Episode 1: When Abraham was Catapulted Into a Fire

Abandoned and shunned by his society with his own father leading the charge, Ibrahim (pbuh) was buried under the depths of loneliness. But his voice in that moment reached the One who never left him.

Episode Transcript

(Note: the transcript has been edited for clarity)

0:00 – 0:25 Loneliness around people

Loneliness is of two types. You have the loneliness when you are physically away from people and you have another type of loneliness, which is a lot harder to cope with, which is when you are surrounded by people, but you really are alone.

0:26 – 0:57 The rejection of Prophet Ibrahim (as) by his family and people

And I want you to imagine what Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam felt like as his people, his own people, not an external enemy, his own people have kindled a fire for days and days that none of them could even come close to and they were prepared to throw him into that fire. Not only that, but his own family was complicit. And not only his own family,
but his father in particular, who Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam loved so much and had called to Allah with the most beautiful of manners for so many years.

0:58 – 1:24 The worst day of the Prophet (SAW)'s life

Now the Prophet (SAW) experienced something like this in Ta'if when he went out to at-Ta'if and he said it was the worst day of his life when he was made to walk through this narrow line, where people threw things at him, cursed him, spit at him, punched him, insulted him, and he only had Zaid Ibn Haritha radiallahu ta'ala anhu in front of him as far as human support in those moments. And it was the worst day of his life (SAW).

1:25 – 1:59 Ibrahim (as) faced abandonment and humiliation

But Ta'if was a town outside of Makkah. These were not his people. And he had Zaid Ibn
Haritha with him (SAW). With Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam, the scholars say imagine the pain where it's his own people, his own family, his own father and as Ibrahim looks out to the crowd as he is stripped and put into this catapult to be thrown into this fire, he doesn't even see a sympathizer. He doesn't see someone who has told him privately that I've got your back. He doesn't see anyone that really supports him or that loves him or believes in him. He sees complete abandonment. Complete humiliation.

2:00 – 3:40 "Hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel"

In those moments, some of the books of tafsir, they narrate that Jibreel Alayhi Salaam went to Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam and asked him if he wanted help and Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam said, "if it's from you, then no. But if it is from Allah (SWT) then yes."

And though those narrations are not in any book of hadith or found with any certain authenticity, there's a powerful narration from Ibn Abbas radiallahu ta'ala anhuma.
He says "hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel" Allah is sufficient for us and he is the best
disposer of our affairs. He said it was a word, a phrase, that Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam
said "hinna ulqiya fin-naar" when he was thrown into the fire.

And it was the word that Muhammad (SAW) said when the disbelievers in Madinah surrounded the Prophet (SAW)and his companions as they were about to be massacred
in the battle of al-Khandaq and they said to them "inna annasa qad jamaAAoo lakum fakhshawhum" [3:173] - "these armies are coming from all over Arabia to eat you. They will consume you. You should fear them." And it increased the Prophet (SAW) and the companions in faith "waqaloo hasbunaAllahu waniAAma alwakeel" [3:173].

They said the same thing that Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam said as he was thrown into the fire. And the fire did not hurt Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam because Allah removed the heat of the fire
and the army did not hurt the Prophet (SAW) and the companions because Allah (SWT) removed the strength of that army.

All it came down to was "hasbunaAllahu waniAAma alwakeel". Allah is the best. Allah
is sufficient for me and he is the best protector. He's the best one to dispose of my affairs.

3:41 – 4:29 Allah is the best disposer of our affairs

Imam Malik rahimahullah ta'ala, he actually had these words inscribed on his ring "hasbunaAllahu waniAAma alwakeel". Some of the companions of Imam Malik rahimahullah, they asked him, they said, "how come you only have "hasbunaAllahu waniAAma alwakeel"?"

He said, "because what follows "hasbunaAllahu waniAAma alwakeel" is "Fanqalabu bini'Amatin minAllahiwafadlin lam yamsas-hum soo". That they returned with the favor from Allah (SWT) and his bounty having no harm touch them. No harm had touched them.
And so not only did Allah protect them, Allah gave them more, Allah increased them.
As he did with Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam as he did with Muhammad (SAW), as he did with the companions, as he does with anyone who really calls out to him and who affirms that Allah is the best protector and Allah is sufficient for them and Allah is the best disposer of our affairs.

4:30 – 5:48 Whatever the circumstances, Allah is sufficient for you

And a lot of times we don't really realize this until we're in a situation where we feel like we've hit our lowest point, where we feel like we have no choice but to turn back to Allah. When all of the Asbaab - when all of the means of this world are taken away from us - and we have no choice but to turn to Allah, al-Ahad. Allah, the one. And it's really poetic
because a lot of times you don't realize what Allah has given you in himself until everything else has been taken away from you. And that's why a lot of times it takes time for us to really appreciate the power of a dua.

Hasbunallah means you have no one but Allah. Even if you have others, Allah is sufficient for you. Allah is sufficient for you. Nia'amal wakeel, Allah is the best disposer of our affairs. What that means is that even if you have others to support you in your affairs,
even if you had no one to dispose of your affairs, even if you had no one to advocate for you, even if you had no one but Allah (SWT). "Wa kafa billahi wakeel", He is sufficient (SWT) as a disposer of your affairs.

You have to affirm with certainty that Allah is the best and Allah is sufficient even if you are distracted by the plentiful means around you or you are desperate because you have no means around you, Allah is sufficient for me, Allah is enough.

5:49 – 6:41 No veil between cry of the oppressed and Allah (SWT)

And this is particularly powerful by the way, when you are Al-Mathloom, when you are the oppressed one. Da'awatul mathloom, the Prophet (SAW) said, "the cry of the oppressed,
there is no hijab, there is no veil between it and Allah (SWT)" even if that person was a disbeliever, if they were calling upon Allah alone, without attributing any partners to him,
Allah (SWT) responds, "I will support you. "Laansur annaki", I will support you. "Walaw ba'ada heen", even if it comes after some time."

But that's usually when we find ourselves falling into a place where we get to discover Allah (SWT) in a powerful way and this is something we train ourselves with so that when we feel the hardship of this world, whether it is the crushing power of an oppressor or the crushing tongue of a slanderer, we go right back to "hasbunaAllahu waniAAma alwakeel".

6:42 – 7:16 The slander of Aisha (ra)

Aisha Radiallahu anha, we see when she was slandered in Madinah and she looked around and she didn't find anyone to support her, she didn't find anyone advocating for her, instinctively she said "hasbunaAllahu waniAAma alwakeel". She immediately remembered this remembrance.

"hasbunaAllahu waniAAma alwakeel", Allah is sufficient for me and he is the best disposer of my affairs.

And just as Allah did not let Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam down, did not let Muhammad (SAW) down, he didn't let Aisha radiallahu anha down either. Allah (SWT) revealed ayat - ayat - in her support and elevated her as a result of that slander.

7:17 – 8:36 A daily adhkar (remembrance) to ease your distress and anxiety

Dear brothers and sisters, there's a narration that's mawqoof that stops at Abu Darda radiallahu ta'ala anhu. It's very powerful about making this part of our daily lives and that's probably one of the things that we can interrogate ourselves with, with these duas, with these remembrances is that sometimes we wait for an extraordinary situation to make these extraordinary duas that could transform our ordinary lives if we do them
on a daily basis.

Abu Darda radiallahu ta'ala anhu said, "whoever says seven times in the morning and in the evening 'hasbiallah la illaha illahu alayhi tawakaltu wahuwa rabul 'arshil adheem';

"Hasbiallah" - Allah is sufficient for me

"la illaha illahu" - There is no God but him

"alayhi tawakaltu" - Upon him I have placed my trust

"wahuwa rabul 'arshil adheem" - And he is the lord of the mighty throne,

that if a person says this seven times in the morning, seven times in the evening,
Allah (SWT) will remove all that distresses them."

And you'll find in, you know, mental health books and classes that to deal with anxiety, they tell you to repeat certain phrases. SubhanAllah, here you have this guidance to repeat this phrase seven times in the morning, seven times in the evening.
"hasbiallah la illaha illahu 'alayhi tawakaltu wahuwa rabul 'arshil adheem"

Captioning by MUHSEN

What is Hajj? Why is it important? Learn more in What Islam says about Hajj and Umrah