The story of Prophet Ishaq, full of emotion and patience that is exemplary

The story of Prophet Ishaq, full of emotion and patience that is exemplary

The story of Prophet Ishaq is filled with examples and moral messages that can increase the faith of Muslims who study it. Prophet Ishaq is a figure who will later have offspring in the form of twins, and one of the twins will become a big man who is nicknamed the Father of the Children of Israel.

As a messenger of Allah SWT, Prophet Ishaq also spread da'wah and called on mankind to always be on the straight path. There is also a story full of emotion in which Prophet Ishaq was finally blessed with a child after decades of waiting.

The various twists and turns that occur in the story of Prophet Ishaq provide a lot of wisdom. So, what's the full story like? Read through the article below.

The Story of Prophet Ishaq, His Birth and His Da'wah Journey

1. Birth of Prophet Ishaq

Prophet Ishaq was born to the couple of Prophet Ibrahim and his wife Sarah. The name Ishaq is taken from the Hebrew language and has a literal meaning of smiling or laughing. The name was chosen because at the birth of Prophet Ishaq, Sarah was very happy and smiled widely to welcome the baby.

Prophet Ishaq is known to have been born in 1761 BC in the city of Kan'An. He was born when his parents were in their old age, when Prophet Ibrahim was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old. The birth of Prophet Ishaq is 14 years adrift after Prophet Ismail was born.

In the Qur'an Surah Hud verses 69-73, it is stated that there were guests who came to Prophet Ibrahim. According to Usman Ibn Muhaisin, the guests were the angels Gabriel, Mikail, Israfil and Rafail.

They came to Prophet Ibrahim to tell him the good news that a son would be born. The verse reads, “ And his wife stood up and she smiled. So we gave him the good news about (the birth of) Isaac and after Isaac (to be born) Jacob." (Surah Hud: 71)

Hearing the news, Sarah was very surprised and happy. Because at that time Sarah was in her old age. The birth of Prophet Ishaq was a special joy for Prophet Ibrahim. He hopes that his son will continue his da'wah in Palestine.

2. The story of Prophet Ishaq in Preaching

Prophet Ishaq was sent by Allah SWT to continue the struggle of Prophet Ibrahim, namely to preach to the Palestinians who still worship idols. He also called for other commands of Allah such as monotheism, paying zakat, and various other good deeds.

Prophet Ishaq is one of the prophets whose names are mentioned together with Prophet Ibrahim and Prophet Jacob in Surah Shaad verses 45-47 which means:

" And remember our servants: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who had great deeds and high knowledge. Indeed, We have purified them by (granting them) high morals, namely always reminding (humans) of the land of the hereafter. Verily, those with Us are indeed among the good elect."

Prophet Ishaq's Marriage and Birth of Twin Sons

1. The Story of Prophet Ishaq Married to an Iraqi Woman

Unsplash/@zorianast

Photo : Unsplash/@zorianast

There was a time when the mother of Prophet Isaac, Sarah, died first. While Prophet Ibrahim as the father of Prophet Ishaq his condition was getting older and Prophet Ishaq himself at that time never got married.

Finally a servant of Prophet Ibrahim was assigned to find a future wife for Prophet Ishaq. This servant then searched all the way to Iraq in order to find a suitable woman for Prophet Ishaq.

The servant finally brought Prophet Ishaq together with a woman named Rebekah/Rifqah. Finally they both got married when Prophet Ishaq turned 40 years old.

2. The Birth of Twin Sons

Freepik/Rochak Shukla

Photo : Freepik/Rochak Shukla

After marriage, the Prophet Isaac and his wife were looking forward to the birth of their child. However, it was later discovered that Rebekah, who became the wife of Prophet Ishaq, turned out to be infertile, so they had difficulty having children.

That's why Prophet Ishaq and his wife kept trying and praying to Allah SWT to be blessed with offspring. Prophet Ishaq always prayed with sincerity and confidence in order to get a baby.

For the persistence of Prophet Ishaq and his wife, and thanks to the permission of Allah SWT, their prayers were finally answered and Rebekah was pregnant with twins. At that time, Prophet Ishaq was known to be 60 years old.

The first born son was named Esau, while the second son was named Jacob. The story of the birth of the Prophet Jacob is enshrined in the Qur'an, namely in Surah Al-Anbiya verse 72 which means:

" And We gave him (Ibrahim) Isaac and Jacob, as a gift (from Us). and We made each of them righteous."

While growing up, Esau and Jacob turned out to have different temperaments and interests. Esau liked to hone his skills in the field of hunting so that he became a reliable hunter.

While Jacob has a gentle nature. He prefers to stay at home and help his parents. Jacob is also told that he likes to make tents around his house.

The nature possessed by Esau turned out to be inherited from his father and was very similar to his father. Meanwhile, the gentle nature of the Prophet Jacob turned out to be inherited from his mother.

When Esau and Jacob reached their 15th year, Prophet Ibrahim who was their grandfather was destined to die. It was known that Prophet Ibrahim died at the age of 75 years. His body was buried close to the grave of his wife, Sarah.

3. Miracles of the Prophet Ishaq

Every prophet and apostle chosen by Allah SWT is given its own miracle, each of which is different. Miracles themselves are only given to the prophets and apostles and are not owned by humans other than them.

Prophet Ishaq himself more or less had two miracles from Allah. The first is to get offspring in the form of twins even though he was already more than 100 years old. While the second miracle was that one of his twins, namely the Prophet Jacob, would later become the father of the Children of Israel.

4. Examples from the Story of Prophet Ishaq

The story of Prophet Ishaq which is full of twists and turns and struggles provides its own lessons for Muslims who know and study it. There are several examples that can be learned from his story.

The first is an example so that we always love our family like how Prophet Ishaq loved his family very much. Not only to his parents, but also to his wife and children.

The second is patience when tested by Allah SWT. Prophet Ishaq who really wanted the presence of a son turned out to be tested and waited for years until finally he was blessed with twin sons. Even so, Prophet Ishaq never gave up hope and always tried with the accompaniment of earnest prayers to Allah.

Such is the story of Prophet Ishaq from his birth, marriage and having two sons, to miracles and examples that can be learned.