THE LIGHT OF REVELATION: Nurturing the Spirit With the Teachings Of Islam

𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚛

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Dear reader,

In this chapter, We will get to know Allah through the Qur'an and hadeeth. Through this exploration, we uncover the majestic attributes of Allah, His infinite mercy, and His boundless love for His creation.

To begin, let's delve into the inspiring analogy of Ibrahim (a.s) and his journey of discovering Allah's existence.

Ibrahim (a.s) questioned the beliefs of his society, engaging in thought-provoking conversations with them.

Let's go into detail,

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بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Ibrahim (A.S.) was actually born in the ancient city of Babylonia or Babylon. It's located in what is now Iraq.

Ibrahim (A.S.) was born into a family of idolaters, and his father was a well-known idol sculptor.

As a young child, he would watch his father create these idols out of stones or wood. During that time, people worshipped idols made of different materials, and some even worshipped the planets, stars, sun, moon, or their kings and rulers. But Ibrahim (A.S.) was blessed with spiritual understanding and wisdom from a very young age.

As Allah says in Al-Quran:

"Indeed We bestowed aforetime on Abraham his (portion of) guidance, and We Were Well Acquainted with him (as to his Belief in the Oneness of Allah etc)" (Surah Anbiya: 21:51)

Ibrahim (A.S.) couldn't understand how people believed that these statues, made by his father, could bring them harm or benefit. He noticed that the statues couldn't eat, drink, speak, or even stand if someone overturned them. It puzzled him to see his people show submission and honor to these statues in the temple. They would cry and beg as if the statues could hear and understand them. Initially, Ibrahim (A.S.) found it funny, but as time went on, it made him angry.

Ibrahim (A.S.) asked his father and also his people who worshipped these idols. As Allah narrates Ibrahim's (A.S.) words in Al-Quran: surah Al- anam

74. And ˹remember˺ when Abraham said to his father, Ȃzar, "Do you take idols as gods? It is clear to me that you and your people are entirely misguided."

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Furthermore Allah (s.w.t) tells us about the contemplations of Ibrahim (a.s)

76. When the night grew dark upon him, he saw a star and said, "This is my Lord!" But when it set, he said, "I do not love things that set."

77. Then when he saw the moon rising, he said, "This one is my Lord!" But when it disappeared, he said, "If my Lord does not guide me, I will certainly be one of the misguided people."

78. Then when he saw the sun shining, he said, "This must be my Lord-it is the greatest!" But again when it set, he declared, "O my people! I totally reject whatever you associate ˹with Allah in worship˺.

79. I have turned my face towards the One Who has originated the heavens and the earth-being upright-and I am not one of the polytheists."

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Through this deep contemplation and reflection, Ibrahim (as) discovered the truth - the existence of Allah, the one true God. He realized that Allah was the Creator of everything, the One who deserved all worship and devotion.

Filled with this newfound knowledge, Ibrahim (as) decided to take action. He wanted to show his people the error of their ways and the futility of idol worship. One night, when the temple was empty, Ibrahim (as) broke all the idols except for the largest one. He placed the axe he used to break them in the hands of the largest idol.