Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam says, Rabbi habli minassalihin Allah says that we granted him Ishaq and Ya'qub. But we all know, of course, that there is a special son that would be given to him first, and that was Ismail Alayhi Salaam. As Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam is in Palestine with Hajar and Ismail, Allah gives him the command to settle them in Mecca, in this barren desert. And you'll actually find in Ibn Kathir and in Fath Al-Bari that the scholars mention that Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam took Hajar and Ismail on the buraq, on the same animal that would one day bring the Prophet SallAllahu Alaihi Wasallam from Mecca to Jerusalem. You have Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam taking Hajar and Ismail to this barren desert in Mecca from Palestine. And as he settles them, we know that this is very painful for Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam to walk away from Hajar, this incredibly beautiful, righteous woman who supported him and who demonstrates such faith. And his first son and his only son, Ismail Alayhi Salaam in those moments. And as Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam is walking away from them, we know that Hajar asks Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam what he's doing, why he's doing this. And she comes to the conclusion, was it Allah that commanded you to do this? And when Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam says, yes, she says, then Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la will not lose sight of us. Allah will not let us go to waste. We will be protected. So just like Ibrahim said, Hasbuna Allah wa ni'ma al-wakeel as he was thrown into that fire, Hajar expressed the same sentiment as she was left with her child in Mecca. So here they are now in Mecca and Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam makes several duas for his family in Mecca and for Mecca as a whole. And so you'll find, for example, where Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam says,
Rabbi ja'al haathaa baladan aamina. And where Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam says, Rabbi ja'al haathaa balada aamina. It sounds very similar with the exception of al-balad. The first one refers to Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam when he says haathaa baladan aamina. Oh Allah, make this a secure place instead of al-balad is because Mecca still is not defined. It's still a barren desert. The second time where Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam says, Rabbi ja'al haathaa balada aamina. He's praying for a defined city, al-balad. So he's coming to Mecca later on and praying for it in those moments. But let's start with the first dua when it's still just a barren desert. Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam says, Rabbi inni askantu min dhurriyati biwadin ghayri dhi zarain ainda baytikal muharram. Oh my Lord, I have made some of my offspring to settle in this barren valley, ainda baytikal muharram, near your sacred house. Now, the house has still not been built, but Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam knows that this is the location and Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la would later command him to raise the foundations of it. But I've left them here in this barren desert. Why? Rabbana liyuqeemu as-salaa. Oh Allah, so that they may establish the prayer. I didn't bring them here for anything, but for them to establish the prayer. Faj'al af'idata minan nasi tahwi ilayhim. And so cause some of the hearts of the people, some of the people, not all of the people, minan nas. Let some of the people's hearts affectionately inclined towards them. warzuqhum minathamirati la'allahum yashkuroon and provide for them fruits for their sustenance so that they may be grateful to you. So let's start with this part, ghayri li zarar. Oh Allah, this is a barren desert and there is a benefit to that. What brought Hud and Saleh? What brought Musa and Yunus? What would then bring Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam and in the end of times, Isa Alayhi Salaam to this barren valley?
What brings the hearts of the prophets and the hearts of the believers that follow those prophets to this valley? This is not a place that has lush gardens or beautiful beaches. This is a barren desert. And why is it this location that Allah chose in Mecca so that no one would come to this place except that they're seeking Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. There is no other reason, no offense to the people of Mecca here. No other reason that a person would go to Mecca except for this haram, except for this sacred place that Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la has set up so that we may establish our worship of Him. Scholars also mentioned, he said, Meena al-naas, not al-naas, some of the people. Because if Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam would have said, let all of the hearts of all of the people affectionately inclined towards them, then it would have been too crowded, you would have had everyone come towards them. But Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam wants a special type of people to incline towards them. So it's not about the quantity of the people. It's about the quality of the people. And he's talking about the strong desire for Hajj. So it's not tahwi ilayhim that they would have that strong affection necessarily out of love for his family, but to love them and settle in their presence due to that love of Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la, that the hearts of the followers of Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam would incline towards that place for all times, that they would desire so greatly to be in that place. warzuqhum minath thamarati la'allahum yashkuroon And then he said, and grant them, provide for them sustenance so that they may be grateful to you. This is similar to how when Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam and the prophets ask for offspring, they don't just ask for offspring for the sake of offspring. They ask for offspring so that their offspring can work acts of good and gratitude to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. And here, when they pray for their offspring, once they have them, Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam is saying provide for them so that they may be grateful to you. So don't just provide for them.
No, so that it can drive them to a place of shukr, a place of gratitude, where they will act in gratitude. They will work in gratitude. They will do things that are pleasing to you, O Allah, as they establish their prayer, which is the ultimate manifestation of gratitude to Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la. Finally, when Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam says here and in the other dua, rabbi ja'al hadhal balada aamina O Allah, make this a secure place. You see the vegetation is there already. Even though Mecca is a barren valley, even though it doesn't produce fruits or vegetables, there is always fruit and vegetable in Mecca. And now you've even got Hardee's and McDonald's too, right? But there's always fruits and vegetable in Mecca, even though it's a barren desert. Why? Because of af'idata min anasi tahwi ilayhim, because of the amount of traffic in Mecca. Through the dua of Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam, there's always going to be fruits and vegetables there, but then when he makes dua for security, to make it a secure place, this is something really beautiful because Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la reminds Quraysh in particular, li ila fi Quraysh ila fihim rihlat ash-shita'i wa as-saif fal ya'budu rabba hadhal bayt allathi ata'amahum min ju'in wa aamana hum min khawf Allah reminds them of the favors that he has given to them. And he reminds them of what he has provided to them of food and vegetation. And he also reminds them of how he has provided them security Subhanahu wa ta'ala. And that was through the dua of Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam. And some of the scholars, they mentioned here that what this shows you and the message to Quraysh in particular, as they're trying to run a prophet out from amongst them and they're persecuting the prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam. It's a reminder that all the goodness that you have right now is because of the dua of another prophet, the supplication of another prophet who is the great, great grandfather of this prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam.
And if you run this prophet out, then you will run away the goodness that you have as well. So it was the presence of a prophet that brought you this good, the dua of a prophet that brought you this good. And if you persecute a prophet, then you would have the dua of that prophet not in your favor, and instead you would experience bad. And so Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la reminds us that all that you see in Mecca, all that you see in Mecca is from the dua of Ibrahim Alayhi Salaam when he called upon Allah Subh'anaHu Wa Ta-A'la in those moments. And so as you're seeing those images, imagine Ibrahim settling his wife Hajar and his son Ismail in that barren desert and saying Allahumma, and then imagine everything that popped out and sprouted from that until today and until the day of judgment.