Abraham

 Abraham; being a combination of Ab and Raham, literally means ‘The Kind Father.’ His father Tarah died when he was still very young so he was reared up by his uncle who made idols that were worshipped by royalties and dignitaries so he was called Adar, which in Chaldean means ‘The Arch Priest’ or ‘Guard of a temple’. Quran has mentioned his name as Azar and, since, in Arabic, the same one word, abbi is used for both the father and the uncle, he has been referred as abbi.

            Abraham; father of the prophets, was born in Ur: an ancient city that existed before Babylon and Nineveh near River Euphrates in Southern Iraq. According to the given locations, this place is now known as Tel Aviv. People in those times worshipped various stars. They also believed in worshipping the Souls. They had faith in God but considered these stars partners to Him.

Stars were worshipped three times a day. They believed that a soul resides in each and every star and that these souls are either good or bad. According to their belief, to please the bad souls charity and sacrifices were necessary, whereas singing and dancing could please the good souls. There were scores of idols in the temples that represented various gods: which they worshipped. These included the gods of sustenance, rain, manhood, and health and there were god for other necessities.

A combined team of British Museum and Philadelphia University Museum unearthed the ruins of that city and found names of about five thousand gods from the plaques found and deciphered. Every city had a guardian god which was worshipped as major god and was worthy of more reverence than others. Ur had moon as her god and Shamash (sun god) was the god of the capital. King was acknowledged as the son of Shamash. People offered grains besides a portion of their income to the temples. Temples owned farms, orchards and lands. Decisions of the priests were supposed to be the decision of God and the king was worshipped and people prostrated before him in the royal court.

Before the birth of Abraham, Nimrod, the king at that time, witnessed a bright star shinning, in his dream. The royal priest and astronomers interpreting the dream told him that a child would born that year, who would become a threat for his kingdom. The king issued orders to impose a ban upon matrimonial relations and to kill any child born that year.

As the legends tell, Osha, mother of Abraham, hid herself in a cave near the city and gave birth to Abraham there.

When Abraham reached his adolescence, he saw people worshipping idols made by his guardian. He wondered, how the statues sculptured by the hands of man could answer the prayers of the people and they even prostrated before them. When his innocent mind could not resolve the problem pinching him, he asked his mother, “Mother! Who is your Lord?”

She replied, “Your father is‘ my lord, who provides me food to eat.”

“Then, who is the lord of my father?” Abraham asked.

“The Stars Shining up above in the sky are the lords of your father,” mother replied. But this answer could not satisfy the young inquisitive mind so he asked, “Who is this Star?”

When the night covered him over, He saw a star: He said: "This is my Lord. " But when it set, He said: "I love not those that set.” When he saw the moon rising in splendor, he said: "This is my Lord.” But when the moon set, He said: "unless my Lord guide me, I shall surely be among those who go astray." When he saw the sun rising in splendor, he said: "This is my Lord; this is the greatest of all. ” But when the sun set, he said: "0 my people! I am indeed free from your guilt of giving partners to God. For me, I have set my face, firmly and truly, towards Him who created the heavens and the earth, and never shall I give partners to God. "

His people disputed with him. He said: ”Come ye to dispute with me, about God, when He Himself hath guided me? I fear not the beings ye associate with God. Unless my Lord wills, nothing can happen. My Lord comprehends in His knowledge all things. Will ye not yourselves be admonished?

(S: 6,V: 76-80)

God bestowed the quest to study the nature and find the true reality.

So also did We show Abraham the power and the laws of the heavens and the earth, that he might with understanding have certitude.

(S: 6, V:75) 

Abraham was blessed with a thinking mind and he thought that how far would it be fair to have hope of some benefit from an object that cannot move at its own, which remains lying wherever it is kept and cannot save itself from any harm.

He used to think; how the system of this vast universe is being run? Who runs it? Who keeps things like the day and the night in line? Who causes the trees to bear the fruits? Who causes it to rain? Who makes the seeds to sprout and crops to grow? Who is that Being on whose behest is everything moving and performing one or the other function? When he tried to think that these handmade statues are governing the universe and. controlling the complicated affairs therein, he felt confused. This was something, which he couldn’t digest.

When Azar came to know of Abraham’s aversion for their hand made gods and star worshipping He asked Abraham, “Have you turned away from my gods?”

Abraham in reply inquired. “O my father! Why do you worship something which cannot see or hear nor can it be of any profit to you?”

(S: 19,v: 42)

Abraham’s answer terrified Azar. He couldn’t believe his ears. He looked on at Abraham in bewilderment. When Abraham again asked him, he said, “ Well, this is the way my fathers used to do, so am I doing and so are you required to do.”

But Abraham was not ready to stand this logic, he told him, “O my father! I know something, which you know not. Leave this path of Satan and follow the right and virtue. This indeed is straying away.”

This rendered his father angry and he said in rage, “Don’t you dare to reject my gods. If you didn’t mend yourself, I’ll stone you to death.”

Abraham said, "I cannot acknowledge your handmade stone statues as my Lord. These cannot benefit me nor do I fear them. I acknowledge only Him The Lord and Cherisher of the Worlds; Who created me, and it is He Who guides me; Who gives me food and drink, And when I am ill, it is He Who cures me; Who will cause me to die, and then to life again; And Who, I hope, will forgive me my faults on the day of Judgment. And I pray to Him, "O my Lord! Bestow wisdom on me, and join me with the righteous.”

                                                            (S: 26,V: 78-83)

This reply further infuriated his uncle and he said enraged, “Get out, I don’t want to see you.”

Abraham before leaving from there said you, He is All merciful to me, I call Him leaving all those whom you worship, and He won’t deprive me.”

One day Abraham gathered the intellectuals of his people and asked them a few questions. If, according to our beliefs a star is worthy of our worship because of having power to be our lord, then why does it keep changing and why does it not keep on shinning all the time as it does for a few hours in the night only? Why does the moonlight prevail upon them and they are dimmed when the moon is there? And, how come that in front of the sun even your moon extinguishes?

He said. "Come ye to dispute with me, about God, when He Himself hath guided me? I fear not the beings ye associate with God. Unless my Lord wills, nothing can happen. My Lord comprehends in His knowledge all things. Will ye not yourselves be admonished?

(S: 6,V: 80)

None of them had any answer to his queries. It was hard for them to quit their centuries old beliefs, which obstructed their sight to see the guiding light, which Abraham presented to them. So they started fighting with him and tried to scare him from the wrath of their so-called gods. Seeing them lost in the darkness, Abraham said, “You have lost in the darkness of ignorance and I least care as to what your gods can do or cannot, but I know that these statues of wood and stone, that cannot protect them, cannot protect others.”

One day when all the people of the city went out to participate in a religious festival, Abraham sneaked into the Temple of Shamash. He saw heaps of fruits and sweets piled up in front of the statues. He addressing those statues Said, Eat, this all is for your pleasure.”

He asked them repeatedly and then said, “I am talking to you, why don’t you listen to me? Why don’t you reply?” And, then he attacked the statues with his hammer and after smashing them all; he placed the hammer on the shoulder of the statute of Shamash.

When the people returned and they saw their gods in shambles they got upset and started crying noisily.

People opinioned that since they had heard Abraham talking against their gods, so he was the one who could have done such an act of desecration to their gods. Finally the matter reached Nimrod. He summoned Abraham in his court. When Abraham reached the court. It was full of courtiers and a mammoth gathering was there. He walked up to the king gracefully ignoring the royal protocols. This courage of Abraham, on one hand, shocked Nimrod and the courtiers and, on the other hand, it greatly impressed the common people. The chief priest upon king’s behest asked Abraham, “Who defiled our gods in the temple?”

“As far as I know the hammer was found on the shoulder of Shamash, so why don’t you ask him? He must be knowing, because he was there. By the way, it might be that he did it.” Abraham replied very coolly.

It was hard for the chief priest to ignore the taunt but he said, “Well you don’t try to be smart with us. You know that if he could, we wouldn’t have been asking you.”

“Abraham hitting the nail further deep into their heads said, When they cannot speak, cannot move, cannot protect themselves, then why do you expect them to be of any benefit or able to harm you. Don’t you have any mind that you worship them the Real God, the Lord of the Universe?”

Nimrod was a very clever man; he immediately sensed that Abraham had hit their beliefs with the shattering force  - of his just reasoning that even his own godhood had come upon  the stakes, so he asked him in a patronizing tone, “Young man, what have made you to be against the religion of your forefathers? Why do you deny accepting these sacred statues as your gods?”

Abraham, in reply to Nimrod’s question, said, “God is the only Lord of the entire universe, we are all His creatures. These statues sculptured from wood and stone cannot be God. They are indigent of others for their safety and upkeep. Worthy of worship is only He who is not indigent to anyone but all are indigent to Him.”

Upon hearing this Nimrod said, “If there is anyone God other than me tell me about something which He can do and I cannot.”

            Abraham said, “God is He who gives life and takes it.”

Nimrod retorted, “I, too, can give life and can take it as well.”

And, to demonstrate his powers, he ordered to release a prisoner, who was to be executed and ordered to kill one innocent person present there.

Abraham said to him, “Every particle of this universe is indigent of my Lord God. The sun rises from the east daily at His behest and sets down in the west, if you can, do it otherwise.”

This shattered the edifice of their beliefs. They raised a hue and cry that Abraham had committed desecration of their gods and defiled their ancestor’s religion; therefore, deserve to be thrown into the blazing fire pit.

Nimrod ordered to execute Abraham as suggested by the priests. And, a great fire, spread over a large area, was prepared.

This fire was kept ablaze for many days. The heat of that fire was so much that nearby trees and bushes also caught fire after and turned into ashes, the birds stopped flying in t at area. Then putting Abraham in a catapult, he was hurled into that scorching flame of fire.

People with the satanic approach of thinking, using the fire for evil and destructive purposes, threw Abraham into the fire, But God, the Lord of the universe ordered, “O fire! Cool off and be a comfort for Abraham.”

We said, "O Fire! be thou cool, and a means of safety for Abraham!"

(S: 21,V: 69)

The fire did not harm Abraham and he remained safe. After this incident God commanded him to migrate towards Syria. Lut; Nephew of Abraham, also accompanied him. Syrian land is that blessed land about which God promised Abraham and his progeny and for this reason this is also known as the Promised Land.

"And Lord said unto Abraham, after that Lut was separated from him, lift up now your eyes and look, from the place where thou art northward and south ward and eastward and westward for all the land which thou see, to thee will I give it and to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth so that if a man can number the dust of the earth then shall they seed be also numbered Arise; walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for will give it unto thee. Then Abraham removed his tent and came and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which in Hebron and built there an alter unto the Lord. (Old Testament, Genesis Ch'I3, 14-18)

People of Canaan, of the descendants of Ham son of Noah already inhabited there and for that reason this area was known as Canaan. Abraham built two alters, one of them was in Sicham (Present day Bablos) and the second one was in Bet el. According to a legend, Abraham married the daughter of the King of Syria and when famine griped the entire region of Canaan, he migrated towards Egypt. In those days Hacsos Pharaoh, who belonged to Sam’s race, ruled Egypt. When that Semitic ruler came to know of a Semitic family coming there. He greeted them kindly and served them. And, to develop good relations with them asked the hand of Sara in marriage for him. But when he was told that she is the wife of Abraham, he apologized and offered his daughter Hager to wed with Abraham to have relations with him. He gave Abraham large hoards of cattle and many valuable presents as well.

Hager in Hebrew meant an alien, a stranger and one that separates. When famine in Canaan ended Abraham with his wives and Lut returned to Syria.

Pharaoh had presented him hoards of cows, sheep and many male and maidservants. Abraham was a prosperous man now. He sent Lut to spread the mission of monotheism towards Sodom. Lut stayed near Sodom on the bank of River Jordan.. Abraham also shifted to Hebron from Bet el. When Abraham was eighty- five and had no children his wife Sara, ten years after their coming back from Egypt allowed Abraham to have matrimonial relations with Hager. Abraham prayed to God for a son and God blessed him with Ishmael.

Ishmael:

”O my Lord. Grant me a righteous son!" So We gave him the good news of a boy ready to suffer and forbear.

 (S: 37,V 100-101) 

Ishmael is a Hebrew name, which latter on became Ismael in Arabic. Abraham loved Ishmael very much. He carried him in his lap and made him to ride on his shoulders. Sara had no patience for these scenes. She never missed a chance to pick up a fight with Hager and Abraham on trivial matters. Abraham did his best to develop some harmony between his two wives but he had no luck in this regard.

 Finally God commanded His dear servant Abraham to take Hager and Ishmael towards Makka. When he reached there, he left Hager and Ishmael in that barren desert, with some dates and water skin, and returned. When he was departing, Hager asked him nervously, “Under whose care are you leaving us here?”

  Man of God replied, “God’s!” 

 She asked, “Is this God’s Command?" And when Abraham said, “Yes!” She said, “Then you may go in peace. Indeed He is the best of all patrons, He will not waste us. 

 When the water-skin emptied and the stock of dates exhausted, mother’s breasts dried up. The infant Ishmael started crying. In desert and wilderness, there was no water anywhere. Hager, in search of water, ran towards the hill nearby leaving the child under the shade of a large stone, but she couldn’t see any sign of water. She looked around from the hill and saw only dry stones and rocks. She ran back towards the child. The baby was hungry and crying. She couldn’t stand there and ran towards the other hill that she might see a passing by caravan or some nomad but she couldn’t spot anything except sand dunes and whirlwinds playing with the sand. She returned hopelessly. Thus she completed seven rounds between those two hills. On her return from the seventh visit of the hill, she saw water gushing under the heels of the little Ishmael. 

 Hager drank from that clear water and gave it to her child. The water was flowing around so she built a boundary wall on the opening with stones and mud to save the water from being wasted. After few days a caravan of Banu Jarham passed by that place and seeing the water in the wilderness of the desert, they stopped and asked Hager for permission to use from that water and to stay there for the night. She permitted them and they in return gave her food and provisions. 

Gradually people built a house for her and few people of the caravan also settled there and the area grew into an inhabitation.

Although Abraham resided in Palestine, occasionally to see his wife and the firstborn, he visited Makka. When Ishmael was thirteen years of age God commanded circumcision. This is My Covenant, which ye shall keep, between Me and you and thy seed after thee, every male child among you shall be circumcised.

 (Genesis Ch 17, 10)

 When Abraham was ninety-nine years of age, he witnessed a dream in which God told him to sacrifice his most beloved son Ishmael for Him. He related that dream to Ishmael, who submitted to him in obedience. 

 History testifies that this practical example of submission, obedience and compliance of a command so dutifully cannot be compared with any other incident. When Abraham was commanded this, he had no other son but he did not deter from compliance and practically did what he was told to do. 

 We called out to him "O Abraham! Thou hast already fulfilled the vision!" Thus indeed do We reward those who do right. For this was obviously a trial and We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice: and We left this blessing for him among generations to come in later times: Peace and salutation to Abraham!" Thus indeed do We reward those who do right, for he was one of our believing Servants. And We gave him the good news of Isaac - a prophet, one of the Righteous.

(S: 37,V: 104-112) 

 Deliberation in these holy verses leads us to this conclusion that when Abraham passed the test. God blessed him with His favors and not only that his act of sacrificing is made to be followed till this world exists but he was also blessed with another son Isaac and bestowed His prophethood upon him as we. 

Construction of Ka’aba: 

 Behold! We gave the site, to Abraham, of the Sacred House, Saying: "Associate not anything (in worship) with Me; and sanctify My House for those who compass it round, or stand up or bow, or prostrate themselves therein in prayer. And proclaim the Pilgrimage among men, they will come to thee on foot and mounted on every kind of camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways.”

(S: 22,V: 26-27) 

 Abraham started the construction of the Holy Ka’aba as God had commanded him. Ishmael assisted him in his work. When the walls of Ka’aba reached where they needed a pedestal to stand on for further construction. They used a large stone for this purpose and the same is now known as Muqam-e-Ibraheem (Abraham’s station). 

Birth of Isaac: 

 Isaac was the younger brother of Ishmael. Glade tiding of his birth was given to Abraham when he was one hundred years of age and Sara was ninety. 

 The holy Quran reports this event in these words‘

Angels appointed to inflict punishment upon the people of Sodum, before going to Lut visited Abraham arranged n served them with roast meat, which the hospitable Abraham and he thought who they could be. They introduced them and disclosed their identity and told him that they were sent to destroy the people of Lut and then they gave Abraham and Sara glad tiding of a son. They both expressed their surprise upon the news for they both had grown old and Sara was barren as well. 

 They said, "Even so has thy Lord spoken: and He is full of Wisdom and Knowledge.”                                                                                     (S: 51,V: 30) 

Makfila:  

Abraham had three wives. Sara was his first wife and she bore Isaac, who is the forefather of Israel and the Israeli prophets of God. Ishmael was born of Hager the second wife of Abraham; Holy Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) came in his lineage. Sara expired in the age of one hundred and twenty seven in Hebron. Abraham purchased the cave of Makfila and its adjacent field for 400 silver coins and buried Sara there. After the demise of Sara, Abraham took Katorah as his wife she bore Shuaib. Abraham died in the 175 and was buried in the cave of Makfila besides Sara. Ishmael and Isaac both were present at the time of his burial. 

Abraham had an inclination of contemplation in the universe and the manifestations of nature. In the holy Quran where the contemplation about stars, moon and the sun is mentioned in Sura Anaam, his deliberations and his quest for exploring the reality operative in the background of manifestations is narrated in Sura Anaam. 

 Abraham submitted to God, “O my Lord! Show me how will you raise the dead to life”

 God inquired, “Don’t you believe?”

 He submitted, "Yes indeed I do believe, but for the peace of mind that comes from certitude. "

(S: 2,V: 260)

God instructed him to rear four birds and then slay them and chop them into pieces and to put those pieces on different hills and then call them. Abraham acted upon the instructions and all the four fowls came back to him alive when he called them. And, thus the secrets of creative process were disclosed upon Abraham. 

 Many acts of Abraham, his wife and sons have been made a ceremonial ritual to be followed by the coming generations. Offering of sacrificial meat on Eid ul Azha, Rami; the casting of stones on Satan, circumcision of male children, Circumambulation of Ka’aba and Saai; the running between the hills of Safa and Marwa at the time of hajj and Umrah. 

 Point to note: 

The story of Abraham invites us to contemplate upon the universe. This thing has been elaborately stated in this story that what type of a paradigm of thinking have been given to the selected people of God and what type of act and deed do they perform under that typical approach of thinking and that the acts and deeds performed under the prophetic approach of thinking earn the pleasure of God. Compliance of the commands of God is the purpose and motto of their lives. Gratitude is a way of life for them. Contemplation and deliberation is their routine and they develop the feeling of the closeness of God to such an extent that they see Him surrounding them. 

Deliberations in the story of Abraham as stated in the holy Quran leads to conclude that the actual source of all the experiences, observations and feelings in the mind. All the inventions made by the mankind are the product of mental efforts. Contemplation helps in developing and expanding the mental horizons and a formula or new doctrine is expounded.

Man within man: 

Ever-new revelations about self and the brain are providing this evidence that man is composed of two parts. One that concerns the without and the other relates to the stimuli taking place within. Both these parts of the human self are deeply related to one another. 

This thing is a reality beyond any doubt that man is not the name of only externally witnessed states. There is a man within that is free from the material stimuli and all the thoughts are associated with that real person or the soul. 

 Spiritualists have invited our attention towards this fact that if a man could travel in the inner recesses of his heart, the potentials of soul are revealed upon him. The holy Quran and the other Divine Books are found to be mentioning the extraordinary abilities of man. According to the Divine Scriptures, apparently man is composed of flesh and bones but there is such a potent energy is operating in him, which is a reflection of the properties of the Creator. This real side of human potentials becomes active only when the spiritual senses become active in a person. 

These spiritual senses open up a brand new vista of perception and observations that ordinarily remain close. These are the senses that can enable a person to enter into the celestial system of galaxies, meets the creatures of unseen and angels and the realities operating in .the background of the material phenomena become known to him. This can happen only when a person lives his life according the approach of thinking of the prophets of God like Abraham and Holy Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and the heirs of their knowledge; Auliya. 

 When we look at something the lights coming from that object reach the store of information in the brain through our eyes. That which we call the process of sighting, in actual fact is our internal knowledge. Internal [knowledge is not associated with any physical activity. During observations, that is, internal knowledge, the material limbs and parts of body do not partake. All that we see is watching the sighting of the inner self; Ana (ego). This Ana or the inner-self is the body of the soul and this is the body that moves around and performs all sorts of activities during dreaming. The acts of the body that performs various activities during dreaming are the example of positive mood of conduct. 

Acts are of two types: one that are performed without any obligation of the physical body; like the acts performed during dreaming and the other type of acts with which we are familiar and perform them during wakefulness and are enacted with the help of our physical body. These acts, too, are initiated by the stimuli of mind; that is to say, the physical body cannot make any movement, without the guidance of the mind, at its own. Or in other words, internal stimuli are the actual functions of life.

Record of Feelings: 

Ana is the record of all our internal feelings. The inner self about which Moses and the following prophets of God have taught, is mentioned in the holy Quran at various places 

 When Abraham got inquisitive as to who was His Lord, Where was He? And this quest led him to be attentive towards the stars, moon and the sun. 

 So also did We show Abraham the power and the laws of the heavens and the earth that he might with understanding have certitude. When the night covered him over, He saw a star: He said, ”This is my Lord." But when it set, He said: ”I love not those that set." When he saw the moon rising in splendor, he said: ”T his is my Lord.” But when the moon set, He said: "Unless my Lord guide me, I shall surely be among those who go astray." When he saw the sun rising in splendor, he said: ”This is my Lord; this is the greatest of all.” But when the sun set, he said: "0 my people! I am indeed free from your guilt of giving partners to God. For me, I have set my face, firmly and truly, towards Him who created the heavens and the earth, and never shall I give partners to God."

  His people disputed with him. He said: "(Come) ye to dispute with me, about God, when He Himself hath guided me? I fear not the beings ye associate with God. Unless my Lord wills, (nothing can happen. My Lord comprehends in His knowledge all things. Will ye not yourselves be admonished? 

 "How should I fear the beings ye associate with God, when ye fear not to give partners to God without any warrant having been given to you? Which of us two parties hath more right to security? Tell me if ye know."

 "It is those who believe and confuse not their beliefs with wrong that are truly in security, for they are on right guidance."  That was the reasoning about Us, which We gave to Abraham to use against his people: We raise whom We will, degree after degree: for thy Lord is full of wisdom and knowledge.

(S: 6,V: 75-83) 

When Abraham witnesses the moon and the sun disappearing from his sight, he announces, “I do not befriend those that disappear.” It means that through him God is suggesting that Lord cannot be negated. Lord is He that cannot be separated from the human Conscience and the non-lord is that which can be segregated from the human conscience.

This statement of Abraham defines Ana, Holy Prophet (PBUH) has termed this very Ana as the Self and God has called the Habalul wareed (The Jugular Vein). This is the human Self, Ana or the Conscience, from which separation of the Lord is not possible in any situation or circumstances and this is the first stage of the cognition of God. If one separates oneself from one’s Lord, one remains devoid of the cognition of the Lord.

Every one of us knows it well that life keeps 011 renewing every moment and the ostensible material means of this regeneration are the air, water and food but then eventually comes a stage when the air, water and food cannot revive life. In worldly terms, this state is termed as death. Had the air, water and food been the actual cause of life, restoration of life in a dead body would have not been impossible. 

This clearly establishes this fact that air, water and food are not the actual source of life but it is something else. This also has been elaborated in the holy Quran: 

“Glorify Him who created all things in pairs of two."

 Sleep: one third of life: 

In the light of this verse of the holy Quran the sources of life, on one hand, are the Conscious sources and, on the other, these are Unconscious ones. One of such unconscious and immaterial sources, which is the chief component of life, is the negation of the non-lords. Man, under the will of the Persona Major, is constrained to comply with this dictum of God. 

 When we analyze the entire human life, this reality is observed that half of the human life is the Unconscious and the half is spent under the Conscious. After his birth, man lives a portion of his life in a state of unconsciousness and when we add the portion of life spent in sleeping, which is about one third of the average age, they total up to the half of one’s life. That means that man spends exactly half of his life under his Unconscious. 

 Thus we know the two portions of life as Conscious and the Unconscious Life and these are the two parts of the fife constituting a pair. The Unconscious part of life necessarily negates the non-lords and result of this negation is achieved involuntarily in the form of physical awakening. For this reason if a person could increase the time spent under the Unconscious, he can enjoy the spiritual awakening. This principle is narrated in the holy Quran in these words: 

O thou folded in garments! Stand to prayer by night, but not all night, half of it, or a little less, or a little more; and recite the Quran in slow, measured rhythmic tones. Soon shall We send down to thee a weighty Message. Truly the rising by night is most potent for governing the soul, and most suitable for (flaming) the Word of Prayer and Praise, True, there is for thee by day- prolonged occupation with ordinary duties: But keep in remembrance the name of thy Lord and devote thyself to Him whole-heartedly. He is Lord of the East and the West there is no god but He: take Him therefore for thy Disposer of Affairs.

(S: 73,V: 1-9) 

Just as a man, for the sake of physical strength, according to the above verses, is obliged to negate the non-lords unconsciously similarly for the sake of spiritual awakening one is obliged to negate the non-lords consciously. In the above verses of the holy Quran God has stated the very same law. Just as unconscious negation of non-lords results in construction of physical life, similarly, conscious negation of non-lords helps in acquainting with spiritual life. 

 Abraham had a natural inclination for research and fact finding and exploration of the realities of things witnessed. His quest to know the truth and reality remained insatiable unless he reached a satisfactory conclusion. His mind was basically research oriented so he wanted to explore and observe the wonderworking of nature and that who was the lord of the nature that had made nature so. For this reason he questioned God about resurrection. And when God inquired whether he was not having faith in that regard, he submitted, “Indeed I do believe and I know that You can do anything ‘You will because You are Omnipotent but for the satisfaction of my quest and to quench my thirst that how would You do all that, I would like to see the process of resurrection.”

Four Birds: 

 Behold! Abraham said: "My Lord! Show me how Thou gives life to the dead. ” He said.‘ "Dost thou not then believe?" He said: "Yea! But to satisfy my own undertaking.” He said: "Take four birds; Tame them to turn to thee; put a portion of them on every hill and call to them: They will come to thee (Flying) with speed. Then know that God is exalted in Power, Wise.”

 (S: 2, V: 260) 

This submission of Abraham to God that he did believe but for the satisfaction of his heart he wanted to observe the process, tells that faith is one thing and the satisfaction of the heart is another.

 The desert Arabs say, "We believe.” Say, "Ye have no faith; but ye only say, We have submitted our wills to God, for not yet has Faith entered your hearts. But if ye obey God and His Messenger, He will not belittle aught of your deeds: for God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. ”

(S: 49,V: 14) 

According to this Divine statement of God, faith remains incomplete unless it is supported by observation. Heart is the center of the Conscious. Senses of the Heart work in two dimensions. Sight of the Heart witnesses the Unseen, too, and, after descending one step down, sees in the material world as well. When a person witnesses a thing both in the Seen and the Unseen realms, he is equipped with certitude. Abraham was an exalted prophet of God. Prophets of God are bestowed with special knowledge. -Bringing the dead to life is also included in this knowledge because God is such a creator who not only creates a thing for the first time, but is also capable of resurrecting it after its death. 

 Having certitude of the knowledge learnt is the trait of the spiritual conscious. When a person is born in this world the spiritual conscious operates in the background and the individual conscious (Intellect) wants to observe everything happening practically besides looking at it theoretically. The individual conscious and intellect is not pacified unless it sees a thing in form and features with material senses. 

For practical experimentation of resurrecting a dead body God tells Abraham to get four birds, raise them and get them acquainted with himself so that they be recognizing him and be listening to him and should he call them, they must come to him. Name is the greatest means of recognition of an individual. 

 Name of a person or a thing describes the typical personality and the character of that individual. This is the reason that when the name of a person is announced in a multitude of people, that individual instantly becomes aware that someone is calling him. Second thing God said to Abraham was to get the birds acquainted with him. Acquaintance is always based upon emotional attachment. When this emotional attachment of the birds with Abraham was established, he was told to slay them and cut them into small pieces and place those pieces on different hills and then call them by their names just as he called them in their lives. 

It requires profound deliberation that after slaying when all the senses of the birds were finished so much so that the‘ organs with which they used to see and hear were smashed, then how did they hear their names and rushed towards their master. They must have another body that had senses just like their physical body, which was minced. And when Abraham called them, they heard his voice, recognized it, and determined the direction from which they were called and when they wanted to respond God allowed their resurrection, to enable them to respond to their master’s voice. 

  Abraham upon God’s command reared the birds acquainted them with himself to the extent of their emotional mutual involvement with him. This involvement established a mutual correlation between Abraham and the birds. When this command was supported with God’s will, this involvement got down into the souls of the birds. Souls of the birds were familiar with the typical frequency of the voice of Abraham, when he called them by their names their souls got attentive towards him and the birds came back to him by the leave of God, or to say, upon calling of Abraham, the birds traveling on the waves of sound come to him in the material zone from the zone of lights. 

Low and high senses:

            It has been stated in the Holy Scriptures of all religions that all the acts and deeds are recoded. It means that the entire cosmic system, from Eternity to Infinity, is a film prepared by God. The record (film) existing in Eternity is being displayed in the realms of the Souls, Purgatory and in the Material Realm. Every realm is like a screen upon which this film is being displayed and we observe the activities exhibited therein.

            Abraham performed the act of smashing the bodies of the birds, which disintegrated the system of physical bodies but the record of the lives of the birds remained existing and when Abraham called them, the separate parts gathered together and the recorded system was restored bringing the birds back to life.

The Administrative Law of Resurrection is no different than this that when God would command, the disintegrated system (record) would be restored. All that which we have done here in this world of matter would be restored for it has been preserved as a record. And, upon the restoration our hands, our feet and our eyes and ears would testify whether we have been doing the good or bad things.