The Unshakable Courage of Prophet Ibrahim

As we have entered the Hajj season and we're approaching our second or either either outside, or thoughts naturally go to the pilgrims that are making their way to Mecca. Right at this very moment. And our thoughts also naturally go to our Prophet and forefather Ibrahim alayhi salam

Ibrahim alayhi salam has an extremely important status in our faiths as Muslims. Ibrahim alayhi salam is the standard by which faithfulness can be measured. Allah subhanaw taala said were made out of a military Ibrahima in them and so he Sufi Hanif sir, well I call this the Fae now who fit dunya were in who fill it let me know Saudi Hain and whoever finds themselves averse. Whoever finds that they're not happy with or they're not pleased with the religion of Ibrahim alayhi salam, that person is making a fool of themselves. And about Ibrahim alayhi salam we had chosen him in this world and indeed, certainly he in the hereafter will be among the righteous. One could ask what is it about

Ibrahim alayhi salam that made him deserve this lofty status as the standard by which we judge our own faith, our attitude towards Ibrahim, do we find attracted to his example? Or do we find ourselves turning away from it? The answer is in the very next verse, Allah subhanaw taala says is da la hora boo as slim or as slim to lira Bill al Amin. When His lord said to him, as slim submit, he said and replied, I have already submitted to the Lord of All the Worlds The thing that made him the standard. Why did Allah subhanho wa Taala choose him was because of his submission and his immediate sum and total submission to Allah subhanaw taala Allah subhanaw taala also tells us that

Ibrahim alayhi salam was the best in religion. He says Subhana woman asks no dienen min min s lemma waterhole Illa who are Marcin? Whatever I'm Allah Ibrahim Hanifa what type of Allahu Ibrahim and kalila who could possibly be better in their religion than someone who submits themselves to Allah subhanaw taala and they are someone who does good deeds and follows the faith of Ibrahim or they he Sadam inclining towards truth. And then Allah subhanaw taala says something really special at the end of that verse. He says, What tackle Allah Who Ibrahima Allah and Allah subhanho wa Taala has taken Ibrahim alayhi salam, as a close and intimate friend and this is where we get the title of

Ibrahim Khalil Allah, the close friend of Allah subhana wa Tada. Now, if we know that Ibrahim alayhi salam is close to Allah subhanaw taala and we ourselves want to be close to Allah subhana wa Tada, then doesn't it follow logically that we should want to be close to Ibrahim alayhi salam, that's exactly what Allah subhanho wa Taala says in the Quran. He says Who are the people that are closest to Ibrahim? The people that are closest to Ibrahim alayhi salam are the people of this own mother Omar of Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, ALLAH SubhanA wa Tada says Maracana, Ibrahim Oh yah hoo, dia will learn us Rania. Well, I can kind of Hanifa Muslim man woman I can. I mean, I'm

Mushrikeen Abraham, he wasn't a Jew, and he wasn't a Christian. In fact, he was someone who was submitting inclining to the truth, submitting to Allah and he never ever worshipped idols. The following verse Allah says in olan Naseby Ibrahim levena terbaru will have an Obi Wan levena Ave wala who Allah you will not mean certainly the people who are most worthy of being tied up or related to Ibrahim alayhis salam among all of the people past and present are those who follow him in his submission to Allah. And this prophet, the prophet muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and those who believe in Him the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and Allah azza wa jal is

an ally of those who believe

this connection that we have, and Allah is telling us here, that your connection is not based on words alone. Your connection is not based off of the title that you give yourself. Anybody can stand here and say, I claim that I'm close to Ibrahim, I claim that I'm close to the prophets. I claim that I'm close to righteousness. What does Allah say?

What about all those who follow him? What do your action say? That's how we measure who really is entitled to call themselves the followers of Ibrahim alayhis salam, and those who are entitled to count themselves among the righteous. So the connection that we have with Ibrahim alayhi salam has a certain responsibility that comes along with it. And that responsibility Allah spawns Allah tells us later in the Quran is about being a witness over people and over our society. Allah subhanaw taala says what Jaya he didn't feel that he had a jihadi, who had tobacco. While masala is a confit demon, how Raj militar be calm Ebrahim, who was American and Muslim in I mean, cabello we have Leah Kona

rasuluh Shahid and Ali Khan. What Tacu shahada other nests for our chemo salata wire to the Cata Wow. Tassimo Billahi. Who am I will come for me I'm millimolar one min na See, Allah says and strive for Allah with the striving that's appropriate that's due to him. He has chosen you. He has chosen you and has not placed upon you any unnecessary difficulty when it comes to your religion. This religion is simply Allah saying the religion of your forefather Abraham. And Allah named you Muslims. He named you muslims before in previous scriptures, and in this revelation, that so that the messenger salAllahu alayhi wa sallam could be a witness over you. And so that you all he's

talking to me and you, everybody who's here today, so that you all could be witnesses over the people. What should we do then? So established prayer and gives the care and hold fast to Allah Subhan he is your protector, no one else is going to protect you. He is your protector. And excellent. Is he as a protector and excellence? Is he as a helper? What do we mean we say bearing witness or being a witness? Allah subhanaw taala tells us, you can't claim to be close to Ibrahim alayhi salam, and just sit on your laurels or sit on the couch and watch Netflix it comes with responsibility. And what's that responsibility you have to be a witness? What does it means to be a

witness? It means standing up for the truth. It means being the voice of morality and being the voice of righteousness in your society, in your family, even if the whole society is lost in sin. Even if your family itself your father, your mother, your children, your brothers, your sisters, your aunts, even if they're all lost in sin. It means standing up for the truth and being a witness for that truth. Allah subhanaw taala says what is called a Ibrahim Ali abhi he aza.

Now we have a situation here. This happened to Ibrahima, the Sudan. He has to call his own father to the truth. His father as was not only an idolatry, he made the idols with his own hands. That was his occupation. And so Allah subhanaw taala tells us a story that he told his father Ibrahim alayhi salam told his father Azur at a turkey to us Nam and Alia, do you really are you really making these statues of stone and wood into Gods? In the Araca? We'll call them McAfee ball anymore been? So Allah says and mentioned Oh Mohamed, when Abraham said to his father, as are, are you really taking these idols as deities? Certainly I see you and your people to bury them. He separates himself from

these people. I see you and your people in horrible manifest error.

Abraham or incident Salam look at how he is dealing. This is a lesson for us today. He finds himself in a similar situation as we do today, his whole society is lost in sin, even his family members, his own father is lost in sin. And so let's pay attention to what Allah subhanaw taala expects from him. The first thing that he expects from him is to distance himself and disavow and condemn the wrong things that are going on. We saw it subtly. And how Ibrahim said that he's as cold neck, your people, meaning they're not my people anymore.

My people is not just the people that I'm born amongst not just my tribe, or my ethnicity or the color of my skin. It has to do with righteousness. Who's following the truth? Oh, meq this is your people. They're not my people anymore. But he goes beyond that. Ibrahim, he says, God, Allah Subhana Allah tells us about Ibrahim, what was his attitude? How did he distinguish himself from the sin that his people were surrounded in?

Another area another surah Allah says called a candidate for two and a half minutes on vibrato he

will let the no matter who is called Holy Cow me him in Bora. Men come what mean that's gonna mean doing Allah? Can foreigner become ouabain and our beta Kumala to well above all evidence had taught me to be law he was, there was already Allah says to us a good example for you. I've already shown you the way and that way is in Ibrahim alayhi salam and those people who were with him when they said to their own people who were lost in sin, certainly were far away from you. We got nothing to do with you guys. We are disassociated from you and whatever you're worshipping besides Allah subhana wa Tada. We've denied you. And there's going to be, let's say tension. There's going to be

enmity let's just say we're not going to be best friends, between us and you forever. Unless, unless you turn back from your ways and worship Allah subhanaw taala alone.

The first step is disavow. The first step is condemnation. The first step is speaking up and saying, Hey, this is wrong. Why is this the first step and why is it so important? Because we have a duty as the people of Ibrahim Ali he said, to clarify what is true from what is false. The next is Allah subhanaw taala has us making this throughout rather than Allah Tatiana fit Salah Do you know Cafaro wokefield Luna Robina indica antillas Ezel Hakeem, our Lord, don't make us a test for the disbelievers according to one of the interpretations don't make us a test for the disbelievers. And forgive us our Lord. Indeed, it is you who is the Exalted and mites and the wise. How could we

possibly be a test for the believers? were Muslims were people who believe in Allah, and we pray and we fast and we give charity, why are we making a dua to Allah, that we not be a test for the disbelievers. Because if we don't stand up and speak for the truth, the truth and falsehood will not be distinct. The truth and the falsehood will not be clear. People will be confused. People don't have any guidance. They don't have the Quran they don't have the prophets have Allahu alayhi wa sallam. If we don't stand up and say this is right, and this is wrong, the people are just going to keep on going believing and what they think whatever they inherited, whatever they grew up with.

That's our responsibility to be a witness for the people.

But even disavow disavow is just the first step. Condemnation is the first step. But it's not enough. We don't stop there. That's not the example that Ibrahim alayhi salam sets for us. There's one step further, and that is to try to guide people to try to guide people to the truth. Remember how Ibrahim alayhi salam dealt with his people. He went out and he already knew what he was doing. But he went out and he looked at the stars. And he said, Oh, I'm gonna take this as my god. It was a ruse. He knew what he was doing the whole time. But then they went down, and he said, Oh, they can't be my god, they've gone away. And then the same with the moon. And then the same with the sun. All

of it was an argument to prove to his people to guide them. He said, You cannot take as something to worship, something which is here today and gone tomorrow, something that is not permanent, something that is not fixed. And so he's trying to clarify to his people and convince them what was the other thing that Ibrahim alayhi salam did? All of his people went out to one other crazy celebrations. Maybe it was a parade, who knows? And he snuck into the room with the idols. And what did he do? He broke them all. And he tied except for one, he left one, and he tied his instrument has actually whatever it was, he tied it around the neck of the big one is Ibrahim IRA. He said, I'm just a

troublemaker. is he somebody who's belligerent and disrespectful? No, he's trying to prove a point. He's trying to get them to think he's trying to make an argument that they have to put two and two together and come back to the truth. The whole thing comes from Ibrahim's sincerity. He wants to guide them. It's not enough to just say you guys are wrong. And I'm right. He's trying to bring them along with him to the truth. And so this is the way of Ibrahima. He said, This is our way. This is the way of the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa sallam who compared himself in a hadith to someone who lit a fire and he said all of you are like mobs throwing yourselves into the fire. And

it's as if I am grabbing on to your your belt, holding you back from throwing yourself into the fire. That's how sincere the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wasallam was, it was about guidance, not leaving people alone to destroy themselves in their afterlife trying to guide

people and show them the way.

Is it easy?

No, it's very difficult. It's extremely difficult. And if you look at the story of Ibrahim alayhis, salam, you see that there's one quality that you absolutely must have if you're going to do this work, if you're going to stand up and say, this is right and this is wrong, and if you're going to try to engage in your people and say, I'm going to try to convince you that what I believe in is right. And that is you have to have courage. You have to be fearless. We see a lost power with Allah says and he's talking the words of Abraham out and he said, In what case call for

a shock to Walter fauna and come as a shock to him. Billa mellem Yuna Selby, his alikhan soltana for Al feria Pena hackable me input from Talmud, how should I be afraid of what you have invented what you've associated in worship, and you're not afraid of Allah

when you're worshiping other things that he never even sent down authority for you to worship, which of the two of us is more right to feel safe? Which of the two of us is more right to feel unafraid? Ibrahim on a Sudan was teaching us that if we believe in Allah subhanaw taala that we have absolutely nothing to fear. This is the path that we're supposed to follow. Allah subhanaw taala says, Hola. Hola. Lena Had Allah that'd be Hoda whom aka Teddy these are the people the prophets, the people that we asked Allah subhanaw taala to put us on their path if then I said almost up in said Alta Lavina and I'm Tyler him. The prophets those are the ones who Allah has guided so take

from their guidance and example and be a guiding light to your people. Just like Ibrahim at a sedan that colloquially how that was helpful Hola Hola, como se certainly Muslimeen I'm equally them for stock Pharaoh in the whole of a photo Rahim.

hamdulillah Haryana Sani well sugar Allahu Allah to FIFA. He wasn't in any white shadow and ilaha illallah wa to hula surely you can a hotel Emily SHINee or shadow and an OB and so he didn't and Mohammed Abdullah who was ruler who had their you know, elaborate one. So Allahu alayhi wa early he was happy he was when he was suddenly motors Neiman cathedral.

Brothers and sisters this life is just a test.

Allah subhanaw taala reminds us time and time and time again that this life is just a test. Allah subhanaw taala he sends you things in your life test after test after test. What's the point? Why does he do this to us? He is giving us opportunities. He is giving us opportunities to prove ourselves. He's giving ourselves opportunities to show that we're not just people of talk and talk is cheap, that we are people who have principles and we are going to live according to these principles and we are going to call other people to these principles. Are we going to follow His guidance? Or are we just going to talk about it? This is why Allah subhanaw taala reminds us to

repeat the words of the prophets called in solidarity oneness. Okay, well, Matt here Yeah, well, my Mattila here, Abdullah Al Amin, say he wants to put it on our tongues every time you read this area. Certainly my prayer, and my rites of sacrifice and my living and my dying, all of them are for Allah, Lord of All the Worlds, it all belongs to him. Subhana it doesn't belong to you. Your life is not yours. Your life is not your mother's or your father's. It belongs to Allah subhanahu wa Tada. And he wants you to do something very important with it, that will please him.

If you realize this, that it all belongs to Allah, that you are just an instrument that these things are just tests and that at the end of the day, Allah azza wa jal is in control. This is what gives you the fearlessness of Ibrahim alayhis salam. This is what gives you the courage and bravery of the Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa salam. And if you can get this inside of your heart, then you will not be afraid of anything. Doesn't matter how strong the opposition is, doesn't matter if they threaten your job or if they threaten your livelihood or if they threaten your safety or if they threaten your legal status. Allah subhanaw taala is in control. He always was in control, he always

will be in control. The only test is Do you trust him?

Do you trust him? What are the

Due to Ibrahim alayhi salam, they build a fire. A fire bigger than this MSG

towering flames and they gotta catapults to throw him on it he slammed into the fire. And what happened?

Allah subhanaw taala said to the fire up cool.

And what did Ebro Hemara? He said, say on the way flying through the air on the way to this fire. He was approached by the angel Jibreel Alehissalaam and Gibreel said Do you need any help?

And Ibrahim alayhi salam He said not from you.

I rely on Allah subhana wa Tada alone and certainly assure enough he gets to the fire the fire is cold.

It's like someone holds a gun to your head. They click it the chamber is empty.

Someone tries to cut you with a sword and the sword is dough. Allah subhanaw taala is in control.

You're not in control your enemy is not in nitro Allah azza wa jal is in control.

So if you're up against something, let them build their fire.

Let them build their fire as high as they want to.

Allah subhanaw taala will make it cool.

Allah subhanaw taala will put it out. Allah Subhana Allah Allah is in control, and he is the only true power La hawla wala Quwata illa biLlah