Ibrahim (Abraham)

Ibrahim, the great forefather of the Arabised Arabs in the account of al-Raheeq al-Makhtum. His origin is the town of Ur in Iraq. He migrated to Harran and then to Palestine, and he settled Hagar and Isma'il in Mecca. With his son he raised the foundations of the House, and he proclaimed the pilgrimage among the people ^{1 2}.

Ibrahim's origin is the land of Iraq, from a town called Ur on the western bank of the Euphrates near Kufa. Excavations have brought wide details about this town, about Ibrahim's family, and about the religious and social conditions there ^{1 3}. He migrated from there to Haran, and then to Palestine, which he took as the base of his call. He made tours across these lands and others ^{1 4}.

He once came to Egypt, where the Pharaoh plotted against his wife Sara, but God foiled the plot. The Pharaoh recognised the strong bond Sara had with God, and so he gave Hagar to her in service as a mark of respect for her. Sara then gave her in marriage to Ibrahim ^{1 5 6}.

Ibrahim returned to Palestine, and God granted him Isma'il by Hagar. Sara grew jealous until she forced him to take Hagar and her small son away. He brought them to the Hijaz and settled them in a barren valley beside the Sacred House, which at that time was only a raised mound of earth, like a hillock ^{1 7}. He placed them beneath a tree above Zamzam, when no one was in Mecca and there was no water. He left with them a bag of dates and a waterskin, and returned to Palestine ¹. See The settlement of Hagar and Isma'il.

Ibrahim used to travel to Mecca from time to time to look in on what he had left there. The sources record four of his journeys: the journey of the vision and the ransom of Isma'il; two journeys in which he met Isma'il's wives; and a third journey in which he met Isma'il. On that journey they built the Ka'ba and raised its foundations, and Ibrahim proclaimed the pilgrimage to the people as God had commanded him ^{8 2 9}. Details are in Ibrahim's visits to Mecca and The raising of the foundations of the Ka'ba.

The lineage of the Adnanite Arabs ends with him through Isma'il, Qaydar and Adnan. Some scholars held that there were forty fathers between Adnan and Ibrahim ^{2 10}. The author quotes Muslim's hadith that God chose Isma'il from among the offspring of Ibrahim ^{11 12}.

Ibrahim's call to his people, the story of the fire, and his accounts in the Qur'an are presented in their own entries. This entry presents what the introduction of al-Raheeq al-Makhtum mentions. On religion, the author notes that most of the Arabs were on the religion of Ibrahim until time lengthened over them (see The religions of the Arabs) ¹³.

In the third part of the Prophet ﷺ's lineage, the author mentions Ibrahim son of Tarih, whose name was Azar, son of Nahur, son of Saruj or Sarugh, son of Ra'u, son of Falakh, son of Eber, son of Shalakh, son of Arpakhshad, son of Sam, son of Nuh, son of Lamak, son of Mutawshalakh, son of Akhnukh, said to be Idris, son of Yard, son of Mahla'il, son of Qaynan, son of Anush, son of Shayth, son of Adam. The author considers that this part certainly contains inaccurate material. He notes that the sources differ in how some names are pronounced, and that some names are missing ^{14 15 16 17}. See The Prophet's lineage.

Sha'rawi holds that God tested Abraham with commands, that a trial is an examination which, if passed, is a good for the one tested, and that Abraham carried out his duties with love and more than was asked. ¹⁸¹⁹ When Abraham asked that the imamate pass to his descendants, God replied that His covenant does not reach the wrongdoers. Sha'rawi reads that prophethood is not an inheritance and is not gained by lineage or blood, but passes on by values, as in the story of Noah's son. ²⁰²¹

The Sheikh reflects on Abraham's return from Mecca and his settling some of his offspring in a valley without crops, and asks listeners to imagine a father's feelings (needs_source). ^{22 23 24} He holds that had Abraham's feelings prevailed, God's command would not have been carried out, and that the world follows people's moods (his view). ²⁵ He says that Noah's son was not of his family, and that worldly affections change in Paradise (needs_source). ²⁶ He mentions Abraham's prayer for his father, who died in disbelief, and that the father remains outside Paradise, and gives the example of the Prophet and his uncle (needs_source). ^{27 28}

He mentions that Azar made statues, and that as a boy Ibrahim dragged the idols through the streets calling out to buy what neither harms nor benefits, then smashed them on their festival day. He comments on this in the tone of a mocking sales pitch (needs_source: age-nine-tafsir-unnamed) ³².

He narrates that the king had a great fire lit and that Ibrahim was thrown into it by catapult (needs_source: firewood-tradition-unnamed) ³³. He holds that Ibrahim was thrown in because he enjoined good and forbade evil (needs_source: speaker-attribution-garbled) ³⁴. He says God commanded the fire to do him no harm Qur'an 21:69 ³⁵, and that Gabriel offered help but Ibrahim was content with God's knowledge of his state (needs_source: tafsir-narration-unnamed) ³⁶.

He attributes to Ibrahim a prayer for his people that leaves the matter to God between punishment and forgiveness, and says the same words are later given to Jesus Qur'an 5:118 (needs_source: attribution-differs-from-later-line) ³⁷. He narrates that his wife asked whether God had commanded him to leave them, and that he answered that God had commanded it (needs_source: garbled-speaker-identity-hajar-or-sarah) ³⁸. He repeats Ibrahim's prayer to settle them in a valley without crops Qur'an 14:37 (needs_source: asr-garbled) ³⁹, and holds that God provides for believer and unbeliever alike, so provision is no sign of acceptance Qur'an 2:126 ⁴⁰.

He mentions that a king opposed him because he called to the worship of God alone, and that he did not retreat from his cause ⁴¹. He presents Ibrahim as the model of submission, listing his sacrifices: his body to the fire, his son to the sacrifice, and himself and his sons to the House of God Qur'an 2:131 ⁴².

He says that relief comes at the time God wills. Ibrahim left his wife Hajar and her son at God's command, and she waited patiently until relief came ⁴³. He holds that the enmity of a relative weighs more heavily than that of a stranger, and that the Prophet combined the trials of the prophets; Ibrahim met the hostility of his people until he was thrown into the fire ⁴⁴.

He says Ibrahim taught monotheism and rejected idol worship, and that idols led many people astray Qur'an 14:36 ⁴⁵. He recounts that Ibrahim and Ismail, raising the foundations of the House, asked that one who would carry his message be raised among their descendants Qur'an 2:127 ⁴⁶. He holds that God honoured this nation through Ibrahim's righteous lineage, and that Muslims send blessings on him in every prayer in thanks for his fidelity ⁴⁷.

He says Ibrahim is the one who named the Muslims Qur'an 22:78 ⁴⁸. He narrates that Nimrod imposed an economic embargo on him by forbidding anyone to sell to him (needs_source: legend-no-source-named) ⁴⁸, likening this to what some poor countries suffer from embargoes today. He tells how Ibrahim, with no one to sell him food, filled his bag with sand so that his wife would not grieve, and it turned into flour when she opened it (needs_source: unattributed-miracle-story) ⁴⁹.

The Sheikh says that God loves the servant who often returns to Him (awwab), setting against him the one who worships God on the edge, piece by piece. He mentions that God described His friend Ibrahim as tender-hearted and turning back to God (awwah, munib), and explains that the word mathaba, used of the Sacred House, means a return ⁵⁰.

He says that Ibrahim loved to honour his guests, and that when three days passed without a guest arriving, he feared that some sin had kept them away (needs_source). ⁵¹

He describes Ibrahim bringing a roasted calf for his guests, and says that the usual offer of a host would be a small goat or half a sheep; he compares the two generosities (needs_source). ⁵²

He says that Ibrahim hurried to prepare a calf for his guests, and that scholars of etiquette regard this as a model of hospitality (needs_source). ⁵³

He mentions Ibrahim's prayer after he left Hajar and Isma'il in a barren valley near the sacred house, and says that this is the highest form of servanthood. ⁵⁴

He cites the Qur'an's account of Ibrahim being told in a dream to sacrifice his son, and says that Ibrahim submitted (the surah is not named). ⁵⁵

He recounts Ibrahim's submission to God, the prayer and the sacrifice he offered, and God's praise of him (the surah is not named). ⁵⁶

He cites a Qur'an verse that the covenant does not reach wrongdoers, in the context of Ibrahim's covenant (the surah is not named) (needs_source). ⁵⁷

He says the Qur'an is the true history, and that Ibrahim's wife Sarah was barren and gave Hagar to Ibrahim to marry, hoping for a child; he gives this as a narrative from the Qur'an (the surah is not named) (needs_source). ⁵⁸

He says that God gave Ibrahim a forbearing son in answer to the prayer of this righteous man (the surah is not named). ⁵⁹

He says that Ibrahim prayed for righteous offspring without specifying a kind, leaving the matter to God's power, and he compares a specific request with the matter of Noah's son (needs_source). ⁶⁰

He says that the Qur'an gives the news of the forbearing boy directly after Ibrahim's prayer, and he draws out the means: prayer, humility and worship. ⁶¹

He says that Ibrahim was about eighty-six when God answered his prayer, and that God's causes are not bound by ordinary means (needs_source). ⁶²

He says that the son came about thirteen years after that prayer, and he takes this as a sign that God answers in His own time (needs_source). ⁶³

He gives Ibrahim's age as ninety-nine and Sarah's as eighty-six, and says that Sarah was past childbearing (needs_source: the figure differs from the figure for Ibrahim's age given earlier in this series). ⁶⁴

He recounts Ibrahim thanking God for the sons given to him in his old age (needs_source). ⁶⁵

He says that the angels brought Ibrahim the good news of Ishaq, and after him of Ya'qub, and he says that good news is something good that appears (needs_source). ⁶⁶

He cites Ibrahim's words to his father as a model of counsel that is respectful and based on knowledge. ⁶⁷

He calls for gentle counsel to elders who act wrongly, and cites Ibrahim's address to his father as a model of advice without direct rebuke (the surah is not named). ⁶⁸