Monday 21 July 2008

WHO WAS TO BE SACRIFICED?

WHO WAS TO BE SACRIFICED
Ishmael or Isaac

The following is the text of a TV program presented by Maulana Dr. Waffie Mohammed

Summary of what was said, in previous program

We have been presenting Abraham as a model of the Upright Way of Life, we know that he is the Father of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and is regarded as being righteous. Can you give a summary of what was presented so far?

Abraham was over eighty and did not yet have any children.

His wife Sarah, give him her handmaid as a wife, with the hope that from her there will be a child or children. (It means that Abraham did not commit adultery)

Hagar became pregnant for Abraham.

God recognized her pregnancy as Abraham’s son. (Gen.21:13)

God ordained that the boy be named Ishmael meaning “God hears”.

Sarah became jealous and decided to cast both mother and son away.

Sarah did not want Ishmael to be inheritor of Abraham’s wealth.

Hagar and Ishmael were exiled and Abraham prayed for them.

God helped them survived and promised Abraham great things for his son Ishmael.

Even though they were not living in the same place as Sarah, Abraham had contact with them and loved his only son very dearly.

Both the father and son were circumcised on the same day as part of the fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham. (Gen.17:26)

Ishmael was about fourteen years old when Isaac was born



Abraham was tried by Allah in many ways. Did he get any other trial?
.

The next important event in the life of the family of Abraham is the command to sacrifice his only son. As the reference was to his only son, it means that this incident took place before the birth of Isaac, as, up to the birth of Isaac, Abraham had only one son i.e. Ishmael.


But this is not the view of our Christian brethren, why is there another point of view?

Some commentators of the Bible try to justify a misrepresented picture that it had to be Isaac and not Ishmael, for, as they say, Ishmael was born of the flesh and whereas Isaac came from God, as the fulfilment of a promise.

Isaac was in no way similar to Jesus, as it was only Jesus who had a virgin birth. Abraham was the biological father of both Ishmael and Isaac. As a matter of fact Ishmael enjoys the status of being the first biological son of Abraham. Isaac came much later. And Ishmael was part of God’s original covenant with Abraham, as both father and son were circumcised on the same day in fulfillment of that covenant.

The important point is that even though Hagar the mother of Ishmael was the servant of Sarah; that does not lower the esteem of her son in the sight of God, as it was God who was guiding her and taking care of her and her son all along, and, like Isaac, promised Abraham great things for Ishmael.

Paul is also deceiving the people by saying that the Ishmaelites are persecutors. This philosophy came all the way down to Prophet Muhammad (pboh) as they continue to deceive the people by saying that Islam was spread by the sword.

Why has the Church adopted a different position regarding Ishmael?

The Church has a different view about him. It bases its authority for not recognizing him as a legitimate son of Abraham from the writing of Paul. He wrote as follows:

Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children. They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. (Rom.9:7-8)

Now, we, brethren, as Isaac was are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit. (Gal.428-29)

What Paul is saying is that although the two boys are Abraham’s son, one is not human or not considered to be Godly, and as a result is not qualified to be associated with Abraham and Isaac nor is he entitled to inherit from his father.

When you look at the history of both Sarah and Hagar, you cannot help but ask, Who persecuted who? Was it not Sarah who persecuted Hagar? Then Paul cannot justify the elevation of Isaac over Ishmael on the basis of one being of the flesh and the other being of Promise. It is true that Hagar was Sarah’s servant, but she was honorably given to Abraham to be his wife, and the son born out of the union had the blessing of even Sarah.

If according to Paul, the children of the flesh are not children of God, then is it true to say that when the word became flesh it was no longer Godly of part of God?

According to Christianity, the Word became flesh (Jn.1:14). And according to Paul, the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. (Gal.5:17)

But Jesus was flesh and yet he was pious, just as how Abraham was flesh and was still righteous. So too, Ishmael could have been considered to be flesh and still could have been righteous like his father and mother.

As a matter of fact, Hagar was more righteous than Sarah, as she never questioned God’s decision. But when Sarah was told that she was to have a son she laughed and questioned the message.

Is it really true that Ishmael is lower in status than Isaac?

The attempt to lower the status of Ishmael because of birth cannot stand, as no one doubts the righteousness of Abraham, and as a result, after sincere prayers, if Allah granted him a son willing to forebear, then how can anyone deny that he is from the children of Abraham, when the Bible confirms that Ishmael was Abraham’s son.

Besides, in the eyes of God all human beings are equal. He says:

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered. (Joel 2:32)
In the Qur’an Allah tells us as follows:

For Muslim men and Muslim women, for believing men and believing women, for devout men and devout women, for truthful men and truthful women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast, for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allah’s praise, for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward. (33:35)


We see that Sarah persecuted Hagar terribly, and never took her back in the home. Was there a reason for this?

· Abraham and Sarah belonged to one family tree, while Hagar was an outsider.
· Both were fair skin, while Hagar was a colored woman
· Hagar’s beauty was a cause of concern of Sarah
· Hagar had a son while Sarah was barren
· According to the laws of inheritance Ishmael was entitled to inherit from Abraham’s wealth, this was bitterly opposed by Sarah.
· Hagar was considered to be a Gentile

The persecution started by Sarah against Hagar and Ishmael continues even today with the Israelites persecuting the Palestinians mercilessly. Nothing has changed, and all the evil committed are being justified by misrepresentations found in the Bible. The purpose of Sarah's persecution of Hagar and her son was that the boy should not inherit any part of the Land promised to Abraham. That is the reason why they were sent away. Abraham did not write a will, and as a result, even though Ishmael is his first son, Hagar made sure that nothing from the father should be given to him. So that her priority was to ensure that the land around Palestine remains with the inheritors of Isaac. This was not from a Divine revelation but was her own doing. The Zionist movement is still fighting the Palestines for the lands that were promised to Abraham.

What does the Qur’an and the Bible say about the sacrifice?

The Holy Qur’an gives a very clear picture of what actually took place. It narrates it in the following verses:

Abraham prayed to his Lord as follows:
O my Lord, grant me a righteous son, So We gave him the good news of a boy ready to suffer and forbear. Then when the son reached (the age of serious) work with him, he said, O my son, I see in a vision that I offer you in sacrifice, What is your view about it? (The son) replied, O my father, do as you are commanded, you will find me, if Allah wills, one practicing patience and constancy. (37:100-102)

If the Biblical words are carefully examined, one will find that according to the Bible, Abraham was not commanded by God to sacrifice Isaac. The verse reads as follows:

Offer him there for a burnt offering. (Gen.22:2)

The Hebrew word (ala) literally means “lift him up” indicating that the victim must be offered whole. No reference is made of slaying the boy.

The other confusing issue from the Biblical point of view is the location where the burnt offering had to be made. The Bible says that is was in the land of Moriah. No exact place was specified. This is what one commentator had to say about this matter:

The place of the sacrifice cannot be positively identified. 11 Chronicles 3:1 seem to locate it on the side of Solomon’s Temple. Tradition has held to this view, and would be difficult to find a more easily acceptable spot. (Wycliffe Bible Commentary, p.27)


The sacrifice of Abraham, has a special place in Muslim belief and practice, can you comment about it?

In Islam the sacrifice is very clearly presented. It can be summarized as follows:

Abraham prayed for a son
Allah granted his prayer
He was given a son named Ishmael
When the boy was beginning to become mature, Allah gave Abraham a vision that he is to sacrifice Ishmael.
Abraham and the son with the knowledge of the mother submitted to the Divine Will
The attempt to sacrifice the boy was actually carried out
Allah substituted a ram in place of the boy, and it was slaughtered
Allah leaves the lesson of submission and sacrifice for future generation
It is rehearsed by Muslims every year at the actual place where Abraham was ordered to carry it out, during the Haj, and by Believers all over the world, during that time.
Allah records about the event as follows:

And We left this blessing for him among generations (to come) in later times. Peace and salutations on Abraham. (37:108-109)


What was the purpose of the sacrifice?

The purpose of the order to sacrifice was to demonstrate willing submission to Allah.

The projection of the sacrifice according to Christianity is completely different for the following reasons:

· It was inaccurately recorded and confusing. If it was Abraham’s only son, it could not have been Isaac, as he was born almost fourteen years after Ishmael.
· The actual command to sacrifice is not in the Biblical words
· The place where the sacrifice took place cannot be located
· The lessons for the sacrifice are lost.
· The momentous sacrifice of Abraham and his son has been replaced by alluding to the alleged crucifixion of Jesus on the cross.
· Abraham took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering.
· The alleged crucifixion of Jesus is different from the sacrifice of the ram as the whole animal was burnt, which would have meant that the sacrifice was accepted.
· Jesus was taken down from the cross and hid in a private tomb
· Abraham is known for his righteousness because he submitted to the Will of God without any complaints
· We see where Jesus kept complaining and pleading with God before the alleged crucifixion.

Why was Abraham recognized as a righteous person?

Because he had uncompromising faith in Allah, and he knew Allah to be a friend and helper. Nothing was too much for him to give to his Lord, and he knew that his lord was sufficient for him in this life and in the next.

Paul says:

For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. (Rom.4:13)

What Paul did not elaborate upon was that Abraham had faith in God and not in any one else. Nowadays the leaders of Christianity project the importance of faith, but not in God. They preach faith in Jesus. Even though Jesus preached faith in Allah he said:

Not everyone who says unto me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that does the will of my Father, which is in heaven. (Mt.7:21)


What must be the Muslims’ attitude towards Abraham?

Allah has preserved the historic event of the sacrifice of Abraham as a lesson for Muslims. Every year millions of Muslims go to the places where Abraham and his family, i.e. Hagar and Ishmael traversed and recount some of what they did as part of the Haj rituals. They stand before their Lord, with the least of the worldly attractions chanting, “Here I come, O Lord, Here I come.” In addition Muslims look up to Abraham as a model.

The Qur’an confirms this in the following verse:

Abraham was indeed a model devoutly obedient to Allah, and true in Faith, and he joined not gods with Allah. (16:120)

Muslims are taught to follow the ways of Abraham, as he was true in faith. Christians do not follow him as they prefer to live by Grace.

Saturday 19 July 2008

Hajj

The following is the text of a TV program. The answers were given by Dr. Waffie

All true believers will like to perform the Hajj at least once in a life time; what does the term Hajj mean?

The term "Hajj" means:
· To set out for a place
· To go on a pilgrimage
· In Islam, it refers to the annual Pilgrimage to Makkah. It is performed in the last month of the Islamic year, called Zil Hajj. It is performed on the prescribed days.

When Hajj was first performed?

It started with Abraham, upon the completion of the rebuilding of the Holy Kaba. Allah ordained that this rite should be observed every year. He says:

And proclaim the pilgrimage among men; they will come to thee on foot and on every kind of camel (transport) lean on account of journeys through steep and distant mountain highways. (22:27)

Allah told Prophet Abraham to perform the Hajj; but how did he know what to do?

Allah guided him as to what he should do during the days of Hajj. He records it in the Holy Qur'an as follows:

Behold, We gave the site to Abraham of the Sacred House, saying; do not associate anything with Me, and sanctify My House for those who go around it, or stand up or bow down or prostrate themselves (22:26)

Then let them complete the rites prescribed. (22:29)

But Abraham built the Kaba in the wilderness where there was a very small human population; how did the Hajj become a universal institution, attracting pilgrims from all over the world?

Firstly, Abraham used to go every year to perform the Hajj, even though he was living in the Promised Land with Sarah. After him the people used to gather there every year as a festival. When they stopped following the way of Abraham, they used to go around the Kaba naked and make their sacrifices just like in his time; however they used to dedicate the meat and the blood to their idol gods that they had placed in the Kaba.

They used to keep up the occasion as a great time of festivity with competitions such as poetry, etc.

With the advent of Prophet Muhammad (pboh) the Hajj was again re-established, but this time as a fundamental principle of Islam.

Do you think that Abraham was aware that the people would have done other than what he taught them?

Abraham wanted that Allah's religion be practiced in the Holy Land. From the very beginning when he was leaving Hagar and Ishmael there he prayed as follows:

Our Lord, I have settled part of my offspring in a valley unproductive of fruits; near Your Sacred House. Our Lord, that they may keep up prayer; so make the hearts of some people yearn towards them, and provide them with fruits, so that they may be grateful. (14:37)

Later on he prayed as follows:

Our Lord, send amongst them a Messenger from among themselves, who shall recite unto them Your verses and instruct them in the Book and Wisdom and sanctify them (2:129)

So Abraham wanted the Lord to guide the people to the "upright way". He was aware that the nations and tribes from all over the place were misguided people as wherever he travelled he met the same inclination of the people worshipping idols.

Perhaps that is why he prayed to Allah to raise up from among a person who would preach to them. In other words he would be sure that they would not have inherited some kind of contaminated form of worship etc.

You mentioned that Allah guided the Prophet (pboh) as to the method of performing the Hajj, can you tell us a little more about it?

Allah gave the Prophet (pboh) details of the performance of the Hajj in Chapter 2 of the Holy Qur'an from verse 196 to verse 203. He also specified the purpose of the sacrifice etc. in Surah Hajj, i.e. Chapter 22.

Some very outstanding eye openers are that:
· Hajj and Umrah should be done solely for the sake of Allah. He says:
And complete the Hajj and Umrah for Allah. (2:196)

Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said:

Pilgrimage to the House is a duty man owes to Allah, those who can afford it.

· Also it should be treated as Sacred. In this connection Allah says:

Let there be no obscenity, or wickedness nor wrangling in the Hajj. (2:197)

Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said:
Pilgrimage wipes out the previous misdeeds.

Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said:

Those who perform Hajj and Umrah are people who have come to visit Allah. If they make supplications to Him He will respond and if they ask for forgiveness He will forgive them.

It is normally said that Hajj is an experience of a lifetime; can you give some reasons why people say like this?

There is no doubt about the fact that Hajj is a unique experience. Some of the reasons are:

· We read about the Kaba in the Holy Qur'an and Traditions, and when the intended pilgrim reaches Makkah and sees the Kaba for the first time; and that moment he or she becomes overwhelmed. The person forgets everything about world and looks in wonder at the grandeur of the Sacred House, shocked to know that he or she was blessed with this opportunity. In nearly every case it is difficult to prevent the tears from flowing, especially when the "talbiyah" is sounded in the ear from the thousands that are around.

· Especially during the performance of Hajj or Umrah, the person loses his identity, as he has to wear two pieces of unstitched cloth and mingle among the millions that have come from all over the world.

· The person is exposed to the culture, custom, dress, language and even some type of dishes from numerous countries and they all find it most interesting that they met some nice Muslims from unknown countries, and they were able to interact lovingly.

· They are happy to be in the place toward which they turn five times every day to worship.

· The person realises that material things have limitations, and at some point it is only Allah that is important as it is only He that can really help.

· The pilgrim is forced to join will others from all over the world to sleep one night under the open sky, to camp for three days in tents in another place, to look towards the direction of the setting sun and like the millions around to pour out his or her heart to the Lord, humbly.

· To admire the courage and faith of Father Abraham and his family.

· To realise the true lesson of submission, both because of his or own experience and also by seeing how the thousands of animals are submitting to the slaughterer.

· To cast out the devil from inside of him or her by symbolically pelting the Satan and was done by Abraham and Ishmael.

· To praise and glorify the Lord of the universe and His Holy House, thereby connecting himself spiritually with Adam downwards as they all did the same thing from the very beginning.
· To experience the mystery of the Zam Zam well.

· To be able to communicated with Allah in a special environment with no distraction.

The Hajj is indeed a sacrifice, what does the pilgrim hope to achieve by its performance?

Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said:

An accepted pilgrimage has no reward except Paradise.

The Pilgrim realises that:

· Material things can take you up to a point in life, just like how because of some material blessings that prospective pilgrim was able to proceed to the Holy Land, but after that it is you and your Lord alone.
· It gives an insight as to how the Day of Assembly will be upon resurrection.
· It shows the pilgrim the benefits of reliance on Allah and the ways of submission.It teaches patience

Wealth


Allah is All Knowing, and He created man's emotions and desires. Allah has also bestowed upon man the power to choose. Everything else is in His control. An example of the human being's ability to choose is Adam. Adam had the power to listen to Satan or choose otherwise.

Allah tells us about this in the following verse of the Qur'an:

Then We said: O Adam! Verily, this is an enemy to thee and thy wife, so do no let him (Satan) get you both out of the Garden; so that you will land in misery. (20:117)

Allah has placed the resources of the earth at the disposal of human beings. He says:

Do you not see that Allah has subjected to your use all the things that are in the skies and earth? 31:20)

Thus, the accumulation of wealth (which comes from the bounties of the skies and the earth) is made possible. There is no doubt that all of us would like to gain wealth, however there are some who place a lot more emphasis on it than on anything else. Alalh says in the Qur`an:

وَإِنَّهُ لِحُبِّ الْخَيْرِ لَشَدِيدٌ

And violent is he in his love of wealth.
(Chapter 100, verse 8)

Some people will do anything to acquire wealth; and this is indeed an unfortunate thing. Prophet Muhammad (pboh) is reported to have said;

Two hungry wolves, if let loose among a flock of sheep, will not do more damage than that which is caused by a man's avarice for wealth and status to his religion, (Tirmidhi).

A majority of the people only work for this duniya, i.e. material things. They will do whatever it takes to gain more, be it moral or immoral. Allah says in Qur`an;

And violent is he in his love for wealth. (100:8)

Some people spend their whole life acquiring wealth and soon after they die and leave behind everything they worked so hard to achieve. Others reach a stage of understanding where too much wealth doesn’t bring benefit, e.g. you can have all the wealth in the world but it cannot compensate you for poor health. The danger is that some people believe that because they are wealthy they can do anything and they fail to realize that it is out of the Graciousness of Allah that they have and can benefit from it.

Prophet Muhammad (saw) said

A servant says: My wealth, my wealth, but out of his wealth three things are only his: whatever he eats and makes use of, or by means of which he dresses himself and it wears out or he gives as charity, and this is what he stored for himself (as a reward for the Hereafter), and what is beyond this (it is of no use to you) because you are to depart and leave it for other people. (Sahih Muslim).

Never forget that this moment can be your last and everything you’ve worked so hard to achieve will be left behind. That is why as Muslims we must do things that will be of benefit to us in the hereafter. Look at how wealthy and powerful Pharaoh was, so much so that he declared in the famous meeting his historic line:




وَقَالَ فِرْعَوْنُ يَاأَيُّهَا الْمَلَأُ مَا عَلِمْتُ لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَهٍ غَيْرِي فَأَوْقِدْ
"O Chiefs! no god do I know for you but myself”
(Chapter 28, verse 38)

Allah says in Qur`an,

وَقَالَ مُوسَى رَبَّنَا إِنَّكَ آتَيْتَ فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَأَهُ زِينَةً وَأَمْوَالاً فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا رَبَّنَا لِيُضِلُّوا عَنْ سَبِيلِكَ رَبَّنَا اطْمِسْ عَلَى أَمْوَالِهِمْ وَاشْدُدْ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ فَلاَ يُؤْمِنُوا حَتَّى يَرَوْا الْعَذَابَ الأَلِيمَ

Moses prayed: "Our Lord! Thou hast indeed bestowed on Pharaoh and his chiefs splendour and wealth in the life of the present, and so, Our Lord, they mislead (men) from Thy Path. Deface, our Lord, the features of their wealth, and send hardness to their hearts, so they will not believe until they see the grievous penalty."
(Chapter 10, verse 88)

Why didn’t Pharaoh stop the sea from closing in on him? Your wealth can help you up to a certain point in this world and depending on how you utilize it; it can help you a great deal in the hereafter. Because wealth can provide all the physical comforts of life a lot of people spend all their time acquiring it. About this Allah says,

وَتُحِبُّونَ الْمَالَ حُبًّا جَمًّا

And ye love wealth with inordinate love!
(Chapter 89, verse 20)


Prophet Muhammad (saw) said;

Every ummah (nation) has a test to undergo, my Ummah (nation) will be tried through wealth, (Tirmidhi).

To acquire wealth in a halaal way is a jihad, and to spend it in the cause of ALLAH (swt) is a jihad. Allah says in Qur`an:

تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَتُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ بِأَمْوَالِكُمْ وَأَنفُسِكُمْ ذَلِكُمْ خَيْرٌ لَكُمْ إِنْ كُنتُمْ تَعْلَمُونَ

That ye believe in Allah and His Messenger, and that ye strive (your utmost) in the Cause of Allah, with your property and your persons: That will be best for you, if ye but knew!
(Chapter 61, verse 11)

Work hard and use all your resources to propagate Allah's Deen. Prophet Muhammad (saw) is reported to have said,

When we were sitting together, Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) appeared with a trace of water on his head, and when we told him that he appeared to us to be in a happy frame of mind, he agreed. The people then began to discuss wealth and Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) said, "There is no harm in wealth for him who fears Allah, Who is Great and Glorious, but for him who fears Allah, health is better than wealth, and a happy frame of mind is one of Allah's favours." (Tirmidhi)

Thank your Lord everyday for His blessings and mercy, and let everyone of us understand our true mission and goal in this life. Use the blessings that Allah has bestowed upon you to achieve it.