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Bismillahi ar-rahmani ar-rahim

When Azar (Tarah) died, his son Ibrahim (as) was 75 years old. Now he became the head of the household. Allah soon reminded him that he still has a Lord over himself. And the great prophet and patriarch, to whom so many look up to, dutifully obeyed.

Tawrat, Genesis 12:1-3

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

The Qur’an and the sunnah (both that of Muhammad (saws) and ancient Jewish traditions) tell us that before he received this call, Ibrahim (as) already had to face two major confrontations. The first one was with his father. Then, even more dramatically, Ibrahim (as) had to face the anger of a pagan king, who tried to kill him. That story gets passed from generation to generation in the city of Urfa.

We don’t have a record of the third confrontation, but it was bound to happen. Imagine Ibrahim (as) returning home after receiving the ayahs cited above. You can imagine the shock on the face of Sarai, his wife, when he related the command of Allah to her.

Where are we to go?

I don’t know. Allah did not tell me that.

How far is it? What is the place like? How will we make a living there?

I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know…

Who is this new god of yours? Who else worships him?

We don’t know what Ibrahim (as) answered his wife that day. All we know is that they went to the land Allah promised to give them - not only Ibrahim and Sarai, but also Ibrahim’s cousin Lut and “the people they had acquired in Harran” (Tawrah, Genesis 12:5). People of what is now Iraq as well as the borderlands of Türkiye and Syria went, led by the faithful nabi and patriarch, towards Palestine.

This was a big step, which led Ibrahim (as) and his family to the Promised Land. Yet it was only one of many steps of testing, growing and deepening his faith until one day he would be called al-Khalilullah (Friend of Allah).

The next test was not long in waiting. When the caravan arrived to Palestine, Ibrahim (as) built an altar to recognize Allah’s sovereignty over the land. But there was no food for the people and for their large flocks. Instead of claiming Palestine as their possession, they went as far as Egypt, fed by the great Nile River. There, the foreigners sought asylum - much like many Middle Easterners, claiming to be descendants of Ibrahim (as) look today for safety in foreign countries.

Would you like to receive barakah similar to that given to Ibrahim (as) by Allah? (I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.)

Are you ready to submit to Allah? Even if it meant sacrifice and facing the unknown?

Do you more wish to receive barakah, or be a barakah to other people? (all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.)