Prophet Ibrahim – Tawakkul vs The Fire

Prophet Ibrahim is one of the greatest Prophets and messengers of Islam. Prophet Ibrahim is described by Allah as being a one-man nation. Allah says,
إِنَّ إِبۡرَٰهِيمَ كَانَ أُمَّةٗ قَانِتٗا لِّلَّهِ حَنِيفٗا وَلَمۡ يَكُ مِنَ ٱلۡمُشۡرِكِينَ
“Indeed, Abraham was a [comprehensive] leader, devoutly obedient to Allah, inclining toward truth, and he was not of those who associate others with Allah” (16:120).

He had such an elevated status that he was described in the Quran as being a friend of Allah
وَٱتَّخَذَ ٱللَّهُ إِبۡرَٰهِيمَ خَلِيلٗا
"And Allah took Ibraheem as a close friend" [4:125].

Prophet Ibrahim led a truly remarkable life and today we will focus on the famous incident when he was thrown into a raging fire. Now how did Ibrahim come to be in such a situation? When Prophet Ibrahim was young, he challenged the people of his time by questioning them about their worship of idols:
إِذۡ قَالَ لِأَبِيهِ يَٰٓأَبَتِ لِمَ تَعۡبُدُ مَا لَا يَسۡمَعُ وَلَا يُبۡصِرُ وَلَا يُغۡنِي عَنكَ شَيۡ‍ٔٗا
“[Mention] when he (Ibrahim) said to his father, "O my father, why do you worship that which does not hear and does not see and will not benefit you at all?” (19:42).

Idolatry was very common during the time of Prophet Ibrahim, even his own father would create idols out of rocks for people to worship. These idols were no benefit to them and one day the young Ibrahim broke some of the idols to show them this. The people became enraged and decided to punish him. A huge pit was dug and a massive quantity of wood was piled. Then the biggest fire the people had ever witnessed was lit. Imagine this: the fire was so huge that the birds could not fly over it for fear of being burned! Ibrahim’s hands and feet were chained, and he was placed in a catapult, ready to throw him into the fire.

How would we react if we were to be in such a situation? Would our panic and fear overcome us as we faced this raging fire? Let us see what our beloved prophet Ibrahim said to Angel Jibraeel when he came down to him in front of this fire:

Ibrahim said beautifully: “Hasbunallah wa ni’mal Wakil – "Allah (Alone) is sufficient for us, and, He is the Best Disposer of affairs.” [Bukhari].

Suddenly the catapult was released, and Ibrahim was flung into the fire. Allah the Almighty ordered the fire
,قُلۡنَا يَٰنَارُ كُونِي بَرۡدٗا وَسَلَٰمًا عَلَىٰٓ إِبۡرَٰهِيمَ
"O fire, be coolness and safety upon Abraham" (21:69).

The fire obeyed Allah’s command and only burned the chains used to restrain him. Prophet Ibrahim miraculously emerged from the fire as though he was peacefully returning from a garden with his face illuminated and not a trace of damage upon him.

Second Part

Ibrahim gave da’wah to his people by challenging their idol worship. They tried to punish him by throwing him into a raging fire. Ibrahim had complete trust in Allah during this ordeal and emerged from the flames unharmed by the power of Allah. Now what lessons and practical advice can we take from the amazing story of Prophet Ibrahim?

1. Firstly: always have Tawakkul in Allah. Rely on Allah with all of your affairs. Do your best whilst knowing that Allah is in control over everything. If you are in a difficult situation, such as an exam, begin with the firm belief that anything is possible by the will of Allah. Then move on to prepare and have full reliance on Allah and whatever outcome that he has decided for you. Be like Ibrahim who was confident in the protection of Allah in the face of a raging fire.

2. Secondly: Make regular Dua. Ibrahim made Dua to Allah to protect him. He was not a Prophet at this stage and was still in his youth but he firmly believed in Allah the All Powerful. We should also make dua continuously and ask Allah for anything, big or small.

3. Build your Iman so you can always stay firm on Islam. Imagine Ibrahim about to be thrown into a raging fire. He did not scream in fear. He did not plead for his life. He was calm and composed and confident in the protection and power of Allah (swt). For us to try to be like this under times of pressure, we need to build that relationship with Allah. We need to study Islam and practice what we learn. We need to read, understand and implement the Quran. We need to support others purely for the pleasure of Allah (saw). We should always stay firm on our Islamic principles and be ready to make sacrifices just to be closer to Allah (swt). With the guidance of your parents and trusted elders: join a local circle, sacrifice your time and wealth to help others and take time to truly understand and implement the deen. Only then can we follow in the footsteps of prophet Ibrahim and have complete trust in Allah regardless of the situation.

In conclusion, there are many gems and wisdoms within the story of prophet Ibrahim and we should all spend time to study his life and benefit from it. He is a prophet who would constantly make dua to Allah and had complete trust in him. We can be like prophet Ibrahim. We can also build our relationship with Allah by worshipping Him. We should have complete trust in the power of Allah in the face of any challenge; be it an end of year exam or even a raging fire, we are always calm, composed and confident in the protection of Allah who will always be sufficient for us.

May Allah give us the Tawfeeq to learn from the story of Ibrahim and allow us to follow in his footsteps. May Allah allow us to have complete tawakkul in him in the face of any adversity. And we ask Allah to unite us with all the Prophets, Messengers and righteous people in Paradise.