Just imagine if you were in this situation

In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate

"We have sent down to you a Book ( The Holy Qur'an) containing your message. Do you not understand?" (Qur’an 21:10)


Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah

As-Salaam Alaikum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakatuhu




Just imagine if you were in this situation !!!



Praise be to Allaah


Brothers and Sisters, all of us know the story of Ibrahim's (pbuh) sacrifice and we say that it was a test by Allah (ta'ala). But do we really understand what Ibrahim(pbuh) went through? Do we appreciate what it was like to be Ibrahim (pbuh)? Can we grasp in thought what happened? Why is it that we regard Ibrahim(pbuh) as the father of faith? What was it that he achieved?



It is not possible to convey in words what it must have meant for Ibrahim (pbuh) to be commanded by Allah (ta'ala) to sacrifice his only son Ismail (pbuh) . The magnitude of the pain does not allow the imagination to enclose it. It inspires fear and trembling.



How can Ibrahim (pbuh) take his beloved son, the fruit of his life, the joy of his heart, the meaning of his living and staying, his Ismail (pbuh), and hold him on the ground, put a knife to his throat and kill him?



If it were only the slaughter of Ibrahim (pbuh) at the hand of Ismail (pbuh) how easy! But no! The young Ismail (pbuh) must die and the old and aged Ibrahim (pbuh) must remain!



Ibrahim (pbuh) , the steel-like idol-smasher must have felt torn apart!



Within him, there must have been a war, the greatest jihad. Which war? The war between God and Ismail (pbuh) ! The difficulty of choice!



Who should Ibrahim (pbuh) choose?


Love of God or Love of self?


Prophet Hood or Fatherhood?


Loyalty to God or loyalty to family?


Faith or Emotion?


Truth or Reality?


Consciousness or Instinct?


Responsibility or Pleasure?


Duty or Right?


Tawheed (Monotheism) or Shirk (Polytheism) ?


Advancing or Remaining?


To Become or To Be?


And finally, God or Ismail (pbuh) ?


What should Ibrahim (pbuh) choose?



Brothers and Sisters, he did not choose immediately. He doubted and wavered under the crushing force of pain and anguish.



Only after the third vision did he finally decide to carry out Allah's command. This is reflected in the hajj ritual of stoning the three idols representing Iblis who tempted Ibrahim(pbuh) to disobey Allah.



Iblis works wherever he finds traces of fear, weakness, doubt, despair, envy selfishness and even great affection towards someone or something. Iblis sometimes blows logical reasons, intellectual and religious justifications to achieve his ends.



For instance we may imagine that, under the powerful crush of his pain and distress, Ibrahim (pbuh) could have used many justifications. Perhaps the meaning of dhebh (slaughter) is just metaphorical and means kill your `ego'. Perhaps `Ismail' might be a general noun and not Ibrahim's son. Perhaps ``slaughter Ismail'' actually means ``slaughter the love of Ismail''. Ibrahim (pbuh) could have also tried many interpretations of his vision.



But Ibrahim (pbuh) , khalil-ul-Allah, the intimate friend of God, had faith in Allah and he knew that Allah (ta'ala) demanded the sacrifice.



Ibrahim (pbuh) chose Allah (ta'ala) and gave up Ismail (pbuh).



An amazing and frightening conversation between a father and a son in mina



Ibrahim (pbuh) said to Ismail (pbuh): "O my Son, I see in a vision that I offer you in sacrifice. Now see what is your view? "(37:102)



What frightening words for a child to hear!



Ismail(pbuh) could have kept silent. He could have asked Ibrahim (pbuh) to refrain.



But Ismail (pbuh) had also faith. He submitted to Allah's will. Realizing his father's distress, Ismail (pbuh) gave him these comforting words: "O my father! Do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah so wills, patient and constant "(37:102)



Allah-u-Akbar! Allah-u-Akbar! Allah-u-Akbar!



Ibrahim (pbuh) had consulted his son who willingly offered himself to Allah's command. The choice of Ibrahim (pbuh) was sacrifice. That of Ismail (pbuh) was self-sacrifice: Martyrdom.



This gave Ibrahim (pbuh) strength. Ibrahim (pbuh) tied his heart to God, he took the Ismail (pbuh) of his life in one hand and the knife of his faith in the other and he walked until he reached the place of sacrifice. Ibrahim (pbuh) was suffering while believing and at every moment it was possible for him to retract and turn back. Yet he laid Ismail (pbuh) on the ground, putting his face away from him to give strength to his crushed soul and paralyzed hand. And so he slaughtered Ismail (pbuh) . But, by Allah's grace, the knife did not cut.



Ibrahim (pbuh) received a sheep and was called by Allah:

"O Ibrahim ! You have confirmed the Vision Thus indeed do We reward those who do right This is indeed the manifest trial!" (37:104-105)



Allah-u-Akbar! Allah-u-Akbar! Allah-u-Akbar!



Brothers and Sisters, Ibrahim (pbuh) gained everything and kept Ismail (pbuh) . And, symbolically, the only bloodshed in this story is the blood of Iblis.



Brothers and Sisters, this means that from the very beginning Allah (ta`ala) did not want Ismail (pbuh) to be slaughtered. He wanted Ibrahim (pbuh) to be the slaughterer of Ismail (pbuh). When he became so, the slaughter became useless.





Mankind has needs but God has no needs. He is Self-Sufficient. Allah (ta`ala) in His Wisdom raised Ibrahim (pbuh) to the highest peak of sacrificing his Ismail (pbuh) without sacrificing Ismail (pbuh). Allah (ta`ala) promoted Ismail (pbuh) to the highest peak of being the great sacrifice of God without bringing any harm to him.



Brothers and Sisters, the Ismail of Ibrahim was his son. But you, who is your Ismail? What is it?



Your degree? Your reputation? Your position? Your money? Your home? Your car? Your beloved? Your family? Your knowledge? Your title? Your dress? Your fame? Your soul? Your spirituality? Your Beauty? Your strength? Your career?



How does one know?



Well, you know this yourself. One can only give its signs to you.



Whatever is in your eyes which holds the place of Ismail (pbuh) in the eyes of Ibrahim (pbuh) !



Whatever weakens you on the way of faith!



Whatever stops you in your movement!



Whatever brings doubt to your responsibility!



Whatever has enchained your freedom!



Whatever leads you to compromise and justification!



That very thing which deafens your ears before the Message of Truth!



Whatever calls you to remain with yourself!



Whatever causes you to flee from your duty!



Whoever or Whatever keeps you behind in order to remain with her/him or it!



Brothers and Sisters, these are the signs of our Ismail's. Let us search for them in ourselves and let us slaughter them to move towards Allah (ta'ala) and to remove the real knife from the throat of oppressed Muslims . Let us revolt against the heartless worshippers that we have become.





Brothers and Sisters, there still is a lot to understand and discover about this momentous event. These are only a few possible meanings.


When a `truth' enhances one's earthly life, most people become seekers of truth. But when a truth opposes life and leads to problems, loss and dangers the seekers of truth are few in number.


Richness does not lie in the abundance of (worldly) goods but richness is the richness of the soul (heart, self).

[Sahih al-Bukhari, Muslim 5:2287]



This event is not about the torment and torture of mankind but about the perfection of humanity, the freedom from the prison of instinct and selfishness and about the elevation of spirit.





And Allah Knows Best