The Importance of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) in Islam

The Importance of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) in Islam

Opening Praise and Testimony

Brothers and sisters, we praise Allah the Almighty, we believe in Him, we trust in Him, we bear witness that nothing deserves to be worshipped except Allah, and we bear witness that Muhammad ﷺ is Allah's slave and the last of the prophets. We ask Allah to bless his messenger Muhammad ﷺ and his companions and his family, all of them. Amin.

Introduction: The Best of Creation

Brothers and sisters, I ask Allah the Almighty to guide my tongue and my heart. Today's khutbah is based upon a man, we don't know his name, قَالَ رَجُلٌ a man said to the prophet ﷺ, "Oh the best of creation." And that man gave to the prophet the highest compliment that you can ever consider.

What the Arabs call, it is a superlative. Not just a good man, but the best of creation. My khutbah is a commentary on what the prophet ﷺ said peace and blessing be upon him, and what we can learn from this.

"Oh the best of creation." And the prophet ﷺ said two words, he said, "That's Ibrahim." You want to know the best of creation? That's Ibrahim.

And so I want to mention some commentary, why the prophet ﷺ said that in my opinion, and then I want to end with saying that I have some compelling evidence that what that man said was true. Oh the best of creation. That's what I want to do inshallah.

The Virtues of Prophet Ibrahim

First of all, the prophet ﷺ said, "One prayer in my masjid is better than one thousand prayers in any other masjid, except masjid haram, the house that Ibrahim built. One prayer in masjid haram is better than one hundred thousand prayers in any other masjid." (Sahih Bukhari 1190, Sahih Muslim 1394)

And the prophet ﷺ said, "I am the answer to the supplication, I am the answer of the supplication of my father Ibrahim ﷺ."

So you're talking about his father. Allah says in Quran (كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ - Quran 3:185) - Every soul shall taste of death. We all die.

The Scale of Human Existence

There are some 7,700,000,000 people on the earth today. According to the scientists, there have been about 100,000,000,000 people from the beginning of time. 100,000,000,000 people.

And if you are Muslim, you bear witness that all of these 100,000,000,000 people will be resurrected. They will live again. This is why Allah used the word, "They shall taste of death" because Allah will resurrect us.

And if you understand the hadith, you know that all of us will be resurrected naked. And the first one to be dressed on Yawm al Qiyamah, Ibrahim ﷺ. (Sahih Bukhari 3349, Sahih Muslim 2860) We're making an argument why the prophet ﷺ said Ibrahim ﷺ.

Ibrahim: The Friend of Allah

There is a verse in the Quran that the same, almost the same verse appears in the Bible. وَاتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلًا (Quran 4:125) - God did take Ibrahim as a khalil. Allah took Ibrahim as a khalil.

- They say be Christian or Jew if you're going to be guided or right. Allah told the prophet, no, no, no, say this, no. قُلْ بَلْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ (Quran 2:135) - Rather, the religion of Ibrahim, he was not of the polytheists.

You will go on a long list of things about the prophet Ibrahim ﷺ. Whenever I travel, wherever I go, whatever country I go to, the first thing I ask the organizers, please, when they take me to my hotel, show me the direction of the Qibla. Show me the direction of the house that Abraham built so that I can make my prayer and pray in that direction.

And I can give you a long list of things about Ibrahim ﷺ. Yes, Allah did take Abraham as a friend. But why did the prophet say that? I agree whatever the prophet said.

The Prophet's Humility

But I'm saying to you here today that the prophet was humble and always showed deference. I'll give you a couple of examples. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said that every human being that's born is touched by shaitan at birth, except two human beings. (Sahih Bukhari 3431, Sahih Muslim 2366)

Who are they? Isa ﷺ and his mother Maryam. The prophet said, someone asked him مَنْ أَكْرَمُ النَّاسِ؟ (Sahih Bukhari 3353, Sahih Muslim 2378) - Who is the most honorable person? He could have said, me. He didn't say me, he said Yusuf, the son of a prophet, the grandson of a prophet, the great grandson of a prophet.

So he always given some preference to prophets. For instance, he said, أَحَبُّ الصَّلَاةِ إِلَى اللَّهِ صَلَاةُ دَاوُودَ (Sahih Bukhari 1131, Sahih Muslim 1159) - The best, the most beloved prayer to Allah is the prayer of Dawood. He could have said, me.

The best fast to Allah is the fast of Dawood. (Sahih Bukhari 1979, Sahih Muslim 1159) So the prophet ﷺ always given preference. I looked to the Quran to find out about Ibrahim ﷺ, why he's so blessed.

Ibrahim: The One Who Passed Every Test

And I found this ayat. وَإِذِ ابْتَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ رَبُّهُ بِكَلِمَاتٍ فَأَتَمَّهُنَّ (Quran 2:124) - And when his Lord tested Ibrahim with words, he fulfilled them. And when we gave Ibrahim test, he passed every test. And I'm saying that now for us.

- Blessed be Him whose hand is the dominion, and He is able to do all things. Who has created death and life, that He may test you to see who's best in conduct.

So that's what it is. We're being tested. Ibrahim ﷺ was tested.

The Reality of Tests in Our Lives

And so we will be tested. In what way? Many ways. I want to remind you, be careful about tests.

Because tests are very difficult and hard. Some people lose their faith because they're tested. I remember a few years ago, during the month of Ramadan, I was at Reagan Airport.

And I was sitting down reading my Quran. And a man came to me and said, "Is that the Quran you're reading?" I said, "Yes." He said, "I used to read the Quran." He said, "Is this the month of Ramadan?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Are you fasting?" I said, "Yes." He said, "You a Muslim?" I said, "Yes."

He said, "I used to fast. I used to read the Quran. I used to be a Muslim."

So I closed my book. I closed my Quran and I began to talk to him. I said, "What happened?" He said, "I became angry at Allah."

So I began to talk to him, try to cater unto him. And while I was talking to him, the announcement came that my flight was boarding. And I stood up and said, "Sir, I have to go on the plane now."

My plane is about to board. And he told me, he said, "I work here. And that plane won't move until I tell it to move."

"Sit down." I said, "Yes, sir." And I sat down and I sat down because I know that the man needed something.

Maybe that day he came back to Islam. Maybe there's a lot of people you know, a lot of Muslims you know, who left the fold of Islam because they were tested. You don't think it's possible? Consider what the Prophet ﷺ said, Peace and Blessing be upon him.

The Prophet's Warning About Future Tests

He said, "There's going to come a time of test. A person will begin the morning believing and by the end of the night they disbelieve. A person will believe at night and by the morning time they disbelieve." (Sahih Muslim 118)

Why? Test. So I'm saying to you brothers and sisters, know for a fact that you're going to be tested. You're going to be tested with your children.

You're going to be tested with your property. I know Muslims who have come to me, "Imam, I just got evicted from my apartment. I just lost my house. I lost my job. My mother died. My husband died."

"My wife died. My daughter died. My son died."

There's one brother told me, He said, "Imam, I take 27 different medications a day." There's a brother in my community years ago, he told me, "Imam, I had so many operations and every time I have an operation, the doctor takes something. I don't have much left," but I said, "Oh my Allah, as long as I can praise you, you're going to be tested by your health."

So many ways you're going to be tested. And I'm saying to you, Hold on. Yes.

Addressing the Title: Best of Creation

يا خير البرية - Ya Khairul Bariyya, Oh, best of mankind. The Prophet said, Best of creation. Now, brothers and sisters, let me take a moment to go to the other side.

I know what it's like when people put on you something that you don't deserve. I saw recently a post, "Imam Siraj Wahaj, a scholar in Islam." I don't say this out of humility.

I'm not a scholar of Islam. I know what a scholarship is. I'm a brother who studies, but I ain't no scholar.

I can point to you scholars. So it's embarrassing when people put on you something that you don't deserve. But when that man said, خير البرية - Khairul Bariyya, the best of creation, I would like to give you a compelling reason that that man was right.

The Path to Islam

A couple of things. When you take shahada, many of you were born Muslims. People like me and Imam Johari, we accepted Islam.

As the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Whoever believes in Jesus and then believes in me will have a double reward." (Sahih Bukhari 2730, Sahih Muslim 154) There are a lot of Muslims sitting in our ranks who used to be atheists, used to be Christians, used to be Jews, different religions, and Allah guided them to Islam. Never

forget what the Prophet said, that Allah said, "O my slaves, every one of you are misguided unless I guide you. Therefore, ask me and I will guide you." (Sahih Muslim 2577)

Allah guided us to Islam, alhamdulillah. But, when you become Muslim, what you say? In the very shahada, you have to mention the Prophet, peace be upon him.

Following the Prophet's Example

Some 1,800,000,000 Muslims, you come to the masjid, you pray. Whatever country you go to, you go to Turkey, you go to Syria, you go to Jordan, you go to Mecca, you go to Indonesia, you go to Malaysia, you go to Pakistan, you go to Sudan, you go to Somalia. Wherever you go, you see people praying basically the same way because the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, "Pray as you see me pray." (Sahih Bukhari 631)

We love Ibrahim, peace be upon him, but we learn how to pray with the Prophet, peace be upon him. Not only that, Allah says in Quran مَّن يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ (Quran 4:80) - Whoever obeys the messenger has in fact obeyed Allah. That's deep.

The Command to Love and Follow the Prophet

I'll give you another one. You want to see what Allah thinks about the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him? Not only does he say, "Obey Allah and obey the messenger." All throughout the Quran, Allah mentions the messenger, the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him.

But one interesting verse, Allah told the Prophet قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ (Quran 3:31) - Say, If you love Allah, follow me, follow Muhammad, peace be upon him, Allah will love you based on following the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him. I can give you a million examples why the Prophet, peace and blessing be upon him, I ain't disagreeing with the Prophet, but the best of creation. I'll leave you with one more, and this is compelling.

The Day of Judgment: Seeking Intercession

You know, on Yawm al-Qiyamah, when people are dealing with the judgment, the judgment is about to happen, and mankind, who do they go to? They don't go to political leaders. They don't go to presidents, and prime ministers, and kings, and queens. They don't go to business people.

They don't go to scientists. Who they go to for help? They go to the Prophets. Six Prophets. (Sahih Bukhari 4712, Sahih Muslim 194)

One, the first one they're going to go to, not because he's one of the greatest of the Prophets, but let's see what they say. "يا آدم، أنت أبو البشر، خلقك الله بيديه - Ya Adam. Anta Abu Bashar. You are the father of mankind. Khalaqaqallahu biyadihi. Allah created you with his own hand.

And he breathed the soul into you. وأسجد لك الملائكة، وأسكنك الجنة - Asqana al-jannah. And put you in the jannah.

For all of the angels to bow down, and the angels bow down. And then Adam will say "لست لها" - Lestu leha. I'm not fit for that.

And then they will go to the five greatest Prophets, beginning with Noah, ﷺ. And Noah will say "لست لها" - Lestu leha. I'm not fit for it.

Ibrahim ﷺ. They will go to him. He said "لست لها" - Lestu leha. I'm not fit for it. Go to Moses. I'm not fit for it.

Go to Jesus. ﷺ. He said, I ain't fit for it.

And the Prophet said "أنا لها" - Ana leha. That's me. That's me.

And the people will go to intercession to Rasulullah and he will intercede. My last one. Yawm al-Qiyamah.

The Prophet: First to Enter Paradise

Prophet ﷺ, ascending to Jannah. And knock at the gate of Jannah. And the angel will say, "من أنت؟" - Man anta? Who are you? "قال محمد" - Qala Muhammad.

I will say Muhammad. And the angel will say, "Because of you I was commanded let no one in Jannah before you. Let no one in Jannah before you." (Sahih Muslim 197)

It must be something special. I don't say this, this afternoon to make us, you know, undo praise on the Prophet ﷺ. That's not my point.

The Call to Love and Follow

My point is to make us to love him, to respect him. You're not even a believer. You're not a true believer.

You don't have true faith until I, Muhammad, is loved more to you than your own parents, your children and all of mankind. (Sahih Bukhari 15, Sahih Muslim 44) I want to remind us today how much we love him. But if we love him, follow him.

Be like him. Take him as an example. We ask Allah the Almighty to have mercy upon us.

Closing Supplication

We ask Allah the Almighty, all the Muslims who suffer around the world, we ask Allah, Ya Allah, for your help. Ask Allah for those Muslims in Syria that suffer. And the Muslims in Yemen, and the Muslims in Palestine, the Muslims in Kashmir, the Muslims all over the world, the Muslims, Rohingya Muslims in Burma, Muslims in China, all of them that suffer.

We ask Allah the Almighty to help them.