By Shaikh Ahmad Kutty
The Legacy of Ibrahim – A Call to Faith, Conscience, and Resilience
Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar. Lā ilāha illa Allāh. Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar, wa liLlahi al-ḥamd.
Allah is Great, God is Great; Allah is Great; there is no god but Allah; all praise is due to Allah.
Peace and blessings be on His chosen servant and Messenger and his family and companions and all those who walk in their footsteps.
Brothers and sisters,
We gather here today with hearts full of gratitude and eyes full of tears. Gratitude for another Eid—tears for the pain that still afflicts our brothers and sisters across the world, especially in Gaza, Sudan, Yemen, Myanmar, Kashmir.
Today is not just a celebration—it is a reminder. A reminder of the enduring legacy of Prophet Ibrahim عليه السلام, his family, and their unwavering faith, which becomes our moral compass in these trying times.
Let us walk through four defining episodes from the life of Prophet Ibrahim and his family—and see how they shine a guiding light on the crises and courage of our ummah today.
1. The Dawn of Tawḥīd: Questioning the Idols of His Age Ibrahim عليه السلام lived in a society immersed in idol worship. But he did not inherit faith blindly. He observed the stars, the moon, and the sun. He watched them rise and set—and then declared:
لَا أُحِبُّ الْآفِلِينَ
“I do not love those that set.” (Qur’an 6:76)
He sought truth with sincerity. And Allah honored that search:
وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُرِيٓ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ مَلَكُوتَ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَلِيَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُوقِنِينَ
“Thus did We show Ibrahim God’s sovereignty over the heavens and the earth, that he might be of those who are certain.” (Qur’an 6:75)
Today’s idols are more subtle—yet no less dangerous. The idols of our age are billion-dollar weapons deals, political alliances built on bloodshed, and the normalization of genocide. Military silence is packaged as pragmatism. Leaders wear tailored suits, not crowns, and sign pacts with oppressors.
Like Ibrahim, we must dismantle the idols in our hearts and societies. Question loyalties. Seek truth. Align with justice, even when unpopular.
2. The Fire of the Tyrant: Courage in the Face of Power
When Ibrahim smashed the idols, he was seized and thrown into a raging fire. But he stood firm—alone. And Allah said:
قُلْنَا يَا نَارُ كُونِي بَرْدًا وَسَلَامًا عَلَىٰ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ
“We commanded: O fire, be cool and peaceful upon Ibrahim.” (Qur’an 21:69)
That divine rescue was not just a miracle—it was a sign that standing for truth, even in fire, invites divine aid.
Today, our ummah witnesses tyrants who drop bombs on children, yet are honored in opulent palaces. They are rewarded with gold and gestures, while Gaza burns.
Yet, even in the fire of war, Gaza teaches us the meaning of resilience. Let me cite here only one of those heart- searing scenes from Gaza:
A young boy stood beside his father’s shrouded body, sobbing yet certain:
“Baba, we will meet in Jannah.”
That faith in the face of death is more powerful than any missile. The people of Gaza have become pulpits of daʿwah—drawing thousands across the world to Islam. Many who once knew little of Islam are now embracing it, inspired by the patience, dignity, and courage of a people under siege.
One woman from the UK said: “I saw a mother in Gaza who lost all her children, and yet she said, ‘Alḥamdulillāh.’ That’s when I knew—this faith is real.” Another from the US said: “Their faith, even in the rubble, moved something deep in me. I had to learn more. Now I am Muslim.”
Even as the bombs fall, the people of Gaza rise—as bearers of truth, martyrs of faith, and beacons of light.
And in the West, students and peace activists—many of them not Muslim—have risen in protest. They have occupied campuses, spoken truth to power, and risked their education and careers to say: “Not in our name.” Like Ibrahim, they challenge the idols of their age.
Malcolm X once said:
“If you’re not ready to die for it, put the word ‘freedom’ out of your vocabulary.”
These students and activists may not have died—but they have sacrificed. Degrees. Jobs. Comfort. Reputation. Why? Because truth matters. Because justice is not negotiable.
3. Hajar’s Legacy: The Power of Resilience and Trust
In the barren desert of Makkah, Ibrahim left Hajar and their infant son Ismail. She asked, “Has Allah commanded this?” He nodded. Her response:
إِذًا لَا يُضَيِّعُنَا
“Then He will not abandon us.”
Yet she did not sat still waiting for a miracle; she struggled hard; She ran between the hills of Ṣafā and Marwah—not once, but seven times. Desperate. Hopeful. Striving.
And from her struggle came the spring of Zamzam. From her patience, the foundation of Makkah was laid. From her faith, the Kaʿbah was re-built. And from her womb came the final Prophet ﷺ.
Hajar is not a footnote in our history. She is the mother of our prophetic lineage. Her legacy lives in every pilgrim’s footsteps. Her struggle echoes in every cry for justice.
Let us be like Hajar. Faithful when alone. Resilient in hardship. Striving and struggling, while trusting that Allah never abandons.
4. The Story of Sacrifice: From Abraham to the Students
The culmination of Ibrahim’s story is sacrifice. When Allah commanded him to sacrifice his beloved son, he did not waver:
فَلَمَّا أَسْلَمَا وَتَلَّهُ لِلْجَبِينِ
“Then, when they had both submitted, and he had laid him down upon his forehead…” (Qur’an 37:103)
His son, too, was willing:
يَا أَبَتِ افْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ
“O my father, do as you are commanded…” (Qur’an 37:102)
This was not about blood—it was about devotion. Submission. Willingness to give up what we love for the sake of what is right.
And today, we witness the Abrahamic spirit of sacrifice in our students—risking comfort, careers, and reputations to speak for Palestine. Like Ibrahim and Ismail, they offer what’s dearest for the sake of truth. We salute them. We pray for them. May their sacrifice be accepted like that of Ismail.
And out at sea, brave peace activists sail with aid for Gaza—risking arrest, blockade, even death—just to deliver food, water, and hope. Their boats carry not just supplies, but a message: humanity is alive. Conscience is not dead.
How stark the contrast: while our rulers wine and dine those who rain fire on children, these ordinary souls risk their lives to feed them. They remind us—true leadership is not in palaces, but in the hearts that rise for justice, no matter the cost.
We salute them. We pray for them. May Allah guide them all to see the truth of Islam and may their sacrifice be accepted like that of Ismail.
Our Eid Response: Beyond Ritual to Awakening
Brothers and sisters,
Eid is not a pause from our moral responsibilities. It is a moment of spiritual recharging. A time to recommit to truth.
So today, let us leave this gathering with resolve:
- Be like Ibrahim: Seek truth, stand firm, speak out.
- Be like Hajar: Persevere with faith and trust Allah’s promise.
- Be like the people of Gaza: Patient, dignified, unyielding.
- Be like the students and activists: Speak truth, even when it costs you.
Let our joy this Eid be a source of strength, not distraction. Let our prayers be wings that carry us to action.
Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar wa liLlahi al-ḥamd.
Allāhu Akbar. Eid Mubarak. And may our celebration today be a commitment to faith, to justice, and resistance.
Let us pray
O Allah, make us among Your truthful servants—firm upon truth, willing to sacrifice for Your deen.
O Allah, grant victory to our brothers and sisters in Gaza, Palestine, Sudan. Yemen, Myanmar, Kashmir and elsewhere. Ease their suffering, be their Guardian and their Helper. O Allah, let the tears of mothers and the cries of children be light that guides hearts to Islam.
O Allah, do not test us with cowardice. Do not let us be among those who turn away from the oppressed.
O Allah, hear the cries of the orphans, widows, and wounded. Replace their pain with peace, their fear with safety, and their hunger with provision.
O Allah, guide us to truth and keep our hearts firm upon it. Let us never stray after You’ve shown us the light.
O Allah, heal the sick, mend the broken, and be the Guardian of the forgotten. Raise the martyrs to the highest ranks in Jannah.
O Allah, have mercy on those who have returned to You. Forgive them, illuminate their graves, and envelope them in Your mercy.
O Allah, cure every illness—of the body, mind, and soul. Grant strength, health, and purpose to those who suffer.
O Allah, ease every heavy heart, dispel every anxiety, and grant peace to every troubled soul.
O Allah, guide the lost back to Your path. Keep us firm, sincere in action, and humble in worship.
O Allah, give us courage to speak the truth, strength to resist injustice, and hearts that rise against tyranny.
O Allah, forgive our sins, heal our hearts, and unite us as true brothers and sisters under the banner of Your Beloved Messenger Muḥammad ﷺ. Make us torchbearers of his mercy in a world drowning in hatred, injustice, racism, and war. Let us be voices of compassion, lights of guidance, and proofs of truth on this wounded earth.