Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh)
NAME: Ibrahim (pbuh)
FATHER: Taraq bin Nahoor bin Sarooj bin Reu bin Peleg bin Aber bin Salah bin Arikshaz bin Saam bin Nuh
TITLES: Khalilullah (Friend of Allah)
CHILDREN: Ismail & Ishaac (pbuh)
Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) was born in the time of the king called Namrud who claimed that he was God. An astrologer had told Namrud that there was soon to be a Prophet who would overthrow Namrud and invite people to Allah. Namrud afraid of losing his power ordered all men and women in the land to be separated so there would be no children born. He thought he could change the will of Allah.
As soon as he was born, his mother hid him in a cave outside the town where they lived until he was 13 years old. His mother felt it was safe to bring him into town then. His father, Taraq, had already died, so he was adopted by Azar, his father's brother.
Azar was a famous sculptor who used to make idols out of stone. Azar gave Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) a job to sell these idols. On the first day of his job, he tied a rope around some idols and dragged them through the market-place. He then called out to the people:
"Come and buy these lifeless idols who can neither benefit nor harm anybody."
The people of the town were furious and complained to Azar who dismissed Ibrahim (pbuh) immediately.
Ibrahim (pbuh) tried to reason with his uncle who was like a father to him. The Qur’an mentions the conversation in Suratu Maryam, Ayaat 44 - 47: "O my father! Do not worship Shaytan, who was disobedient to Allah. O my father! I am afraid that the punishment of Allah might touch you so that you would be a friend of Shaytan."
He (Azar) said, "Do you turn against my gods, O Ibrahim? If you do not go away I will stone you. Get away from me for a long while."
He (Ibrahim) said, "Peace be on you, I will pray to my Rabb to forgive you. He is most gracious to me.”
Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) continued to preach to his people telling them not to worship statues. One day when the people were out of town, he went to where the statues were kept and broke all of them leaving only the biggest one. When the people of the town
came back they saw the broken statues and rushed towards Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) saying: "Have you done this to our Gods, Ibrahim?"
Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) wanted them to realise the helplessness of these statues and asked them to ask the biggest one. The people knew that there Gods could not answer and lowered there head in shame and said: "You know fully well that these (statues) speak not"
Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) replied: "Would you then worship that which can neither help nor harm you?"
Allah mentions this incident in Suratul Ambiya.
Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) had showed them the uselessness of their Gods but the people were stubborn. They did not want to admit defeat. They wanted to get rid of Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh). A huge furnace was constructed and firewood was collected for a month. Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) was placed in a catapult and flung into the fire. The fire was raging. Nobody could come near it, and Ibrahim (pbuh) for whom the fire had been made was being catapulted into it by Namrud, the king at that time.
A tiny lizard slithered as close to the fire as he could get. With water in his little mouth he spit it at the fire trying to douse it. The other animals around him seeing him said! “What difference will it make?”
The lizard replied: “On the day of qiyama, when I will come before my Creator, I will say that I tried my best.”
As he was being thrown in to fire several angels came to him offering to rescue him but Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) said that was a matter between him and his Lord (Allah).
In Suratul Ambiya, aya 69, Allah says that he told the fire: "O fire! Be cold and a safety to Ibrahim (pbuh)"
Recite this aya when you have a fever and Insha’Allah you will get better.
Namrud, who was watching was astounded when from the top of his palace he saw that the fire had turned into a garden.
Namrud summoned Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) and told him: "You are creating confusion in the people by inviting them to worship another lord besides me. Tell me Who is your Lord?"
The incident in mentioned in Suratu Baqara, aya 258 where Allah says: “Have you thought about the one (Namrud) who argued with Ibrahim about his Rabb, because Allah had given him the kingdom?”
Ibrahim said to him, "My Lord is He Who gives life and causes death."
He (Namrud) said, "I (also) give life and cause death."
Ibrahim said, "Allah makes the sun rise from the east, (why don't) you bring it from the west." Thus the unbeliever was baffled and Allah does not guide unjust people.”
This is how Namrud thought he too could give life and cause death.
He said: "If I call two prisoners who are going to be hanged, and let one go free and kill the other, I have given one life and the other death."
Namrud saw that he could not win and so he ordered Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) to leave his kingdom and stopped everybody from following his religion.
Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) left the city of Babul and migrated to Syria. From Syria he went towards Baytul Muqaddas. On the way there a king presented his wife Sarah with a slave called Hajra.
Sarah presented Hajra to Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) and Sarah could not have any children and this made him very sad. He prayed to Allah to grant him a child through Hajra. Allah granted him a son called Ismail. When Ismail was born Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) was 86 years old. Five years later Allah also granted him another son through Sarah whom they called Is-haaq.
Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) took Hajra and Ismail to the place now known as Makka. He returned to Baytul Muqaddas. Hajra and her baby son Ismail soon ran out of water. Hajra ran in search of water between the two mountains of Safa and Marwa. Suddenly she saw a spring of water gush out under the heel of her son Ismail. The spring is still there today and is known as Zamzam. Soon the tribe of Banu Jurham came and settled around there and the town of Makka grew. Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) visited them often.
When Ismail (pbuh) was 13 years old, Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) dreamt that he was sacrificing Ismail (pbuh) It was a dream from Allah. Ibrahim (pbuh) talked to Ismail about his dream and Ismail who too was to be a Prophet said that Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) should do as Allah had commanded.
Just as Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) thought that he had sacrificed Ismail (pbuh) after passing a knife over his neck he opened his blindfold and saw that Ismail was standing safe near him and in his place there was a Ram.
Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) thought that his sacrifice had not been accepted but he heard a voice which said: "O Ibrahim, indeed you have proven true that dream, thus do we reward the doers of good". Allah mentions this in Suratus Saffaat, aya 105.
We celebrate Eid-ul-Hajj (Adha) commemorating this sacrifice of Ibrahim (pbuh) Allah in Suratu ‘Aali Imran, aya 91 says: "Never shall you achieve righteousness unless you spend (in the way of Allah) that which you love most".
Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) and Ismail also made the Ka'ba near the grave of Hajra who had died. The place where Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) stood is also there today and is known as Maqame Ibrahim. Allah softened the rock he was standing on to mould his footprints.
Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) is called the father of the Prophets because from his son Ismail (pbuh) came the Arab Prophets, including our Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), and from his son Ishaaq (pbuh) came the Prophets of Bani Israil including Prophet Isa (pbuh).
The title of Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) was "Khalilullah", which means "Friend of Allah".
When the time came for his death, he told the angel of death: "Ask Allah if a friend kills his friend?'"
The angel of death, Izra'il , could not answer this question, so he returned to Allah, Who commanded him to go back to Ibrahim (pbuh) and say: "O Ibrahim, does a friend refuse to return to his friend?" | 
