The Prophet Abraham was born about 2000 years before Christ, in the Sumerian city-state of Ur, which is located in present-day Iraq. He lived for more than 175 years. Ur was the capital city and the centre of Mesopotamia.

All the prophets, including Prophet Abraham and Prophet Muhammad, came with the sole mission of conveying the message of the worship of the one God to humankind. As far as nature was concerned instead of making it an object of worship one should make it a subject of contemplation and explore ways of harnessing it for our real benefit.

Prophet Abraham started his mission with this same message in ancient Iraq. At that time, his father enjoyed the position of a priest in society. Hence, Prophet Abraham began his mission from his own house, as a result of which he was soon homeless. After this, he continued to convey the message of worship of the one Creator to his people in various ways. But his people also turned against him and his message. So he migrated with his wife and nephew from his native land to Jerusalem with his wife Sarah and son Ishaq, and after that, settled his son Ismail and Hager in present-day Makkah to continue his divine mission.

Due to his utmost struggle for the sake of divine mission, he was called Ummah, a nation in the Quran (16:120). The pilgrimage of Hajj is an annual reminder of this great mission that was originated by Prophet Abraham.