Captioning provided by MUHSEN (www.muhsen.org)
So after just having witnessed abandonment from his father
and being disgraced by his own family and his own people
as Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam is on his way out,
he calls out to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la and he says,
"rabbi habli minas saliheen"
Oh Allah, grant me righteous offspring.
So, it's really amazing
that he had just lost the connection
to his own parent and in that moment,
he's asking Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la to be a parent
himself, and to have the companionship of a child
that would be from the righteous.
Now, it's really important
to understand where this du'a comes from.
Number one, the fact that Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam
is acknowledging in those moments as well,
"yawma la yan fau'ma walaa banun"
that I'm looking for the honor of the hereafter
when there will be no benefits that comes
from having children or having wealth,
except for the one that comes
with a sound heart to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la.
It's important to understand that Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam
is more concerned with the succession of generations
that would uphold the monotheism that he came with
than he is with simply having offspring himself.
And this is why we see when Zakariyyah Alayhi Salaam
calls out to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, he says,
"wa inee khiftul mawaliya, wa in qara'afatul mawali"
that I'm worried about the lack of people
that will continue on with this message.
I don't find inheritors of this message amongst my people.
And that's why Zakariyyah Alayhi Salaam chooses
to call out to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la and to ask him
for a child,
"fa habli mi ladunka wa liyya"
to give me a child that would inherit this message,
not simply give me companionship,
but inherit this message
and carry forth this message for your glory.
It's very similar to one the
Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam
is in Taif, and he just witnessed that humiliation.
What was the Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam reasoning
for not having those people destroyed beyond the mercy
that the Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam
extended towards those people.
His hope Alayhi Salatu Salaam after Taif
was in the children of Taif
that maybe, there will be a generation amongst them
that say La ilaha ilallah.
Maybe there will be people that come amongst them
that say La ilaha ilallah.
So, it's important to understand that Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam
is already oriented towards the hereafter
and is affirming on that day,
children, nor wealth will avail a person.
But there's something else that Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam,
one of his nicknames is Abul Ambiyaa;
he's the father of the prophets.
And when the Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam
named his own son Ibrahim,
he said, I named him after my father Ibrahim.
So, Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam is the father of the prophets
and that after him, all the prophets
come from his nations, Alayhi Salatu Wasallam.
That's why, we find when Allah describes
Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam
that he was an Ummah, he was a nation.
One interpretation of him being described
as an Ummah himself is that the good that emanates
from that one person is the good that an entire nation
would be able to put forth just
from Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam himself.
And some of the scholars, they said, he's an Ummah
in that all the nations come from this Ummah, this
nation of Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam, after him Alayhi Salaam.
Even in those moments where he thought
that he might not even have anyone to succeed him,
look what happens instead, right?
Children and grandchildren, prophets after prophets
ending with the Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam
and an entire legacy of people
that cling to his remembrance.
But, there is that element of companionship as well.
Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la says,
Falamma iAAtazalahum wamayaAAbudoona min dooni Allahi
wahabna lahu ishaqawayaAAqooba wakullan jaAAalna nabiyya
That when he left them and that which
they were worshiping beside Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la,
we gave him Isaac and Jacob and we made them into prophets.
Notice, Allah did not mention Isma'eel.
Even though Isma'eel Alayhi Salaam was older than Ishaaq
by 13 years according to some narrations,
Allah did not mention him.
In fact, Allah mentioned the grandson, Jacob,
the grandson, Ya'qoob.
And Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la goes on to say,
and we made them into prophets,
Wawahabna lahum min rahmatinawajaAAalna
and we gave them mercy, a special mercy,
the same mercy that Allah would give to Yahya,
towards his father, Zakariyyah,
we gave them a special type of mercy and we gave them
lisana sidqin AAaliyya
we gave them a high reputation amongst the people,
which is something that Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam asked as well,
that people would remember him, highly Alayhi Salaam.
And look how Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la responded to that.
Some of the scholars say the fact that Ismail Alayhi Salaam
is omitted here was already a sign to Ibrahim
that he would have to sacrifice him,
that he wouldn't get to enjoy
the companionship of Isma'eel Alayhi Salaam in his life.
However, Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la would have a special
plan for Isma'eel Alayhi Salaam that would achieve the goal
of Ibrahim's du'a,
just as Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la would have that also for
his goal with Ishaaq & the children of Ishaaq Alayhi Salaam.