THE GREATEST SACRIFICE:(ZILBHIN ADHEEM) Then when they had both surrendered (to Allah), and he (Ibraheem) had flung him (Ismaeel) down upon his face, WE called unto him: O Ibraheem! Thou hast already fulfilled the vision. Lo! thus do we reward the good. Lo! that verily was a clear test. Then we ransomed him with a tremendous sacrifice (Zibhin-Adheem) (Quran : chapter: 37 verses 103-107) The closing sentence of the verse:................. and We ransomed him with a great sacrifice.(Zibhin Adheem)............... remains ambiguously incomplete, until and unless we find out what that great sacrifice or Zibhin Adeem, is. Dr.Iqbal, the famous poet of the indo-Pakistan subcontinent, has put it very briefly, but succinctly in the Urdu couplet: Translation : The story of HARAM (the grand mosque and the Kaba) is strange, simple and colorful. Ismaeel is its beginning and Husayn is its completion. Iqbal later wrote a more lengthy poem on this topic in Farsi which we can not present in this post. Various scholars of Quran have amplained this relationship at length. One of the most brillialnt works is the book titled SIR-RUSH-SHAHADATAYN or the secret of two sacrifices, by the well known Indian scholar Shah Abdul Azeez, also known as Muhaddith-e-Dehlalvi. Shah Abdul Azees has argued that the logical end of the story of Ibraheem and Ismaeel would be that Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam would have sacrificed his life in Allahs way. But Muhammad (saw) died of illness and old age. In effect, Husayns martyrdom was Muhammads martyrdom, which completes the religion of Islam, which started with Ibraheem and Ismaeel. After careful study of the two stories, we find a number of similarities between them. 1- Ibraheem has a vision and asks his 14 year old son about it. The son replies that he should follow Allahs command. Husayn while travelling towards Koofa, tells his 18 year old son Ali that he had a dream in which he heard a voice calling : The people of this entourage are proceeding towards their death. Ali asks his father : Are we not on the right path ? Husayn replied : Yes my son, of course, we are on the right path. The son then says : Then I am not concerned !. 2- Ismaeel tells his father after hearing about his dream that the father will find him among the SABIREEN (Patience one). Husayn rushes to the side of his 14 year old nephew Qasim ibn Hasan ibn Ali,wounded in battled and asks him : What is death like ? Qasim replies : Sweeter than honey. Another point worth mentioning here is Ibraheems prayer after the sacrifice and its hidden meanings, in Quran, verse -124 of Chapter: 2: And remember when his Lord tried Ibraheem with his commands, and he fulfilled them. He (Allah) said : Lo! I have appointed thee a leader (IMAM) for mankind. (Ibraheem) said : and of my offspring (will there be leaders)? He (Allah) said : My covenant includeth not wrongdoers. Ibraheem was made a leader (Imam) for mankind after accomplishing the sacrifice, which was postponed for a greater event. It is only a logical that the person who was the cause of that completion should also be an IMAM. This is the most direct proof of the concept of IMAMAT (Spiritual leadership and Allahs vicegerency on Earth), one of the five pillars of our faith, from Quran. Then Ibraheem asks if there would be Imams in his progeny. His prayer is granted, but with the condition that those in his progeny who go wrong in Allahs sight, will be excluded. Both Husayn and Yazeed are in Ibraheems progeny through the line of Quraysh. But one of them has achieved an exaltation through his martyrdom, while the other cause him suffering and pain. The point is that Islam is not a racial religion.
Posted on: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 16:18:37 +0000
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