Important Personalities of Islam
Hazrat Ibrahim(alai his salam)
Hazrat Ibrahim(alai his salam) : Long ago, there lived in Iraq a man called Azar who used to make idols and sell them. These idols were kept in a temple where the people used to worship them. Azar had a son called Ibrahim.
As Ibrahim grew up, he began to realize that idols could not help anyone and so it was no use praying to them. It was strange for him to see people bowing down before idols that could neither move nor talk. Hazrat Ibrahim(alai his salam) wondered why people worshipped such powerless statues. He once asked his father why he worshipped idols which could neither speak nor hear. Azar became angry and warned his son not to ask such questions.
Once when the people were busy celebrating a festival, Hazrat Ibrahim(alai his salam) went to the temple and broke all the idols except the biggest one. When the people came to the temple, they saw their broken idols. They were shocked and angry. They at once thought of Hazrat Ibrahim(alai his salam), who talked disrespectfully about the idols and They asked him, “Who broke the idols?” Hazrat Ibrahim alai his salam replied, “Ask the biggest idol.” They said, “O Ibrahim, don’t you know that the idols can’t talk?” Hazrat Ibrahim alai his salam asked, “Then why do you worship them? They can’t talk, move or understand anything. Why do you ask them for favour?” The people had no answer. But they were sure that it was Hazrat Ibrahim(alai his salam) who had broken the idols. They called a meeting in which it was decided to burn him alive.
A big fire was lit and Hazrat Ibrahim(alai his salam) was thrown into it. But a miracle happened. The fire did not harm him because Allah protected him and he came out of the fire unhurt.
Hazrat Ibrahim(alai his salam) was in search of Allah. Once it occurred to him that the shining moon might be his Lord. But when the moon vanished, he said to himself, “A vanishing thing cannot be my Lord.” He looked at the sun and thought that perhaps the sun was his Lord. But when the sun also went down, Hazrat Ibrahim(alai his salam) realized that the sun cannot be his lord either. He understood that his Lord cannot be something that appears and disappears and He started believing in One, unseen God.
He was a wise and good man whom Allah had chosen to be His prophet. At many places in the Holy Quran, Allah has told Prophet Muhammad(sal lal la ho alai he wasalam) to follow the faith of Hazrat Ibrahim(alai his salam), who was a true believer and was called Khalilullah-Allah’s friend.
Hazrat Ibrahim(alai his salam) left Iraq and went to Egypt with his wife Sara. Later Hazrat Ibrahim(alai his salam) married Hazrat Hajra(alai his salam). Hazrat Ibrahim(alai his salam) was an old man and had no children. He prayed to Allah to give him a child. Allah answered his prayer and a son, Hazrat Ismail(alai his salam), was born from his wife Hazrat Hajra(alai his salam). When Hazrat Ismail(alai his salam) was born to Hazrat Hajra(alai his salam), Sara felt sad that she had no child of her own. Allah ordered Hazrat Ibrahim(alai his salam) to take Hazrat Hajra(alai his salam) and Hazrat Ismail(alai his salam) to a deserted place and leave them there.
Being a true believer, Hazrat Ibrahim(alai his salam) took Hazrat Hajra(alai his salam) and Hazrat Ismail(alai his salam) to a barren place where there was no water and no trees to give them shade. This place was Makkah. Allah was so pleased with Hazrat Ibrahim(alai his salam) that he not only protected Hazrat Hajra(alai his salam) and Hazrat Ismail(alai his salam), but promised to make their generations flourish. The Holy Prophet Muhammad(sal lal la ho alai he wasalam) also came from the same family.
Hazrat Hajra(alai his salam) and Hazrat Ismail(alai his salam) continued to live where Hazrat Ibrahim(alai his salam) had left them. When Hazrat Ismail(alai his salam) was a young boy, Hazrat Ibrahim(alai his salam) dreamt that Allah was ordering him to sacrifice his son, Hazrat Ismail(alai his salam). He therefore took Hazrat Ismail(alai his salam) to a deserted place and told him that he wanted to sacrifice him at the command of Allah. As he was about to take this knife to cut Hazrat Ismail’s(alai his salam) throat, Allah stopped him and told him that it was a trial and that He had accepted his sacrifice. Instead of Hazrat Ismail(alai his salam), a lamb was sacrificed.
At the command of Allah, Hazrat Ibrahim(alai his salam) and Hazrat Ismail(alai his salam) built the Ka’abah, where people could pray. In front of the Ka’abah is a place called Muqaam-e-Ibrahim, or the foot prints of Hazrat Ibrahim(alai his salam) on stone. All his life, Hazrat Ibrahim(alai his salam) fought against evil and preached the religion of one God. He was asked all kinds of confusing question by the unbelievers. But he always answered them with the knowledge and wisdom that Allah had given him. Allah loved Hazrat Ibrahim(alai his salam) so much that He later on asked Prophet Muhammad(sal lal la ho alai he wasalam) to follow Hazrat Ibrahim’s(alai his salam) faith.
