| HOME | ABOUT THE AUTHOR | CONTACT US | RELATED SITES |
| PROPHET ABRAHAM Prophet Abraham's (pbuh) Religion
People continue to argue over which religion Prophet Abraham (pbuh) followed. Jews regard him as a Jewish prophet and claim to follow his path. Christians also consider him a Jewish prophet, but claim that he followed Prophet Jesus (pbuh), who came after him. In the Qur'an, however, God reveals the truth of this matter by providing certain information:
Moreover, other verses expose just how irrational this debate really is:
The Qur'an provides the most accurate information about Prophet Abraham (pbuh), for it is the only uncorrupted book of God. If people take other sources as guides, they fall into great error and interpret matters in the light of their own ideas and beliefs. As in all matters, however, believers take the Qur'an and the Sunnah of our Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) as the only true sources of information about the prophets and their lines, for teaching falsehoods and engaging in speculation and guesswork, particularly about the prophets, displeases God. Only the Qur'an states the whole truth about Prophet Abraham (pbuh):
The Qur'an calls Prophet Abraham (pbuh) a hanif, instead of a Jew or a Christian. Hanif means a devout, upright, and righteous person who submits to God's command and never moves away from His religion. The most hanif characteristics of Prophet Abraham (pbuh) were his belief in the One and Only God and his submission to Him. In another verse, our Lord commands Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace) to abide by Prophet Abraham's (pbuh) religion:
God wishes people to turn to religion in a hanif manner, as pure believers. God clearly emphasizes that hanif people do not ascribe partners to Him:
As can be understood from several verses, Prophet Abraham's (pbuh) religion was essentially the same as Islam. In any case, all divinely revealed religions are, in their original and uncorrupted forms, essentially built on earning God's good pleasure, compassion, and Paradise. Prophet Abraham's (pbuh) children and grandchildren, as well as other devout individuals from his line, adhered to this religion after his death. For example, the Qur'an emphasizes Prophet Joseph's (pbuh) address to his fellow prisoners:
All hanifs, regardless of when they live, are distinguished by their glorification of God without ascribing partners to Him. One of the prophets' main duties was to rescue people from their misguided belief systems and worldviews, as well as those practices and values that transgressed the limits set down by God for humanity, and to call their people to the true religion. One hadith informs us of the following:
In one verse, God reveals that Islam is as easy as Prophet Abraham's (pbuh) religion:
According to the Qur'an, the people who turn to God and live by His religion in its true sense are Muslim. The word Muslim comes from the Arabic word salam and means one who has achieved well-being or who has submitted (to God). The essence of being Muslim lies in submitting to God and living in the ensuing peace and security. The prophets, all of whom guided their people to the true path, submitted totally to our Lord and were sincerely devoted to Him, are role models for us. By turning to and then submitting to our Lord, seeking refuge in Him, taking Him as their only friend, and asking for help only from Him, they are all called Muslim in the Qur'an.
As can be seen from the above verses, sincere believers are those people who submit to God, live solely by religious moral values, and have pure faith. God honors such people with the name Muslim. Prophet Joseph's (pbuh) prayer is a fine example for us in several areas. God reveals it in the following verse:
Prophet Abraham's (pbuh) joyful faith in God, his deep love for Him, his submission to all of His commands, as well as his obedience and superior morality, are emphasized in the Qur'an. Some of these verses read:
Every Muslim must take Prophet Abraham's (pbuh) pleasing morality, sincere faith, and total submission and obedience to God as role models. In fact, his discernment and determination in presenting God's message are among the important traits that all people who call themselves Muslims should adopt. Originally, all divine religions were based on Prophet Abraham's (pbuh) religion. However, Christianity and Judaism were corrupted over time and so moved away from their original nature: not ascribing partners to God (the greatest sin) and living solely to earn His good pleasure. The love and respect felt by both present-day Christians and Jews for Prophet Abraham (pbuh) unites them in a common foundation with Muslims. Members of these three divinely revealed religions therefore share a common belief in God, which they have inherited from Prophet Abraham (pbuh), and seek to serve Him. However, Christians and Jews misinterpret some aspects of Prophet Abraham's (pbuh) religion. The Qur'an informs us that Muslims have invited them to this common word:
Prophet Abraham (pbuh) Spreads the Religion Every prophet was charged with informing his tribe of God's commands and prohibitions. Prophet Noah (pbuh), Prophet Salih (pbuh) (of Thamud), Prophet Lot (pbuh), Prophet Shuayb (pbuh) (of Madyan), Prophet Moses (pbuh) (of the Children of Israel), Prophet Jesus (pbuh), and all other prophets informed their tribes of God's existence and called on them to live by the true religion's moral values. However, these prophets often found that the majority of their tribes denied God and rejected them and even initiated multifaceted struggles against them consisting of vile slanders, threats, and aggression. In some cases, they resorted to forced expulsion, arrest, or murder to prevent the prophets from performing their God-given tasks. God reveals how the traps set for Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace) will end in failure:
As stated earlier, Prophet Abraham's (pbuh) tribe worshipped statues that their ancestors had made from stone and wood. Prophet Abraham (pbuh), who had the determination and the powerful faith to single-handedly tell them of God's existence and oneness, was sent to guide them from their blind devotion to their ancestors' paganism into the light of His religion. Throughout history, the majority has often decided which ideas and beliefs are to be accepted as true. Given that it is difficult to stand up against the majority in societies that are far from religion, many people eventually agree, either willingly or unwillingly, to submit to ideas and beliefs that they know to be wrong. The prophets and the believers who followed them, however, always opposed the unbelieving majority and displayed enormous courage in the face of the ensuing pressure, threats, or attacks. They remained loyal to God's religion by scrupulously performing their religious observations and abiding by our Lord's commands out of their fear and awe of Him, as well as their complete trust in Him. Prophet Abraham (pbuh), whom God praised as being "a community in himself" (Qur'an, 16:120), stood alone against his father and his entire pagan tribe. He patiently explained why their idols could never attain any divine quality and that the only true deity was God. His opposition to his tribe's paganism, as well as his method of challenging their superstitions and working to guide them to the true path despite their hostility, clearly revealed his powerful faith, submission, sincerity, and superior character. All of these characteristics made him a courageous and determined individual. The Qur'an relates some of his words, as follows:
Such conversations with his tribe reveal many pleasing examples of his deep and strong faith. Thanks to the superior wisdom and understanding imparted to him by our Lord, Prophet Abraham (pbuh) gave enormously effective addresses and the wisest of examples. Looked at with the eye of wisdom, present-day Muslims can use his means and methods to invite their own people to believe in God. Given this, we will now look at some of Prophet Abraham's (pbuh) wise explanations. Prophet Abraham's (pbuh) Conversations with His Father
All Muslims are responsible for inviting people to believe in God. The Qur'an refers to this as commanding what is right and forbidding what is wrong. This duty arises out of the fact that people must be warned, in other words informed and reminded of certain important truths, such as that God created the universe from nothing, that every human being is responsible to our Lord and will have to account to Him in the Hereafter, and that they will be rewarded in the Hereafter for what they did in this world. Those who shoulder this responsibility are devout Muslims who sincerely believe in God and who hold Him in awe out of a deep-rooted respect. God has given them the power, wisdom, and intelligence to distinguish between right and wrong. In exchange, they are to explain His religion in the light of the addressee's character, state of mind, and viewpoint on life in the most pleasant and appropriate manner possible. In addition, they must properly evaluate the addressee's reaction and response and adapt their methods in order to effectively communicate the divine message. As performing this obligation calls for considerable effort, warning whole societies and explaining the religion to tribes whose fathers have not been warned, namely, communities that are far from religion's moral values, is a heavy responsibility. In fact, God tells believers to spread His religion with wisdom and pleasant advice, as the following verse reveals:
Each Muslim is entrusted with explaining and advising others about God's existence and the Qur'an's beauties. To enable them to carry out this responsibility, God has revealed in the Qur'an the most suitable and appropriate methods. For example, believers should invite their friends and family members first to believe in God and the Day of Judgment:
One of the most important elements of this conversation, which should be taken as a model, is that no matter how arrogant and difficult an unbeliever may be, a believer must remain patient while relaying the message and behave in the most pleasant manner possible. Prophet Abraham's (pbuh) approach here is exactly the same as that of Prophet Moses (pbuh) toward Pharaoh. Prophet Moses (pbuh) also employed a temperate and gentle style when relaying God's message to Pharaoh, in compliance with God's command to "speak to him with gentle words so that, hopefully, he will pay heed or show some fear" (Qur'an, 20:44). God reveals the message that Prophet Abraham (pbuh) gave to his father, as well as his father's reaction:
These conversations contain important wisdom. First and foremost, Prophet Abraham's (pbuh) courageous and humble attitude is most striking. He carried out God's order, even at the risk of his own life, and invited his father to the true path. He risked losing his father's love, help, and goods; refused to be intimidated by his father's threats, and displayed the greatest humility and patience when told to leave. Knowing that God would help him and show him the right path, he behaved according to the comfort and security that such knowledge imparted. The way that he immediately prayed to God after being unjustly forced to leave the house in which he lived, and his faith that his prayer would be heard demonstrate the exemplary modesty and purity required of a Muslim. Moreover, he displayed a most pleasing moral attitude toward his father, who was quite hostile. He maintained his moderate style and continued to call him my father. All Muslims should adopt this example of a very superior morality when calling people to the truth. He approached his father with great affection and modesty, and humbly invited him to the true path. When his father persisted in his denial, Prophet Abraham (pbuh) immediately sought refuge in God and removed himself. This attitude shows that Muslims are to work only for God's good pleasure, and to love what He loves and hate what He hates. God reveals this quality, which every Muslim should possess, thus:
Another noteworthy feature of this conversation between Prophet Abraham (pbuh) and his father is the latter's devotion to paganism. So strong was his devotion that it led him to threaten his son with death by stoning, a son who was of his own blood, whom he had raised and kept by his side, and who treated his father so respectfully. The only reason for his father's wrath was that Prophet Abraham (pbuh) worshipped only God and rejected his tribe's paganism. This is an example of the unbelievers' cruel, uncompromising, and oppressive natures. The Unbeliever Advised by Prophet Abraham (pbuh) The Qur'an refers to an unbelieving ruler whom Prophet Abraham (pbuh) met when calling people to believe in God. Known as Nimrod in various historical sources, he and Prophet Abraham (pbuh) engaged in an important conversation:
As this verse makes clear, Nimrod had become very arrogant due to his goods, property, and rule. While talking with Prophet Abraham (pbuh), he made the enormous and irrational claim that he also possessed the power of creation. By proclaiming his own divinity, as he was so proud of his wealth and chattel, he was, in fact, denying God. Because of his pride, he rejected to see God's might and power over the universe. After informing Nimrod of God's existence and oneness, Prophet Abraham (pbuh), replied to this ruler, who grew arrogant against God, with a most wise and rational statement:
All prophets have always employed wise and rational arguments, such as the example given above. God has enabled those believers who spread His message to do so most effectively, thus refuting the unbelievers' mistaken worldview. Such arguments always leave unbelievers, who believe themselves to be on the right path and who trust in their wealth, power, and idols, unable to mount a serious defense of their belief systems. Therefore, they are always condemned to be defeated and at a loss for words. Another important aspect of Prophet Abraham's (pbuh) response is his honesty and naturalness. A sincere and honest explanation always influences peoples' hearts and consciences. God's existence is evident, and the believer's explanation of this manifest truth from the heart always touches other people. But even if they are so influenced, some unbelievers persist in their unbelief. Such people, who generally are far removed from religion, grow proud out of the belief that their wealth, attractiveness, or status are the results of their own efforts. They unjustly regard themselves as superior and forget about God. Satan encourages their pride and uses the power and position that they mistakenly consider their own, to prevent them from serving God. Believers encounter many people as they spread God's message. Many people, due to their pride, cannot see God's might and power. In such situations, believers must give examples that show people just how helpless they really are in order to eliminate their pride. As a result, unbelievers will realize that their arrogance and pride in their possessions are of no significance. Gradually, they will realize that their strength and power are limited, that everything will end with death, and that God is the only absolute being. The mode of explication used by Prophet Abraham (pbuh) to relay the truth to Nimrod shows just how important the use of rational, wise, and target-oriented speech is in spreading His message. Believers must never engage in pointless arguments; rather, they must always use effective and rational explanations to defeat the audience's superstitious beliefs and demonstrate God's existence by analyzing the audience members' psychological states and logical frameworks. Clearly, only people with deep faith, who scrupulously adhere to God's commands and who hold Him in awe, will be able to devise such an effective and wise mode of explication. This is true, because wisdom is a divine blessing that must be sought from God. God imparts this secret to us, as follows:
--------------------------------------------- |
|
Home | Let
Us Join Forces | Shared Values | Invitation
to Peace | People of the Book in Islam
Alliance in the Intellectual Struggle | Latest Developments | Islam for Beginners Prophet Abraham and Prophet Lot | Prophet Yusuf | Prophet Musa| Prophet Solomon Maryam | Jesus Did Not Die | Prophet Muhammad About the Author | Contact Us | Related Sites
|