All About Dhul Hijjah
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Ep. 6: God Will not Abandon You: The Wife of Ibrahim (as)
The people we love come and go in our lives, and it’s only natural to have moments when we feel abandoned, left to fend for ourselves in unforgiving circumstances. In these times, there is no better role model than Hajar (as).
Alone in the hot desert sun, she put her trust in Allah and set out with determination to provide for herself and her child. And as a result, she built herself a lasting legacy—a Hajj ritual repeated by millions, and a blessed spring that brims with water even today.
Tune in to the episode 6 of Upheld by Allah: Women in the Qur'an with Ustadha Lobna Mulla.
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Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. What do you do when the people that you love, cherish, and have grown fond of leave? Whether they pass on, move away, or are no longer in a relationship with us, the pain of their departure is difficult to bear. Separation and loss can sometimes leave us feeling so empty, lost, and broken, that we just can't see a way out. There is a woman who experienced such a tremendous test of separation, yet through her trust in Allah, she taught us how to move forward. Meet Hajar alayhis salam. Hajar alayhis salam was the wife of Prophet Ibrahim, and the mother of Ismail. Now to appreciate all that Hajar alayhis salam had been through, it's important we share her background. And that takes us back to Egypt. When Ibrahim alayhis salam and his wife, Sarah, were traveling through Egypt, they heard that there was a Pharaoh who would capture beautiful women and kill their husbands. To protect Sarah, when Ibrahim alayhis salam was asked about her, he said that, she's my sister, which wasn't a lie because she was a sister in faith. But despite that, Sarah was taken anyway into the palace of Pharaoh. So when the Pharaoh tried to approach her, Sarah made dua to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la to protect her, and Allah did so by making Pharaoh get temporarily paralyzed each time he tried to get close to Sarah. Once the Pharaoh realized that Sarah could not be messed with, he sent her away out of fear and gave her gifts as well. One of those gifts was Hajar alayhis salam, who was at that time a handmaiden in the palace of Pharaoh. Hajar's name comes from ha-ajruki, which means, here is your reward. So Hajar's name means your reward. And we will soon come to learn what a reward she truly is. So the three of them leave the palace and make their way out of Egypt. Now Ibrahim alayhis salam and Sarah could not have children. So Sarah gifted Hajar to Ibrahim and he marries her. It's important to note that Hajar coming from the palace of Pharaoh is not a believer,
but after seeing the character and conduct of Ibrahim alayhis salam and Sarah, Hajar too accepts the message of tawhid. So now Ibrahim alayhis salam and Hajar have a son named Ismail. This is happy news for everyone involved, but things soon would change as Ibrahim gets the command to take Hajar and Ismail and take them to the place near the Kaaba, although its foundations were still buried at the time. Now imagine the scene. It's hot, there are no people, no water, no vegetation, and it doesn't seem like there was any discussion on the way to mentally prepare Hajar for what was about to happen. Ibrahim alayhis salam leaves Hajar and Ismail as he was commanded to do so, with a small amount of dates and some water and turns away to leave without saying a word. When Ibrahim alayhis salam was leaving them, Hajar says to him, Oh Ibrahim, where are you going, leaving us in this valley where there is no one, nor is there anything else around? She repeatedly asked him, but he did not turn to respond. She then asked him, did Allah command you to do so? He said, yes. She said, then he, Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, will not abandon us. This separation was painful and a mighty test for both Hajar alayhis salam and Sayyidina Ibrahim alayhis salam but they were both following the commandment of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. For Hajar, the test is massive as she was left alone in a harsh environment. And from Ibrahim's perspective, this test was especially difficult since he had waited for so long to have a child. Ibrahim alayhis salam then walks away and when he's out of sight, he turns around and makes dua, he says, Oh Allah, I have settled some of my offspring in a barren valley near your sacred house. Oh Allah, so that they may establish prayer. So make the hearts of believing people inclined towards them and provide them with fruits so perhaps they will be thankful. Ibrahim alayhis salam makes his dua and leaves. Now Hajar shows us what it means to have husn adhan or giving benefit of the doubt because for her to even ask the question of, did Allah command you to do this?
Shows that she is thinking, there must be a good reason for Ibrahim alayhis salam to do what he is doing. And secondly, Hajar shows a great optimism in Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. When she comes to the conclusion that Allah would not abandon her. This statement of hers is a beautiful application of a Hadith Qudsi. Abu Huraira radiAllahu anhu narrates that Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, Ana inda dhanna abdi bi, I'm as my servant expects of me. Hajar alayhis salam knew with yaqeen that Allah would not leave her despite the worldly situation of having to be physically abandoned in a deserted place. So now her son is crying since the food is finished, the water is gone and now she's not able to produce any milk for her son. She had to figure something out. SubhanAllah, this is the case for many single parents today and especially for single mothers who have to worry about bringing in an income, parenting, managing the house and so on. That's a situation Hajar found herself in that she not only has to worry about herself, but Ismail alayhis salam too. So she took it upon herself to look for resources. After running back and forth from Safa to Marwah calling out to any possible travelers, looking for anything in the distance, she looks up and sees Jibreel alayhis salam. He digs into the ground with his foot and from there the water of Zamzam springs forth. What a blessed spring, SubhanAllah. Hajar alayhis salam drank from it and nursed baby Ismail as well. This compensation for her optimism and taqwa reminds us of Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala's powerful words in Surat At-Talaq. Wamey yattaqallaha yaj'al lahu makhraja wayerzuqhu min haythu la yahtasib wamey yatawakkal ala Allahi fahuwa hasbuh And whoever is mindful of Allah, He will make a way out for them and provide for them resources they could have never imagined. And whoever puts their trust in Allah, then He alone is sufficient for them. SubhanAllah, similarly, how Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala sent a spring for Maryam after she gave birth
so she could be nourished and therefore nourish her baby, Isa alayhis salam, Allah not only provided Zamzam for Hajar and Ismail, but for the tribe of Jorhum who eventually settled there and for all of the people of Mecca and those who visit from then until now, until Yawm al-Qiyamah. Allah has honored the great sacrifice, struggle and tawakkul of Hajar alayhis salam. And for centuries, millions of men, women and children have followed in her very footsteps as they retraced the men's side during Umrah and Hajj. Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala answered the du'a of Ibrahim alayhis salam to provide for his family that he left behind and to send Hajar and Ismail people, the tribe of Jorhum, to establish a community for them. Look how Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala tested this faithful single mother with such hardship and look at the reward of her faith, trust and her patience. Hajar's reward, her ajr, is so massive and long lasting that we follow in her footsteps today, adding to her scale of good deeds with every step taken on that blessed path between Safa and Marwa. Hajar alayhis salam taught us that people we love may come and go in our lives, yet Allah always remains.
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