The Sacrifice of the
Prophet Abraham
According to modern historical research, the birth of the Prophet Abraham took place in 1996 B.C. He passed away in 1821 B.C. at the age of 175. He was born in the ancient city of Ur, located on the banks of the River Euphrates. In ancient times, this region was known as Babylon. Today, it is called Iraq.
The people of Abraham’s nation used to worship the sun, moon, and stars. They had created thousands of such gods. Among them, the sun and moon were considered the greatest. But Abraham never accepted the religion of his people. When he couldn’t find peace in the corrupted environment of human society, he would leave the town and reflect on the system of the earth and sky in solitude. Free from external influences, his thoughts opened new doors of reality. He observed that the moon shines and disappears, the stars appear and then fade, the sun rises bright and then sets into the darkness of night. After contemplating these events, he concluded that these objects, which follow the cycle of rise and fall, could not be God. God must be beyond the limits of rise and fall.
This was the first sacrifice in the life of Abraham—a life full of sacrifice and dedication to the truth. Youth is typically a time for pleasures, but he chose silent reflection as his companion. While others spent this time in carelessness, he gave it to deep thought. People often chase material success at this age, but he spent his best years seeking truth. The easiest path would have been to follow the religion of his ancestors. But like a revolutionary, he left traditions behind and chose the truth. He preferred “what should be” over “what is.” This was a great psychological sacrifice. Choosing truth against one’s surroundings always means being ready to give up everything. When he made this decision, God accepted it and opened the doors of truth for him, choosing him as a prophet. He was given the divine task of guiding his people to the truth.
After this, the second and most difficult phase of his sacrifice began. The king of his land, Nimrod claimed himself to be divine. Like many kings of that era, he had made people believe in his divine right to rule. He claimed the sun to be the greatest god, and that his family was its earthly form. Just as the sun rules the sky, his family—being from the sun—had the right to rule the earth.
In this way, sun and moon worship was not just a religious belief; it formed the foundation of the political system. Today, politics may be based on democracy, but back then, it was based on divine kingship. This right was thought to belong to the royal family, believed to be descendants of the gods. Abraham’s family played a major role in this system. His father, Azar (Terah), owned an idol-making workshop and was an official in the royal temple. At that time, his status was like that of the president of a ruling political party today.
Under these circumstances, Abraham had an easy path to success—he could inherit his father’s position, support the system, and attain high status. But again, he chose the path of sacrifice. He openly said to his father, Azar: “Do you take other than God as your gods? I see that you and your people have clearly gone astray.” (Quran, 6:74)
Abraham did not follow the star-worship system like his father. Instead, he stood against it as a preacher and reformer. He rejected the system that had a top position ready for him and called for its change. He didn’t try to succeed within falsehood; he made it his mission to reject it and speak the truth. As a result, he was thrown out of his home. People of his nation turned against him. Even the king became his enemy, because his message was seen as a threat to the political foundation of the kingdom.
Rebelling against an established system always means losing all opportunities within it. So, this decision turned Abraham’s entire life into one of sacrifice. He became homeless. He was denied any share in family property. He was no longer considered a successor to his father. In his society, he became a stranger. Among nearly 300,000 people, there was not one who supported him. The ruling government saw him as a threat because he challenged the belief that the sun and moon were divine, and that some people had the right to rule others because of that.
Abraham chose a life of hardship over comfort. He preferred being alone among people rather than popular among them. He gave up high positions and wealth and accepted a life of poverty. Instead of sitting in the king’s court on a respected seat, he took the risk of angering the king and facing government punishment. And that’s what happened. He was disgraced in society and thrown into the fire—but God saved him. After this, he was forced to leave Iraq and go to a foreign land.
This marked another, even more difficult, phase of sacrifice. A man from the most respected family left his homeland in helplessness, with only his wife, Sarah and nephew Lot. This small group of three travelled like nomads along the Euphrates, then through the coastal areas of the Red Sea, eventually reaching Syria, Palestine, and Egypt. But the people in those places also worshipped false gods—the same reason for which he had left his homeland. Then God commanded him to go to a dry, barren land in Hijaz and build a house for God among rocks and dry mountains. According to a narration in Bukhari, when Abraham came to Makkah, there was no person and no water. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 3364)
At that time, people had abandoned God and worshipped man-made gods. But the rocks and mountains remained in their natural state. In that natural environment, he was assigned the task of building God’s House, so that any servant who wished to worship only God could come and do so. Abraham crossed the coastal lands of the Red Sea, reached present-day Makkah, and built the Kaaba. A man born in comfort and honour chose loneliness, travel, and a hard life—for the sake of truth.
Abraham left Iraq at the age of 75. After living as a traveller for 25 years, a son was born to him, whom he named Ishmael (God has heard). At that time, he was 100 years old. Children born in old age are always very dear. And in Abraham’s case, all friends and family had abandoned him. Now, he lived only with his wife and son. In such a situation, this promising child must have been extremely precious to him. But when the boy grew up and could walk with him, a harder test came. God ordered him to sacrifice his son for His sake. According to the Torah, the child was 13 years old at that time.
When Abraham reached 100 years of age, he saw a dream that he was sacrificing his son. Normally, dreams are taken symbolically. He could have interpreted it differently. But such was Abraham’s spirit of sacrifice that he chose not to interpret it symbolically—he got ready to act on it exactly as shown. At Mount Marwah, that unique event in history took place, witnessed by the earth and sky. The old father was about to sacrifice his beloved son with his own hands. But God stopped him at the last moment and saved Ishmael. A voice came from the sky: You have shown the final proof of submission and loyalty. Instead of the son, a ram was accepted as the sacrifice. From that moment on, this became a permanent tradition among all God-worshippers. It was commanded that people should sacrifice an animal each year on the same dates when Abraham had been ready to sacrifice his son for God.
The real purpose of that dream was to dedicate the beloved son to serve the centre of Tawheed (the Kaaba). That’s why the command was given to settle Ishmael and his mother in the dry and empty land of Makkah. But this was shown in the form of a knife-based sacrifice—to make it clear that serving religion is no small thing. It means sacrificing oneself while alive. “Sacrifice” is the highest form of giving up. And only by reaching that highest level can a person become worthy to serve God’s religion.
Abraham’s sacrifice was not just offering his son. That was the final step of a long journey of sacrifice. His real sacrifice was that, when people gave their love to visible gods, he made the unseen God the centre of his love and belief. When falsehood looked strong through material means, he recognised and accepted a truth that had only intellectual arguments. When joining falsehood could have brought him fame and success, he chose a tough and lonely path—for the sake of truth. While others lived in developed cities, he settled his family in a barren desert. All of this was possible only because of his exceptional spirit of sacrifice. Without such a mindset, none of this could have happened. Becoming a true servant of God always comes at a cost. A person who is not ready to sacrifice cannot become God’s true worshipper.
Abraham lived a life full of truth. His life is the best example for God-worshippers. It teaches us: if you want to be a person of God, go beyond appearances and seek the deeper truth. Rise above your personal interest and make God’s pleasure your goal. Be ready to sacrifice what is most beloved to you. Submit to God fully, without setting your own conditions. Abraham’s life was the ideal example for his time, and it will remain the best model for all times—until the Day of Judgement.
All India Radio, New Delhi, 20 October 1980.
