Almighty Allah says in His Glorious Qur'an,

(Surely Ibrahim (Abraham) was a nation, obedient to Allah, by nature upright, and he was not of the polytheists: Thankful for His bounties; He chose him and He guided him unto a straight path.) (An-Nahl 16:120–121)

As stated here, the outstanding characteristics of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) peace be upon him were his deep faith and unswerving obedience to Allah: In an age of ignorant polytheism, he was the strongest exponent of monotheism!

After Prophet Adam (peace be upon him), Prophet Abraham is revered and honored as leader (imam) of humankind. Not only Muslims believe that they are all descendants of him, but also Jews and Christians have the same belief.

Thus, we also read in the Bible that Prophet Abraham was blessed by Yahweh (Allah) and described as the father of many nations:

"I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." (NIV-Genesis 12:2–3)

"As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations …. " (NIV-Genesis 17:4 and 6)

"I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring, all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me." (NIV-Genesis 22:17–18)

And we read in the Qur'an that Allah Almighty tested Prophet Abraham:

(And (remember) when Abraham was tried by his Lord with certain commands, and he fulfilled them; He said, "Surely I will appoint you a leader for humankind." He (Abraham) said, "And of my offspring (will there be leaders)?" He said, "My covenant includes not wrongdoers.") (Al-Baqarah 2:124)

In his exegesis of the Qur'an, Ibn Kathir quotes the following explication of the above verse by Ibn `Abbas:

The words that Allah tested Abraham with and that he implemented were abandoning his [disbelieving] people when Allah commanded him to do so, arguing with Nimrod [King of Babylon] about Allah, being patient when he was thrown in the fire [though this was extremely traumatic], migrating from his homeland when Allah commanded him to do so, being patient with the monetary and material demands of hosting guests by Allah's command, and obeying Allah's order for him to slaughter his son. When Allah tested Abraham with these words and he was ready for the major test, Allah said to him, ("Submit (be a Muslim)!'' He said, "I submit myself to the Lord of the Worlds") (Al-Baqarah 2:131).

In fact, the difficult tests to which Almighty Allah subjected Prophet Abraham brought out his sterling qualities, such as his unflinching belief in Allah and his complete submission to Him. Eventually, he was prepared to sacrifice his son for the sake of Almighty Allah. In the Qur'an, Allah Almighty says,

(And who has a better religion than he who submits himself entirely to Allah while doing good (to others) and follows the faith of Abraham, the upright? And Allah took Abraham as a friend.) (An-Nisaa' 4:125)

The foregoing argument makes it clear to us how Prophet Abraham has richly deserved to become a role model for the whole of humanity; that is to say, the moral principles that Abraham demonstrated through the difficult trials of his life are certainly the universal principles that shine through history as ideals for the entire humanity.

Firm belief in Allah, dedicated obedience to Him, strong commitment to religion, and unwavering patience in the face of temptations and misfortunes were the hallmarks of the submission (Islam) of Abraham.

Ibn Kathir adds,

Now, who is "the best in religion" as indicated in the above verse (4:125)? Allah Himself answers, "the one who submits his whole self to Allah while doing good." This means that the two essential conditions for being "the best in religion" are sincerity and correctness. This is because "submitting one's whole self" can mean nothing other than the utmost sincerity to Almighty Allah, with the expectation of reward from Him, and "doing good" can mean nothing other than following the correct guidance that Allah legislated in the religion of truth, which He sent His Messenger with.

And who could be the people who qualified for being "the best in religion"? The answer is, "those who followed the religion of Abraham, the upright." And are they the Jews, the Christians, or the Muslims? Almighty Allah answers,

(Most surely those of humankind who have the best claim to Abraham are those who followed him and this Prophet and those who believe, and Allah is the Guardian of the believers.) (Aal `Imran 3:68)

This means that the people who have the best claim to Abraham are his genuine followers, as well as this Prophet (Muhammad) and his followers (Muslims) because they followed Abraham as commanded by Allah Almighty:

(Then We revealed to you (O Muhammad), "Follow the faith of Abraham, the upright one, and he was not of the polytheists.") (An-Nahl 16:123)

Prophet Abraham was an imam whose example is closely followed by generations of people. As one who wholeheartedly and most dedicatedly obeyed all the commands of Almighty Allah, he was honored by Allah Himself and described as His friend (An-Nisaa' 4:125). This was due to Prophet Abraham's devotion, dedication, and submission to Allah, All Merciful.

Of the followers of the three Abrahamic religions (i.e. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), Muslims honor Abraham most and follow his sunnah of sacrifice during Hajj and `Eid Al-Adha.

At this very moment, millions of Muslims from the four corners of the planet are on their way to Makkah, where Abraham built the First House to worship the Only God of the universe. There, Muslims perform certain rites that commemorate the most important events in the life of the leader of humankind and his family.

While pilgrims are immersed in those rites, Muslims all over the world celebrate the sacrifice of Abraham and his son Ishmael in `Eid Al-Adha (Festival of Sacrifice). Thus, Muslims worldwide not only remember and honor Prophet Abraham but also pledge to emulate his supreme example in their life as much as possible.

And Allah knows best.