The Story of Abraham

(Originally delivered Friday 10th of October 2014)

We recently celebrated Eid al-Adha which commemorates Abraham's faith in God. Abraham is of course the father of both the Jews and the Arabs and an important figure in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He was indeed a man that changed the course of history. Both I and my brother named one of our sons after him.

The story of Abraham and his son is related in Sura Safat and says:

"He (Ibrahim) said ; “O my son! Surely I have seen in a dream that I should sacrifice you; consider then what you see. He said of father! Do what you are commanded; if Allah pleases you will find me of the patient ones.” So when they had both submitted their wills (to Allah), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (for sacrifice), 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.“ ( 37:102-111)

Traditionally this story is seen as teaching the virtue of complete faith and trust in God. You will hear sheikhs and Imams in mosques everywhere recounting this story and saying it is the ultimate test of faith and commitment to God and an example for us all.

However I'm sorry but I beg to differ, I find this story teaches me something very different. The stories in the Qur'an are there to make us think and challenge us. This story teaches me that an awful lot has happened and changed since this story first began circulating around 500 BC making it's way to the Quran 1000 years later.

Firstly this story teaches me to consult my own moral compass before following orders. If someone tells me to do something that I felt was immoral, cruel and contrary to every bone in my body, then I would certainly hope I would refuse.

If it turns out I was wrong, then so be it. I can face God and let him judge me, for I am not ashamed of following my own human reasoning - no matter how flawed that may be - rather than commit an act that appeared to be evil.

However if I was to ignore the mind God himself gave me and take a blind leap of faith and commit what seems a terrible crime - and then discover I was wrong and I shouldn't have followed the orders, then I would indeed be ashamed to stand before God and say that I ignored the heart and mind he gave me.

This story also teaches me that faith is not certainty. Faith includes an element of doubt. Certainty by definition is something where there is no doubt. My faith should not compel me to act without thinking - without doubting - without checking and examining my conscience. It should not encourage me follow orders simply because Islam or any religion appears to say so.

This story teaches me to check my reasoning, my motives my aims and my purpose.

It teaches me that the blind faith can lead to extremism. It can sway young men and women to join organisations like ISIS and think that they are doing God's work when they are certainly not. It teaches me how ignoring the heart and mind can cause one to commit terrible acts of murder & injustice to one's fellow human beings in the mistaken belief that God is well pleased with it.

It has been said: "Good people do good things and bad people do bad things, but for a good person to do bad, that takes religion."

I would perhaps modify that slightly to say that religion can lead some to do bad things -  and it is up to us to ensure we never let that happen by avoiding the trap of blind faith.

This story also teaches me the importance of child protection, protecting children from violence, and abuse.

This story also reminds me that I don't live in the time of Abraham. I live here and now in the 21st century, where Eid-al-Adha is about family, It's about charity. It's about living a healthy life. Eating healthy food. Taking care of animals.  Taking care of the environment and helping our fellow man.

Eid ul Adha of course also marks the end of Hajj the pilgrimage to mecca. But as with any ritual in Islam or any other religion it is meaningless in itself. The rituals are merely a vehicle for us to express our spirituality. Their importance is directly related to how useful they are in allowing us to fulfil those spiritual needs. If they lose that ability then they serve no function at all.

Al-Hallaj the great Sufi saint understood this very well. (He was the one who said انا الحق - "I am the Truth") When the Islamic empire spread to far flung corners such as central Asia, India Morocco and Spain pilgrimage became much harder than when Muslims were concentrated in the Hijaz as in Muhammad's time. Al-Hallaj, who lived in the 10th century in Iraq but had followers in many places, realised that pilgrimage to Mecca was extremely difficult, expensive and dangerous for many of them, particularly those not well-off. So al-Hallaj wrote a letter advising his followers that they could construct a little model of Kaaba at home and make tawaf around it and then give the money they would have spent on Hajj, to poor and to feed some orphans instead.

By doing this, al-Hallaj said they would have performed their religious duty which the Qur'an has commanded every Muslim who can afford it to perform. Al-Hallaj recognised that no order or command should be followed blindly - even if it is in the Qur'an. Rituals such as the Hajj are meaningless in themselves. They only have meaning if they serve our spiritual needs. If they do, then they are a vehicle for us. If they don't then they are a prison that drags us down.

Sadly many Muslims fail to grasp this and al-Hallaj himself was arrested for making this suggestion. During his trail the letter was produced as damning evidence and he was convicted of apostasy and executed.