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Navigating the challenges of our time in the light of Ibrahim A.S.
9-09-2015
Challenges are part of life. No human in the annals of human history has been exempt from it. It is said in English “problems in life never end, they only differ”. The holy Quran has endorsed it in a number of verses. For instance, Allah says in Surah Balad “indeed we have created human in challenges”( 90/4). In Surah baqarah we read,” We will surely test you ( periodically)with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and life and fruits,..” (2/155))But it is also an undeniable fact that the contemporary challenges of the world are more complex and critical for Muslims than perhaps ever before. Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) has prophesied the escalation of tribulations towards the end of time like that of a pouring rain. ( Musnad Ahmed). As the current challenges escalate, we see in the world as a result Islamophobia on the rise. Islam being frowned upon. Muslims are perceived as a potential threat to the society. Islamic attire is seen as a sign of fanatics. The societies are often alienating Muslim women due to their Hijab or face veil. In some countries, the political oppression has threatened the existence of Islam and Muslims in the land. The propaganda against Islam and Muslims in the mainstream media has worsened the situation. To compound the crisis, some Muslim extremists have tainted the image of Islam in the world to the worst. The modern societies are demanding Muslims to assimilate or to compromise on the Islamic values if the wand to be recognized as the respected members of the society. These situations have left Muslims in despair, in particular the youth, who, either mistrust the Islamic values as the right way of life or turn their back on it. In these ordeal times, Muslims are in greater need of reminders that could strengthen their faith and help them navigate these challenges as best as possible. Hence the legacy of Ibrahim (PBUH) is a great example to learn from and relate to during this season of Hajj.
The Quran has explicitly required the believers to exemplify the life of Prophet Ibrahim as it is a treasure-trove of lessons which has great significance to contemporary times. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was even instructed by Allah to follow the pattern of prophet Ibrahim in his unwavering faith in Allah and to remain firm in the face of adversities as the life of Prophet Ibrahim reveals to us, hence the Quran says:
“ There has already been for you (O believers) an excellent pattern to follow in Ibrahim and those who with him”.( 60/4)
“We revealed to you ( O Mohammad) to follow the religion of Ibrahim inclining toward truth..’( 16/123)
On this note, I would like to share five important principles in the life of prophet Ibrahim (PBUH) that gave him great success. They are as relevant today as they were in his time.
1. The profound and perfect faith! Prophet Ibrahim’s faith in the truth was unwavering. At the same time it was very rational. He despised the idol worship the most, but he also used the scattered signs of the nature in the universe to discover the true creator of the universe. His faith was not blind rather born out of deep reflection. He harmonized between the revelation and reason. The Quran describes to us its details in the chapter number 6 and 21.
We live in the time of rationalism and scientific experiments. Atheism is gaining popularity in the academic circles of our time. It is the need of the day that we base our beliefs on the sound and rational proofs and teach it to our children who have the most exposure to the modern rationalism in their schools and academic studies. The absence of sound and rational explanation of Islam in our time has caused many youth to doubt and even question the tenets of Islam, as a result, they have failed to internalize the beautiful Islamic teachings in their respective lives. The Quran has repeatedly asked people to use their intellect and reflect over the nature to recognize the creator. This Abrahamic principle invites us to rediscover this lost methodology in our time and use it to study Islam and to teach others.
2. The absolute submission to Allah! The Quran tells us that whenever Prophet Ibrahim was asked to submit before the command of Allah he surrendered himself completely ( 2/131). He had even fostered this principle in his whole family, which made the entire family the great exemplars in the submission to Allah even in the most difficult situations. His attempt to sacrifice his son that he had prayed to Allah for several years to have him, and leaving his family in the Arabian desert where there was no human around, are some of the great examples of the true submission of prophet Ibrahim and his family to the command of Allah.
Today the world under different slogans and tones is demanding Muslims to submit to other than Allah, sometimes it is in the name of modernity or the freedom of choice, some other times this call is being made in the name that Islam is an outdated religion which needs modification with modern ideas, and even in some parts of the world the authorities are making deliberate attempts to tighten the social and political atmosphere for Muslims to lose their religious identity. This is the time we need to recall this great example of Ibrahim (PBUH)who despite facing some of the most difficult circumstances in human history, remained firm on his principle and submitted to the command of Allah. As a consequence, he accepted to be thrown alive in the blazes of fire . (21/68))This Abrahamic principle will strengthen our faith and prevent us from succumbing to the challenges of our time if we remain true to it.
3. Steadfastness and courage! Prophet Ibrahim was the man of courage and great determination. It is courage that inspired him to challenge his nation for their false beliefs and that led him to debate with the tyrant ruler of his time. His steadfastness made him to accept happily the consequences of his objection which was to be thrown in the fire and his expulsion from his native land.
In human life, one of the indispensable requirements for success is steadfastness and courage. The history of successful nations on the globe tells us that the key to their success was their determination to their mission, sacrifice to achieve the goal and to remain firm on its path. Those who failed to do so, history has recorded them as a failure and they have ceased to exist on the face of the earth.
The contemporary times demand from us that we avoid emotional reaction and superficial approach to the challenges of the time rather we reflect deeply to get to the root of the issues and act wisely with courage to resolve it.
4. The devotion! At the root of all the salient qualities in the life of Prophet Ibrahim that gave him success was his profound love for Allah and his amicable relation with Him. His devotion inspired him to act in the most humanly impossible conditions like a normal human thus he was able to overcome all the barriers that had hindered him from submitting to Allah. It was his sincere devotion to Allah that had earned him the great title of Khalil Ullah (the intimate friend of Allah). The Bible has even confirmed this position for him in more than two places, one of them is in the book of Isaiah and the other one is Chronicles.
It is a known phenomenon that following the religion is not easy without the sincere devotion to Allah. In the challenging times the only motivational source for a man to obey the creator is his sincerity and closeness to Him or the religion would be at the mercy of the situation. This principle in the life of prophet Ibrahim (PBUH) invites us to draw ourselves closer to Allah and strengthen our bonds with him so that we continue to submit to him at all times.
5. The leadership of the world! The Quran relates to us that when Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH)had succeeded in his trials and completed the task, Allah conferred upon him the leadership of the world (2/124)the previous religious texts also recognize it, hence the Bible says in Genesis , in the opening verses of the chapter 15:
” Now the Lord had said to Abram:
“Get out of your country from your family and from your father’s house. To a land that I will show you . I will make you a great nation: I will bless you. And make your name great. And you shall be a blessing”.(Genesis chapter 15) .
This has remained as a historic reality since then to this day even, that the majority of the world’s population venerates prophet Ibrahim and regards him as a great leader.
This great stature was granted to Prophet Ibrahim due to his extraordinary selfless sacrifice to attain the pleasure of Allah.
Allah says in the Quran that Muslims are the best of the nations and the leadership has been conferred upon them. In the Islamic view, Muslims are the closest to the tradition of Prophet Ibrahim. The Quran also states that Prophet Ibrahim had named us first as Muslims. This point reminds us to recognize our position in the world and it demands from us to engender in our lives the great qualities of submission and sacrifice for the sake of Allah and to maintain our close ties him, then insha Allah, Allah once again will reassign Muslims on the position of the world leadership as our ancestors had been in the past.
In conclusion, the life of prophet Ibrahim teaches us that regardless of the critical circumstances ,we must remain true to our religious ideals and never despair, rather continue to strive for the sake of truth with wisdom and courage and always be optimistic. This approach to difficulties in life Insha Allah will pay the path to success as Allah has promised in the Quran,” with every hardship there will be ease”.(94/4).
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