Narrated IbnAbbas [RA]: The first lady to use a girdle was the mother of Ismail. She used a girdle so that she might hide her tracks from Sarah. Ibrahim brought her and her son, Ismail while she was suckling him, to a place near the Kaba under a tree on the spot of zam-zam, at the highest place in the mosque. During those days there was nobody in Mecca, nor was there any water. So he made them sit over there and placed near them a leather bag containing some dates, and a small water-skin containing some water, and set out homeward.
He Will Not Neglect Us
IsmaiIs mother followed him saying, "O Ibrahim! Where are you going, leaving us in this valley where there is no person whose company we may enjoy, nor is there anything (to enjoy)?" She repeated that to him many times, but he did not look back at her. Then she asked him, "Has Allaah ordered you to do so?" He said, "Yes." She said, "Then He will not neglect us," and returned while Ibrahim proceeded onwards, and on reaching the Thaniya where they could not see him, he faced the Kaba, and raising both hands, invoked Allaah saying the following prayers: "O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring dwell in a valley without cultivation, by Your Sacred House (Kaba at Mecca) in order, O our Lord that they may offer prayer perfectly. So fill some hearts among men with love towards them, and (O Allaah) provide them with fruits, so that they may give thanks. "(Q14:37)
IsmaiI's mother went on suckling Ismail and drinking from the water (she had). When the water in the water-skin had all been used up, she became thirsty and her child also became thirsty. She started looking at him (i.e. Ismail) tossing in agony. She left him, for she could not endure looking at him, and found that the mountain of Safa was the nearest mountain to her on that land.
She stood on it and started looking at the valley keenly so that she might see somebody, but she could not see anybody. Then she descended from Safa and when she reached the valley, she tucked up her robe and ran in the valley like a person in distress and trouble, till she crossed the valley and reached the Marwa mountain where she stood and started looking, expecting to see somebody, but she could not see anybody. She repeated that (running between Safa and Marwa) seven times.
Safa & Marwa:
The Prophet [peace and blessings ofAllaah be upon him] said, "This is the source of the tradition of the walking of people between them (i.e. Safa and Marwa). When she reached the Marwa (for the last time) she heard a voice and she asked herself to be quiet and listened attentively. She heard the voice again and said, O, (whoever you may be)! You have made me hear your voice; have you got something to help me?" And behold! She saw an angel at the place of Zam-zam, digging the earth with his heel (or his wing), till water flowed from that place.
She started to make something like a basin around it, using her hand in this way, and started filling her water-skin with water with her hands, and the water was flowing out after she had scooped some of it. " The Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] added, "May Allaah bestow Mercy on Ismails mother! Had she let the Zam-zam (flow without trying to control it) (or had she not scooped from that water) (to fill her water-skin), Zam-zam would have been a stream flowing on the surface of the earth." The Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] further added, "Then she drank (water) and suckled her child. The angel said to, her, Dont be afraid of being neglected, for this is the House of Allaah which will be built by this boy and his father, and Allaah never neglects His people.
The House (i.e. Kaba) at that time was on a high place resembling a hillock, and when torrents came, they flowed to its right and left.
A Nation Is Raised Upon Submission
She lived in that way till some people from the tribe of Jurhum or a family from Jurhum passed by her and her child, as they (i.e. the Jurhum people) were coming through the way of Kada. They landed in the lower part of Mecca where they saw a bird that had the habit of flying around water and not leaving it. They said, This bird must be flying around water, though we know that there is no water in this valley.
They sent one or two messengers who discovered the source of water, and returned to inform them of the water. So, they all came (towards the water)," The Prophet added, "lsmail's mother was sitting near the water. they asked her, Do you allow us to stay with you? She replied, Yes, but you win have no right to possess the water. They agreed to that." The Prophet further said, "lsmaiI's mother was pleased with the whole situation as she used to love to enjoy the company of the people. So, they settled there, and later on they sent for their families who came and settled with them so that some families became permanent residents there.
The child (i.e. lsmail) grew up and learnt Arabic from them and (his virtues) caused them to love and admire him as he grew up, and when he reached the age of puberty they made him marry a woman from amongst them .
The lesson: The lesson that we learn from this narration is that Allaah will never leave people who believe in him and do what He wants them to do without assisting them even when it seems everything is lost.
Allaah says, "And whosoever fears Allaah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allaah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allaah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allaah has set a measure for all things." [Q 65:2-3]
Look at how the mother of lsmail submitted herself to the wish of Allaah even when It was difficult for her and her child. She knew that since it was A1laah that instructed her husband [Ibrahim] to do what he was doing, she had no problem and believed Allaah would find a way of the problem that they were. The Sacrifice Ibrahim [AS] used to visit his family from time to time. after he was ordered to leave for Palestine by Allaah.
On one of such visits, Ibrahim [AS], informed Ismail of his dream saying, Allaah say; "And, when he (his son) was old enough to walk with him, he said: "O my son! I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you (offer you in sacrifice to Allah), so look what you think!" He said: "O my father! Do that which you are commanded, Insha Allaah (if Allaah wills), you shall find me of As-Sabirin (the patient ones, etc.). " Then, when they had both submitted themselves (to the Will of Allaah), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (or on the side of his forehead for slaughtering); And We called out to him: "O Ibrahim! You have fulfilled the dream (vision)!" Verily! Thus do We reward the Muhsinun (good-doers). Verily, that indeed was a manifest trial. And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice (i.e. a ram); and We left for him (a goodly remembrance) among generations (to come) in later times. Salam un (peace) be upon Ibrahim (Abraham)!" Thus indeed do We reward the Muhsinun (good-doers). Verily, he was one of Our believing slaves. [37:112]
AS WE GAVE HIM THE GLAD TIDINGS OF ISHAQ, A PROPHET FROM THE RIGTHEOUS[Q 37:112] In these verses of the Quran Allaah tells us how He tested [Ibrahim] [AS] and how Ibrahim passed the test and thus became one of the best Messengers of Allaah. The People of Sacrifice The two people involved in the story of the sacrifice were Ibrahim and Ismail [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon them] unlike what the People of the Book [the Jews and the Christians] claim. They say that it was Prophet Ishaq [peace be upon him] that Allaah asked Ibrahim to sacrifice and not Prophet Ismail [peace be upon him]. Said bin Jubayr, Amlr Ash-Shabi, Yusuf bin Mihran, Mujahid, Ata and others reported from Ibn Abbas that it was lsmail, [peace be upon him].lbn Jarir narrated that Ibn Abbas said, "The one who was ransomed was Ismail,[peace be upon him].
The Jews claimed that-it was Ishaq, but the Jews lied." It was reported that Ibn Umar said, "The sacrifice was lsmail." Muhammad Ibn Ishaq said, "I heard Muhammad bin KabAI-Qurazi say, The one whom Allaah commanded Ibrahim to sacrifice of his two sons was lsrnall. We find this in the Book of Allaah, because when Allaah finishes the story of the one of the two sons of Ibrahim who was to be sacrificed, He then says: "And We gave him the glad tidings of Ishaq- a Prophet from the righteous"[Q 37: 112].
In another verse Allaah says, So, We gave her glad tidings of Ishaq and after Ishaq, of Yaqub) (Q11 :71). He mentions the son and the son of the son, but He would not have commanded him to sacrifice Ishaq when He had promised that this son would in turn have a son. The one whom He commanded him to sacrifice can only have been lsmail." So from the above we can say that the two people that were involve the story of the Sacrifice were Ibrahim and Ismail and not Ibrahim and Ishaq as claimed by the People of the Book.
There are many lessons that we can benefit from this story
1. The celebration of Eid-ul-Adha that we have today is a result of the submission of the two noble Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail.
2. Whoever submits to Allaah, He will find a way out of the difficulty that the person might find himself. This can be seen in the way Prophet Ibrahim and his wife behaved after Allaah commanded Ibrahim to leave Hajar and Ismail and go to another land.
3. The submission and obedience of Prophet Ismail to his father even when it was most difficult. Today, we celebrate and make merry Alhamdulillah, but there is more to it. We should reflect on the great sacrifice made by this great family i.e. Ibrahim, Hajar and Ismail [may Allaahs peace and blessings be upon them all].
Honour Is The Result of Submission
Building the Kabah: In the continuation of the narration of Abdullah ibn Abbas (RA) above, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: " ... Then Ibrahim stayed 0 our Lord! Accept (this service) from us, Verily, You are the All-Hearing, the AII Knowing." (Q2:127) away from them for a period as long as Allaah wished, and called on them afterwards. He saw Ismail under a tree near Zam-zam, sharpening his arrows.
When he saw Ibrahim, he rose up to welcome him (and they greeted each other as a father does with his son or a son does with his father). Ibrahim said, 0 Ismail! Allaah has given me an order. Ismail said, Do what your Lord has ordered you to do. Ibrahim asked, Will you help me? Ismail said, I will help you. Ibrahim said, Allaah has ordered me to build a house here, pointing to a hillock higher than the land surrounding it." [And this is the confirmation of the prophecy made to Hajar by the angel when Ismail was still a baby fighting for survival!] The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) added, "Then they raised the foundations of the House (i.e. the Kaba).
Ismail brought the stones and Ibrahim was building, and when the walls became high, Ismail brought this stone and put it for Ibrahim who stood over it and carried on building, while Ismail was handling him the stones, and both of them were saying, Oh our Lord! Accept (this service) from us, Verily, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. The Prophet [peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him] added, "Then both of them went on building and going round the Kaba saying: 0 our Lord! Accept (this service) from us, Verily, You are The All-Hearing, the All-Knowing." (Q 2:127)
And as we slaughter our animal in obedience to Allaah, as we make merry and felicitate as His Messenger has commanded us; we should remember that our festival is the festival of submission and obedience. Thus we should stay away from all acts of disobedience and sin during this period of Eid-ul-Adha and always. Rather we should hasten to the full submission of our self and will to Allaah and be hopeful of honour from Him as the reward of our obedience.
And like Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail [peace be upon them both], our lips should be wet from making this dua constantly during this period: O our Lord! Accept (this service) from us, Verily, You are the AII Hearing, The All-Knowing. "(Q 2:127)
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited