Celebrating Sacrifice
The mark of true servitude and dedication is when the servant is ready to sacrifice his most precious possession for the sake of the Master. Such determination can only be observed by the one who truly understands that the master is the one who bestowed this gift upon him in the first place. Therefore, the master is entitled to reclaim it whenever and however he pleases.
Such is the legacy of our father Ibrahim ﷺ. He demonstrated the pinnacle of what humans could achieve in servitude to the Creator. He is a man whom the Qur’an mentions good attributes whenever his name is mentioned. He defied natural instincts and rationale to fulfill the will of his Maker. He is the confidant of God Almighty Himself, taking care of the creation on earth and continuing to watch over all children who pass away before coming of age.
Ibrahim ﷺ was a young boy when he realized that the idols his father was making were unworthy of divine worship. He recognized that his father, Azar, perhaps also had little to no faith in this system but continued to appease the villagers to capitalize from their ignorance.
Azar, a man lost in his pursuit of worldly gain, failed to listen to his son and reason. He threatened his son with death if he did not forsake his truth. And so, Ibrahim ﷺ left his home but with hope in his heart that one day his father might come around and accept the obvious truth.
For an average person, such a trial would be enough for one lifetime. Dealing with the rejection of one's home, only family, and people, simply because of seeing things differently. But Allah ﷻ had other plans for Ibrahim.
The next trial would be to leave his family in a barren desert. A normal human being would be mortified at the thought of abandoning their family, especially since Ibrahim would be doing the very thing his own father had symbolically done to him. But Ibrahim ﷺ was a man determined to fulfill the command of his Lord. He left his wife and infant in the Arabian desert with ample provisions. However, as soon as he was out of sight, he fell to his knees and begged Allah ﷻ to make the test easier for him. After all, he was a human being, and although he had submitted his will to God, his heart was uneasy and in need of solace. We can draw lessons from these trials for our own lives as well. Sometimes, even when we are in turmoil within, we need to submit ourselves to the will of God. Because Man cannot pass the divine test except with aid from the examiner himself. And the most important part of the test is understanding this very point. That Man can only succeed once he fully believes in his inability and submits to Allah ﷻ completely.
We have many allegories of this in popular culture. The example of a Jedi warrior who tries to control his or her fate and always ends up consuming the inner self, turning to the dark side when they realize the inevitability of fate, contrasts with the Mystic who submits completely to the will of 'the Force'. Such a person is indifferent in the face of certain death because they understand that it is the will of the Force. Like the Jedi mystic says, "The Force flows through the body, controlling every action." Such a person is considered the epitome of a force user, one who submits to its will rather than trying to bend it to their own.
A parable is given in our own tradition as well, with a man who fully submits himself to God, and God becomes his ears from which he hears, his eyes from which he sees, his legs with which he walks, and his hands with which he touches. When he asks God for anything, he is granted it, and when he seeks refuge from anything, he is protected from it. Such a person is indifferent in the face of tribulation because they understand that every occurrence, whether good or evil, is the will of God Almighty, and nothing can change that once it has been decreed. It is as if they allow the will of God to flow through them and they do not try to control it by indulging in the forbidden.
This is the true meaning of Islam, the name of our religion given by the ultimate submitter to God, Prophet Ibrahim ﷺ. He named us so to enable us to understand our purpose in this world, and his life and legacy are celebrated to inspire us to be like him. Our Prophet ﷺ, who is the beloved of Allah ﷻ, bore a physical resemblance to Ibrahim, as if God Himself paid homage to His great friend.
Such is the legacy Ibrahim ﷺ and his family that every year, thousands of people perform a pilgrimage to the house he built for God's worship. They perform the rituals he performed millennia ago. They reenact the run his wife made, finding water for the baby Ismail. They sacrifice an animal in the name of God to celebrate the passing of the great trial that Ibrahim endured when God ordered him to sacrifice his only son. A test like no other, for a man like no other, and a family like no other.
The ten days of Dhul Hijjah, which are blessed because of the great sacrifices of Ibrahim ﷺ, are a time for deep reflection on the ideals of Ibrahim ﷺ. It is a time to study his character and emulate it, to be inspired by his hospitality and be hospitable ourselves. To be amazed at his thankfulness in spite of hardship and mirror that in our own lives. To read about his forbearance and forgive ourselves and others. To embody the hope he had for his father, his own people who hated him, and even nations doomed to taste divine chastisement like the nation of Lot ﷺ. We bear the name given to us by Ibrahim ﷺ, so is it not time for us to embody his morals?
One of the key qualities of Ibrahim ﷺ mentioned in the Qur'an is his thankfulness for the blessings bestowed upon him by God. In the Qur'an, Allah ﷻ says, "Abraham was a model of excellence: devoted to God, perfectly upright, not a polytheist."
The Ayah continues, "utterly grateful for God's favors. So He chose him and guided him to the straight path" [Surah 16 Ayah 120-121].
Among the praises mentioned here is the praise of being thankful for the blessings of God, negating the vow Satan made in Surah A'raaf (The Heights): "You shall find most of them ungrateful" [7:17].
Being thankful is a recurring theme mentioned throughout the Qur'an. It is one of the great qualities of the saints, and the highest thanks is the one mentioned in moments of comfort. That is when we tend to forget the things we are grateful for. This great quality treats the disease of avarice, bringing greed under control and fostering a positive mindset. Unfortunately, the quality of thankfulness is being subdued within us due to the materialistic and consumer-centric society we have created. We look at advertisements and entertainment, seeing what others have that we do not, creating a sense of desire within us. Sadly, we have attached happiness to acquiring new things and buying the latest in fashion or technology. In doing so, we have handed over our happiness to others who are not interested in our well-being but only in making a profit from us. One of the best ways to combat this is to reduce consumption and start giving back to others. Instead of buying the latest, we can donate to those less fortunate. Instead of buying a new phone or laptop, we can see how long we can use the ones we already have. We must first eliminate impulse buying, where we purchase something simply because we have the urge to spend money. Additionally, reading the stories of the prophets and especially the seerah of our Prophet ﷺ will help us put things into perspective. We will feel a sense of guilt knowing that we are buying unnecessary items while the companions of the Prophet ﷺ went to battle barefoot. We will be compelled to think twice before making a purchase when we see the poverty experienced by our beloved Prophet ﷺ and how nights would pass with no food besides dates and water.
Another effective way to cultivate gratitude within ourselves is to maintain a gratitude journal where we write down ten things we are grateful for every single day. Some studies have even shown that this practice can help alleviate depression. The prophetic practice was to offer a prayer every day thanking Allah ﷻ for every joint in the body. This is how Muslims are taught to be thankful for everything in our lives. We should also make it a point to appreciate the people in our lives. It is stated in a prophetic tradition: "The one who has not thanked people has not thanked Allah ﷻ." Therefore, if we fail to express gratitude to those around us who benefit us every day, we cannot expect to be truly thankful to our Creator. Words like 'please' and 'thank you' should be part of our regular vocabulary when dealing with fellow muslims, and not reserved for no muslim interactions only.
The concept of Shukr (thankfulness) is directly linked to the concept of Sabr (patience). There will be times when simply looking for the good in a situation is not enough to get us through, then we must rely on Sabr. Sabr is also a quality of Ibrahim ﷺ, highlighted in the story of the sacrifice of Ismail ﷺ. When Ibrahim ﷺ kept having a dream in which he was sacrificing his only son Ismail to God, he was uneasy about the indirect command given to him. His patience shone through as he confided in his son the divine decree, and Ismail was the one to assure his father of his determination to fulfill the test of God. After preparing for an emotionally grueling journey, they set out to seek a place far away from the populace. There, he even blindfolded Ismail so as to not gaze into the eyes of his son as he fulfills his master's command. This exemplifies true Sabr, as it takes a person of deep faith and submission to God to sacrifice their loved one solely because He commanded it. And the legendary will of Ismail to face such a difficult and emotional trial with strength and determination. Only a true submitters can fulfill such a trial and pass so extraordinarily. Allah mentions in Surah Saffat (The Chapter of the Rangers): “Then when they (both) submitted (to the will of Allah) and Abraham laid him (Ismail) on his forehead. We called out to him, “O Abraham! You have fulfilled the vision.” Indeed this is how We reward the good-doers. This was truly a revealing test. And we ransomed him (Ismail ﷺ) with a great sacrifice (a Ram from paradise).”
It is mentioned that Ibrahim ﷺ began to cut the throat of Ismail. However, the knife would not cut. Even after much effort no blood would spill out of Ismail ﷺ. So in essence, Ibrahim ﷺ truly did go through with the sacrifice. Such that divine intervention had to stop the ritual from going through. It is also said that had Allah allowed the ritual to go through, Humanity would have to follow suit in sacrificing their sons to God. However, this level of trial is only given to those who excel in their submission to God. And he would not test us with that which we cannot bear. So had Ibrahim been allowed to complete the apparent ritual by sacrificing Ismail ﷺ. This would be an honor only bestowed to Ibrahim ﷺ and none after him. But because the sacrifice was completed with an animal, we may also partake of this honor by sacrificing an animal for Allah in celebration of Ibrahim ﷺ.
A question we must ask ourselves is: What am I sacrificing for God? He has blessed me immensely and allowed me to be part of the Abrahamic tradition, but am I fulfilling the legacy of Ibrahim ﷺ? Just as Ibrahim ﷺ sacrificed his most beloved for God, we too must sacrifice our most beloved to Him in order to attain a lofty position in the divine court. A person's most beloved is often their family, especially their children. We must assess whether we are 'sacrificing' them for God by dedicating them to Him. Just as our Mother Mary ﷺ was dedicated by her parents for the sake of God, it does not mean that we should make our children committed monks in monasteries. Rather, it means examining what we have done to enable the advancement of this Deen. Have we dedicated our families to this cause? Are our children educated in the religion and spreading its message through their words and character? If our most precious possession is wealth, have we dedicated any of it to the Almighty? Perhaps it's education. Have we dedicated any of our learning to understanding our Creator? These are important questions for personal reflection as they determine the direction in which we steer our lives.
By recognizing the immense honor Allah ﷻ has granted the family of Ibrahim ﷺ, we can understand that this is the fruit of sacrifice, such where not only is a person raised to high rank in heaven, but their name and legacy continue long after their worldly journey ends.
We conclude by asking Allah ﷻ to grant us the ability to follow in the footsteps of Ibrahim and the family of Ibrahim, and to raise us with them on the Day of Reckoning.
