MANARAT AL-RIYADH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL

SOCIAL STUDIES (SSA) // SUMMARY SHEET 9

NAME: _______________________________ GRADE: 4 DATE: ______________________________________

Prophet Ibrahim

The people of Babylon lived their life enjoying all kinds of riches. But they forgot that all
they had were granted by Allah Almighty. They followed what Satan decorated for them; they
crafted idols with their own hands and then worshipped them. Nimroud was the name of their
king, who was deceptive and arrogant. He claimed to be god and ordered his subjects to worship
him alone.

Prophet Ibrahim was born into these shocking surroundings. Allah inspired Ibrahim
with the proper belief from his early childhood. Ibrahim worshiped only Allah. Ibrahim
also knew that Allah is the Creator of the entire universe.
When Prophet Ibrahim received the Islamic revelations, he called his people to
worship Allah alone. He ordered them to leave worshiping the idols that they crafted and
decorated, and to avoid slaughtering the animals for them. Lots of his people disobeyed him, and
they became more arrogant. Nimroud, the king, was among the first to disobey.
Prophet Ibrahim saw that the people continued to worship idols. They rejected
Prophet Ibrahim’s call and the clear signs that he came with. Accordingly, he decided to do
something with these idols to prove to his people that they were only objects and did not deserve
to be worshipped. Perhaps then they would realise their deep ignorance.
It was customary that every year, people would make a celebration for their idols, during
which they would go outside the city to the gardens.
Prophet Ibrahim took advantage and entered the house where all the idols were
kept and worshiped. There he saw a big idol and on its left and right were smaller ones. He held an
axe in his right hand and went on smashing all the small idols until they were all destroyed. He
then hung the axe on the big one’s neck, so that when his people returned they could see for
themselves that these things could not even protect themselves. How can they worship them
instead of worshipping Allah the Almighty?
When his people returned, they knew that it was Prophet Ibrahim that destroyed
their idols and because of their deep ignorance, they could not understand the reason why Prophet
Ibrahim did this. They were furious. They wanted to take revenge. They chose the most
severe punishment, to burn him alive.
In a huge ditch, they placed all the wood they could collect. They lit the wood; its high flames
crackled and roared like no one had ever seen or heard before. It was so intense that it burned the
birds that flew above it.
There, they used a catapult to throw Ibrahim into the fire. As Prophet Ibrahim
was thrown in the fire he said in full reliance on Allah:”"‫“ حسبنا هللا ونعم الوكيل‬Allah’s support is
enough for me. He is the best to rely upon. Allah gave Prophet Ibrahim a great miracle, the
fire did not burn him,
and did not hurt him, yet it burnt the ties that tied him. Sometime later the people saw the
Prophet Ibrahim walking out of the fire safe as if nothing had touched him. They were much
surprised to see him.
 After saving Prophet Ibrahim from the fire, Allah commanded him to leave
Mesopotamia and migrate to the Holy Land in Palestine. He married his cousin Sarah and set out
with her and his brother’s son Loot for Syria, as Allah says:
“And We rescued him and Loot (Lot) to the land which We have blessed for the ‘Aalameen” [al-
Anbiyaa’ 21:71]
Then great hardship befell the land of Syria, so Prophet Ibrahim moved to Egypt
with his wife, then he came back to Palestine, bringing his wife and a woman who was working for
her, called Hajar. Prophet Ibrahim longed to have children, but his wife was barren and had
grown old. When she saw how much her husband longed to have a child, she asked him to marry
Hajar. So, he married her and was blessed with his son Ismaa’eel from her.
After Hajar gave birth to Ismaa’eel, Sarah began to feel jealous, so she asked Prophet
Ibrahim to send them away from her. Allah revealed to Prophet Ibrahim that he
should take Hajar and the infant Ismaa’eel and take them to Makkah. So he took them and left
Hajar and her child Ismaa’eel in an isolated place in which there was no water, then he left them
and went back to Palestine. Hajar said to him, “For whom are you leaving us in this forsaken
valley?” But Prophet Ibrahim went and left her, and she said, “Has Allah commanded you to
do this?” He said, “Yes.” She said, “Then Allah will not cause us to be lost.”
Prophet Ibrahim submitted to the command of his Lord and patiently bore the
separation from his wife and child.
Hajar stayed in Makkah, eating the food and drinking the water that Prophet Ibrahim had left
for her and her son. When that ran out, she and her son became thirsty. She looked for water, and
climbed the hill of al-Safaa, but she did not see anything. Then she climbed the hill of al-Marwah
but she did not see anything. She did that seven times; then she turned towards Ismaa’eel and saw
water gushing from beneath his feet. She rejoiced and drank some, and gave some to her son to
drink. Then a tribe – Jurham – came to Hajar and asked her permission to settle by the water. She
gave them permission, and they settled beside her. When Ismaa’eel grew up, he married one of
their women and learned Arabic from them.
During this period, Prophet Ibrahim used to visit his son from time to time. On one of
these visits, Prophet Ibrahim saw in a dream that Allah was commanding him to sacrifice
his son Ismaa’eel. The dreams of the Prophets are true, so Prophet Ibrahim resolved to
obey the command of Allah, even though he was old, and Ismaa’eel was his only son.
And, when he (his son) was old enough to walk with him, he said: ‘O my son! I have seen in a
dream that I am slaughtering you offering you in sacrifice to Allah). So look what you think!’ He
said: ‘O my father! Do that which you are commanded, Insha’ Allah (if Allah wills), you shall find me
of As-Saabiroon (the patient).’
Then, when they had both submitted themselves (to the Will of Allah), and he had laid him
prostrate on his forehead (or on the side of his forehead for slaughtering);
We called out to him: ‘O Ibrahim!
You have fulfilled the dream!’ Verily, thus do We reward the Muhsinoon (good-doers).
Verily, that indeed was a manifest trial.
And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice (i.e. a ram)”
Then Prophet Ibrahim went to Palestine for a while; then he returned to Makkah for
an important reason. Allah had commanded him to build in Makkah the first House to be built for
the worship of Allah. So Prophet Ibrahim undertook this task of construction, and his son
Ismaa’eel was lifting up the stones to him. When the walls grew higher, Prophet Ibrahim
stood on a rock, and this is the Station of Prophet Ibrahim (Maqaam Ibrahim).