Lobna Mulla – #6 God Will not Abandon You The Wife of Ibrahim as Upheld Allah Women in the Quran
AI: Summary ©
The loss of loved ones and the importance of separation and loss in the experience of separation are discussed by multiple speakers. They share stories about the loss of loved ones and the importance of acceptance of the commandment of Allah Subhana Wa Ta'la. The success of Islam and its impact on people's lives is also highlighted.
AI: Summary ©
What do you do when the people that
you love, cherish, and have grown fond of
leave? Whether they pass on, move away, or
are no longer in a relationship with us,
the pain of their departure is difficult to
bear.
Separation and loss can sometimes leave us feeling
so empty, lost and broken that we just
can't see a way out. There is a
woman who experienced such a tremendous test of
separation,
yet through her trust in Allah, she taught
us how to move forward.
Meet Hajir Alayhi Salaam.
Hajir Alayhi Salaam was the wife of Prophet
Ibrahim and the mother of Ismail.
Now to appreciate all that Hajjalayhi Salaam had
been through, it's important we share her background.
And that takes us back to Egypt.
When Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam and his wife Sara
were traveling through Egypt, they heard that there
was a pharaoh who had captured beautiful women
and killed their husbands.
To protect Sarah, when Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam was
asked about her, he said that, she's my
sister, which wasn't a lie because she was
a sister in faith.
But despite that, Sarah was taken anyway into
the palace of pharaoh. So when the pharaoh
tried to approach her, Sarah made Du'a Tullahu
Wa Ta'ala to protect her. And Allah did
so by making pharaoh get temporarily paralyzed each
time he tried to get close to Sarah.
Once the pharaoh realized that Sarah could not
be messed with, he sent her away out
of fear and gave her gifts as well.
One of those gifts was Hajjr Alayhi Salaam,
who was at that time a handmaiden in
the palace of pharaoh.
Hajjr's name comes from Hajjruki which means here
is your reward. So Hajj's name means your
reward. And we will soon come to learn
what a reward she truly is. So the
3 of them leave the palace and make
their way out of Egypt. Now Ibrahim Alayhi
Salaam and Sarah could not have children.
So Sarah gifted Hajar to Ibrahim and he
marries her. It's important to note that Hajar
coming from the palace of pharaoh is not
a believer.
But after seeing the character
and conduct of Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam and Sara,
Hajar too accepts the message of Tawhid.
So now Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam and Hajar have
a son named Ishmael.
This is happy news for everyone involved, but
things soon would change as Ibrahim gets the
command to take Hajar and Ishmael
and take them to the place near the
Kaaba, although its foundations were still buried at
the time.
Now imagine this scene,
it's hot, there are no people,
no water, no vegetation. And it doesn't seem
like there was any discussion on the way
to mentally prepare Hajar for what was about
to happen.
Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam leaves Hajar and Ismail as
he was commanded to do so with a
small amount of dates and some water and
turns away to leave without saying a word.
When Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam was leaving them Hajar
says to him, oh Ibrahim,
where are you going leaving us in this
valley where there is no one nor is
there anything else around?
She repeatedly asked him, but he did not
turn to respond.
She then asked him, did Allah command you
to do so? He said, yes. She said,
then he, Allah Subhana Wa Ta'la will not
abandon us. This separation was painful and a
mighty test for both Hajir, Alayhi Salaam and
Sayyidina Ibrahim, Alayhi Salaam. But they were both
following the commandment of Allah Subhana Wa Ta'la.
For Hajar, the test is massive, as she
was left alone in a harsh environment.
And from Ibrahim's perspective,
this test was especially difficult since he had
waited for so long to have a child.
Ibrahim Alaihi Wasallam then walks away, and when
he's out of sight, he turns around and
makes dua. He says,
Oh Allah, I have settled some of my
offspring in a barren valley, near your sacred
house. Oh Allah, so that they may establish
prayer. So make the hearts of believing people
inclined towards them and provide them with fruits
so perhaps they will be thankful.
Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam makes his dua and leaves.
Now Hajar shows us what it means to
have husnazan or giving benefit of the doubt.
Because for her to even ask the question
of did Allah command you to do this,
Shows that she is thinking, there must be
a good reason for Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam to
do what he is doing. And secondly, Hajar
shows a great optimism in Allah Subh'anaHu Wa
Ta A'la when she comes to the conclusion
that Allah would not abandon her. This statement
of hers is a beautiful application of a
hadith Qudsi.
Abu Huraira Radhuluanhu
narrates that Prophet Muhammad SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam said,
anainda in the dunna abdibi,
I'm as my servant expects of me.
Hajjr Alaihi Wasallam knew with Yaqeen that Allah
would not leave her despite the worldly situation
of having to be physically abandoned
in a deserted place. So now her son
is crying since the food is finished, the
water is gone, and now she's not able
to produce any milk for her son. She
had to figure something out.
SubhanAllah, this is the case for many single
parents today, and especially for single mothers, who
have to worry about bringing in an income,
parenting, managing the house and so on. That's
a situation Hajar found herself in, that she
not only has to worry about herself, but
Ishmael Alayhi Salaam too. So she took it
upon herself to look for resources.
After running back and forth from Safa to
Marwa calling out to any possible travelers, looking
for anything in the distance, She looks up
and sees Jibreel Alayhi Salaam. He digs into
the ground with his foot, and from there
the water of Zamzam springs forth.
What a blessed spring SubhanAllah.
Hajir Alayhi Salaam drank from it and nursed
baby Ismail as well.
This compensation for her optimism and taqwa reminds
us of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta'ala's powerful words
in Surat at Talaq. Wamayi taqun laha yajalahu
makhraja. Wayarzukuminhaythulayahtasib
wamayi ta wakkalalallahi
fahuwahasbu.
And whoever is mindful of Allah, he will
make a way out for them and provide
for them resources
they could have never imagined.
And whoever puts their trust in Allah, then
he alone is sufficient for them.
SubhanAllah,
similarly,
how Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta A'la sent a
spring for Maryam after she gave birth so
she could be nourished and therefore nourish her
baby, 'Isa Alaihi Salam. Allah not only provided
Zamzam for Hajjir and Ismail but for the
tribe of Durhum who eventually settled there, and
for all of the people of Mecca and
those who visit from then until now, until
Yom Al Qiyamah.
Allah has honored the great sacrifice, struggle, and
tawakkul of Hajjr Alayhi Salaam. And for centuries,
millions of men, women and children have followed
in her very footsteps as they retraced them
in Sahih during Umrah and Hajj. Allah Subh'anaHu
Wa Ta A'la answered the dua of Ibrahim
Alayhi Salaam to provide for his family that
he left behind and to send Hajjur and
Ismailah people, the tribe of Jurhum to establish
a community for them. Look how Allah Subh'anaHu
Wa Ta A'la tested this faithful single mother
with such hardship and look at the reward
of her faith, trust and her patience.
Hajir's reward, her ajr is so massive and
long lasting that we follow in her footsteps
today,
adding to her scale of good deeds with
every step taken on that blessed path between
Safa and Marwa.
Hajj R Alaihi Wasallam taught us that people
we love may come and go in our
lives, yet Allah
always remains.