Our Noble Prophet
(s.a.w.a.s.) is from the progeny of Prophet Ibrahim (a.s.) through Prophet
Isma’il (a.s.), while Prophet Mousa (a.s.) and Prophet Ie’sa (a.s.) are from
the progeny of Prophet Isha’que (a.s.).
Prophet Ibrahim (a.s.) was tried and tested by Allah
(s.w.t.) and when he was found successful, he was appointed the “Imam” of the
people as stated in Surah al-Baqarah
Ayah 124: “When his Lord tested Ibrahim’s faith (by His words) and he satisfied
the test, He said: “I am appointing you as the leader of mankind.” Ibrahim
asked: “Will this leadership also continue through my descendants?” The Lord
replied: “The unjust do not have the right to exercise My authority.”
Unjust are the wrongdoers who are unjust to himself or to
others.
Allama Muhammad
Husayn Tabatabai, the author of the famous Tafseer-e-Qur’an, al-Mizaan,
classified wrongdoers into four categories:
(a) Those who are wrongdoers throughout their life.
(b) Those
who are wrongdoers in the beginning and became virtuous later.
(c) Those
who are virtuous in the beginning but became wrongdoers subsequently.
(d) hose
who are not wrongdoers at any time.
While Prophet Ibra’him was still a young man, he
demonstrated Tauheed of Allah by destroying all man-made idols and placed the
hammer in the hand of the big idol. When asked who destroyed the remaining
idols, he told them to ask the big idol if he could speak! The idol-worshippers
threw him in a mammoth fire, but Allah ordered the fire to cool down.
Prophet Ibrahim was
happily married to Lady Sarah for a very long time, but they did not have any
children. Lady Sarah asked her husband to marry her maid named Ha’jirah and hence
Prophet Isma’il (a.s.) was born, when
Prophet Ibrahim was about 78 years
old. Later, Allah ordered him to migrate
to the Hijaz (present day Saudi Arabia). He arrived in Makkah, which was a
barren land at that time. He left his infant son Isma’il and wife Lady Ha’jirah
as stated in Surah Ibra’him Ayah 37:
“Lord, I have settled some of my offspring in a barren valley near your Sacred
House so that they could be steadfast in prayer. Lord, fill the hearts of the
people with love for them and produce fruits (sympathy of hearts) for their
sustenance so that they may give thanks.”
One of Prophet Ibrahim (a.s.)’s tests was when Allah ordered
him to sacrifice his young son Isma’il as stated in Surah as-Saffa’at Ayah 102 to 105: “When his son was old enough to work
with him, he said, “My son, I have had a dream that I must sacrifice you. What
do you think of this? He replied, “Father, fulfill whatever you are commanded
to you and you will find me with patient, by the will of Allah. When they both
agreed and Ibrahim laid down his son on the side of the face (for
slaughtering), We called to him, Ibrahim, you have fulfilled what you were
commanded to do in your dream. “Thus do We reward the righteous ones. It was
certainly an open trial. We ransomed his son with a great sacrifice and
perpetuated his praise in later generations.”
After the birth of Prophet Isma’il from Lady Hajirah,
Lady Sarah gave birth to Prophet Isha’que when Prophet Ibra’him was about 86
years old. Surah al-Ankabut Ayah 27: “We
granted Isaac (Isha’que) and Jacob (Yaqoob) to Abraham (Ibrahim) and We
bestowed upon his offspring Prophet-hood and the Book. We gave him his reward
in this world, and in the next life he will be among the pious ones.”
Prophet Ibra’him died at the age of 175.
Sources used:
The Glorious Qur’an
Ahlul-Bayt.com, al-Huda Foundation
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