ABRAHAM (PBUH) IN ISLAM

Delivered by Mulla Mujahidali Sheriff at Briantspuddle Village Hall on Thursday 2^nd December 2004

I begin in the Name of God, the beneficent, the Merciful.

May His peace and blessings upon those who receive His guidance and follow it devotedly.

NOTE OF GRATITUDE

First, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Reverend Ian Woodward for inviting us here to talk about Islam.

It is of paramount importance for the followers of Abrahamic faiths to get together time and again to discuss their common beliefs. Such congregations:

• Removes the misconceptions among us

• Strengthens our relation with each other

• Enables us to relate and work with each other on common grounds with respect and honour

• And unites us to face the challenges of our contemporary times.
   

INTRODUCTION TO THE TOPIC

Tonight, I would like to talk about “Abraham in Islam”.

Although it has been said that Islam is one of the Abrahamic faiths, but so far, whenever I have personally met with people of other Abrahamic faiths, they have wanted to know the connection, which Islam has with Abraham (PBUH).

Therefore, I will briefly talk about:

1. How does Islam revere Abraham?

2. Abraham was the champion of Monotheism.

3. The relation of Islam with Abraham’s faith.

4. Islam’s articles of faith.

PART ONE:

“HOW DOES ISLAM REVERE ABRAHAM (PBUH)?

The Holy Quran speaks extensively about Abraham. Infact the name of Abraham has appeared in the Holy Quran 69 times. He has been given many beautiful names and titles. For instance:

He is called ‘Khaleelullah’

‘Khaleelullah’ means the friend of Allah. Allah is the Arabic name of the Almighty God. He says in chapter 4, verse 125 (Quran): “And Allah took Abraham as a dedicated friend.”

He is called ‘Siddiq’ and a ‘Nabi’

‘Siddiq’ means truthful (a righteous person) and a ‘Nabi’ means a Prophet. God says in chapter 19, verse 41 (Quran):

“And mention in the book Abraham. Indeed he was a truthful one, a prophet.”

He is called a ‘Muslim’

In Arabic ‘Muslim’ is one who submits and surrenders to One and only God. Abraham did not only submit himself to One God, but he also enjoined his children to submit themselves to Him alone.

In chapter 2, verses 131-132, God says:

“When his Lord said to him: ‘Submit’; he said, ‘I submit to the Lord of the worlds’, Abraham enjoined this (creed) upon his children…” 

He is often called ‘Haneef’

It means that he was not only a Monotheist but also a non-deviant Monotheist. One who was upright in his belief in One God.

In chapter 2, verse 135, God says:

“…Say (O Muhammad): Nay! We will follow the religion of Abraham; the upright and he was not of the polytheists.”

He is also called an ‘Ummah’

‘Ummah’ means a community or a nation. Abraham has been called a nation in himself. In chapter 16, verse 120 (Quran) God says: “Indeed Abraham was a nation, devotedly obedient to God, upright and he was not of the polytheists.”

So this is how the Quran has mentioned Abraham (PBUH)

PART TWO:

ABRAHAM WAS THE CHAMPION OF MONOTHEISM

According to Islam, Abraham (PBUH) was one of the greatest prophets of God who was chosen to guide the people to believe in One God and worship Him alone without associating partners to Him.

In other words, the crust or the essence of Abraham’s message was: Believe in One God and worship Him alone!

In chapter 29, verse 16, Quran says:

“And Abraham, when he said to his people: ‘Worship God and be wary of Him, that is better for you, should you know. Infact, instead of God you worship idols, and you invent a lie. Indeed those whom you worship besides God have no control over your provision. So seek all (your) provision from God, and worship Him and thank Him, and to Him you shall be brought back’.”

Abraham (PBUH) used different methods to propagate his message of Monotheism to the people. Besides talking to people, he used approaches that appeal to human logic. The Holy Quran has talked about some of his ways of propagation.

For instance:

In chapter 6, verses 76 to 80, of Quran describes how Abraham refuted people who believed in creatures as God, rather than belief in God Himself.

Abraham lived among the people who had great knowledge of the stars and the moon. The Babylonian religion was an admixture of animism and nature worship. The two powers most commonly chosen were the Sun and the Moon. To break such a belief, Abraham opted to a role-play. What did he do?

When night grew dark and he saw a Star, he said, “This is my Lord!” Then when the star set, he said, “I do not love the setting ones.”

Then he saw the Moon rise all aglow, so he said, “This is my Lord!” But then when the Moon also disappeared, Abraham said, “Had my Lord not guided me, I would surely have been among those who are led astray.”

Then, when he saw the Sun rising, he said, “This is my Lord! This is bigger!” But when the Sun also set, he said, “O my people! Indeed I disown what you take as (His) partners. Indeed I have turned my face toward Him Who originated the heavens and the earth, upright and I am not of the polytheists.”

From this action, the message of Abraham was clear. He implied that: The setting of those shinning bodies and their going away in darkness is the biggest proof of their limitations; Thus when a thing is limited and subservient to other things, it can not be taken as God but a creature!

Abraham (PBUH) also came up with another scheme that could appeal to the logic of the idol-worshippers.

In chapter 21, verses 51 to 67 Quran says:

When the people were out of the way, he broke all their idols and images to pieces. But he left intact and unbroken the biggest idol of all. When the people returned and discovered all their idols smashed, they were extremely disappointed and asked, “Who has done this to our gods?”

Then some of them had remembered that they had heard Abraham speaking against their idols. So they brought him and asked him, “Are you the one who did this to our gods?” He replied, “Perhaps it was the biggest one who did it, why don’t you ask him if only the idols can speak!”

At this, the people were disturbed and appeared ashamed. They said, “You very well know that they can not speak!” Thereupon Abraham said, “Do you then worship things that can neither be of any good to you nor do you any harm? Fie on you and what you worship besides God. Do you not apply reason?” 

Thus we see that according to Islam, Abraham was the champion of Monotheism. He firmly believed in One and only God, enjoined his offspring to follow the same creed and invited people to the same message in manners that could appeal to their logic in those days.              

PART THREE:

ISLAM & ABRAHAMIC FAITH

The message of Islam is clearly linked to the faith of Abraham.

According to Islam, Muhammad (PBUH) is the descendant of Abraham (PBUH) through his son Ishmael who has been commanded to follow and to lead his nation to the path of Abraham. And the path of Abraham was total submission to One God and His Will.

In chapter 16, verses 120 to 123, the Quran says:

“Surely Abraham was a nation obedient to God, upright, and he was not of the polytheists.

Grateful (as he was) for His blessings, He chose him and guided him to the straight path.

We gave him good in this world, and in the Hereafter he will indeed be among the Righteous.

Then We revealed to you (saying), ‘follow the creed of Abraham, the upright; and he was not one of the polytheists’.”

Again, we will find that in chapter 4, verse 125, Quran says:

“And who has a better religion than him who submits his will to God, being virtuous and follows the creed of Abraham.”

The name ‘Islam’ in Arabic has its roots from the term ‘Saluma’ which means ‘peace, purity, submission and obedience’. In religious sense, Islam means ‘submission to the will of One God and obedience to His law.’ Thus we see its linkage and obvious connection with the creed of Abraham.

With regard to its belief, perhaps the ideal thing would be to present here with an extract of a speech delivered by one of the cousins as well as devoted follower of Muhammad (PBUH) by the name of Ja’ffar son of Abu Talib in presence of a Just Christian king of Abyssinia in the year 616 A.D.

History tells us that when Muhammad (PBUH) saw the sorrows and afflictions of his followers who were being persecuted for believing in One God; and observed that the violence of the polytheists against the Muslims did not show any sign of de-escalating, he suggested to them to leave Makkah and to seek sanctuary in Abyssinia (Ethiopia) which was then ruled by a Christian King, well known for being a Just and a God-fearing man. Muhammad (PBUH) appointed his first cousin Ja’ffar son of Abu Talib as the leader of this group.

This migration of the Muslims alarmed the idolaters of Makkah. They feared that Muslims might grow in strength, or find new allies, and then, some day, might return to Makkah to challenge them. As a result, they sent an embassy from Makkah with rich presents for the king with the hope of persuading him to extradite the Muslims.

When the emissary of the Quraysh, the idolaters of Makkah were granted an audience, they told the King that the Muslims in Abyssinia were not refugees from persecution but were fugitives from justice and law, and requested him to extradite them to Makkah. The King however, wanted to hear the other side of the story and therefore summoned their head Ja’ffar to his court to answer the charges.

Ja’ffar made a most memorable speech. The following is the summary of what he said which also sums up the teachings of Islam:

He said,

O King! We were ignorant people and we lived like wild animals. The strong among us lived by preying upon the weak. We obeyed no law and we acknowledged no authority save that of brute force. We worshipped idols made of stone or wood, and we knew nothing of human dignity.

And then God, in His Mercy, sent to us His messenger who was himself one of us. We knew about his truthfulness and his integrity. His character was exemplary, and he was the most wellborn of the Arabs.

He invited us toward the worship of One God, and he forbade us to worship idols. He exhorted us to tell the truth, and to protect the weak, the poor, the humble, the widows and the orphans. He ordered us to show respect to women and never to slander them. We obeyed him and followed his teachings. Most of the people in our country are still polytheists, and they resented our conversion to the new faith, which is called Islam. They began to persecute us and it was in order to escape from persecution by them that we sought and found sanctuary in your kingdom.

The emissary from Makkah then tried to persuade the King by telling him that Muslims rejected Jesus. The King asked Ja’ffar to speak what Quran said about Jesus whereupon Ja’ffar recited few verses from the chapter called Mary (19^th chapter: the Mother of Jesus) in the Quran. When the King heard these verses, he said that their fountainhead was the same as that of the verses of the Evangel. He then returned all the expensive gifts of the idolaters and granted the Muslims with permission to live freely in his Kingdom for as long as they wished.

Washington Irving writes in his book, ‘Life of Mohammed’ thus:

“Among the refugees to Abyssinia, there was Ja’ffar, the son of Abu Talib, the brother of Ali, consequently the cousin of Mohammed. He was a man of persuasive eloquence and a most prepossessing appearance. He stood forth before the King of Abyssinia, and expounded the doctrines of Islam with zeal and power. The King who was a Nestorian Christian found these doctrines so similar in many respects to those of his sect and so opposed to the gross idolatry of the Koreishites, that so far from giving up the fugitives, he took them more especially into favour and protection, and returning to Amr bin Aas and Abdullah, the presents they had brought, dismissed them from his court”.

PART FOUR:

ARTICLES OF FAITH

Many people ask what do Muslims believe in? They believe in:

Allah, the One and Only God

A Muslim believes in One God, Supreme and Eternal, Infinite and Mighty, Merciful and Compassionate, Creator and Provider. He, God is absolute One and has no partners. None is equal to Him. He is Just and He is God of all humankind, not of a special tribe or race.

Messengers and Prophets

A Muslim believes in all the Messengers and Prophets of God without any discrimination. All Messengers were mortals, human beings, endowed with Divine revelations and appointed by God to teach mankind.

Quran has mentioned 25 Messengers and Prophets; and states that there are others. These include Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (PBUH). Their message is the same and came from one and the same source; God – one must therefore submit to His will and obey His law.

Divine scriptures and heavenly books

A Muslim believes in all scriptures and revelations of God, as they were complete and in their original versions. God sent them for the guidance of humankind.

The Holy Quran is the sacred book of the Muslims. It is the last Book of guidance revealed upon Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) through Archangel Gabriel. Its verses were revealed over a period of 23 years and contain 114 chapters and over 6000 verses.

The Quran deals with man and his ultimate goal in life. Its teachings cover all areas of this life and the life after death. The most astonishing fact about this book is that it has remained unchanged even to a dot over the past 1400 years.

The Angels

A Muslim believes in Angels as purely spiritual and splendid beings created by God. They require no food or drink or sleep. They have no physical desires or material needs. Angels spend their time in service of God and each is charged with a certain duty. They cannot be seen with naked eyes.

The Day of Judgement

A Muslim believes in the Day of Judgement. This world will end and the dead will rise to stand for their final and fair trial.

On that day, all men and women, from Adam to the last person will be resurrected for Judgement. Everything we do, say, make, intend or think are accounted for and kept in accurate records. One who believes in Judgement day is not expected to behave against the will of God. One will always bear in mind that God is watching all actions and the Angels are recording them.

People with good records shall be generously rewarded whereas those with bad records shall be fairly punished.

All these are related to the beliefs of Islam. To convert belief into practice, Islam commands Muslims:

1. To pray five times a day. This act will constantly remind them of their submission to One God and that God is watching them.

2. To fast from dawn to dusk in Ramadhan. This act is to train them to restrain from all those things, which makes them forget God and their duties towards Him. In addition, it also makes them realize the true plight of the less fortunate so that they show consideration to them and share their wealth with them.

3. To perform Pilgrimage to Makkah once during lifetime. This is the place where the house that Abraham had built with        his son Ishmael for the worship of God stands. It is a place, which unites all the Muslims from different parts of the world in one and the same dress code to denote their equality in the sight of God. The message of Islam that has to be understood by the Muslims in the pilgrimage is that no one enjoys preference over other in the sight of God except one who is more God wary. Pilgrimage also serves as a reminder of the great assemblage of people on the Day of Judgement.

4. Paying ‘Zakat’ which is the Poor-rate. Every Muslim is required to pay 2.5% of his wealth every year to contribute towards the welfare of poor Muslims.

In addition to all these, a Muslim is required to be Righteous and observe the rights of others. For instance:

Right of his fellow human beings:

A Muslim is not allowed to shed blood of an innocent person; dishonour the person or confiscate his or her possessions. A human is a brother of another human either through birth or through similarity in creation. In chapter 5, verse 32 God says:

“That is why We decreed for the children of Israel that whoever kills a soul without (its being guilty of) manslaughter or corruption on earth, is as though he had killed all mankind; and whoever saves a life is as though he had saved all mankind.”

Right of Parents:

A Muslim must accord highest degree of respect to the parents. The command of God to show kindness to parents is in fact second to the command of His worship. In chapter 17, verses 23-24, God says:

“Your Lord has decreed that you shall not worship anyone except Him, and (He has enjoined) kindness to parents. Should they reach old age at your side –one of them or both-do not say to (even as little as) Fie! And do not chide them but speak to them noble words. Lower the wing of humility to them, out of mercy; and say: ‘My Lord! Have mercy on them just as they reared me when I was a child’.”

Rights of Women:

In our contemporary times, when Muslim women are seen covering themselves, people feel that they are being subdued and oppressed by their men.

The behaviour of men with their women in countries like Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and some of the Middle East and Asian countries confirms to such kind of belief and judgement is passed against Islam.

In reality, what we are seeing today in those countries has nothing to do with Islam; in fact, it has to do more with their cultures. Unfortunately, their cultures and religion have become so much integrated that it has become difficult to differentiate between them even by themselves!

The covering, which you see, does not deny the Muslim women from progressing in this world. It is to guard their modesty, which is a practice that was also prevalent in other Abrahamic faiths and is still seen occasionally.

Muslim girls wearing Hijab (a covering on their bodies in compliance with the command of God) are not being denied to prosper in various fields of Education and that is why they go to schools, colleges and universities; and professionalise in different subjects. The irony is that in today’s contemporary world, they are being denied Education by the champions of democracy simply because they put on headscarves in compliance to the command of their Lord. This indeed is a modern way of persecution cleverly designed so that the blame goes to Islam.

Islam looks at a woman in three different stages: As a daughter, as a wife and as a mother; and in all three stages accords her with highest degree of respect.

1. In the Arab society before Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) proclaimed his prophethood, the Arabs used to treat their women as a cheap commodity. In fact, birth of baby girl was considered as a source of disgrace and ignorant Arabs used to burry their baby girls alive. Islam put a stop to this practice:

In chapter 16 verse 58 Quran says:

“When one of them is brought the news of a female (newborn), his face becomes darkened and he chokes with suppressed agony. He hides from the people out of distress at the news he has been brought: Shall he retain it in humiliation or burry it in the ground! Look! Evil is the judgement they make.”

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) got a daughter and he accorded her with highest respect showing his undying care and love for her. As a result, the attitude of the people began to change.

2. As a spouse, Islam says that a woman is a man’s equal. She is no way inferior to her husband.

In chapter 30, verse 21, Quran says:

“And of His signs is that He created for you mates from your own selves that you may take comfort in them, and He ordained affection and mercy between you.” 

3. And as a Mother, Islam acknowledges the difficulties a mother has to undergo to bring her child into this life hence the command that the children should not disregard her.

In chapter 31, verse 14, Quran says:

“We have enjoined man concerning his parents: His mother carried him through weakness upon weakness, and his weaning takes two years. Give thanks to Me and to your parents, to Me is the return.”

Rights of Relatives:

Islam does not only command the Muslims to take care of their parents, but also commands to them to strengthen their bond with their relatives regardless of whether they are ones paternal or maternal relations.

Infact those who cut off their ties with their relatives have been cursed in the Quran. In chapter 13, verse 25, God says:

“But as for those who break the covenant of God after having pledged it solemnly, and sever what God has commanded to be joined, and cause corruption in the earth, it is on such on whom the curse will lie and for them will be the ills of the (ultimate) abode.”

Severing what God has commanded to join is in reference to relation with the kin. The command is that a Muslim must keep in regular touch with his or her relatives, inquire about their health and welfare; and render whatever support they need and can be offered.

Rights of Neighbours:

In chapter 4, verse 36, Quran says:

“Worship God and do not associate partners to Him, and do good to parents, the relatives, the orphans, the needy, the near neighbour and the distant neighbour, the companion at your side, and the wayfarer; and which your right hand possess; Indeed God does not love the proud; the boastful.”

When Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was asked as to who are the neighbours, he said, “Forty houses from each of the four side of your house.”

And the list goes on. There are rights of many others that have to be observed such as the rights of the children, the rights of the teachers, the rights of the scholars, the rights of the employers, the rights of the employees etc.

CONCLUSION

The conclusion of tonight’s talk is that Islam, which today is being followed by more than a billion people and is one of the fastest growing religions in the world, does have its link with Abrahamic faith.

Islam reveres Abraham who is regarded as the champion of Monotheism and its teachings are on the same lines as the teachings of Abraham.

The children of Abraham are not only his biological children but also all those who follow in his path by believing in One God and abide by the commandments of God that were revealed upon them through Divine Messengers and Prophets. It is the path of righteousness, which should be upheld by all those who claim affiliation with Abraham.

Thank you

Mulla Mujahidali Sheriff

Minister of Religion

Wessex Jamaat

(Shia’ Muslim Community)

Fareham

Hampshire

mulla@almahdi.org.uk