The Sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim (Alaihis Salam)
Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.), who appeared in this world about five thousand years ago, lived in the country of Iraq. By understanding his history, one can understand the true essence of Eeman (faith).
Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala sent Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) as a Messenger to guide the people. He preached to the people that they should not worship creations such as stone idols or the sun, but should only worship Allah, the Sole Creator.
When Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) reached his youth, he married a lady named ‘Sarah’. However, the couple did not have any children, making them targets for the people’s mockery and sarcasm. People mocked Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.), asking, “Has the Allah you call upon not blessed you with a child?”
At the age of 86, Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) married a lady named ‘Hajara’; initially, they too did not have a child.
At this juncture, Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) supplicated:
رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ
“My Lord! Grant me a righteous son!”
– Surah As-Saffat: 100
Allah preserved this supplication in the Holy Qur’an.
Allah Ta’ala gave Prophet Ibrahim the glad tidings of an impending child:
فَبَشَّرْنَاهُ بِغُلَامٍ حَلِيمٍ
“So We gave him the glad tidings of a forbearing boy.”
– Surah As-Saffat: 101
Accordingly, a baby boy was born in his old age. They named the child ‘Isma’eel’.
Prophet Isma’eel (A.S.) was born to Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) and his second wife, Hazrath Hajara. Following this, Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) lived happily with his wife and son. It was during this time that Allah Ta’ala commanded Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) with an order.
In accordance with that command, Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) took his wife Hajara and child Isma’eel and set out on a journey from Baitul Muqaddas. After traveling for many days, they arrived at the place where the Kaaba sanctuary stands today. At that time, the place was a desolate, uninhabited desert.
After helping his wife Hajara and child Isma’eel dismount from the camel, he turned his camel in the opposite direction. Seeing this, Hajara questioned Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.), “Are you leaving the child and me all alone in this desolate desert? Is this the command of Allah?” To this, Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) replied, “Yes! This is Allah’s command,” and began walking away.
Hajara stayed back in that scorching desert sand, completely alone with her child, without food to eat or water to quench their thirst, and without even a shadow to take shelter under, content with the decree of Allah.
After walking a short distance away from the place, Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) prayed to Allah. Allah mentions this in the Qur’an:
رَّبَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنتُ مِن ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ عِندَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ تَهْوِي إِلَيْهِمْ وَارْزُقْهُم مِّنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُونَ
“O our Lord! I have settled some of my offspring in an uncultivable valley near Your Sacred House, our Lord, so that they may establish prayer. So make hearts among the people incline toward them and provide them with fruits so they may be grateful.”
– Surah Ibrahim: 37
Hazrath Hajara searched the desolate desert to see if any water could be found to quench the thirst caused by the intense heat, or if any food was available. Nothing was visible to her eyes. Meanwhile, the infant Isma’eel was crying out of hunger and thirst.
Leaving the child on the sand, Hajara ran back and forth in search of water—climbing to the top of the nearby ‘Safa’ hill to look around, then running down and climbing the ‘Marwa’ hill, while keeping an eye on the child intermittently. She ran between the hills of Safa and Marwa seven times in this manner.
As she crossed the low-lying ground between the two hills, she ran a bit faster because she could not see the child from that depression. (Because this act was immensely pleasing to Allah, He has commanded those who go for Hajj to walk seven times between the two hills of Safa and Marwa, and to jog slightly in the low-lying area).
In that desolate desert, the child was crying out of severe hunger and thirst, striking his heels against the sand. In this critical situation, Allah caused water to gush forth from the exact spot where the child’s feet struck.
Hazrath Hajara, who was running between the hills of Safa and Marwa, noticed from a distance that water was flowing at the child’s feet and rushed over. She scooped up the water, fed it to the child, and drank until she was full. By the mercy of Allah, their days of hunger and thirst came to an end. (This is why Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) instructed us to drink this water to our fill).
The water continued to gush forth abundantly. Seeing this, Hazrath Hajara said, “Zamzam”—which means “Stop, Stop”. Immediately, it turned into a spring and has been flowing from that confined space ever since.
To this day, we witness the Zamzam water flowing continuously and Muslims worldwide taking and drinking it. It is Allah’s promise that this spring will never run dry until the Day of Judgment.
Caravans traveling along that route saw the spring of Zamzam water and began settling there in small groups. Thus, that place developed into the city of Makkah.
Prophet Isma’eel (A.S.) grew up there and became a young boy of about ten years old. Now, the next test for Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) arrived from Allah. Through a dream, God commanded Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Isma’eel.
Thereafter, Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) told his wife Hajara that he needed to take Isma’eel to a certain place, and led his son toward the mountainous region of Mina. Upon reaching Mina, Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) informed his son Isma’eel, “Verily, God has commanded me to sacrifice you for the sake of Allah.”
When Prophet Ibrahim conveyed this command of Allah to his son Isma’eel, the son replied:
فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ السَّعْيَ قَالَ يَا بُنَيَّ إِنِّي أَرَىٰ فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنِّي أَذْبَحُكَ فَانظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَىٰ ۚ قَالَ يَا أَبَتِ افْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ ۖ سَتَجِدُنِي إِن شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّابِرِينَ
“And when he reached with him the age of exertion, he said, ‘O my son, indeed I have seen in a dream that I must sacrifice you, so see what you think.’ He said, ‘O my father, do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah wills, of the steadfast.'”
– Surah As-Saffat: 102
In the meantime, Satan made various attempts to prevent this command of Allah from being fulfilled. As instructed in the dream, when Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) was leading his beloved son to the sacrifice, Satan appeared in human form to Mother Hajara and said, “Do you know what is happening? Your husband is taking your beloved son away to slaughter him.” Mother Hajara (A.S.) completely rejected his words.
Failing there, Satan left her and approached the young Hazrath Prophet Isma’eel (A.S.), warning him in various ways, saying, “Your father is going to sacrifice you. Do not follow him.” Hazrath Prophet Isma’eel (A.S.) also turned a deaf ear to his words.
Recognizing these malicious attempts of Satan, Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) and his son Isma’eel (A.S.) pelted Satan with stones to drive him away. This is the historical reason why pilgrims going for Hajj throw stones at Satan in Mina.
Near a rock in Mina, the father, Prophet Ibrahim, initiated the preparations to sacrifice his son. Allah alone knows the depth of the emotional struggle that would have existed between the two at that moment.
With the profound awareness that he was going to be sacrificed in the path of Allah, Isma’eel told his father, “O father! You are going to offer me as a Qurbani (sacrifice) for Allah. If I look at you, or if you look at me, our fatherly-son affection might surface and create a hurdle in fulfilling Allah’s command. Therefore, lay me face down and sacrifice me. Also, please tie my hands and feet.”
For the sake of Allah’s love, both stood ready, suppressing their mutual worldly affection. As requested by his son, Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) tied the hands and feet of Isma’eel, laid him face down, and prepared to sacrifice him for the sake of Allah. Allah describes this in the Qur’an as follows:
فَلَمَّا أَسْلَمَا وَتَلَّهُ لِلْجَبِينِ
”And when they had both submitted and he put him down upon his forehead;”
– Surah As-Saffat: 103
He placed the knife on his son Isma’eel’s neck and attempted to cut, but it did not cut. He tried repeatedly, but the knife refused to cut Isma’eel’s neck. At that moment, the Lord called out:
وَنَادَيْنَاهُ أَن يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ
“We called out to him, ‘O Ibrahim!'”
– Surah As-Saffat: 104
Following this, by Allah’s decree, Angel Jibreel (A.S.) brought a ram from Paradise, presented it to Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.), and conveyed Allah’s command to sacrifice it instead.
Accordingly, the ram was sacrificed. Allah states this in the Qur’an:
وَفَدَيْنَاهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍ
“And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice.”
– Surah As-Saffat: 107
Allah Ta’ala gave Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) the glad tidings of his victory in this profound trial:
قَدْ صَدَّقْتَ الرُّؤْيَا ۚ إِنَّا كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ
“You have fulfilled the vision. Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good.”
– Surah As-Saffat: 105
Allah blessed Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) with a child in his old age after a long period of childlessness. As soon as the child was born, Allah commanded him to leave the newborn in a desolate desert. Once the child grew into a young boy, He commanded him to sacrifice him. Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) wholeheartedly prepared himself to execute every single command ordained by the Almighty.
When Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) was thrown into the pit of fire, the absolute firmness of his faith was manifested.
When he left his newborn child in the desert, his love was tested: Is the love of Allah greater, or is the affection for the child greater? At that moment, only his absolute love for Allah was manifested.
Later, when the child grew up and bonded closely with him, he was tested again to see if his divine love had diminished. The event of his readiness to sacrifice his own son took place, and even then, Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) manifested nothing but his absolute devotion to Allah.
Allah Himself proclaims in the Qur’an that what befell Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) was indeed a severe trial:
إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَهُوَ الْبَلَاءُ الْمُبِينُ
“Indeed, this was the clear trial.”
– Surah As-Saffat: 106
It was only after making such monumental sacrifices that Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) and his son Isma’eel together constructed the Kaaba, the House of Allah. Allah then decreed it as the direction (Qibla) toward which everyone must face during prayers. Commemorating the sacrifices of these three noble souls is the essence of the holy ritual of Hajj.
The ultimate objective of performing Hajj is to cultivate unshakable faith and divine love within one’s heart. Allah alone is worthy of our ultimate love and trust.
Why should God narrate the trials faced by Prophet Ibrahim (A.S.) and his family five thousand years ago in the Qur’an for our understanding? This is not a mere story to read and cast aside.
It is the biography of an exemplary human being who demonstrated that his unyielding faith in God and his love for the Creator stood far above his affection for his own family. The lesson we must derive is that whenever trials befall us, we must seek refuge solely in Allah.
That is why the rituals of Hajj are made obligatory in places like the Kaaba and Mina, where these immense trials took place.
To foster this divine love, those who go for Hajj leave behind everything they cherish, don an unstitched garment resembling a shroud wrapped around a deceased body, circumambulate the Kaaba while reciting the Talbiyah, shave their heads (for men), walk between Safa and Marwa, drink Zamzam water, stay in Muzdalifah and Arafat, pelt stones at Satan in Mina, and offer animals like sheep and camels as Qurbani for Allah. All of these acts are performed solely to attain the ultimate love and pleasure of Allah.
