“We Called to Him, ‘O Ibrahim, You Have Fulfilled the Dream.’”

[Part: 33, from Surah Yasin, ayah: 22 to Surah Az Zumar, ayah: 31]

By: Mufti Jaseemuddin Qasmi
Coordinator Online Darul Ifta & Lecturer at MMERC, Mumbai

The Story of the City of Antioch

From ayah 13 of Surah Ya-Sin, the incident of the city of Antioch (Antakia) is mentioned. Allah first sent two prophets, and then a third one, guide and reform the people of that town. However, the people refused to accept their message.

As a consequence, a famine broke out in the town as a punishment. The townspeople then blamed the prophets and said that the misfortune was caused by their arrival. They told them, “Leave this place, otherwise we will stone you.”

While the people of the town were still arguing and debating with those prophets, Habib al-Najjar, who used to remain engaged in worship at the edge of the city, came running and said to the townspeople, “Obey these prophets. They do not ask you for any reward.”

In the first six ayahs of the Part-23, the same advices of Habib al-Najjar are mentioned — the advice he gave in order to guide the people of the town. Thus, it is said: “And why should I not worship him who created me and to whom you will be returned? What! Shall I take Gods other than Allah? So that if the Most Gracious intends for me any harm, their intercession would be of no use to me, nor would they be able to save me? Indeed, I would then be in manifest error. Indeed, I have believed in your Lord, so listen to me.”(In the end, the people of the town killed him, and from Allah) it was said to him: “Enter Paradise”; he said, “If only my people knew! The manner in which my Lord has pardoned me and made me of the honoured ones!”

The actual entry into Paradise will take place after the Resurrection and the Day of Gathering. However, Allah Almighty grants some of the blessings of Paradise to the righteous even in the world of Barzakh, that is, the world between a person’s death and the Day of Resurrection.

Allah says in ayahs 28, 29, and 30 of Surah Yasin “And We did not send down upon his people after him any soldiers from the heaven, nor would We have done so. It was not but one shout, and immediately they were extinguished. How regretful for the servants! Whenever a Noble Messenger comes to them, they mock at him!”

That is, to destroy this oppressive and disobedient people, there was no need for Allah to send down an army of angels from the heavens. Rather, a single angel let out one mighty cry, and their hearts burst from it. The entire nation was destroyed and became like a heap of ashes after a fire has burned out.

Everything is created in pair by Allah

In ayah 36, Allah Almighty says: “Glory be to Him Who created all pairs – from what the earth grows and from themselves and from that which they do not know.”

The Glorious Qur’an has clarified in several places that Allah has created everything in pairs. Science discovered much later that even plants possess male and female counterparts. Furthermore, Allah explicitly states that there are many things about which people still do not know that they too exist in pairs. Therefore, the gradual discoveries of science regarding different kinds of pairings—such as positive and negative charges in electricity, and electrons and protons within the atom—can also be included within the broad meaning of this Qur’anic statement.

The sun and the moon move in their respective orbits

Allah says in ayah 40 of Surah Yasin, “It is not allowable for the sun to catch up the moon, nor does the night overtake the day, but each is floating in an orbit.”

That is, both the moon and the sun are moving in their respective orbits. The sun has no power to enter the orbit of the moon.

After that, the occurrence of the Day of Judgment is mentioned, along with the expression of regret by the disobedient people, and the luxuries and comforts that will be provided to the people of Paradise.

 In ayah 65, Allah says, “That Day (Day of Judgment), We will seal over their mouths, and their hands will speak to Us, and their feet will testify about what they used to do.”

Ayah 80 of surah Yasin says, “It is He who made for you from the green tree, fire, and then from it you ignite.”

In Arabia, there were two trees: one called Markh and the other Afar. The Arabs used them like flint stones, and when they rubbed them against each other, fire would be produced. It is being stated here that the Being Who created fire from a green tree— for Him, what difficulty could there be in bringing life into other lifeless things?

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From here begins Surah As-Saaffat. This is a Makki Surah and it contains 182 ayahs. The central theme of this Surah is also the affirmation of Tawhid (the Oneness of Allah) and the refutation of disbelief and polytheism. However, in this Surah, special emphasis is placed on refuting the false belief of the Arab polytheists who used to claim that the angels were the daughters of Allah. For this reason, the Surah begins with a description of the qualities of the angels.

The disbelievers are warned about the dreadful consequences of disbelief, and they are alerted that despite all their opposition, Islam will ultimately prevail even in this world. In connection with this, the accounts of several prophets have also been mentioned.

In the first ayah, Allah says, “I swear by those who lined up in rows.”

Allah Almighty does not need to swear in order to confirm His words. However, the oaths mentioned in the Glorious Qur’an are, firstly, a style of eloquence and rhetoric in the Arabic language that adds emphasis and impact to the speech. Secondly, if one ponders on the things by which oaths have been sworn, it will become clear that they serve as evidence for the claim mentioned after those oaths.

The ayah refers to the angels, who stand in ranks at their appointed places awaiting the command of Allah. Then in the following ayahs, three qualities of the angels are mentioned.

After that, it is stated that when Satan attempts to ascend to the heavens in order to listen to heavenly conversations, he is driven away by a blazing flame.

 

Wine and Women of Paradise

From ayah 44 onward, several ayahs describe the people of Paradise, who will be honored and entertained with various kinds of blessings and delights. Thus, Allah says: “They will be facing one another on thrones. A cup of wine will be circulated among them from a flowing spring. White and delicious to the drinkers; No bad effect is there in it, nor from it will they be intoxicated. And with them are women with big eyes who do not set gaze upon men except their husbands. As if they were eggs, well-protected.”

The Story of Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail (as)

From ayah 99 to 107, the incident of Prophet Ibrahim (as) and Prophet Ismail (as) is mentioned. Prophet Ibrahim (as) left Iraq and set out towards Syria, saying: “Indeed, I will go to (where I am ordered by) my Lord; He will guide me.” He supplicated at that time, “My Lord! Grant me a meritorious child.”

So Allah blessed him with the glad tidings of a forbearing son. When the son was born and grew old enough to walk and work alongside his father, Ibrahim (saws) saw in a dream that he was sacrificing his son. He mentioned this to Prophet Ismail (as). Thus, in ayah 102, it is stated:

“And when he reached the age of work with him, he said, “O my son, indeed I have seen in a dream that I am sacrificing you, so see what you think.” He said, “O my father, do as you are commanded. You will find me one of the steadfast, if Allah wills.”

Although this was a dream, the dreams of the Prophets are also a form of divine revelation (Wahi). Therefore, Prophet Ismail regarded it as a command from Allah Almighty. Thereafter, in obedience to Allah’s command, Prophet Ibrahim (as) proceeded to sacrifice his son, Prophet Ismail (as). Thus, ayah 103 states: “And when they had both submitted (to God) and he (father) put him down upon his (son) forehead.”

Both the father and the son had fully resolved to obey the command of Allah Almighty, and Prophet Ibrahim had firmly decided to sacrifice his son. Therefore, he laid Prophet Ismail down on his forehead so that, while passing the knife over him, seeing his son’s face would not cause any hesitation in fulfilling the command.

Thereafter, the following four ayahs state: We called to him, “O Ibrahim, You have fulfilled the dream.” Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good. Indeed, this was the clear trial. And We rescued him in exchange of a great sacrifice.”

Since both the father and the son had done all that was within their ability to obey the command of Allah Almighty, the trial had been successfully completed. Then Allah Almighty manifested His divine power: the knife was directed toward a ram instead of Prophet Ismail — a ram that Allah had miraculously sent there — while Prophet Ismail (as) remained alive and unharmed.

From ayah 108 onward, Allah says: “And We preserved for him a good mention among the later generations: ‘Peace be upon Ibrahim.’ This is how We reward those who do good.”

Therefore, in every era, people have continued to mention Prophet Ibrahim with honor and praise. In Islam especially, salutations and blessings are sent upon Prophet Ibrahim (saws) and his family in every prayer.

In ayah 112, Allah says: “And We gave him the glad tidings of Ishaq, a Prophet from among the righteous.”

This means that after the great trial of sacrifice, Allah Almighty rewarded Prophet Ibrahim (as) with another son named Prophet Ishaq, who later became a Prophet.

The Arabs are descended from Prophet Ismail and his descendants. But only Prophet Muhammad the last messenger (saws) was born among his decedents. All the other Prophets came from the descendants of Prophet Ishaq (as).

Prophet Ilyas (as)

In ayah 123, Allah says: “Indeed, Ilyas (Elijah) was certainly among the Messengers.”

The Glorious Qur’an has not mentioned many details about prophet Ilyas (a). However, historical and Israelite narrations indicate that after Prophet Sulaiman (as), when disbelief and polytheism spread among the Children of Israel, Prophet Ilyas (as) was sent as a messenger to them.

It is said that his wife Azabil, had begun worshipping an idol named Ba‘l. Prophet Ilyas (as) forbade his people from idol worship and also showed them miracles. However, instead of accepting his guidance, the disobedient people planned to kill him.

Allah the Exalted foiled their plot, sent punishments upon them instead, and called Prophet Ilyas (as) to Himself. Ayahs 124 to 127 refer to this very incident.

Prophet Yunus (as)

Ayahs 139 to 148 mention Yunus (Jonah). He was sent to Nineveh a city in Iraq, where he spent a long time calling his people to believe in Allah. When they refused to accept faith, he warned them that divine punishment would fall upon them within three days.

The people of the town discussed among themselves and said that Prophet Yunus had never spoken a lie. Therefore, if he were to leave the town, it would be a sign that his warning was true. After this, Prophet Yunus, by the command of Allah, departed from the town.

Meanwhile, when the townspeople noticed that he was no longer among them and also began to sense signs of divine punishment, they turned to Allah in sincere repentance and humility. As a result, the punishment was lifted from them.

Prophet Yunus (as), however, was unaware of their repentance. When he saw that three days had passed and no punishment had come, he feared that if he returned to the town, the people would call him a liar, and perhaps even kill him. Out of this fear, and before receiving Allah’s command to return, he headed toward the sea instead of going back to his people, and boarded a ship.

By Allah’s will, the ship became overloaded and was close to sinking. Lots were drawn to decide which passenger should be thrown into the sea to save the ship. The lot fell upon Prophet Yunus (as) several times, and eventually he was thrown into the water. There, by Allah’s command, a huge fish was waiting for him. It swallowed him, and he remained in its belly for three days.

After glorifying Allah and reciting His praises, the fish cast him safely onto the shore of the river.

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From here begins Surah Saad. This is a Makkan Surah consisting of 88 ayahs. A special incident regarding the revelation of this Surah has been mentioned in authentic Hadiths.

Although the beloved Prophet’s (saws) uncle, Abu Talib, did not accept Islam, he greatly supported the Prophet (saws) out of family loyalty and kinship. On one occasion, some of the leaders of Quraish came to Abu Talib as a delegation and said that if Muhammad (saws)would stop speaking against their idols, they would allow him to practice his religion freely.

Accordingly, when the Prophet (saws) was called into the gathering and this proposal was presented to him, he said to Abu Talib: “Dear uncle, should I not invite them to something in which lies their success and prosperity?” Abu Talib asked what that was. The Prophet (saws) replied: “I want them to utter a single phrase through which the entire Arab world will submit before them, and through which they will become masters over the non-Arab lands as well.”

After this, the Prophet (saws) recited the Islamic Kalima the declaration of Tawhid (the oneness of Allah). Upon hearing this, all the people rose abruptly, dusting off their clothes, and said: “Shall we abandon all our gods and accept only one God?”

It was on this occasion that the ayahs of Surah Saad were revealed. In addition to this, the Surah also mentions various prophets, among whom the accounts of Dawud (David) and Sulaiman (Solomon) are especially noteworthy.

Repentance and Seeking Forgiveness by Prophet Dawood (saws)

From ayah 21 to 24 of Surah Saad, an incident concerning Prophet David (as) has been mentioned. Thus, Allah says: “And have you heard the news of the disputants, when they climbed over the wall of his prayer chamber. When they entered upon David and he was alarmed by them? They said, “Do not fear. We are two disputants, one of whom has wronged the other, so judge between us with truth and do not be unjust and guide us to the right path. Indeed this, my brother, has ninety-nine ewes, and I have one ewe; so he said, ‘Entrust her to me,’ and he overpowered me in speech.”

“He (Dawood) said, “He has certainly wronged you in demanding your ewe (in addition) to his ewes. And indeed, many associates oppress one another, except for those who believe and do righteous deeds – and few are they.” “Thereupon Dawud realised that We had tested him, so he sought forgiveness from his Lord and fell down bowing in prostration and turned in repentance (to Allah).”

The summary of the incident is that prophet Dawud (David) (as) had committed a certain lapse. In order to caution him regarding this mistake, Allah sent two men to him in an extraordinary manner while he was in his place of worship.

The two men presented a dispute before him and asked him to judge between them. Prophet Dawud (saws) gave his verdict, but immediately afterward he realized that this case, which had been brought before him, was actually a subtle way through which Allah was drawing his attention to his own lapse. Realizing this, he at once fell down in prostration and became engaged in repentance and seeking forgiveness from Allah.

The Glorious Qur’an does not specify what the lapse was, nor does it explain how the presentation of this case reminded him of it. This is because the Qur’an only intends to teach the lesson that forgetfulness and human error are part of human nature. Even great and noble personalities — including the prophets — may experience minor lapses. However, these blessed individuals never persist in their mistakes. Rather, the moment they realize an error, they immediately turn to Allah in repentance and seek His forgiveness.

Horses of Prophet Sulamin (as)

From ayah 31, an incident of prophet Sulaiman (as) is mentioned. Some splendid horses were gathered for the purpose of jihad, and they were presented before prophet Sulaiman (as). These horses reflected the grandeur and magnificence of his kingdom. However, when he inspected them, their beauty and majesty did not distract him from the remembrance of Allah. Rather, he declared that his love for this wealth and power was not due to pride or worldly prestige, but because these horses had been prepared for jihad — and jihad is undertaken for the sake of Allah’s pleasure and love.

Then, when the horses disappeared from his sight while running, he ordered that they be brought back. Upon their return, he affectionately began stroking their legs and necks with his hands.

Ayah 48 also mentions Yasaʿ (Elisha / Alyasa). Historical narrations indicate that he was among the prophets of the Children of Israel and was a cousin of Prophet Ilyas (as).

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From here begins Surah Az-Zumar. This is a Makkan Surah consisting of 75 ayahs. In this Surah, various false beliefs of the polytheists are refuted. The idolaters acknowledged that Allah Almighty is the Creator of the universe; however, they had invented different deities and believed that if they are worshipped, they are pleased with them and intercede on their behalf before Allah. Some of them even regarded the angels as daughters of Allah.

This Surah refutes these various false beliefs and calls people toward Tawhid — the oneness of Allah. It also grants permission for migration (Hijrah) from Makkah, and warns the disbelievers that if they do not abandon their stubborn hostility, they will face the severest punishment.

At the end of the Surah, a vivid scene of the Hereafter is portrayed: how the disbelievers will be driven in groups toward Hell, and how the believers will be led in groups toward Paradise.

In ayah 23, the Glorious Qur’an is introduced in the following words:

 “Allah has sent down the best scripture: a consistent Book which is oft-repeated.”

It means, the messages of the Quran resemble and reinforce one another, and whose messages are repeated time and again.