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The Story of Prophet Ismaa’eel

All perfect praise is due to Allaah; I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger; may Allaah exalt his mention, as well as that of his family and all his companions.

Allaah says:

وَقَالَ إِنِّي ذاهب ٌ إِلى رَبي سيهدين * رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ * فَبَشَّرْنَاهُ بِغُلَامٍ حَلِيمٍ * فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ السَّعْيَ قَالَ يَا بُنَيَّ إِنِّي أَرَى فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنِّي أَذْبَحُكَ فَانْظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَى قَالَ يَا أَبَتِ افْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ سَتَجِدُنِي إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّابِرِينَ * فَلَمَّا أَسْلَمَا وَتَلَّهُ لِلْجَبِينِ * وَنَادَيْنَاهُ أَنْ يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ * قَدْ صَدَّقْتَ الرُّؤْيَا إِنَّا كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ * إِنَّ هَذَا لَهُوَ الْبَلَاءُ الْمُبِينُ * وَفَدَيْنَاهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍ * وَتَرَكْنَا عَلَيْهِ فِي الْآَخِرِينَ * سَلَامٌ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ * كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ * إِنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ * وَبَشَّرْنَاهُ بِإِسْحَاقَ نَبِيًّا مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ * وَبَارَكْنَا عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى إِسْحَاقَ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِهِمَا مُحْسِنٌ وَظَالِمٌ لِنَفْسِهِ مُبِينٌ

which means: “And [then] he [i.e., Ibraaheem] said: ‘Indeed, I will go to [where I am ordered by] my Lord; He will guide me. My Lord! Grant me [a child] from among the righteous.’ So We gave him good tidings of a forbearing boy. And when he reached with him [the age of] exertion, he said: ‘O my son! Indeed I have seen in a dream that I [must] sacrifice you, so see what you think.’ He said: ‘O my father! Do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allaah wills, of the steadfast.’ And when they had both submitted [to the command of Allaah] and he put him down upon his forehead, We called to him: ‘O Ibraaheem! You have fulfilled the vision.’ Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good. Indeed, this was the clear trial. And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice, And We left for him [favourable mention] among later generations: ‘Peace upon Ibraaheem.’ Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good. Indeed, he was of Our believing servants. And We gave him good tidings of Is-haaq, a prophet from among the righteous. And We blessed him and Is-haaq. But among their descendants is the doer of good and the clearly unjust to himself [i.e. sinner].” [As-Saaffaat: 99-113]

Allaah is informing us here that His intimate friend, Prophet Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, was supported by Him against the disbelievers and granted victory after he had lost all hope in them accepting his call, and having seen them reject the great signs and miracles with which Allaah had endowed him; after all this, he, may Allaah exalt his mention, migrated, leaving his people by saying what means: “…’Indeed, I will go to [where I am ordered by] my Lord; He will guide me. My Lord! Grant me [a child] from among the righteous.’” [As-Saaffaat: 99-100] He supplicated to Allaah to grant him obedient offspring who would benefit him in his life and benefit his people after his death.

Allaah responded to the supplication and Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, was given glad tidings of a child who would be forbearing and would grow old enough to be described as such, because such a description is rarely given to a child. Forbearance is the foundation of righteousness, and that is why the son was described as such; and it was the angels who were the conveyers of this good news.

When this child grew old enough to be able to work and help and benefit his father, and therefore reached the age in which a son would be the dearest to his father, his father was commanded, in a dream, to slaughter him. A dream is one of the means via which prophets receive inspiration and revelations from Allaah. Imaam Al-Qurtubi, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said, quoting Imaam Muqaatil, may Allaah have mercy upon him: “He saw this dream on three consecutive nights.”

His informing his son was a means of easing the impact upon him, as well as a way of testing his patience and determination in obeying Allaah and his father. As soon as Ismaa’eel, may Allaah exalt his mention, received this news from his father, he was patient and submitting, in hope of the reward for doing so from Allaah. He asked his father to implement what he was commanded to in the dream and that he had no objection to this; Note: that he said this lest his father’s emotions would prevent him from implementing the command of Allaah.

Regardless how difficult the command was, Prophet Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, had to implement it, although he, may Allaah exalt his mention, had only just begun to enjoy the fruits of this son; but Allaah commanded this for a wisdom, which was to test the level of submission and servitude in the hearts of Prophet Ibraaheem and his son, may Allaah exalt their mention.

Help and relief only arrive after the slave perseveres through the test patiently and therefore passes it, as we shall see shortly. One does not know which of the two to be more astonished at, the father, who, at such an old age, submitted and agreed to slaughter his only son, who was his only supporter - which is a command that human hearts cannot tolerate, or the obedient son, who did not express the slightest discontent, fear, objection or undutifulness, but who instead bravely encouraged his father.

They submitted, relied upon Allaah, and mentioned His name in preparation for the slaughter. Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, placed his son face-down so he would not have to look at it when slaughtering him. Ismaa’eel, may Allaah exalt his mention, said to his father just before he was about to slaughter him: “O father! Tie me well lest I move while you slaughter me, and roll up your clothes lest my blood gushes onto it and stains it, as my mother would see it and be grieved. Pass the knife across my throat quickly to make the process of slaughtering easier upon me; place me face down so you will not see my face whilst slaughtering me and therefore become emotional and stop, and in this way, I will not see the knife in your hand and become scared, and greet my mother with Salaam on my behalf when you return.”

When Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, attempted to slaughter his son, he was called from above and informed that he had fulfilled the command that he had dreamt about. When he, may Allaah exalt his mention, looked up, he saw a large ram had been slaughtered instead of Ismaa’eel, may Allaah exalt his mention.

Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased with him, narrated that the Messenger sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “When Prophet Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, reached Al-Manaasik (currently the area where the stones are cast during Hajj), Satan appeared to him so he, may Allaah exalt his mention, cast seven stones at him until he sank into the ground; then, he appeared again at the place of the second Jamarah, so he, may Allaah exalt his mention, cast seven stones at him until he sank into the ground; then, he appeared again at the place of the third Jamarah, so he, may Allaah exalt his mention, cast seven stones at him until he sank into the ground...” Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased with him, continued: “By casting the stones, you stone the devil and follow the way of your father Ibraaheem.” [Ibn Khuzaymah] The narration of this story that was collected by Imaam Ahmad, may Allaah have mercy upon him, had this addition: “Then, Ibraaheem took Ismaa’eel, who was wearing a white shirt, and placed him down on his forehead; Ismaa’eel said: `O father! I do not have anything except this shirt for you to shroud me with, so remove it in order to shroud me with it (after slaughtering me)`; It was when he (i.e., Ibraaheem) attempted to remove his shirt, that he was called from behind: `O Ibraaheem! You have fulfilled the dream.` Ibraaheem therefore looked back and saw a huge white ram with horns (in place of his son).” Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased with him, said: “This is the type of animal we would look for to slaughter as our sacrifice.” The call that came to him from behind was a message telling him that he had done enough, in terms of submission and obedience, by going as far as he did.

There are numerous versions of this story, and nothing is beyond the ability of Allaah, but the above story is the most authentic in this regard. The other reports of this incident were not narrated through authentic sayings of the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and had they been true, then he sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam would have mentioned them.

What a person sees in his sleep is one of three types:

· True dreams

· Satanic dreams

· Whispers of the soul

The first type is that about which the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “The dream of a faithful believer is a part of the forty-six parts of Prophethood.” [At-Tirmithi]

The second type is that about which the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said, when mentioning the different types of dreams: “Some are from Satan to sadden the son of Aadam.” [Ibn Maajah]

An example of a Satanic dream that is mixed up and false is the story of the Bedouin who came to the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and said: ‘O Messenger of Allaah! I saw in a dream someone beheading me, and my head rolled away, so I went after it.” .’ The Messenger sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam said: “Do not inform anyone nor talk to people about whispers that come to you in your dreams from Satan.” [Muslim]

We were informed of the cure for this by the Prophet sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam who said: “If any of you see in your dream something that you dislike, then spit three times to your left and seek refuge in Allaah from its evil, then it will not harm you.” [Muslim] After doing this, one should turn over and sleep on the opposite side to what he was sleeping on, and should never mention the dream to others.

The third type usually results from having a preoccupied mind during the day.

Going back to the story, Allaah says what means: “Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good.” [As-Saaffaat: 110] This includes anyone who obeys Allaah and favours His pleasure over his own desires; such people will be highly rewarded by being relieved in this worldly life from the hardships and as well as being relieved from the agonies of the Hereafter; they will also have the support and assistance of Allaah in both lives. This verse proves that the more pious a person is, the more relief and support he will receive. The doers of good are those who do good deeds and are good to others by helping them and being kind towards them.

It is usually very difficult to bear the death of one’s child, but if the death was due to being slaughtered by his own hands, then the test would indeed be a far more difficult one. This may be an interpretation of the saying of Allaah which means: “Indeed, this was the clear trial.” [As-Saaffaat: 110] Another interpretation is that this incident was what clearly unearthed the true love that Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, had for his Lord, which was manifested by him favouring His command over all other feelings despite Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, loving his son dearly, especially because he was blessed with him at such an old age.

Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, expressed the highest level of servitude and thus deserved to have a favourable mention amongst the generations that succeeded him. All nations love him and supplicate for his exaltedness.

The glad tiding of his second son came after him passing this severe test. His son Is-haaq, may Allaah exalt his mention, was also blessed, and he was the one from whose offspring most of the prophets of Allaah descended. All the messengers and prophets who were sent to the children of Israel were descendents of Is-haaq, may Allaah exalt his mention, while only one messenger came from the descendents of Ismaa’eel, may Allaah exalt his mention, namely our Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. This verse verifies that the first born son of Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, who was to be sacrificed was Ismaa’eel and not Is-haaq, may Allaah exalt their mention, as claimed by the Jews and Christians.

The scholars differed regarding the place in which Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, slaughtered the sacrificial substitute animal, but the predominant opinion is that it was done in Makkah, next to the station of Ibraaheem.

The following are some matters which need highlighting:

Many people narrate different stories about this event which are baseless, especially during the ‘Eed Khutbah.

Although the scholars differed as to which of the two sons Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, was commanded to slaughter, the predominant opinion, by far, is that he was Prophet Ismaa’eel, may Allaah exalt his mention, although the Jews falsely claim that it was Is-haaq, may Allaah exalt his mention. Ibn ‘Abbaas, may Allaah be pleased with him, said: “The one for whom the sacrificial animal came as a substitute was Ismaa’eel, may Allaah exalt his mention; the Jews claim that it was Is-haaq, may Allaah exalt his mention, but they are liars.” [End of quote]

Shyakh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, may Allaah have mercy upon him, supported this opinion and said that there are many ways to prove it, such as:

· Allaah gave glad tidings to Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, that he would be blessed with Is-haaq, and then by Ya’qoob, may Allaah exalt their mention, who would be one of his descents. Had it been true that Is-haaq was the son to be slaughtered, then this would have appeared as a contradiction to the glad tidings.

· Allaah mentioned the full story of the slaughtered son, then gave Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, glad tidings of Is-haaq, may Allaah exalt his mention, which proves that the son to be slaughtered could not have been Is-haaq, may Allaah exalt his mention.

· When mentioning Is-haaq, may Allaah exalt his mention, Allaah mentioned that he would be a prophet, which is inappropriate to say this about one who is about to be slaughtered.

· Some narrations stated that the horn of the ram was hanging on the Ka’bah; if it had been Is-haaq, may Allaah exalt his mention, who was to be slaughtered, then it should have been in Jerusalem and not Makkah.

Imaam Ibn Al-Qayyim, may Allaah have mercy upon him, said: “The one whom Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, was commanded to slaughter was Ismaa’eel, may Allaah exalt his mention, according the scholars amongst the Companions, may Allaah be pleased with them, and those who came after them, while the other view is false; and this can be proven in twenty different ways. I heard Imaam Ibn TaymeeyyahTaymiyyah, may Allaah have mercy upon him, say; `The opinion which states that it was Is-haaq and not Ismaa’eel, may Allaah exalt their mention, (to be slaughtered) is taken from the people of the book, but their book itself proves it to be false, as it states that Ibraaheem was commanded to slaughter his first child, who is well known to be Ismaa’eel. The Jews have spited the Muslims for this honour and wished to have it for themselves, and thus they modified their book to state that it was Is-haaq (since they descend from his offspring). How could it be Is-haaq when his mother was given glad tidings of Is-haaq and then his son Ya’qoob? How could she be given this good news (of a son and grandson) and then the command comes to slaughter him?`” [End of quote]

There are many benefits that one can derive from the above story, such as:

· Regardless of how high a rank a person holds, he always remains in need of Allaah.

· The encouragement of befriending and accompanying the righteous, as they help one remain upon righteousness.

· Allaah responds to supplications.

· The capability of Allaah to fulfil His promise.

· The praiseworthy rank of Ismaa’eel, may Allaah exalt his mention.

· The encouragement of giving glad tidings to the person with his newborn, especially if it is a baby boy.

· Allaah can afflict His slave with a severe trial that most people’s hearts cannot cope with.

· Fulfilling and adhering to the command of Allaah in a situation like that of Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, reflects perfect servitude to Allaah, as he practically attempted to implement the command, despite it being the most difficult imaginable.

· One should convey the news of an affliction to the person to be afflicted in a way that expresses that he is only implementing the command and not wishing to harm him, as Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, did with his son, lest the person who is to be afflicted thinks that he does not love him or care for him.

· The permissibility of using an indirect way to test and feel the reaction of others, as Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, did when he expressed his feelings to his son, as if to take his opinion on slaughtering him.

· The dreams of Prophets are true and are from revelation, otherwise Ibraaheem, may Allaah exalt his mention, would not have acted upon his dream and attempt to slaughter his only son.

· The exalted high manners of Prophet Ismaa’eel, may Allaah exalt his mention.

· The virtue of immediate adherence to the command of Allaah and rushing to implement it.

· The permissibility of the person of a lesser lower rank to advise and encourage the one who is superior to him, like Ismaa’eel did with his father, may Allaah exalt their mention.

· One should acknowledge that all future matters are dependent of on the will of Allaah, as Ismaa’eel, may Allaah exalt his mention, said regarding him being patient.

· Patience applies during hardships as well as when fulfilling the commandments of Allaah.

· Proof that Allaah talks in a way that befits His majesty.

· Ease comes when difficulty reaches its peak.

· The determination to perform a good deed is recorded as if the person did it, even if he does not physically do it.

· Fulfilling the command of Allaah in what is otherwise a major great sin, namely killing an innocent soul, was in this case an act of worship.

· Reward is proportional to deeds.

· Allaah could test the slave in two ways: one by His decree, which man has absolutely no control over, and the second by commanding him to do something that he would normally be averse to, such as slaughtering his own son in this example.

· Allaah tests His slaves to reveal what is in their hearts and their willingness to obey Him during difficult situations.

· Young men should take Ismaa’eel, may Allaah exalt his mention, as an example to follow in terms of manners, obedience to one’s father, and servitude to Allaah.

· The best sacrifice to offer for slaughtering on the day of ‘Eed is a ram as Allaah ransomed Ismaa’eel, may Allaah exalt his mention, with that, and not a cow or a camel.

From islamav.com