Abraham, Father of the Prophets, Seeking God Between the Stars and the Sun

 

Abraham, Father of the Prophets, Seeking God Between the Stars and the Sun

Hari Raya Idul Adha is not only a moment to sacrifice as commanded by Allah SWT to Prophet Ibrahim and his son, Prophet Ismail, but also a time to remember and emulate the obedience of Prophet Ibrahim and Prophet Ismail to God, the Almighty Creator.

In Islam, Prophet Ibrahim is called the father of the prophets. This title arose, because from Abraham was born many prophets who became leaders of the people.

The story of Prophet Ibrahim is written in the Qur'an. He was even given the title Khalilullah (Beloved of God). This is written in Al-Qur'an Surat An-Nisa verse 125:

وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ دِينًا مِمَّنْ أَسْلَمَ وَجْهَهُ لِلَّهِ وَهُوَ مُحْسِنٌ وَاتَّبَعَ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَنِيفًا ۗ وَاتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلًا

(Wa man aḥsanu dīnam mim man aslama waj-haqe lillāhi wa huwa muḥsinuw wattaba'a millata ibrāhīma ḥanīfā, wattakhażallāhu ibrāhīma khalīlā)

Meaning: And who has a better religion than the one who sincerely submits himself to God, while he also does good, and he follows the upright religion of Abraham? and God took Abraham as His beloved. 

To follow the example of Prophet Ibrahim, we need to know the history of Prophet Ibrahim. Here is the story of Prophet Ibrahim and his search for God which IDN Times has compiled from various sources.  

Born in Babylon, as a child Abraham was hidden in a cave

Prophet Ibrahim Alaihisalam (AS) was born in Babylon, Babylonia, an ancient country located in the area of ​​Mesopotamia, which is now called Iraq. His father's name is Azar, a descendant of Sam bin Nuh.

Prophet Ibrahim was born when Babylon was led by a king named Namrud. The king issued a law ordering that all male children born in the country be killed.

In order to save Ibrahim from the cruelty of Namrud and his accomplices, his parents hid Ibrahim in a cave. Narrated in several sources, with the permission of Allah SWT, Prophet Ibrahim remained alive even though there was no one to keep him in the cave. When hungry, little Ibrahim sucked the tip of his finger, and milk came out.

The name Ibrahim itself means a loving father. This is written in the Qur'an Surah At-Taubah verse 114:

إِنَّ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ لَأَوَّٰهٌ حَلِيمٌ

(Inna Ibrāhīma la`awwāhun ḥalīm)

Meaning: Indeed, Ibrahim is a very soft-hearted and polite person.