The lesson for us from Prophet Ibrahim’s words

When Ibrahim (as) was placed where the fire was to be set he said,

“Allah (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and how good a protector He is!” *

And then when he was thrown into the fire and was still in the air, angel Jibreel came to him and asked, “Do you need anything from me?”

Ibrahim (as) confidently responded,

“From you, no. But from Allah, yes!” **

We all know of this famous story from the Quran and how the fire didn’t even touch Prophet Ibrahim. It amazes us to know that he escaped such a vicious attack.

When I reflect on the actual words he uttered I overcome with shame, thinking about the ways I react to any hardship.

It also makes me question whether as Muslims we are able to confidently say that we rely only upon Allah and His guidance because it seems like even the most devout of us finds ways to compromise our life to what looks easy and gently move away from referring to that which Allah has revealed to us.

It is very unlikely that we would be thrown into an open fire, but as an ummah we can’t deny that Islam has been thrown into a blazing fire. This isn’t something new, our Deen has been burning for decades. It gets attacked from every angle; our belief, our ways, our history, our very worship is under attack. And instead of turning to Allah and the Quran for guidance, we look to our very attackers for help. Prophet Ibrahim didn’t turn to his people and ask to be taken out of the fire, he turned to Allah. He didn’t even ask for help from Jibreel (as)! We on other hand look to the ones that have destroyed us as an ummah and who continue to add fuel to our problems. Somehow we have come to think that they will be our saviour – subhanAllah, no they won’t be.

Nuh (as) didn’t rely on his people to shelter him from the flood water.

Yusuf (as) didn’t ask the woman who seduced him for protection.

Assia didn’t rely on Firaun to save her life.

The Prophet (saw) didn’t turn to the Quraish to compromise the Deen!

So we shouldn’t think that the only way can survive or do well is with the support of the ones that destroy us. We should instead look at the many examples Allah gives us of how his pious slaves turned to him in their time of need, they listened and accepted His guidance and system and implemented only that.

Allah has given us the Quran and in it He has told us how to live our lives, how to function in society and how our success lies in being ruled by His laws. How then can we look at non-Islamic systems and think they will help us with holding onto our Deen? We must remember Allah alone is sufficient for us and He alone can protect us. InshaAllah.

*Bukhari

** Stories of the Prophets, Ibn Kathir