hafeezanwar
Junior Member
THE story of Abraham’s submission to God’s order.
when He commanded him to sacrifice his own son is remarkable indeed. Ishmael was the son given to Abraham in his old age, after he had given up all hope of having a son. Now that the son had grown up and was able to help his father in whatever way was needed, both face the shock of having to fulfill God’s order and render the supreme sacrifice. Although the command was given in a dream that was repeated more than once to confirm its truth, it should be remembered that dreams seen by prophets are always true. Abraham was a great prophet and realized that what he saw in his dream was true. As we pointed out last week, there was no hesitation whatsoever on the part of either Abraham or Ishmael. They realized that they must carry out God’s order, no matter what the sacrifice required meant to them both.
As we said last week, this divine order was, beyond doubt, hard for Abraham. He was required to undertake the task himself and sacrifice his son by his own hand. To Abraham, the question was one of obedience. Since his Lord wanted something, so be it, without hesitation. His son should also know and accept it willingly.
We see in Ishmael’s response proper manners with his Lord, and recognition of the limits of his ability in the face of hardship. Therefore, he seeks his Lord’s help to overcome his weakness. He attributes to God the grace of helping him to obey and make the sacrifice: “God willing, you will find me to be patient in adversity.” He does not press the matter as a heroic act on his part. Nor does he describe it as facing the danger and caring little for the consequences. He does not give himself any credit in the matter; he simply attributes it all to God who has helped him in carrying out His orders with patience in adversity. This is an example of perfect humility before God, trust in Him, combined with complete obedience and submission to His will.
The scene moves further to show us the order being carried out: “When the two of them had surrendered themselves to the will of God, and Abraham laid him prostrate on his forehead.” Once more, obedience, faith and acceptance of God’s will rise to a far nobler standard than anything known to humanity. The father puts his son prostrate before him and the son submits and shows no resistance. All this takes place in reality. Such is self-surrender, which is the essence of Islam: complete trust, obedience, certainty, acceptance, submission and action. Both father and son experience nothing other than pure faith.
The point here is not one of bravery, courage, enthusiasm or heroic action which a warrior might feel in battle. A committed fighter may undertake a task knowing that his chance of survival is negligible. However, this is totally different from what Abraham and Ishmael were doing: for them, there is no boiling situation, no rush of enthusiasm prompting hasty action before weakness or hesitation can creep in. Theirs is a rational self-surrender, with full knowledge of what they want, and compete reassurance about what will take place. More than that, they coolly appreciate the pleasure of obeying God’s orders.
At this stage, Abraham and Ishmael have done all that is required of them. They have submitted themselves and carried out the order. All that remained was the actual shedding of Ishmael’s blood and his death, which, in God’s scales, counted for little, compared with the energy, feelings and determination both father and son put into what was bidden of them. By this time, the test had reached its climax, its results were known and its objectives fulfilled. What remained was physical pain and a dead body, but God does not want His servants to endure suffering. He does not require them to torment or kill themselves. Once they have submitted themselves and shown their true willingness to do what He bids, then they have fulfilled what is required and passed the test successfully.
when He commanded him to sacrifice his own son is remarkable indeed. Ishmael was the son given to Abraham in his old age, after he had given up all hope of having a son. Now that the son had grown up and was able to help his father in whatever way was needed, both face the shock of having to fulfill God’s order and render the supreme sacrifice. Although the command was given in a dream that was repeated more than once to confirm its truth, it should be remembered that dreams seen by prophets are always true. Abraham was a great prophet and realized that what he saw in his dream was true. As we pointed out last week, there was no hesitation whatsoever on the part of either Abraham or Ishmael. They realized that they must carry out God’s order, no matter what the sacrifice required meant to them both.
As we said last week, this divine order was, beyond doubt, hard for Abraham. He was required to undertake the task himself and sacrifice his son by his own hand. To Abraham, the question was one of obedience. Since his Lord wanted something, so be it, without hesitation. His son should also know and accept it willingly.
We see in Ishmael’s response proper manners with his Lord, and recognition of the limits of his ability in the face of hardship. Therefore, he seeks his Lord’s help to overcome his weakness. He attributes to God the grace of helping him to obey and make the sacrifice: “God willing, you will find me to be patient in adversity.” He does not press the matter as a heroic act on his part. Nor does he describe it as facing the danger and caring little for the consequences. He does not give himself any credit in the matter; he simply attributes it all to God who has helped him in carrying out His orders with patience in adversity. This is an example of perfect humility before God, trust in Him, combined with complete obedience and submission to His will.
The scene moves further to show us the order being carried out: “When the two of them had surrendered themselves to the will of God, and Abraham laid him prostrate on his forehead.” Once more, obedience, faith and acceptance of God’s will rise to a far nobler standard than anything known to humanity. The father puts his son prostrate before him and the son submits and shows no resistance. All this takes place in reality. Such is self-surrender, which is the essence of Islam: complete trust, obedience, certainty, acceptance, submission and action. Both father and son experience nothing other than pure faith.
The point here is not one of bravery, courage, enthusiasm or heroic action which a warrior might feel in battle. A committed fighter may undertake a task knowing that his chance of survival is negligible. However, this is totally different from what Abraham and Ishmael were doing: for them, there is no boiling situation, no rush of enthusiasm prompting hasty action before weakness or hesitation can creep in. Theirs is a rational self-surrender, with full knowledge of what they want, and compete reassurance about what will take place. More than that, they coolly appreciate the pleasure of obeying God’s orders.
At this stage, Abraham and Ishmael have done all that is required of them. They have submitted themselves and carried out the order. All that remained was the actual shedding of Ishmael’s blood and his death, which, in God’s scales, counted for little, compared with the energy, feelings and determination both father and son put into what was bidden of them. By this time, the test had reached its climax, its results were known and its objectives fulfilled. What remained was physical pain and a dead body, but God does not want His servants to endure suffering. He does not require them to torment or kill themselves. Once they have submitted themselves and shown their true willingness to do what He bids, then they have fulfilled what is required and passed the test successfully.
