The session has just started. Please feel free to join and submit your questions now.
After the session has ended, you can view the whole dialogue by clicking Recent Sessions, or the archive.
Yours,
IOL Homepage Editor
Name
Fatimah
- Gambia
Profession
Question
Assalamualiakum
May the Almighty Allah reward you for the good work you are doing. My question is how did Abraham see his family after leaving them in that scared place? did he join them in the same place or collected them from there?
Salaam
Answer
Thank you for joining this live dialogue.
Although we have an overall understanding of the life of Ibrahim alayhi as-salam, there is by no means the level of detail about his life or the life of any other Prophet for that matter, as we have from the seerah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad sala Allahu alayhi wasallam. Prophet Muhammad's life was recorded in detail and confirmed by the narrations of the mother of the believers and his companions, may Allah be pleased with all of them.
As to whether Ibrahim alayhis salam joined the family in the same place or not when he returned, the exact location of that "same place" is not known to the best of my knowledge because even the area around the Kaaba was developing with various tribes, merchants, etc coming and going through that area.
As for your second question about his visiting them, we do know that Ibrahim alayhis salam came to visit the mother and child at various times in the child's life. We do know Ibrahim alayhis salam was commanded by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to go and to inform people about tawhid, the oneness of Allah. And he did that from the earliest time of the birth of Ismail alayhis salam. We know this because it was during his absence from the life of Hajar alayhas salam and the toddler Ismail alayhis salam that we learn of how she ran frantically between the hills of Safa and Marwa, trying to find water to nourish baby Ismail. And during that episode when the source of the zam zam water is found, there is no mention that Ibrahim alayhis salam is present.
For the sake of time, I will also refer you to a few other recorded visits, such as during one visit when he and Ismail alayhis salam worked on the foundation of the Kaabah (Sura Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #127); or when Ibrahim alayhis salam had a dream when Allah commanded him to sacrifice his son Ismail and how obedient and willing Ismail was, but that Allah spared him (Sura Saaffat (verses 100-110). Also, another incident when Ismail had married and his father visited him twice, and the first visited resulted in his father instructing him to divorce his wife as she openly complained about him (Ismail) as a husband and the second resulted in his father instructing him to keep his wife because she demonstrated perseverance despite her husband (Ismail's) difficult life as a prophet.
And Allah knows best.
Name
Shatira
- United States
Profession
Question
With total respect to Abraham's family, I just can't get it how sons are supposed to obey their fathers in everything? our generation is different from their generation, I mean look at my old man he called me Shatira abd everybody makes fun of my name.
Answer
Thank you for joining this live dialogue.
Each generation is different, you are correct. However, there are some qualities which every generation aspires for because those qualities are timeless and because those qualities are pleasing to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. For example, in the story of Ibrahim alayhis salam and his sons Ismail and Ishaaq alayhum as-salam, and their mothers Sarah and Hajar alayhum as-salam, we have so many lessons of how to model relationships between husbands and wives, between mothers and children, and between fathers and their children.
Let's take for example your nickname of "shatira abd," which is loosely translated to mean someone who is excellent in terms of their level of commitment to serve. Indeed, among the most honorable names are Abdullah and Amatullah, the male and female versions of calling a person a "servant of Allah." While people make fun of you for your nickname, you should try to understand that people give nicknames as a way to demonstrate their love to the people closest to them. In this case, the idea of obedience is critical to the relationship parent and child. And so we find that when Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala instructs Ibrahim alayhis salam to sacrifice his son Ismail, (sura Saaffat, verses 100-110), we find young Ismail saying to his father, "“O my father! Do as thou art commanded: thou will find me, if Allah so wills one practicing patience and constancy!” Throughout the generations, all parent would like to have children who are obedient, who demonstrate patience and who persevere during challenging times without complaining and whining.
Be proud of your nickname because it should remind you of the beautiful stories of the prophets of Islam, all of whom served Allah. And Allah knows best.
Name
Fatimah
- Gambia
Profession
Question
Salaam
My second question is did Abraham frequently visit Hagar & Ismail?
Answer
Thank you for joining this live dialogue.
Although we have an overall understanding of the life of Ibrahim alayhis salam, there is by no means the level of detail about his life or the life of any other Prophet for that matter, as we have from the seerah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad sal Allahu alayhi wasallam. Prophet Muhammad's life was recorded in detail and confirmed by the narrations of the mother of the believers and his companions, may Allah be pleased with all of them.
As to whether Ibrahim alayhis salam joined the family in the same place or not when he returned, the exact location of that "same place" is not known to the best of my knowledge because even the area around the Kaaba was developing with various tribes, merchants, etc coming and going through that area.
As for your second question about his visiting them, we do know that Ibrahim alayhis salam came to visit the mother and child at various times in the child's life. We do know Ibrahim alayhis salam was commanded by Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to go and to inform people about tawhid, the oneness of Allah. And he did that from the earliest time of the birth of Ismail alayhis salam. We know this because it was during his absence from the life of Hajar alayhas salam and the toddler Ismail alayhis salam that we learn of how she ran frantically between the hills of Safa and Marwa, trying to find water to nourish baby Ismail. And during that episode when the source of the zam zam water is found, there is no mention that Ibrahim alayhis salam is present.
For the sake of time, I will also refer you to a few other recorded visits, such as during one visit when he and Ismail alayhis salam worked on the foundation of the Kaabah (Sura Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #127); or when Ibrahim alayhis salam had a dream when Allah commanded him to sacrifice his son Ismail and how obedient and willing Ismail was, but that Allah spared him (Sura Saaffat (verses 100-110). Also, another incident when Ismail had married and his father visited him twice, and the first visited resulted in his father instructing him to divorce his wife as she openly complained about him (Ismail) as a husband and the second resulted in his father instructing him to keep his wife because she demonstrated perseverance despite her husband (Ismail's) difficult life as a prophet.
And Allah knows best.
Name
muslimah
- Brunei
Profession
housewife
Question
Salam
Can you tell me the differences between self neglect and self-sacrifice in Islam?
Answer
Thank you for joining this live dialog.
This is an excellent question indeed and quite relevant to the lessons we derive from studying about the family life of Ibrahim alayhis salam.
In Islam, our merciful Lord desires that we submit to Him wholeheartedly and that we strive throughout our lives to seek His pleasure and to draw nearer to Him through fulfilling His rights upon us. To the best of my knowledge, there is no such requirement of a Muslim to be neglect himself or herself, i.e. self neglect. Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala does not require that we neglect ourselves but we are expected to have a heightened sense of awareness of our soul, so that we can and should strive to constantly keep our soul in check so that we are not spending our lives in a focused pursuit of our lower desires such as eating, drinking, other forms of entertainment and amusement, and even engaging in intimacy with our spouses. When we attend to our basic needs, our lower desires as a means of sustaining ourselves, we do so to allow our soul to exist in a state which is conducive to achieving nearness to Allah. This means eating but stopping before the point of satiation. Or being intimate with one's spouse, but doing so in moderation and with a goal of achieving mutual satisfaction and not as an end in itself.
So self neglect and self sacrifice are different but in the Islamic tradition, it is best that we speak of self-control and not self neglect because as we noted above, it is the pursuit of controlling one's desires which is desirable not in neglecting oneself. Achieving the height of self control and self restraint therefore is a form of self sacrifice because one has arrived at a point in his or her life whereby the basic needs are met in a most expedient and moderate manner and the rest of one's existence is devoted to achieving nearness to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. The height of giving up, of depriving oneself of pleasures one might be inclined to seek, of intentionally putting Allah first above all else, those are milestones in achieving self sacrifice and one cannot reach those milestones without first perfecting self control and self restraint. And Allah knows best.
Name
muslimah
-
Profession
housewife
Question
In a family, disagreement often arises. How far should one exercise patience when you feel the more you bottle up your feelings the more you want to explode and lose your patience altogether?
Answer
Thank you for this question.
We should encourage people to be patient and to persevere, but that does not mean that they are then giving up their right to express their feelings and to keep those feelings "bottled up," as you stated. The reality is that in Islam, one attempts to resolve disagreements so that harmony, peace and tranquility can be restored between the two individuals who have disagreed or are fighting. Islam encourages us to maintain harmonious relations with our family members and relatives, with our community members, and so on. Indeed, expressing one's feelings is acceptable and allowable if done so in a manner pleasing to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala and not in a manner which satisfies us. This means we can explain what we believe, what we feel, etc. but we do so without anger, harshness, foul language, and so on. Indeed, it might be wiser in some cases not to say everything we are feeling because of the negative impact it will have on the person hearing it. It might cause that person to become even more irritated, or even more frustrated, or even angrier, or even more set in their position and keep them from reconciling or being flexible in reaching a resolution. We have to know ourselves enough so that we do not transgress our limits and end up saying and doing things which hurt people just because we do not want to keep our feelings, our emotions bottled up. We should express our feelings, but with a heightened sense of the consciousness of Allah, knowing that every word we say is being recorded (Sura Qaf) by the angels sitting on our right and left shoulders. We must express ourselves with wisdom, and with that same wisdom, we must learn when it is not appropriate to say what we want to say at that particular moment, in the heat of a disagreement. We learn in a narration from Anas bin Malik radhi Allahu anhuma, "I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "whoever desires an expansion in his sustenance and age, should keep good relations with his Kith and kin." (Sahih Bukhari, Book #34, Hadith #281).
Let us make du'a that all of us insha'Allah will seek to keep good relations with our family members and relatives, and our community members. Ameen.
Name
Muhammad
- Malaysia
Profession
Question
Assalamo Alaikom dear Shaikh,
We as Muslims are aware of the stories that are related to prophets and Islamic events. However, not so much is usually said about how to make use of such blessed event so as to bring about a positive change in our current situations. How can these lessons reflect in our own lives.
I mean, how can I, as an ordinary Muslim, benefit from this event?
Thanks a lot,
Salam
Answer
Thank you for joining the live dialog.
The beautiful teachings of Islam are a mercy from Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala because by attempting to live their lives according to these teachings, ordinary people learn to do extraordinary things. The lessons from the lives of our prophets and from the various incidents in Islamic history are preserved by the will of Allah in the Qur'an and in the recorded history and sayings and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad sal Allahu alayhi wasallam so that people throughout time will be able to turn to these lessons to reflect upon them and to derive meaning from them in their own lives.
You and I are ordinary Muslims but our lives can become extraordinary when we seek to live our lives in total submission to Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. For some people, submitting to Allah is a very clear goal, and they go about doing so by the help and guidance of Allah azza wa jal. For others of us, the goal becomes abstract and sometimes the focus is unclear and it is in those human moments that we turn to these lessons from our tradition to make real that which seems unreal, to make achievable that which seems impossible to achieve. So there are lessons for all of us and it is up to us to assess ourselves and to determine our areas of weakness and our areas of strength. We can then attempt to use the lessons to understand the types of qualities we must acquire in order to draw nearer to Allah and to be worthy of receiving His mercy, His guidance, and most of all, His protection. And Allah knows best.
Name
Soltan
- Bahrain
Profession
Question
I just want to know why did Allah asked us to pray at prophet Ibrahim's place (Maqam Ibrahim)?
Answer
Thank you for this question.
Our Islamic scholars at Islam Online were asked a similar question, and this is the response they gave:
"It is a sunnah to perform two rak`ahs of Prayer behind maqam Ibrahim, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did so. It is also proved by the Qur'anic verse that reads: (And when We made the House (at Makkah) a resort for mankind and a sanctuary, (saying): Take as your place of worship the place where Abraham stood (to pray)…) (Al-Baqarah 2:125)
A pilgrim is to perform two rak`ahs of Prayer behind maqam Ibrahim, meaning that the maqam is between him and the Ka`bah. If the pilgrim cannot pray exactly behind the maqam, then he can pray at any place in the mosque behind maqam Ibrahim. If this is not possible, then he can perform them at any place in the mosque.
If the pilgrim wishes to perform these two rak`ahs outside the mosque, it will be different from the sunnah, but there is nothing wrong in it, as `Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) did it. He made Tawaf after Fajr Prayer, as reported in Malik’s Muwatta', and he postponed the two rak`ahs following Tawaf until sunrise. Then he performed them at Dhi Tuwa, a valley known as Wadi Al-Muthallath or Az-Zahir. That valley is outside the mosque, but it is within the borderlines of the Sacred Area."
