Ibrahim's Position
After completing the seventh round of circumambulation, the state of Tawaf ends.
Seventh? Yes! It is not simply the sum of six plus one, but it is a reminder of the seven
layers of heaven. Tawaf, your sacrifice for people, is an eternal movement on the path of
people! It is Hajj and NOT a pilgrimage. Isn't this a genuine demonstration of existence?
Isn't this the actual translation of Tawheed, and it's true interpretation?!!
At Ibrahim's position you must read two units of prayers. Where is this position? It is
a piece of stone with Ibrahim's foot prints on it. It was on this stone that he stood and
laid the cornerstone of Kaaba (Hajar-ul Aswad). He stood there to construct the
Kaaba. Do
you understand? Are you not shivering?
Being in Ibrahim's position signifies standing in his place! Who? You! It is not
difficult to realize what Tawheed does to mankind. At one time, it may humiliate you to
nothing, denying you "as you are" and "flinging mud" at you. At
another time, it endows you with the highest degree of spirituality whereby you are
alongside Allah - in His house, as His relative and on His path! Tawheed is a result of
your being hit, denied, despised and enslaved during Tawaf.
Allah wants you to prostrate to Him. He will then call upon you - Oh sincere one! Oh
friend! My associate, my confidant, my trustee and my listener! My purpose of creation and
my private companion ..!
Approximately one hour ago, you were at the bank of this "river" standing,
thinking of yourself, watching the people and not being one of them; you were a useless
particle reprimanded by Allah. You were "mud", "clay" and
"earth"
But now, you are flowing and moving. No longer are you stagnated nor putrefied. You are
roaring, washing away the rocks, breaking the dams and finding your way to the gardens to
grow heaven in the heart of the salty deserts! You irrigate the fields, the
aerth, flowers
and plants. In turn you help the cultivation of thousands of seeds from which thousands of
buds are impatient to germinate, to crack above the earth, exhibit their leaves and rise
towrds the sky. If you do not move, you will become like clay - hard and solid; and you
will simultaneously bury and destroy all of these potentials.
Quran 91:10
And he indeed is a failure who stunteth it.
While the river flows, it gives life to the dead nature as Jesus
(PBUH) did. But if you
stay stagnated like dampness in the corner, enjoying yourself or suffering, you will
become putrified. Larva of numerous parasites will grow in you, your color will change and
you will smell terrible!
Come on - perform Hajj! Join the river of circumambulating people by circumambulating
too! After an hour of swimming in this "stream of love", you will abandon your
"self-centered mortal existence" and adapt to a new life among the people's
"eternal existence" on the "eternal orbit" of Allah. Now you are like
Ibrahim!
Next, from the same point which you started Tawaf, you must step out of the Tawaf
circle. Like life after death, rise from the same point on the horizon from which you
disappeared. The spirit of goodness, the spirit of Allah, which was in your original state
of creation (Mud), is visible. From where? It appears at the place where you joined the
Tawaf circle - under the right hand of Allah. After denyng and killing all of the previous
and false egoes, you will discover your "authentic ego". Dressed in the clean
white garb of Ihram, at the House of Allah and standing in Ibrahim's position, step in his
footprints. Face to Face with ADah, start your prayer.
In the history of mankind, Ibrahim was the great rebel who opposed idolatry and
established monotheism in this world. Although physically tired of sufferings, the prophet
of responsibility and leadership had a sharp mind. His heart was full oflove yet he
carried an axe in his hand! Faith shined from the center of Kofr. A clear fountain of
tawheed, monotheism, emerged from the sewage of polytheism!
The first to fight idolatry, Ibrahim was raised in the house of Azar who used to make
the idols for his tribe. Ibrahim fought not only against idolatry and Nimrod' but also
against ignorance and oppression. The leader of this movement, he was riotous against
abjectness. He was the source of hope and wishes, the man of faith and the founder of true
unity.
Ibrahim, enter the fire - the fire of oppression and ignorance! Help prevent the people
from being burned by the fire of oppression and ignorance! The same fire is ignited in the
fate and future of every responsible individual who is indebted to enlightenment and
guidance. For those who behave like Ibrahim, Allah will make a rose garden from the fire
of Nimrods! You will not burn and leave behind your ashes. It is a symbolic demonstration
of how close you get to the "fire" during your struggle and performance of
Jihad. To throw yourself into the fire in order to save other people is a bitter
experience, but even more painful is the Shahadat.
Ibrahim, sacrifice your son Ismail! Cut his throat with your own hands to save the
people's neck from being cut. Which people? Those who have been sacrificed at the steps of
the palaces of power or near the plunderer's treasures or inside the temples of hypocrisy
and misery! To get courage to seize the sword from the hand of the executioner, cut
Ismail's throat with a knife! Allah (Ibrahim's God) will pay Ismail's ransom. You do not
kill your son nor lose him! This gesture is a lesson for the sake of your faith. You must
reach the point of your willingness to sacrifice your most beloved (Ismail) with your own
hands.
AND MORE PAINFUL THAN "SACRIFICE" IS "SHAHADAT"
Remember that you just left circumambulation or "tawaf of love" and are
standing in Ibrahim's position. When Ibrahim reached this point, he had experienced a life
full of struggle - fighting with Nimrod, the idols, facing the tortures, the heap of fire,
Satan, the sacrifice of his son Ismail and ... migration, homelessness, loneliness passing
from the stage of prophecy to the stage of leadership, rejecting "individuality"
and adopting "totality" and from being worker in the house of Azar, the idol
maker, to becoming the builder of Kaaba, the house of unity!
Here Ibrahim stands. Having left many difficult years behind him, all of his hairs are
gray. Yet, at the end of his life, (as old as a history) he is about to build a house; he
is about to lay down the black stone.
Ismail helps him by carrying the stones and handing them to his father. The house of
Allah is being constructed!
It is a surprise! Ismail and Ibrahim are to build the Kaaba. Ismail is saved from being
sacrificed while Ibrahim is saved from the fire. Now they have a responsibility toward the
people. Allah has commanded them to be the architects of "the oldest temple of
unity" on earth, "the first house of people" in history, "the free
house" of freedom and the Kaaba of love and worship. Haram is a symbol of "True
Privacy and Modesty".
Now you are in Ibrahim's position! It is the highest point to which Ibrahim could
ascend; it is the nearest point to Allah. Ibrahim, builder of the Kaaba, architect of the
house of freedom, founder of tawheed, and fighter against the idols, was tortured by
Nimrod. Leader of the tribe, struggler against ignorance and Kofr, conscientious of love
and responsibility, Ibrahim escaped the temptations of Satan and the Khannas (whisperer)
who inspires evil suggestions into the hearts of people.
Quran CXIV:5
who whispereth in the heart of mankind.
After suffering all the disaster, tortures and dangers, Ibrahim built a house - NOT FOR
HIMSELF NOR FOR HIS SON - but a house for the PEOPLE. It is a shelter for those who are
homeless, a shelter for those who have been forced to leave, a shelter for those who are
wounded on this earth and a shelter for those who are fleeing. This house is to be a torch
amidst a long and dark night. It symbolizes a rebel in the dark of his oppression!
Everyone is shameful and insecure; the earth has been converted into a big house for
prostitutes where there is respect for nobody. It is a big slaughter house where nothing
but oppression and discrimination prevails. At last - there is a house which is clean,
safe and secure for all mankind (Allah's family) - the Kaaba!
In Ibrahim's position, you shake hands with Allah. Live the way Ibrahim did and be the
architect of tho Kaaba of faith of your time.
Save your people; help them step out of the lagoon of a stagnated and useless life.
Awaken them from their deep sleep so they will no longer suffer oppression and live in the
darkness of ignorance. Help them move; hold their hands and lead them. Call them to Hajj
for Tawaf!
Upon returning from tawaf where you assimilated yourself amongst the people, you are in
Ibrahim's position. You are in the house and city of safety and security, facing Almighty
Allah. Therefore, You, the "confederate" of Allah should:
- Make your land safe, as if you are in the Haram area! - Make your time as the time of
Ihram, as if you are always in the state of Ihram! - Make the earth the Safe-Mosque, as if
you are in the Safe-Mosque!
All this because the "earth is the mosque of Allah," however
you see that in reality it is not!
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