jj_prophets_of_Allah

Three prophets, Musa (as), Nuh (as) and Ibrahim (as)

PROPHET MUSA (AS)

Musa the son of Imran, was born in Egypt 450 years after Yusuf (Joseph). In Egypt at that time the king was Fir’awn (Pharaoh).

The followers of Prophet Yaqub (Jacob), father of Prophet Yusuf, are called Banu Israil (Israelites). Banu Israil had lived in Egypt since the days of Prophet Yusuf.Prophet Ya’qub was known as Israil.

Fir’awn, the ruler of Egypt, looked upon the Banu Israil as ‘foreigners’ and treated them harshly. He feared that one day the Banu Israil would grow in number and be powerful. So Fir’awn issued orders to kill every male child born in the family of Isra’il .

Musa was born during this critical time. His mother managed to hide him for three months and when she could not manage any longer, she was inspired by Allah to put Musa into a waterproof basket and throw it into the river. Maryam, Musa’s sister, was asked to watch the floating box from a distance to avoid suspicion.

The box reached the other shore and one of the members of Fir’awn’s family picked it up and was excited to find a lovely baby boy inside. Musa was then taken to Fir’awn’s wife Asia and she was very glad to have the baby and adopted him. Musa’s sister went to Fir’awn’s palace and suggested a nanny to look after the baby, a woman who would be suitable to suckle him. This woman was none other than Musa’s mother.So Musa came back to his mother’s lap. This is how Allah protects whoever He wills.

Musa grew up in Fir’awn’s house and became a big,strong young man. During this time he came across an Egyptian who was beating an Israelite. Musa gave the Egyptian a blow and killed him accidentally.!” Musa knew it was a sin to kill anyone until he is brought to trial and found guilty. He asked forgiveness from Allah ( SWT) and Allah ( SWT) forgave him.

He left Fir’awn’s house and went to Madyan. He stayed there for ten years before moving on to Tuwa, a valley at the foot of Mount Sinai. Here, Musa received divine guidance and was selected as a messenger of Allah.

SIGNS GIVEN TO MUSA (AS) BY ALLAH (SWT)

Allah bestowed on Musa( AS) two signs: a ‘stick’ which, when thrown down, would turn into a living serpent, and the ability to make his hand shine after it was drawn out from under his arm.

Allah commanded Musa to go to Fir’awn and invite him to Tawhid .He begged Allah to make his brother Harun his helper and Allah granted his prayer.

Musa and Harun went to Fir’awn. They exhorted him to obey Allah and grant the Israelites their freedom. Fir’awn refused to do either.

Instead, he made fun of Musa. Musa showed his signs to impress upon Fir’awn that his message was true. He threw his stick to the ground and it changed into a serpent. Musa picked it up and it turned back into a stick. Fir’awn and his followers were amazed to see this, but he thought that Musa was a magician and challenged him to face his own magicians who could show ever more stunning magic.

On the appointed day, the magicians of Fir’awn were badly defeated. The false snakes they produced by their sticks were all swallowed up by the serpent of Musa’s stick. Fir’awn and his magicians could hardly believe their eyes. His magicians bowed to the truth and professed their faith in Allah (26:38—47).

Fir’awn became angry and began to torture the Banu Israil even more. It was during this time that Allah commanded Musa to leave Egypt with his followers (20:77). Musa asked his followers to get ready and they slipped out at night to avoid Fir’awn’s attention and reached the shore of the sea. They were chased by Fir’awn’s and his soldiers. They almost caught the Israelites, in front of whom was the mighty Red Sea. At this moment, Allah ordered Musa to throw his stick in the water and, as he did so, the sea was divided into two and a road was ready in the middle, allowing the Israelites to cross.

Fir’awn followed in hot pursuit. Musa and his people safely reached the other shore. Fir’awn and his soldiers were still in the middle of sea when suddenly the water on both sides began to pour over them.

Fir’awn and his soldiers were drowned (26:66).This is how Allah punishes transgressors and helps His servants

PROPHET NUH (AS)

Many hundreds of years passed after Adam (AS) and the earth was filled with his children. As time passed, the children of Adam forgot Allah and started to worship statues made of stones. They became bad and would lie and steal and some became mean and greedy.

Allah, the most Merciful, sent Nuh (AS) to those people to bring them back to His worship. Nuh (AS) invited the people to come back to Tawhid. He asked them to give up idol worship and all the other vices which were ruining them. He warned them about the Day of Judgment.

Nuh (AS) tried his best for many years to guide his people to worship Allah but they would not listen. They laughed at him, mocked him, despised him and called him crazy and a liar.

Nuh (AS) lived for 950 years, but during this long period of time only a few people responded to his call. Even his son and wife did not believe in him.

Nah was tired and shocked to see the stone—heartedness of his people. He became so displeased with the stiffness of their opposition to the truth that he ultimately prayed to Allah, “0 Lord, leave not upon the land any one from the unbelievers.”He cried unto his Lord saying, “I am vanquished, so give help.” He also prayed to Allah to rescue him and his followers.

Almighty Allah accepted Nuh(AS)'s prayers and asked him to build an ark. Nuh (AS) started to build the ark. It was not an easy task but Prophet Nuh(AS) kept on going and did not give up.When the people saw Nuh building the ark they laughed at him and thought that he must have gone mad. They could not see the reason for building so huge an ark hundreds of miles away from the sea.

“What is the ark for?” they asked. Soon they were to find out. It was Allah’s plan to cleanse the whole land of unbelievers except the ones who believed and helped Nuh (AS).

Nuh(AS) told the mockers that a flood would soon overcome them and they would have no place to take shelter. The people laughed even more. But Allah’s plans soon materialized and the disbelievers saw it happen before their own eyes.

After many days of hard work, the ark was complete and Allah asked Nuh(AS) to take a pair (one male, one female) of all animals into the ark. He and his followers boarded afterwards.

Suddenly the skies became dark. It began to thunder and rain. Water poured from above and gushed up from the ground. It rained and rained until the whole land was flooded. Every living thing drowned except those that were in the ark, which was floating on the water.

The flood water lasted five months and it destroyed all the disbelievers.

Even Nuh's own son — an unbeliever was not saved. Nuh (AS) had asked permission from Allah to take his son in the ark but this was refused. He was told that an unbelieving son was no part of his family. Nuh(AS) felt remorse for asking Allah to rescue his son. He begged Allah to forgive him. Nuh (AS) and his followers were safe in the ark.

At last,by Allah's order the skies began to clear and the ark stopped at Mount Judi (in Turkey). Nuh(AS) and his followers disembarked. Thus Allah saved Nuh (AS) and his followers.

Allah bestowed prosperity and abundance on Nuh’s children. They spread all over the earth.

Such is the dreadful punishment meted out to the disbelievers. Allah says in the Qur’an, “We drowned those who denied our signs. Lo! they were (such,) blind folk.” (7:64) We should take a lesson from this story that disobedience to Allah leads to total destruction!

PROPHET IBRAHIM (AS)

Ibrahim was born in a house of idolaters, in the kingdom of Babylon. His father Aazar was a well known idol sculptor that his people worshipped. As a young child, Ibrahim used to watch his father sculpting these idols from stones or wood. When his father was done with them, Ibrahim would use them as toys, riding on their backs, and kicking them at times. Then after a while, he would see these same statues in the temple, and people prostrating in front of them! Ibrahim asked his father: "Why do you take these toys to the temple?" His father said: "They are statues that represent our gods. We worship them, we ask favors from them, and we offer them presents." Ibrahim's mind rejected this idea, and he felt a repulsion towards the idols.

Time went by, and Ibrahim became a young man. He still could not believe that his people were worshipping the statues. He started feeling angry towards his people, who could not realize that these are only stones that could neither benefit nor harm them. They could not be gods, they have no power. God is Greater than what his people were worshipping, Most Powerful, Most Magnificent!

One night, Ibrahim went up to the mountain, leaned against a rock, and looked up to the sky. He saw a shining star, and told his people: "Could this be my Lord?" But when it set he said: "I don't like those that set." The star has disappeared, it could not be God. God is always present. Then he saw the moon rising in splendor and told them: "Could this be my Lord?" But it also set. At daybreak, he saw the sun rising and said: t "Could this be my Lord, this is bigger?" But when the sun set he said: "O my people I am free from all that you join as partners with Allah! I have turned my face towards Him Who created the heavens and the earth, and never shall I give partners to Allah." Our Lord is the Creator of the heavens and the earth and everything. He has the power to make the stars rise and set. Ibrahim then heard Allah calling him: "O Ibrahim!" Ibrahim said trembling: "Here I am O my Lord!" "Submit to Me! Be a Muslim!" Ibrahim fell on the ground, prostrating and crying, he said: "I submit to the Lord of the universe!" Ibrahim kept prostrating until night came again. He got up and went back to his home, in peace, full of conviction that Allah has guided him to the Truth.

IBRAHIM (AS) INVITES HIS FATHER TO ISLAM

A new life started for Ibrahim. His mission now was to call his people to the Truth. He would start with his father who was the closest person to him, and whom he loved so much. He said to him in the softest and kindest voice: "O father! Why do you worship that which doesn't hear, doesn't see, and cannot avail you in anything? O father, I have got knowledge which you have not, so follow me. I will guide you to a straight path." His father replied angrily: "Do you reject my gods, O Ibrahim? If you don't stop I will stone you. Get away from me before I punish you." Ibrahim said: "Peace be on you! I will ask forgiveness of my Lord for you."

IBRAHIM (AS) DESTROYS THE IDOLS

One day Ibrahim(AS) got an idea.One night while people were celebrating a festival out of town, Ibrahim (AS) went to the temple with an ax where all the idols were kept.

Statues of all shapes and sizes were sitting there adorned with decorations. Plates of food were offered to them, but the food was untouched. "Well, why don't you eat? The food is getting cold." He said to the statues, joking; then with his ax he destroyed all the statues except one, the biggest of them. He hung the ax around its neck and left.

After the festival people went to pray at the temple, they were furious when they saw what happened to the idols. They asked Ibrahim, “Did you do this?” He replied, “Why don’t you ask the idols.” “But Ibrahim you know that the idols that can’t speak or hear.” Ibrahim replied, “Then why do you worship something that doesn’t speak or hear?” people became outrageous, so they prepared a fire for him.Ibrahim was thrown in the heart of the fire. But Allah would not allow His Prophet to be killed, He ordered the fire: "O fire! Be coolness and safety for Ibrahim!" And the miracle happened. The fire obeyed and burned only his chains. Ibrahim came out from it as if he was coming out from a garden, peaceful, his face illuminated, and not a trace of smoke on his clothes. People watched in shock and said: "Amazing ! Ibrahim' s God has saved him from the fire!"

ALLAH (SWT) BLESSES IBRAHIM (AS) WITH A SON

Only a woman named Sarah and a man named Lut believed in Allah, and followed Ibrahim. He realized that nobody else would listen to him, and decided to emigrate for the cause of Allah, and to spread His message elsewhere.Ibrahim, Lut and Sarah started their long travel.By that time Ibrahim married Sarah. Their hope was to have children who would spread the Message of Allah after their death. As for Lut, he emigrated to the land of Sodom and settled there.

Ibrahim and Sarah moved to Egypt where the king gave Sarah a woman to be her servant. The woman's name was Hajar. Later Ibrahim(AS) married Hajar and Allah (SWT) blessed them with a son, Ismail (AS).

Fourteen years later Allah(SWT) rewarded Sarah with a son, Ishaq in spite of her old age.

Ibrahim woke up one day and asked Hajar to prepare herself and baby Ismail for a long travel. Ibrahim brought Hajar to a high hill called al-Marwa, made her and her baby sit under a tree, placed a bag of dates and some water near her, and set out homeward. Hajar ran after him and said: "Are you going to leave us in this desert where there is no one to keep us company?She asked: "Has Allah ordered you to do so?" He said yes. "Then He will not neglect us." She said. Ibrahim walked away until he got out of their sight, he raised his hands and prayed Allah: "O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring dwell in a valley with no cultivation, by Your Sacred House, in order that they may offer prayers. So fill some hearts among men with love towards them and provide them with fruits, so that they may give thanks."

ZAMZAM

Hajar went on nursing Ismail and drinking from the water until it was all used up. She became very thirsty and the child was crying. She left him on the al-Marwa hill and hurried to the nearest hill, as-Safa. She stood there and started looking at the valley keenly so that she might see somebody, but she could not see anybody. She descended from as-Safa, crossed the valley running and reached al-Marwa hill. She stood and started looking but could see nobody.She kept running between as-Safa and al-Marwa seven times. When she reached al-Marwa for the last time, she was exhausted, she sat next to the baby. Then she heard a voice. She stood up and said: "O whoever you might be! Have you got something to help me?' She saw an angel, Angel Jibreel, digging the earth until water flowed ! She built a little basin around it. She scooped water with her hands, drank, filled her water-skin, and nursed her baby. The place from which water flowed was Zamzam. Muslims till this day drink from the holy water of Zamzam, and during Hajj they walk between as-Safa and al-Marwa seven times to commemorate this event.

IBRAHIM (AS)'S DREAM

One night in Ibrahim’s dream Allah told him to sacrifice his son Ismail. He told Ismail and he agreed to be sacrificed. They went to Mina and he laid down Ismail to slaughter him. Then as soon as he was about to kill him,At this very moment, Allah called him: "O Ibrahim! You have fulfilled the dream! Thus do We reward the good doers !" he replaced Ismail with a sheep and Ibrahim slaughtered the sheep.This is the story why we have Eid-ul-Adha.

Ibrahim and Ismail kept on calling people to worship Allah.Later Ibrahim(AS) and his son Ismail( AS) built the Kaaba, and by the Kaaba today are Ibrahim’s foot prints. He died at age 120 from old age.Ibrahim ( AS) was also called Khalilullah by Allah ( Swt), which means friend of Allah.