Quran Garden

Session 397

Chapter 3

Verse 68

Surely the people most worthy of associating with Abraham are those who followed him, and this Prophet, and those who believe. God is the guardian of the believers.

(Chapter 3: Verse 68)

Since the beginning of time, each messenger of God was sent to a specific nation.  For example, Moses was sent to the Children of Israel, and so was Jesus, peace be upon them.  In verse 49 of Al-Imran, God said about Jesus:

He will send him as a messenger to the Children of Israel.

And in verse 73 of Chapter 7:

To the people of Thamud We sent their brother, Saleh.  He said, "My people, serve God: you have no god other than Him."

This fact held true until the message of Islam.  Our beloved Muhammad was sent as a messenger to the entire humankind till the end of time.  Many people of the previous nations, whether Jews or Christians, embraced Islam, and this procession of faith continued until it reached you and me today.  Thus, the nation of Muhammad, peace be upon him, is a worldwide nation with no boundaries.  God says about Muhammad:

We did not send you but as a mercy to all the nations. (21:107)

Islam is the culmination of all heavenly religions.  Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said, "My place in comparison with the other prophets before me is that of a man who built a house nicely and beautifully, except for one missing corner brick.  People would tour the house and marvel at its beauty but say, 'When will this brick be put in its place?' I am that brick, and I am the last of the prophets."

Prophet Abraham, peace be upon him, is considered the father of all prophets.  That is the reason behind the dispute between the Jews and the Christians about Abraham's religion.  The Israelites wanted to claim him as Jewish, and the Christians said that he followed their faith.  Both love to claim that they are his descendants and grandchildren.  Faith, however, is not inherited by blood or kin.  It is earned through hard work.  God says:

Surely the people most worthy of associating with Abraham are those who followed him, and this Prophet, and those who believe.

Prophet Muhammad preserved the creed of Abraham, the creed of monotheism, while others had distorted the scripture and deviated.  Allah addressed this issue in the following verse:

And when Abraham's Lord tested him with specific commandments, which he fulfilled, He said, "I will make you a leader of people." Abraham asked, "And will You make leaders from my descendants too?" God answered, "My pledge does not hold for those who do evil." (2:124)

Allah tested Abraham with orders and prohibitions, and he, peace be upon him, fulfilled them with the utmost care.  Most of us fulfill our religious duties out of formality.  For example, you rush to pray and go through the physical motions of the prayers without involving your heart.  Only a few people look at each prayer as a precious opportunity to meet and connect with Allah.

             Let's look at Prophet Abraham's example when he fulfilled God's command to raise the foundations of the Ka'aba.  It would have been sufficient for him to implement the order by raising the building to the maximum height his hands could reach.  But, out of love and dedication, Abraham looked for rocks to stand on so he could build God's house even higher.  It was his best attempt at what we call scaffolding today.  His footprints appear on one of the rocks he stood on.  Allah honors those who perform religious obligations wholeheartedly; this is why the standing place of Abraham was made significant.  Today it is a place of prayer for all Muslims.

Allah further honored Abraham by entrusting him to be a leader.  He says, "I will make you a leader of people."  Abraham is a worthy man to follow because he performed his duties to perfection and led by example.  The proof of his deep love for God's religion was immediately apparent when Abraham asked, "and will You make leaders from my descendants too?"  He feared that the faith would be limited to his life and wanted to assure that his descendants inherited this treasure.  The Almighty answered, "My pledge does not hold for those who do evil," teaching all of us that faith is not inherited by blood or kin.  It is not who you are but what you do that counts. 

There were grandchildren of Abraham who were unjust and unworthy of God's trust.  And there were some who implemented God's teachings fully without distortion.  Those are the true leaders of the people regardless of their nationality or skin color.  We had recently mentioned that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said to Salman, a companion from Persia, "Salman, you are one of us, the household of Muhammad." In other words, Salman belonged to Ahl Al-Bayt –the close family of Muhammad– by virtue of his faith.  

We learn a similar lesson from the story of our beloved Noah when his son was about to drown.     

Noah called on his Lord and said, "O Lord, my son is surely a member of my family, and verily Your promise is true, as You are the most just of all judges." (11:45)

To which God replied:

"O Noah! He is not of your family. He is one of unrighteous conduct. So do not ask of Me what you have no knowledge of. I caution you so that you do not behave as one among the ignorant." (11:46)

God informed Noah that his son was not worthy of being saved because he was not a part of Noah's family.  Take note that God did not say that Noah's son was evil; instead, He specified that his actions were.  God explained, "He is one of unrighteous conduct."  Again, faith is not lineage or race, nor affiliation; it is all about your actions.  If you sincerely work according to God's law, you can be a close member of Muhammad's family.  This remarkable honor is exclusive to true believers.  

How about material inheritance? Is that also exclusive to the believers? The answer comes from another lesson Allah taught Prophet Abraham.  Listen to the following verse:

And Abraham said, "My Lord, make this land secure and provide with produce those of its people who believe in God and the Last Day." God said, "As for those who disbelieve, I will grant them enjoyment for a short while and then subject them to the torment of the Fire –an evil destination." (2:126)

In olden times, people were afraid to travel to Mecca because the roads leading to it were unsafe, and the lands were barren, providing little to no food.  When food is scarce, people often turn violent.  Thus, Abraham supplicated, "My Lord, make this land secure and provide with produce those of its people."  However, Abraham added a stipulation and prayed for provision only for the believers.  He said, "Provide with produce those of its people who believe in God and the Last Day." Why? Because Abraham remembered that, when he supplicated Allah to bless his descendants with prophethood and leadership, God answered, "My pledge does not hold for those who do evil." 

Did Allah respond by granting abundant provision only to those who believed from the people of Mecca? No: when it comes to material blessings, Allah provides for all, the believer and the disbeliever alike.  He said to Abraham, "As for those who disbelieve, I will grant them enjoyment for a short while."

Allah brought us to life, and He guarantees material sustenance regardless of our faith.  The sun rises on all humankind, the earth yields crops for everyone, and livestock serves the believers and disbelievers alike.  As for the blessings of guidance and the scriptures, they are exclusive for the few who follow the footsteps of God's prophets and messengers.  While these blessings come attached to duty and obligation in this world, their true and immense reward will be given free in the hereafter exclusively to the believers, as mentioned in the following verse:

Say, "Who has forbidden the adornment of Allah which He has brought forth for His servants, and the good things of provision?" Say, "These are for the faithful in the life of this world, and exclusively for them on the Day of Resurrection." This is how We make Our revelation clear for those who understand. (7:32)

Moses, peace be upon him, brought God's message to the Israelites, but they shunned it and chased materialism instead.  Jesus, peace be upon him, came to restore spirituality to the Children of Israel, but they fought him, distorted God's scriptures, and injected polytheism into Christianity.  The true inheritors of Abraham are the ones who followed him and the nation of Muhammad, who upheld the creed of monotheism.