Loyalty, Love, and Devotion: For Whom?
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In the name of Allah, the Most-Merciful, the All-Compassionate
"May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be Upon You"
Bismillah Walhamdulillah Was Salaatu Was Salaam 'ala Rasulillah
As-Salaam Alaykum Wa-Rahmatullahi Wa-Barakaatuh
Loyalty, Love, and Devotion: For Whom?
Muslims celebrate the life of Ibrahim (AS) every year during Hajj, and we also know his special status with Allah SWT as Khaleel-ullah (intimate friend of Allah). He is the forefather of our beloved Prophet SAW and we send blessings and prayers on him (AS) during every salah. What did Ibrahim (AS) do to get such a high status from Allah SWT?
We will briefly go over the story of Ibrahim (AS) and try to extract messages from it that earned him this high status with Allah SWT.
Before we reiterate the story of Ibrahim (AS), we will mention two brief points, which will Insha'Allah help us understand the message further.
Creation of the Earth:
When Allah SWT created Adam (AS) and Hawwa (AS), he said to them – “Do not eat from this tree …..”
This was the first divine command to mankind. The purpose: to check our obedience. A point worthy of our notice is that Allah SWT does not give details about the tree, rather just mentions the command; why? – It’s from the wisdom of Allah SWT which we may never comprehend. But when you try to seek guidance from the story, the message is fairly simple: Allah SWT wants only loyalty towards Him. He SWT wanted that from Adam (AS), from Ibrahim (AS) and by extension, from all believers.
From His very first message, Allah SWT lays the foundation of happiness and success for humanity to be in the obedience and loyalty to Him SWT. He SWT let us know that He is the Provider, Sustainer, Able to grant prayers and wishes. We, however, instead of asking Allah SWT, start acting up and go crazy if we don’t get what we want. We forget that He is the One who gives and takes; and there is immense wisdom in all His decisions. We are so off course from our Islamic foundation and so low in our Iman that when a calamity strikes us, instead of taking refuge with Allah SWT and asking Him, we do things what can only be termed absolute foolishness!
Divine Bounties:
Regardless of our situation in life, we are all drowning in the bounties of Allah SWT. If you have food to eat and a place to sleep, you are among the richest of humanity. If you are healthy, you only have to look to the hospitals where the wealthiest would give all they own to have what you have. If you have been inflicted with a calamity, think of the power of patience and its rewarding—and you will know that you will be the winner at the end. If you are a sinner, know the limitless mercy of Allah who provides us many chances to set aright our records. How can we not realize the mercy of Allah SWT when He provides us with so much wealth and forgiveness during Ramadan, giving us nights like Laylatul Qadr. Gives us the chance to perform Hajj and promises complete forgiveness from all sins. Or when Allah SWT promises to forgive the sins of last year and the coming year for people who fast on the day of Arafah (9th of Dhul Hijjah). Keeping these bounties in mind, we need to analyze ourselves: Where are we? Where does our obedience lie? How many mortal people are we obedient to? How much of our obedience is to Allah SWT, the only One who deserves it?
Ibrahim, The Haneef
Allah SWT says in Surah Al-An’aam:
Say: "Verily, my Lord hath guided me to a way that is straight,- a religion of right,- the path (trod) by Abraham the true in Faith, and he (certainly) joined not gods with Allah." Say: "Truly, my prayer and my service of sacrifice, my life and my death, are (all) for Allah, the Cherisher of the Worlds: No partner hath He: this am I commanded, and I am the first of those who bow to His will. (6:161—163)
Ibrahim (AS) is referred to as the Haneef or one whose life was an embodiment of the “oneness of Allah”. And since we, Muslims, claim to follow the deen of Ibrahim, “oneness of Allah” should be the central focus of our lives as well, from which all else comes.
Ibrahim AS’s story[1] can be termed the mother of all stories based on the amount and magnitude of messages we get from it. Allah SWT called Ibrahim (AS) “Khaleel-ullah”
The common translation of Khaleel-ullah as the Friend of Allah SWT is far from doing justice to this illustrious title; for according to scholars of Arabic language, the word khalla, from which the word khaleel is derived, indicates a greater degree of love than is conveyed by the word friend. “Khaleel” means the close companion/ loving and beloved friend. Looking at our own lives, we may have many friends, but how many khaleels can we have? We cannot claim to have many khaleels or multiple close confidants. A khaleel is closest to the heart – it can belong to only one. This is why Allah SWT gave this title to nobody else, but only to Ibraheem (AS).
How did Ibraheem (AS) earn the title of Khaleel-ullah?
We will provide a short synopsis of the life of Ibrahim AS below:
Even when he was a boy (between 7—10 years of age) he laughed at the ideology of assigning partners to Allah SWT. This can be known when he questioned his father about idol worshipping:
Behold, he said to his father: "O my father! Why worship that which hears not and sees not, and can profit you nothing? (19:42)
His father was an artisan who used to make idols and he would order Ibrahim (AS) to sell those in the market. At such a young age, he had the courage to refuse his father’s command and compromise his loyalty to the oneness of Allah that he felt in his heart and soul. During his young adulthood, (according to most reports, he was between the age of 10 – 14) he stood alone against his own people. He challenged their paganism by destroying the idols in the temple. People who knew of his disdain of idolatry cornered him, but he wisely made them doubt their beliefs by asking them to question the largest idol that he had left untouched. Since they knew the idol won’t be able to provide answers, his point was to make them stop and question their actions.
The big point here is that Ibrahim AS was the only Muslim during that time to walk on the face of the earth. He was Haneef and against all odds his loyalty was towards Allah!
Ibrahim (AS) after challenging his community, challenged the king who proclaimed himself to be the godhead. The king’s arrogance and insolence could not stand against the pure faith of Khaleel-ullah. All of his claims were met with wise answers by Ibrahim (AS) who never for a moment swayed from his message of proclaiming the grandeur of Allah SWT. Ibrahim (AS) sketched an unparalleled history of loyalty and devotion when he was thrown in fire by the king; and in the middle of the predicament, he refused even the help of the angels and only relied on Allah SWT.
Allah SWT adorned Ibraheem (AS) with four qualities beloved to Him:
1. One man = A nation (or Ummah) – Yes! He stood against a nation, as an entire nation himself, only for the sake of Allah SWT.
Let’s reflect over this for a moment, can we have any excuses? Alhamdulillah, we are not facing a whole nation alone, yet where are our loyalties? Can we fear anything or anybody if we trust Allah SWT as our sole protector? We may talk about this but do we do it? Ibrahim (AS) did it! Why can’t we? What does it say about our faith? What does it say about our Love for Allah SWT?
2. He delivered and He kept his covenant and commitment. The Arabic word used here is derived from the word waffa', meaning "to complete, to fulfill." Early scholars describe this word to encompass the description – he kept his promise and covenant about everything; he offered everything he had to Allah SWT:
· his body—to the fire;
· his heart—by obeying Allah and leaving Hajar and Ismaeel in the desert and later by agreeing to sacrifice Ismaeel;
· his money
3. He used to cry a lot (kaana awwaban muniba)
The question is: what did he cry for?
To pass his exams? For the love of another human? Asking Allah for this or that? No, Ibrahim (AS) cried to Allah for the sake of Allah, he wanted the closeness of Allah and was always in a state of du’a to Him.
4. Ibraheem (AS) had complete trust in Allah SWT
Ibraheem (AS) had been tested right from his young age according to the sunnah of Allah SWT that he mentioned in Surah Ankabut:
“Does mankind think that by (just) saying “We believe” they will be left alone and that they will not be tested? And We indeed, did test those who were before them, so that Allah will indeed know those who are true. He will know those who are liars”
His entire life is an open display of his unwavering reliance on Allah SWT:
· When People around him said – “kill him or burn him” and they made a big trench and put him in the burning fire, Ibraheem (AS) had complete trust in Allah SWT and all he said was “Sufficient is my Lord for me”.
· When he was asked to leave his wife and son in the desert with no signs of life in that place, he did so without questioning.
· When he was asked to sacrifice his only son, he complied.
All these incidents show Ibrahim (AS)’s complete trust in Allah and his faith that his Khaleel was sufficient for him.
Early scholars say that Ibrahim (AS) gave to Allah SWT the three things we humans love most:
a. his body,
b. his heart (his love, feelings and desires), and
c. his money.
a. He sacrificed his body when he was thrown into fire.
When Gabriel AS offered to rescue him, Ibrahim (AS) asked if Allah had sent him. Gabriel AS replied in negative, and Ibrahim (AS) declined his help. The same scenario was repeated with the angels of wind and rain. His only response to this overwhelming situation was:
Hasbiallahu wa ni’mal wakeel
Allah is sufficient for me and He is my Guardian
Just think about how many people we rely on in case a calamity strikes us? How many phone calls do we make and what is our state of heart and mind? Do we even wait to make du’a and ask Allah first?
Allah teaches us a lesson here, when we ask only Allah SWT 100%, He helps 100%.
Even the fire cannot burn without the will of Allah SWT. Ibrahim (AS) sat amidst the fire like one would in a garden of flowers. For a believer any calamity can become a garden of flowers if he relies on Allah SWT. Can we doubt the power of Allah? If we do so what does it say about our iman? Why do we doubt ourselves? More importantly why do we doubt Allah SWT? Can we have any better protector than Him?
b) Ibraheem (AS) sacrificed his heart (his feelings, love and desires)to Allah SWT by first leaving his wife and only child in a barren valley with no provisions, and then offering his son as a sacrifice.
Ibrahim (AS) first married Sarah who was unable to bear any children. Sarah knew of her husband’s desire to leave the seed of prophecy in earth so she offered her slave Hagar to him as a wife. Allah blessed them with Ismaeel AS when Ibrahim AS was an aged man. Having a child at such an old age after giving up all hopes must have been an ecstatic feeling. At this point, Allah SWT ordered Ibrahim (AS) to leave his beloved wife Hajar and their young toddler Ismaeel (AS) at a deserted valley. Ibrahim (AS) devotedly did so and when he started walking away from them, Hajar asked him: “Why are you leaving us here?” He remained quiet until Hajar asked: “Has Allah SWT command you to do so?” Ibrahim (AS) replied in affirmative at which she simply responded: “then He will take care of us and protect us.”
Try to imagine the faith of a mother who has a nursing baby in her arms and she is not worried about her husband leaving them in the middle of a barren valley. Look at the loyalty of Ibrahim (AS) who is ready to carry out any command of Allah SWT, no matter how hard on his soul.
Where are we compared to them? We love our husbands, our wives, our children, our parents, houses, jobs, money; we love everything else in the world except Allah SWT. Our loyalty is towards everybody else except Allah SWT. Our love has become so cheap that we spend our time, money, and effort over a pair of shoes or meals. We are ready to do anything for our own satisfaction and benefit but we back out if it is for the sake of Allah SWT; even though we know it is the most beneficial for us.
Everything in life from spouses to children should be seen as a tribulation or a blessing. We should continuously be moving ahead in our journey of Iman and if someone is holding us back from it, than it calls for a sacrifice.
As Ismaeel grows into a young boy, Ibrahim (AS) gets a vision from Allah to sacrifice him for the sake of Allah. The devoted father goes to the son and relays his dream to his son, who is bent on setting his own name down among the most obedient of Allah’s slaves, and is ready to surrender to the will of Allah. We all know the story when Allah SWT replaced Ismaeel (AS) with a ram from the heaven and it is in the commemoration of this incident that Muslims perform animal slaughter every year.
This is real loyalty and sincere dedication. The disease of the Muslim ummah now is that the love of everything else is above the love of Allah SWT. We are stuck in a cycle of trials and calamities; the only way to pass and get out of this cycle is steadfastness and purity of love and devotion to Allah. This is when we receive elevation and dignity from Allah. Allah SWT elevated Hajar by making her struggle of survival and reliance in Allah a ritual of Hajj in the form of Sa’i (walking between the mountains of Safa and Marwa). We are made to remember Ibraheem (AS)’s struggle so we can renew our loyalty and devotion to Allah by sacrificing in His name during Eid-ul-Adha. Ibraheem (AS) and Ismaeel (AS) were rewarded with building the house of Allah, the Ka’aba.
c. Ibraheem (AS) was generous with his money
He (AS) never ate alone and always shared his meal with a guest.
Eid-ul-Adha:
Muslims worldwide commemorate the ultimate sacrifice Ibrahim offered to Allah in the form of his son, every year. Scholars say that if Allah SWT had not replaced Ismael (AS) with the sheep, we would have to slaughter our own children every time! Would we be able to do that, really? Would we still have been considered Muslims if ordered to but refuse to perform the sacrifice? Allah SWT is merciful and it is another one of His divine bounties that He asks us to do what is not hard on our souls. The purpose of sacrifice is to bring the slave closer to his Lord SWT. It is the best of what you own that is worthy to be offered as a sacrifice to the Lord of the heavens and the earth, not what you don’t need. The least we can do is to slaughter the love of everything and everybody else from our hearts and devote our lives for the mission Allah SWT has chosen for us—propagation of His deen
Love Generates Obedience:
If we love someone, we obey him. Ibrahim (AS) obeyed Allah SWT in whatever situation he was in because of his pure love for Him SWT.
We claim to love Allah but our heart is full of duniya, our priority is duniya, our loyalty and dedication is for duniya. Neither our spouses nor our children will help us on the Day of Judgment, but we dedicate our entire lives for them and think we are very intelligent. In reality we are fooling ourselves and masking our eyes from the reality.
Imagine if you die and Allah finds you love duniya above Allah? How disgraceful is that? Allah SWT will say to those unfortunate ones on the Day of Judgment to go to those they dedicated their lives to and get their support.
The early people used to say I want to marry a person to please Allah and to get closer to Him. The companions migrated leaving their families and properties for Allah because they loved Allah more and wanted Him SWT above their worldly possessions. All their decisions were guided by their loyalty, love, and devotion to Allah!
Ultimate Disgrace vs. Ultimate Elevation:
Ultimate disgrace is that Allah fills the heart of a person with love for duniya and its pleasures; which can lead to ultimate calamity and that is to die without the love of Allah in your heart.
Ultimate elevation is when Allah allows a person to perform deeds that are pleasing to Him SWT and the person starts to use all his bounties for Allah’s sake. This leads to the ultimate pleasure a person can enjoy in this world which is to work and sacrifice for the sake of Allah.
Conclusion:
Allah SWT called Ibrahim (AS) Khaleel-ullah because he gave to Allah. He (AS) gave his love, devotion, trust, reliance, thought, tears, sacrifices, obedience all to Allah SWT who is the only one deserving of them. This in turn earned him what it will earn any other person: dignity in this life and the hereafter, true joy and happiness of the soul, tranquility, peace, and contentment.
All we need to do to reach the reality of oneness of Allah is take Ibrahim (AS) as our role model and closely follow his footsteps; InshaAllah we will attain success and be written among the true followers of the millat and deen of Ibrahim (AS).
Daee Ahmed Moait
Courtesy: www.noora1.com
Compiled, edited and adapted by Khalid Latif, e-tabligue