14.35 The supplication of Prophet Ibrahim for protection and spiritual well-being
This is the supplication of the noble prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him), whose prayers are often found in the Book of Allah. Although he turned to the Lord with it many hundreds of years ago in particular circumstances, it has not lost its relevance and can still teach a great deal to us who live in a very different age. Even far from Honoured Makkah, where this prophet was when he turned to the Almighty Creator with this important supplication, we can draw many wonderful lessons for ourselves from his great words.
Nothing in the Quran is accidental, and this supplication is not mentioned there without reason. For the prophets of God asked the Lord of the worlds for what every believer should ask Him for, and they clothed their innermost wishes in a truly beautiful form, setting us a good example.
“My Lord!” this God-fearing and wise prophet called out to the Almighty. O You who created me myself, who created this land and all that exists. O You who possess truly boundless power and authority. O You whose will meets no obstacles. O You who know all that is hidden and manifest before it happens, before it begins to exist after non-being.
“Make this city secure.” Ibrahim meant Makkah: Makkah, which was destined to become the homeland of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and to which pilgrims travel to this day to perform Hajj and to pray in the Sacred Mosque, near the Kaaba, which Ibrahim built many centuries ago with his son Ismail at God’s command. Allah the Almighty heeded the supplication of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and made Makkah a safe refuge and a blessed abode, revered by Muslims all over the world and of enormous importance to each of them.
This is an important reason to reflect. The importance of safety in our lives can hardly be overstated. It promotes fruitful activity and creativity and fills human life with joy, creating the conditions for great ideas to be realised and for important and useful projects to be carried out. The absence of safety, on the contrary, puts a person in extreme conditions, distracting him from righteous labours, for by nature a person longs for surroundings in which he need not worry hour by hour about his own life and the lives of those close to him.
That is why it is so important to ask the Lord for well-being and safety, as our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) urged the believers to do. Those to whom the Almighty has granted prosperity should ask Him that it continue to accompany them through life, and those who lack safety and well-being should ask that these come into their lives. For although hardships, dangers and trials can teach a person a great deal, a calm environment often benefits those who strive for great achievements and helps them to reach their goals.
The prophet of God also asked for what is the foundation of success, salvation and happiness in both worlds: help in sincerely professing monotheism and in staying far from the worship of anyone besides Allah. If this noble prophet, despite his rank, asked the Lord to protect him from ascribing partners to Him, then all the more should each of us ask for this. For all believers wish to earn the pleasure of Allah and to enter Paradise.
The wise prophet asked not only for himself but also for his descendants. This teaches us not to forget to turn to the Almighty Lord in supplication for our children, our grandchildren and those descendants who will live in the distant future, when we are no longer in this world. For supplication is a saving rope for a believer.
But it is not only by our supplications that we should help the next generations to attain eternal happiness. It is our duty to bring them up properly, to acquaint them with monotheism, to show them the right path and to give them beneficial knowledge, so as to help them not to lose their way in a world with so many temptations, where they receive so much confusing information every day from the most varied sources. And perhaps one day they will remember us with a kind word for having once placed a few small lanterns along their dimly lit and difficult path through life.