Sometimes we reach a point in life where we think everything is over
but Allah has something in store for us.
Hajar (Alaiha Assalam) although was left in a barren desert,
it looked like imminent death however the city had become full of life.
By this time Ismaeel (Alaihi Assalam) had reached an age where he became independent,
he was able to help his father and his father could rely on him.
However Allah commanded him a strange command,
something that is inconceivable to our mind,
He ordered him to slaughter his son.
So he went to his son and said:
His son understood that this was a command from Allah
that he had to slaughter his only son, which he had been waiting for all his life
and he was now an old age, only to get the command
that he must give him up.
Ismaeel (Alaihi Assalam) replied:
Ibrahim (Alaihi Assalam) went to carry out the command of Allah
exactly as He told him without any question,
without any hesitation.
But as he put him to slaughter, the knife would not cut.
He tried again and again but it just would not cut.
Suddenly they hear a familiar voice, it was the angel Jibreel (Alaihi Assalam)
he had come down with a huge ram from Paradise.
And he heard the words:
And he also said: "Once Ibrahim and Ismaeel completely submitted,
we called out to them."
Allah says:
My brothers and sisters, the slaughtering of the ram
was a compensation but only a will from God
so that it can become a commemoration and a memory
and something that we do every year in Eid al-Adha.
We slaughter an animal to give out to the poor and the needy
with the permission of Allah, under His name
and in the way that He wants us to.
The reason we do that is a symbol of our readiness
to do what God had commanded us or He prohibited us.
It is also a meaning that we are saying to Allah – O Allah, our Lord.
We trust and believe in all Your knowledge and wisdom, Your guidance is the best
and we are willing to obey.
My brothers and sisters,
Ibrahim (Alaihi Assalam) and his son's relationship teaches us so many lessons.
Number one – a father, when he does good deeds
or is about to do something that is beneficial
whether for people or whether is for Hereafter,
he thinks about his children.
And a good idea is for the father to involve his children in good work.
Whether it's charitable work, whether it's to build some skills,
to help other people, whether in the house or outside the house.
Also at times,
the love of parents can grow so intense,
that we may sometimes lose our way in nurturing
and raising them with principles and values.
You know, some parents their love becomes so intense,
that we end up raising our children the wrong way,
we tend to pamper them too much
or allow them to enjoy this life in too much luxury
to the point where when they grow up they don't have the necessary skills.
So Allah Subhana Wa Ta'la in a way is teaching us through this story also
that when we love our children,
the love also involves raising them with principles and values,
sometimes it will be difficult and hard.
The love of Ibrahim (Alaihi Assalam) for Ismaeel
had grown so intense and Allah Subhana Wa Ta'la wanted to give him a simple lesson.
Although it was difficult,
he wanted to teach him to take a little step back
and to focus on the bigger picture.
Allah was preparing Ismaeel also for a huge project,
a huge command that was about to come,
that will serve all of humanity till the end of time.
It is the building of the Kaabah.
Once again, we find a father and a son's relationship
working together for the same goal, for the same objective
and communicating with each other.
The father's communicating with his son,
he does not just command his son and tell him what to do
or lecture him, he asks him, he converses with him:
"Oh son, what do you think?
Oh son, what do you say?"
Letting their child think for themselves
and this is something we parents should do with our children.
Allow them at every age to be treated with the respect
that that age deserves.
Especially when they become teenagers,
we become kind of friends and at the same time guardians.
And as they get older, we treat them like adults.
Ibrahim (Alaihi Assalam) and Ismaeel were then commanded to build the Kaabah together.
An enormous goal,
an enormous project which till today it has united the entire nation,
an entire Ummah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Even before the time of Muhammad ﷺ, at the time of Jesus Christ and Moses
and even before right up to the time of prophet Abraham,
people have been circumambulating making Tawaf around
this one house of God which is called the Kaabah.
As prophets Ibrahim and Ismaeel were building the Kaabah,
they began to make endless dua,
and among those dua was:
"O Our Lord, expect this work from us,
You hear all things, You know all things."
"Our Lord make us among those who truly submit and are muslims to You
and for our progeny, our children who come afterwards."
Ibrahim (Alaihi Assalam's) concern was not just only about his immediate family,
but all the people that come after him, for he considered us all like his children.
Prophet Ibrahim was making a dua at a time of concern,
for the progeny that comes after him
and it is a good idea to make dua while you're doing an act of good deed,
an act of worship, an act of charity, helping someone for the sake of Allah.
For that is one of the moments where the dua is strong.
Ibrahim (Alaihi Assalam) made endless duas that day
and he stood up with his son sharing in that dua for all the people to come.
Ibrahim (Alaihi Assalam) not only considered Ismaeel
his only progeny but considered all the people that come afterwards as his progeny.
Ibrahim (Alaihi Assalam) made a dua and that dua is still happening till today.
Millions and millions of people go to Hajj to do the pilgrimage
and the Tawaf – the circumambulation around this Kaabah never stops night and day.
Truly when we make dua,
when we work together
Allah Subhana Wa Ta'la is with us but when we are apart,
when each one goes their own way, when we don't have the same collaboration
and working together for the same goal,
then things become a failure, success is through unity.
Success is with togetherness, success starts with the family relationship.