And who would be averse to the
religion of Abraham except one who makes a fool of himself. And We had
chosen him in this world, and indeed he, in the Hereafter, will be among
the righteous. (Surah Baqarah Ayah 130)
In this ayah, Allah swt call the one who leaves the religion of Ibrahim a.s as foolish.
What was the religion of Ibrahim a.s?
Ibrahim a.s adopted the religion based on Tawheed ( worshipping Allah s.w.t alone) and Ikhlaas (sincerity) completely free from shirk.
In the above ayah, Allah swt also mentioned that He chose Ibrahim a.s. in dunya.
How did Allah swt choose Ibrahim a.s in this world?
1) Allah swt made him a leader (Imam) for all the Muslims. Even Prophet Muhammad saw was required to follow Ibrahim a.s.
2) Allah chose him as his intimate friend (Khaleelullah)
3) Ibrahim a.s. was given righteous offsprings. He was called as the father of prophets (Abul Anbiya). Many prophets including Ismael, Ishaaq, Yaqoob, Yousuf, Musa, Harun, Eesa, Suleman, Dawud (may blessings of Allah be upon them) and Prophet Muhammad saw were from Ibrahim a.s. lineage.
4) Allah gave Ibrahim as an opportunity to build Kaaba with his son Ismael a.s.
5) Allah swt accepted his duas to populate Makkah, to make it a peaceful city and to send a messenger among Arabs.
6) Allah swt preserved his name, which we mention daily in Durood Ibraheem. Even today, Muslims offer two rakah nafil Salah in Maqam-e-Ibraheem in Kaaba.
Why did Allah swt choose Ibrahim a.s.?
When his Lord said to him, "Submit", he said "I have submitted [in Islam] to the Lord of the worlds." (Surah Baqarah Ayah 131)
He submitted right away without any if and buts, without making any excuses and without asking any questions.
And [mention, O Muhammad], when Abraham was tried by his Lord with commands and he fulfilled them. [ Allah ] said, "Indeed, I will make you a leader for the people." [Abraham] said, "And of my descendants?" [ Allah ] said, "My covenant does not include the wrongdoers." (Surah Baqarah Ayah 124)
Ibrahim a.s. attained this status after going through many tests. When Allah swt commanded Ibrahim a.s. to leave his wife Hajar a.s. and Ismael a.s. in the barren desert of Makkah, he did not object to Allah's command but accepted it right away. When Ibrahim a.s. was asked to slaughter his son Ismael a.s., he acted upon it right away. After passing through all the tests with flying colours, Ibrahim a.s. attained the status of being a friend of Allah.
Think about how do we respond to Allah's commandments in Quran and Sunnah! Do we implement them right away? Or do we try to make up excuses for not following them? Or do we think that they can not be applied in our situation as our situation is different? Do we think.........?
I can not pray because I have a class at that time.
During the exam time, I do not have time to pray.
I do not have any time to watch Islamic lectures or read Islamic articles.
It is impossible to fast in such a hot weather.
Are we going to give these excuses to Allah swt when He will question us on the day of Judgment?
Are our situations or tests even comparable to those of Ibrahim a.s.? Alhumdulillah, we are not asked to sacrifice our children or to leave them in a desert. Allah swt only wants us to stop following our never-ending worldly desires. Allah swt wants us to worship Him as He deserves to be worshipped and to follow His commands which are much easier as compared to the commands given to Ibrahim a.s.
Even after being chosen by Allah swt, Ibrahim a.s. did not become arrogant. He stayed humble and submissive. After getting the opportunity of building Kaaba (House of Allah), Ibrahim a.s.did not feel proud or superior but instead he humbly made this dua to Allah swt:
"Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed You are the Hearing, the Knowing." (Surah Baqarah 127)
Think about how do we feel after doing a good deed. We think as we have done a great favour for Allah swt. We start feeling very righteous and pious after doing a single good deed, forgetting the numerous sins we have done in the past.
We should remember that even the ability to perform a good deed is from Allah swt. So, we should thank Allah swt for giving us the ability (tawfeeq) of doing a good deed, therefore, we should have no pride in it. Instead, we should check our intention behind that deed and we should make dua to Allah swt to accept it and reward it. The companions of Prophet saw used
to fear for the rejection of righteous deeds more than they used to fear for the consequences of sins. The good deed which is not accepted by Allah swt has no worth in the eyes of Allah swt and it is not rewarded. So, no matter how good our deeds are, we should always be renewing our intentions and seeking repentance.
The righteous deed is the one which is done sincerely to earn the pleasure of Allah swt and it is done according to the Sunnah of Prophet saw. If any of these conditions are not met then the deed has no value in the eyes of Allah swt.
May Allah swt give us ability to perform many righteous deeds! May Allah swt accept our righteous deeds and forgive our sins!
Ameen
And [mention, O Muhammad], when Abraham was tried by his Lord with commands and he fulfilled them. [ Allah ] said, "Indeed, I will make you a leader for the people." [Abraham] said, "And of my descendants?" [ Allah ] said, "My covenant does not include the wrongdoers." (Surah Baqarah Ayah 124)
Ibrahim a.s. attained this status after going through many tests. When Allah swt commanded Ibrahim a.s. to leave his wife Hajar a.s. and Ismael a.s. in the barren desert of Makkah, he did not object to Allah's command but accepted it right away. When Ibrahim a.s. was asked to slaughter his son Ismael a.s., he acted upon it right away. After passing through all the tests with flying colours, Ibrahim a.s. attained the status of being a friend of Allah.
Think about how do we respond to Allah's commandments in Quran and Sunnah! Do we implement them right away? Or do we try to make up excuses for not following them? Or do we think that they can not be applied in our situation as our situation is different? Do we think.........?
I can not pray because I have a class at that time.
During the exam time, I do not have time to pray.
I do not have any time to watch Islamic lectures or read Islamic articles.
It is impossible to fast in such a hot weather.
Are we going to give these excuses to Allah swt when He will question us on the day of Judgment?
Are our situations or tests even comparable to those of Ibrahim a.s.? Alhumdulillah, we are not asked to sacrifice our children or to leave them in a desert. Allah swt only wants us to stop following our never-ending worldly desires. Allah swt wants us to worship Him as He deserves to be worshipped and to follow His commands which are much easier as compared to the commands given to Ibrahim a.s.
Even after being chosen by Allah swt, Ibrahim a.s. did not become arrogant. He stayed humble and submissive. After getting the opportunity of building Kaaba (House of Allah), Ibrahim a.s.did not feel proud or superior but instead he humbly made this dua to Allah swt:
"Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed You are the Hearing, the Knowing." (Surah Baqarah 127)
Think about how do we feel after doing a good deed. We think as we have done a great favour for Allah swt. We start feeling very righteous and pious after doing a single good deed, forgetting the numerous sins we have done in the past.
We should remember that even the ability to perform a good deed is from Allah swt. So, we should thank Allah swt for giving us the ability (tawfeeq) of doing a good deed, therefore, we should have no pride in it. Instead, we should check our intention behind that deed and we should make dua to Allah swt to accept it and reward it. The companions of Prophet saw used
to fear for the rejection of righteous deeds more than they used to fear for the consequences of sins. The good deed which is not accepted by Allah swt has no worth in the eyes of Allah swt and it is not rewarded. So, no matter how good our deeds are, we should always be renewing our intentions and seeking repentance.
The righteous deed is the one which is done sincerely to earn the pleasure of Allah swt and it is done according to the Sunnah of Prophet saw. If any of these conditions are not met then the deed has no value in the eyes of Allah swt.
May Allah swt give us ability to perform many righteous deeds! May Allah swt accept our righteous deeds and forgive our sins!
Ameen
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