In The Name of Allah, The Most Compassionate, The Most Merciful

BismillahirRahmanirRahim. This weekend is the Hajj — the pilgrimage to Mecca — which every Muslim must do at least once. The precise destination is Baitul Allah, the House of Allah (God), known as "Kaaba," which Prophet Ibrahim, peace be upon him, built with his son Ismail, as an act of worship to the One God.

Kaaba is close to the spring that the archangel Jibril (Gabriel) had opened years earlier for Ismail's mother, Hajar, in the Arabian desert, as she ran between two small hills searching desperately for water for her infant son. From ancient times, pilgrims have journeyed to the Kaaba. Over time, idol worship took root among the Arab tribes and in the hajj activities. It was the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, who restored monotheism to the land and who emphasized the religious intention behind making the pilgrimage.

Every year, a sea of worshippers circle the Kaaba, following in the footsteps of Prophet Ibrahim and Prophet Muhammad. They re-enact Hajar's run and refresh themselves with the waters of ZamZam, the spring that still flows. On the last day of Hajj, they journey a few miles to the plain of Arafat, where Adam and Eve first met after being sent down to Earth. The white clothes of the millions gathered at Arafat and the sound of their supplications are a foretaste of the Day of Judgment.

The four-day Eid celebration begins the next day. Every Muslim family who has the means to do so must sacrifice an animal for the sake of Allah. This reminds us of Prophet Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his older son Ismail when Allah ordered it. And it recalls the mercy of Allah when Ismail was saved from the knife.

The episode demonstrates two levels of islam (submission): one in which the father submitted to the will of his Lord, obediently going through with all the necessary steps to sacrifice his son, without objection. The other was shown by Ismail, who calmly submitted to the knife in his father's hand, accepting that his father was acting on the will of Allah, even to the point of thoughtfully telling his father to turn him face down, so he wouldn't have to see the boy's face. Allah rewarded them for their strict obedience by replacing the boy with a ram, and forever ending the practice of human sacrifice for worship.

In a properly done sacrifice (kurban), the animal is fed, watered and treated with kindness. A calm, prayerful and skillful approach ensures a minimum of fear and pain for the animal, so that it submits to its role as Ismail did. Kurban offers a moving and powerful experience of the temporary and fragile nature of this life for the believers who witness it. Families and friends visit each other to share the kurban meat. One-third of the meat from any sacrificed animal is given to the poor.

Prophet Ibrahim was very wealthy. The mountains were white with his numerous sheep, and he had many shepherds working for him. He was known as the "Friend of Allah" (Khalil-ullah). Jibril was curious to know why Allah favored Ibrahim so much. So he went disguised as a man to find out. Prophet Ibrahim slaughtered a sheep and prepared a meal for the stranger. Before eating, Jibril offered a zikir (praising of Allah) that Ibrahim had never heard before.

In awe and gratitude for hearing the stranger praise his Lord so beautifully, and from his boundless generosity, Ibrahim gave all the sheep to the stranger and asked him to repeat the zikir. When Jibril did, Ibrahim immediately offered himself and all his shepherds as servants to his guest. Thus Jibril understood that Prophet Ibrahim was Khalil-ullah because he lived solely and literally for the sake of Allah. Jibril then told Ibrahim of his real angelic identity and declined to accept the sheep. Ibrahim in turn told him, "Once I give something for the sake of Allah, I will not take it back."

So, Jibril moved the sheep to behind the Mountain of Qaf (secret hidden mountain), where they will stay until the return of Isa (Jesus). He and Sayiddina Mehdi, one of the descendants of Prophet Muhammad (saw), will bring justice and peace to the world. The sheep will be slaughtered, and the believers will celebrate with Isa and Mehdi.

Ibrahim was the father of two prophetic lines. It is said that thousands of prophets came to Bani Israel (children of Israel) through the generation of Isaac, Ibrahim's other son. Some are: the Prophets Yakub (Jacob), Musa (Moses), Dawood (David), Suleiman (Solomon) and Isa.

From the line of Ismail came the Prophet Shuaib, father-in-law of Prophet Musa. Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, is also a direct descendent of Prophet Ibrahim through the line of Ismail... al-Fatiha

[Daily Star - 1/31/2004]