Verily Allah (SWT) sent the Messenger Muhammad (saw) as a Rahmah-mercy for Mankind. Through him Allah (SWT) revealed the Qur’an, which contains many lessons for us in the narratives of the previous Messengers. The struggle of Ibraheem (as) against the tyrant of his time, Nimrod, is not dissimilar to the situation in which the Muslims find themselves in after the 11th September 2001. Ibraheem (as)’s life is also significant to this time of year when millions of Muslims make the annual Hajj-pilgrimage to Makkah. We hope to reflect on some of the lessons below insh'Allah.
Ibraheem (as) is described as an Ummah by himself. Allah (SWT) says in the Qur’an
Ibraheem was indeed an Ummah devoutly obedient to Allah (and) true in faith and he joined not gods with Allah [EMQ 16:120]
Moreover Allah (SWT) says:
"Behold! We gave the site to Abraham of the House of Allah (i.e. Al-Masjid Al-Haram) (saying): "Associate not any thing (in worship) with Me; and sanctify My House for those who compass it round or stand up or bow or prostrate themselves (therein in prayer). "And proclaim the Pilgrimage among men: they will come to thee on foot and (mounted) on every kind of camel lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways [EMQ 22: 26-27]
Despite there being no one physically present before Ibraheem (as), Allah (SWT) ensured that his (as)’s Azaan (Call) would be heard by many generations to come who would respond to his call and make pilgrimage to Makkah, as they do today, this is indeed a great blessing for Ibraheem and one of the miracles of Allah (SWT).
Ibraheem (as) is known as someone who would debate with himself the issue of man, life & universe, where did we come from and our final destiny: Allah (SWT) informs us hence:
"So also did We show Ibraheem the power and the laws of the heavens and the earth that he might (with understanding) have certitude. When the night covered him over he saw a star: he said: "this is my Lord." But when it set he said: "I love not those that set." When he saw the moon rising in splendor He said: "This is my Lord." but when the moon set he said: "Unless my Lord guide me I shall surely be among those who go astray." When he saw the sun rising in splendor he said: "This is my Lord; this is the greatest (of all)." But when the sun set he said: "O my people! I am (now) free from your (guilt) of giving partners to Allah. "For me I have set my face firmly and truly toward Him Who created the heavens and the earth, and never shall I give partners to Allah."
[EMQ 6:74-79] The firm conviction of Ibraheem (as) is shown here. Ibraheem (as) finds that which the senses perceived as great i.e. the sun and the moon, to be limited and needy themselves and therefore not worthy of worship. Following his rational contemplation Ibraheem (as) makes complete Bara’(Disassociated) from all that his people worshipped.
Allah (SWT) then tells us about the individual daw’ah of Ibraheem (as) to his father: "Also mention in the Book (the story of) Ibraheem: he was a man of Truth a prophet. Behold he said to his father: "O my father! why worship that which heareth not and seeth not and can profit thee nothing? "O my father! to me hath come knowledge which hath not reached thee: so follow me: I will guide thee to a Way that is even and straight. "O my father! serve not Satan: for Satan is a rebel against (Allah) Most Gracious. "O my father! I fear lest a Penalty afflict thee from (Allah) Most Gracious so that thou become to Satan a friend." (The father) replied: "Dost thou hate my gods O Ibraheem? If thou forbear not I will indeed stone thee: now get away from me for a good long while!" Ibraheem said: "Peace be on thee: I will pray to my Lord for thy forgiveness: for He is to me Most Gracious. "And I will turn away from you (all) and from those whom ye invoke besides Allah: I will call on my Lord: Perhaps by my prayer to my Lord I shall be not unblest." [EMQ 19:41-48]
Ibraheem (as) here distances himself from his father and what he is calling for, preferring Imaan over ties of family ,tribe and nationalistic, similarly Muslims must rise above any bonds of nationalism and see themselves as “a unique brotherhood (Ummah) whose land, war, peace and honor is one.” (Ahmad) Nevertheless Ibraheem (as) fulfilled his promise to his father of asking Allah (SWT) to guide his father, if he (as) became aware of the truth
"And Ibraheem prayed for his father's forgiveness only because of a promise he had made to him. But when it became clear to him that he was an enemy to Allah he dissociated himself from him: for Ibraheem was most tender-hearted forbearing." [EMQ 9:114] But when he discovered that his father was an enemy to Allah (SWT) he made Bara’ (Disassociate) from him and declared him a Mushrik.
Moreover Allah (SWT) tells us about Ibraheem (as)’s da'wah to the society in which he lived: We bestowed aforetime on Ibraheem wahi and knowledge and he said to his father and his people "What are these images to which ye are (so assiduously) devoted?"
Attacking that which they worshipped They said "We found our father worshipping them." A similitude can be drawn here with people in today’s world who do not (on the whole) follow the wooden idols-gods as they did in the past, but the new ‘intellectual’ idols-gods of today which take the form of ‘Freedom’, ‘Democracy’, ‘Human Rights’, ‘Secularism’ , ‘Nationalism’ etc… they follow, obey, submit, serve and Die for such ideas in the footsteps of their forefathers, without scrutinizing them for their agreement with the divine decree of Allah (SWT). After all, what is worshipping or Ibadah in Islam if not to obey, to follow, to submit and to serve? He said "Indeed ye have been misguided." They said "Have you brought us the Truth or are you one of those who has just come to disturb us?" He said "Nay your Lord is the Lord of the heavens and the earth He Who created them (from nothing): and I am a witness to this (truth). And by Allah I have a plan for your idols after ye go away and turn your backs"... So he broke them to pieces (all) but the biggest of them that they might turn (and address themselves) to it. They said "Who has done this to our gods? He must indeed be some man of impiety!"
In the same way that Ibraheem showed the Kuffar (disbelievers) in his time the folly of worshipping what they made with their hands, the events of the 11th of September 2001 have shown the world the folly of eulogizing Human Rights, Civil Liberties, Freedom and Democracy. These very man made concepts, upheld by so many, were shown to be false gods once the guardians of these intellectual idols started arresting 3000 Muslims under the pretext of being members of ‘Al-Qa’ida’.As Muslims are kept in conditions unfit for animals in Guantanamo Bay anyone who has the fortitude to speak up against the atrocities perpetrated by the US and UK in Iraq, Palestine, Chechnya, Afghanistan etc… or anyone suspected of supporting such causes (an Islamic duty upon every Muslim) are automatically branded as terrorists and detained without the ‘right’ to trial and in many instances without any cogent evidence whatsoever.
“The horrific reports of torture, rape and murder at Abu Gharib, as well as the other prisons in Iraq and Afghanistan (BAGRAM), are disappearing from U.S. media while not one word has been
“reported” by them on the torture of children at the hands of U.S. personnel. So much for keeping
the public informed.” Jack Dalton. Jack_Dalton@ommp.org July 21, 2004
“How do you explain the indefinite imprisonment of children, and sodomizing them, in Abu Ghraib prison in Bagdad?” A Comment by Larry Ross July 22, 2004
“Statements and findings by non-governmental organizations and human-rights groups detail how one female detainee had been raped 17 times in one day by ‘Iraqi’ police in the presence of US troops. Another NGO reported of how one mother-of-four killed herself after being held by her hair and raped in front of her restrained husband, who was forced to watch.”
“A former male prisoner also reported how he regularly saw Iraqi women taken into a room. He said, "They had to pass in front of our tent and cried out, 'Find a way to kill us'".”
The same is going on right now in IRAQ where thousands and thousands Iraqi Muslims are Brutally Murdered in the name of Freedom with all kind of BOMBS whatever were available for US and UK combined attack, as if the last 13 years of sanction was not enough which killed more than 500,000 innocent Children without counting the women, men and elderly. The US and UK destroyed a country with more than 5,000 years civilization, infrastructures, water supplies, Hospitals, Schools-colleges-universities, gardens so the big corporations can have more than 100 Billion Dollars contracts which will make Iraqi Muslims enslave for the next 100 years. The US exploited the 9/11 and initiated a WW111 against Islam and Muslims world wide in the name of TERRORIS (Islam) and TERRORISTS (Muslims). The same thing was initiated against Ibraheem(as) when they labeled him(as) as a terrorist, They said
"We heard a youth talk of them: he is called Ibraheem." They said "Then bring him before the eyes of the people that they may bear witness:" They said "Art thou the one that did this with our gods O Ibraheem?"
Perhaps in the same way that the US arrogantly accused the Muslims as soon as the twin Towers were destroyed in New York, and in particular the Taleban and Usama Bin Laden…. He said: "Nay this was done by this, their biggest one! Ask them if they can speak intelligently!" So they turned to themselves and said "Surely ye are the ones in the wrong!" Then were they confounded with shame: (they said) "Thou knowest full well that these (idols) do not speak!"
Democracy-SHIRK (i.e. Man-Made-Laws), Freedom, Secularism and Human Rights are nothing other than the inventions of man. Just as the disbelievers in the past caused tyranny and oppression against Muslims in the name of ‘The Crusades’ and later ‘Civilizing Missions’ (under colonialism), today they butcher Muslims and rape our land and resources in the name of ‘Democracy’ and ‘Freedom’ and ‘Human Rights’ in Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Chechniya, Kashmir, Sudan, Sumalia etc. However, Ibraheem
(as) brings their attention to what they practice, (Ibraheem) said "Do ye then worship besides Allah things that can neither be of any good to you nor do you harm?
"Fire upon you and upon the things that ye worship besides Allah! Have ye no sense?"...They said "Burn him and protect your gods if ye do (anything at all)!" In the same way the US led alliance against Islam and Muslims has done its best to murder, torture and eradicate anyone opposing their global hegemony today under the guise of ‘Freedom’ and ‘Democracy’.
From dropping thousands of tones of bombs on innocent men, women and children in Afghanistan and Iraq ,to supporting butchers like Putin, Vajpayee and Sharon. There is no measure too severe to silence the carriers of daw’ah and the indigenous people and to protect their economic, political and military interests in Muslim land.
The way that the Kuffar of the past declared ‘burn him…’ to Ibraheem (as) the British and US governments have declared their new Laws of Terrorism and extraditions to Cuba, in order to protect their new found idols. Yet Allah (SWT) continues "We said 'O fire! be thou cool and (a means of)) safety for Ibraheem!" [EMQ 21:51-69] The final victory being with Allah (SWT), whether He (SWT) shows it to us, and we are therefore witness to it, in this world or in the hereafter.
Concerning the Leader in the Time of Ibraheem (as) i.e. Nimrod, Allah (SWT) says: Have you not looked at him who disputed with Ibrâhim (Abraham) about his Lord (Allâh), because Allâh had given him the kingdom? When Ibrâhim (Abraham) said (to him): "My Lord (Allâh) is He Who gives life and causes death." He said, "I give life and cause death." Ibrâhim (Abraham) said, "Verily! Allâh causes the sun to rise from the east; then cause it you to rise from the west." So the disbeliever was utterly defeated. And Allâh guides not the people, who are Zâlimûn (wrong-doers, etc.).
[EMQ 2:258] So Bush declared after the 11th of September 2001, ‘You are either with us or with the Terrorists’ naming his, and Blair’s, massacre of Muslims ‘Infinite Justice’.
O Muslims, Allah (SWT) gives us many lessons in the Qur’an through the lives of his Messengers. The Pharaoh of Musa (as), the Caesar of Essa (as) the Abu Lahab of Muhammad (saw) and the Nimrod of Ibraheem (as) are today replaced by the likes of Bush, Blair, Putin, Vajpayee, Olmert, Mubarak and Musharraf.
The physical idols have been replaced with the intellectual idols of Democracy and Freedom and changed their Kabah from Makkah to the White House in Washington. Yet the struggle between Haqq and Batil, between Towheed and Kufr, between the soldiers of Allah (SWT) and those of Taghout continues. Let us make a pledge this Hajj to join this struggle, let us pledge to Allah (SWT) to command good and forbid evil to the societies in which we live, just as the Messengers Ibraheem (AS) and Muhammad (saw) did and commanded us to do, let us work together to establish the rule of Allah (SWT) i.e. Al-Khilafah, through an intellectual and a political struggle, as opposed to living under the idolatry, tyranny and oppression of man made law-Shirk.
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