important it is to show gratitude to Allah's favors. Out of all the things Allah could have mentioned about the distinguishing qualities of Ibrahim (AS), He says that he showed gratitude for the favors of Allah upon him.

Then He says:

That Allah chose him and guided him to the straight path.

"That We gave him a great hasanah in this world, and in the Hereafter he will be amongst the righteous." After giving this introduction to Ibrahim (AS), Allah then explicitly commands the Prophet (ﷺ):

"Now We are revealing upon you that you must follow the legacy of Ibrahim (AS)." This shows the distinguishing qualities of Ibrahim (AS), and how the Prophet (ﷺ) was even told to take Ibrahim (AS) as a role model.

The Salawat Upon the Prophet (ﷺ) and Ibrahim (AS)

You know the famous verse when one of the verses of the Quran was revealed:

That Allah sends Salat upon the Prophet (ﷺ) — meaning Allah sends His Rahmah upon him. And then the Mala'ika send their Salat, their blessings upon the Prophet (ﷺ) — meaning they praise him. And then the believers send Salat upon the Prophet (ﷺ) — meaning we make du'a for him.

When this verse was revealed, the companions came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, "We know how to send Salam upon you, but كَيْفَ نُصَلِّي عَلَيْكَ؟ — how do we send salutations, how do we send Salat upon you?" In one narration, the Prophet (ﷺ) said:

"Say: O Allah, send blessings upon Muhammad and upon his family, just as You sent blessings upon Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim."

Now the question comes up: why did the Prophet (ﷺ) mention Ibrahim (AS) out of all the prophets he could have mentioned? The ulema write that when you look at the Seerah of the Prophet (ﷺ) and the Seerah of Ibrahim (AS), they are very, very similar. To the extent that it is almost as if as the Prophet (ﷺ) was walking in Makkah al-Mukarramah and seeing the different events unfold, he was constantly reminded about the legacy of Ibrahim (AS).

Similarities Between the Prophet (ﷺ) and Ibrahim (AS)

1. Confronting Shirk

When Ibrahim (AS) was sent as a Prophet, shirk was prevalent — polytheism was widespread. When the Prophet (ﷺ) was made a Prophet, shirk was likewise prevalent. So they were both dealing with the same issues.

2. Rejection by a Close Family Member

Another similarity the ulema mention is that one of the first people to deny Ibrahim (AS) as a Prophet was his own father. Ibrahim (AS) went through so many trials and tribulations. One of the ways Allah describes his trials is how he would try to give da'wah to his father, and how his father would respond. In Surah Maryam, over three or four verses, Ibrahim (AS) is constantly — out of love and respect — calling his father to the oneness of Allah. And what does his father say at the end? The father of Ibrahim (AS) says: "Do you dislike my idols? If you do not stop preaching, I will stone you." And then he commands him to abandon him.

What does Ibrahim (AS) do? He sees there is a barrier between him and Allah, and that barrier is his father. His father is responding this way. And of course Ibrahim (AS) always maintains the rights and responsibilities his father has over him. But what response does he have? He says: "I will not let anything come in between me and Allah. I will ask Allah to forgive you." And we know that this was only for a short amount of time — Ibrahim (AS) was then told to stop after it became clear that his father was amongst the Ashab al-Jaheem, as mentioned in Surah al-Tawbah.

Similarly, who was one of the first people to deny the Prophet (ﷺ)? His uncle — his family member, Abu Lahab. When the Prophet (ﷺ) stood on the Mount of Safa and called his people to the oneness of Allah, Abu Lahab cursed him. It was because of this that Allah revealed Surah al-Masad (Surah Lahab).

3. Being Cast Into Trial and Their Tawakkul in Allah

There is another similarity between the Prophet (ﷺ) and Ibrahim (AS): when Ibrahim (AS) was thrown into a fire. Now, when we say fire, we cannot even comprehend the type of fire that Ibrahim (AS) was thrown into. They did not just take a few pieces of wood — what did they say? They said: "Build for him a building, set that building on fire, and then throw Ibrahim (AS) in." This is the type of fire they had built. Not only that, but it is said in the descriptions that if a bird were to fly over this fire, it would die — just from the heat rising in the smoke going up into the sky.

When Ibrahim (AS) was thrown into this fire and Allah made it cool, Jibril (AS) came and said: "Do you have any need? Is there anything I can help you with?" What did Ibrahim (AS) respond? He said: "Help from you? I don't need help from you. As far as Allah goes — Ibrahim (AS) had an intimate relationship with Allah, and some people, when they have a certain relationship with Allah, He gives them what they want even if they do not ask. So he said: "I don't need to ask my Allah. He knows my situation, and He will save me from it."

This is why the ulema write that if a person says seven times after Fajr Salah:

Then Allah will make their affairs between Fajr and Maghrib easy. We should make this a habit. And the one who says it seven times after Maghrib Salah — Allah will make their affairs between Maghrib and Fajr easy for them.

Now, when the Prophet (ﷺ) was being stoned in Ta'if, Jibril (AS) came. Did the Prophet (ﷺ) take the help of Jibril (AS)? No. They both had tawakkul in Allah. This is just some of the similarities between the life of the Prophet (ﷺ) and Ibrahim (AS).

Islam, Not Sacrifice — The Word Allah Uses

One of the main things we find — when we talk about this topic — is what we term the "sacrifices" of Ibrahim (AS). But when Allah mentions the legacy of Ibrahim (AS), Allah does not use the word "sacrifice" in the Quran, except when referring to the slaughter of his son. There is another word that Allah uses. Why? Because when we think of the word "sacrifice," it means to give something and never get it back. That doesn't exist in Islam. Allah promises that when you give something for Him — whether it is your time, your wealth, your assistance — you will get it back at minimum tenfold. So Allah does not describe the legacy of Ibrahim (AS) with the word "sacrifice." Allah uses another word:

When Allah commanded Ibrahim (AS) to submit himself, what did he say? "I have submitted myself to the Lord of the worlds." Allah says that Ibrahim (AS) had Islam — he wholeheartedly submitted himself to the will of Allah. He did not complain. He did not second-guess himself. He did not think twice when it came to fulfilling the commandments of Allah.

The Three Tests of Ibrahim (AS)

Just think for a second. Ibrahim (AS) was tested in three different ways, as the ulema write:

Number one, through trust. Does he trust Allah? He left his family in the desert. Allah wanted to see: will he trust Him? And of course he passed that test.

Number two, through fear. He was thrown into the fire. And Allah saved him from that.

Number three, through love. He loved his son. Yet Allah asked him to sacrifice his son. Which he prepared to do — though Allah replaced him. But Allah wanted to see and test him in these ways.

Now think for a second: in any of these tests, did Ibrahim (AS) ever utter a single complaint? Did he ever say, "This deen is too hard"? How often is it that you and I are asked to follow one sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ), to follow one commandment of deen — but sometimes we think to ourselves, "Why is deen so hard? Why is everything haram?" These thoughts come into our minds. But recognize that Ibrahim (AS) — the reason why he was made such an exemplar — is because he did not even entertain such thoughts. He submitted completely. He submitted wholeheartedly.

His father came in the way — he chose Allah. His family came in the way — he chose Allah. His son came in the way — he chose Allah. The lesson in that for us is that Ibrahim (AS) prioritized Allah above everyone and everything else.

Where Does Allah Stand in Our Priorities?

We have to ask ourselves: in our list of priorities, where does Allah lie? Where does pleasing Allah lie? One of the great scholars, Ibn 'Ata'illah, says something very beautiful. He says: "If you want to know where you stand with Allah, ask yourself where Allah stands with you." Meaning: in your list of priorities, how high up is pleasing Allah? For Ibrahim (AS), it was the most important thing.

When we think about the legacy of Ibrahim (AS), we have to make an intention that we will not allow anything to come between us and Allah — whether it is a person, a car, a job, a house, a TV show, whatever the case may be. We have to prioritize Allah above everything else. And only after doing this will Allah shower His blessings upon us.

The Du'a of Ibrahim (AS) — Spiritual Needs First

There is one aspect of Ibrahim (AS)'s life I want to highlight before I end. Ibrahim (AS) leaves his family in the desert — he leaves with them a bag of dates and some water. When he goes to the point where he can no longer see his family, he makes a du'a. And in his du'a, he asks three things — three things that are essential to his family in terms of living and being successful.

Now, when people go to school — in college and even in high school — there is something called Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. In that theory, he has a pyramid of human needs. What does he place as the most essential? The physiological needs — food and drink. Then number two: the social needs, a sense of belonging and association. And then number three, the least important in his view: the spiritual needs. And then after all three are achieved, a person reaches "self-actualization."

Now let us look at the du'a of Ibrahim (AS) and see how he prioritizes these needs for his family. He says:

He says: "O Allah, I have left my family in a barren desert near Your sacred house." Because we know that even though there was no building there, Makkah al-Mukarramah was sacred from day one. As the Prophet (ﷺ) says in a hadith in Muslim:

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1353)

"Allah made Makkah al-Mukarramah sacred from the day He created the heavens and the earth." So even if there was no building there, that place was sacred.

Then Ibrahim (AS) mentions the three things. If we were in his position — having left our family with minimal food and minimal drink — what would we ask for first? Most likely, food and drink: that Allah does not let them starve or go thirsty. But for Ibrahim (AS), what is the most important thing? He says: رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ — "I have left them there so they can establish Salah." Because Salah fulfills what? It fulfills their spiritual needs. So the first thing he asks for is to fulfill the spiritual needs of his family — even though the physiological needs seem like the most pressing concern at the time.

The second thing he asks for: فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ تَهْوِي إِلَيْهِمْ — "O Allah, cause the hearts of people to be drawn to them." So he asks for the social needs.

And the third thing — all the way at the end — he says: وَارْزُقْهُم مِّنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ — "O Allah, then provide them with fruits, with food and drink." And even when he comes to the things of this dunya, he connects it to religion by adding: لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُونَ — "So that they may show gratitude to You."

So we learn from this: the most important thing on our minds, the most important priority, should be fulfilling our spiritual needs and maintaining our relationship with Allah.

Closing Hadith: Make Your One Worry the Hereafter

I will end with one hadith narrated by Ibn Majah, which has been graded as sahih. The Prophet (ﷺ) says:

(Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 257 — graded Sahih)

The Prophet (ﷺ) says: "Whoever makes all of their worries one single worry" — we all have different worries in our lives — he says whoever consolidates all of their worries into one main concern, and that concern is their akhirah, the thing that concerns them most is their hereafter — "then Allah will take care of all of their worldly needs." Allah will take care of all of their worldly concerns.

So when we ask ourselves: is deen the most important worry for us? One way to examine yourself is to ask: what values do you instill inside your children? Is the most important thing you have taught them following the deen, loving the Prophet (ﷺ), building a connection with the Quran? Or is the most important thing you teach them: "You have to get a proper education, you have to grow up and get a particular degree so you can be successful — because if you don't, you won't be successful"? We have to ask ourselves these questions, because this is how we know what our worry and concern truly is.

The Prophet (ﷺ) then says: whoever takes all their worries and confines them to this dunya — at that point, لَمْ يُبَالِ اللَّهُ فِي أَيِّ أَوْدِيَتِهَا هَلَكَ — Allah will not even care about which part of the world this person perishes in.

Conclusion

So we learn — to summarize — from the legacy of Ibrahim (AS): prioritize Allah above everything else. We ask Allah to give us tawfiq to act upon this. We ask Allah to allow us to embody Islam. We ask Allah to give us the ability to inculcate these lessons within ourselves. We ask Allah to accept the hajj of everyone who has performed or wishes to perform hajj. We ask Allah to allow them to return safely to their families.

وَآخِرُ دَعْوَانَا أَنِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ

Second Khutbah

All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, we ask His help, we ask His forgiveness, we believe in Him, and we put our trust in Him. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our souls and from the evil of our deeds. Whom Allah guides, none can misguide him, and whom He misguides, none can guide him. We bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. And we bear witness that our Master and Protector is Muhammad, His servant and Messenger.

Know that the truest of speech is the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (ﷺ). The best of affairs are those that are deliberate, and the worst of affairs are those that are hasty. Every newly invented matter is an innovation, every innovation is a misguidance, and every misguidance leads to the Fire.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "The most merciful of my ummah is Abu Bakr, the most severe in upholding the command of Allah is Umar, the most sincere in shyness and modesty is Uthman, and the most knowledgeable in matters of judgment is Ali. And Fatima is the lady of the women of the people of Paradise, and al-Hasan and al-Husayn are the leaders of the youth of the people of Paradise."

Allah has said:

O Allah, support Islam and the Muslims, and remove shirk and evil deeds. O Allah, guide us to that which You love and are pleased with, and make our hereafter better than our worldly life. O Allah, help those who help the religion of Muhammad (ﷺ), and make us of them. And forsake those who forsake the religion of Muhammad (ﷺ), and make us not of them.

O servants of Allah — verily, Allah commands justice and good, and giving to those who are near, and forbids immorality, evil, and transgression. He advises you so that you may remember. Remember Allah and He will remember you. Call on Him and He will answer you. And the remembrance of Allah is the greatest, and Allah knows what you do.