The Prophet Ibrahim’s sacrifice is a heart-wrenching story that seems absurd and dangerous.
Absurd because it seemingly paints God with a cruel personality; dangerous because it seems to glorify an act of apparent cruelty.
In his old age, there was nothing Ibrahim desired more than a son.
After waiting for decades, he was finally blessed with a son. When his beloved son grew up, God commanded Ibrahim to sacrifice him.1Some interpreters, like al-Ṭabarī, name Ishaq (Isaac) as the son in this story. Others, like al-Rāzī, name Ismail (Ishmael). The Qur’an does not specify the name, urging its audience to focus on the lessons of the story rather than surface details like the individual’s name. My essay continues without naming Ibrahim’s son to honour that Qur’anic guidance.
Sacrificing What We Love Most
If you are not a parent, you might wonder, ‘Why didn’t God ask Ibrahim to sacrifice himself? Isn’t self-sacrifice the ultimate act of devotion?’
Yes, but not necessarily.
Self-sacrifice is the highest form when what we love most is ourselves. In your younger stages of life, this is indeed the highest sacrifice.
However, for parents, their love for their children surpasses the love they have for themselves. So, the ultimate sacrifice for Ibrahim was not his life, but the life of his son.
The Genesis version of this story focuses on Ibrahim’s heartache.
When preparing the wood for the sacrifice, his son asked, “Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”.
This question broke Ibrahim’s heart, similar to parents trying to prepare a terminally ill child for death. Ibrahim could only respond, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering.”2And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. (Genesis 22:7-8 [KJV])
Al-Ṣāffāt presents another dimension: The son’s courage in this sacrificial episode.
In this version, Ibrahim musters the strength to be forthright about the divine command and then seeks his son’s opinion.
With remarkable bravery and maturity, the son agrees to surrender his life, linking his willingness to the concept of patience3Then when the boy reached the age to work with him, Abraham said, “O my dear son! I have seen in a dream that I sacrifice you. So tell me what you think.” He replied, “O my dear father! Do as you are commanded. God willing, you will find me patiently steadfast.”(Al-Ṣāffāt 37:102).
The Profound Meaning of Ibrahim’s Sacrifice
At the last moment, when his son’s forehead touched the ground, God stopped Ibrahim.
God is neither absurd nor unfairly dangerous. The death of his son was not the goal. It is never the ultimate message.
The ultimate message was Ibrahim’s determination to fulfil God’s command, interpreting his vision to the best of his ability. It was to give Ibrahim a clear test to strengthen his faith.4You have fulfilled the vision. Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good (Al-muḥsinīn). That was truly a revealing test. And We ransomed his son with a great sacrifice (Al-Ṣāffāt 37:105-107). I notice how the Arabic reading of this verse strongly emphasises that this sacrifice is a test. According to interpreters like al-Qurtubi, life’s tests are a gift; they qualify individuals to enhance themselves for worldly and spiritual rewards.
The test was to equip Ibrahim with iḥsān, the highest level of spirituality, granting him rewards not only for himself, but for future generations.
I noticed that while studying the related verses. After God acknowledges Ibrahim’s determination, He repeatedly says, ‘Thus do We reward the doers of good’, al-muḥsinīn (verses 105, 110, 121, 131), interspersed with the rewards given to Ibrahim’s generation and those that followed.
Al-muḥsinīn are those who possess iḥsān, a level of devotion higher than ‘Islam’ and ‘iman’. The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ described it as the experiential sense of serving God as if you see Him.5 see Sahih al-Bukhari: Book 2, Hadith 43
To me, that connection to Ibrahim’s sacrifice conveys the most crucial message: on the journey towards God, we only achieve iḥsān after enduring the greatest sacrifices.
Parental Sacrifice and Letting Go
For religious parents, from the moment their child is born, they understand that the child ultimately belongs to God.
The child is a gift, but also a trust and a test.6Your wealth and children are only a test, but God has a great reward (al-Taghābun 64:15).
One of the most evident tests for parents is accepting that their child will grow up and leave their care.
Their child will face the world alone, with all its risks, to seek the Truth.
This might manifest as the child moving to a university, working abroad, or getting married and moving away.
Helping Parents Make Ibrahim’s Sacrifice
As young adults, you must be like Ibrahim’s son, aiding your parents in this sacrifice by building your courage, maturity, and patience.
Here are some ways to consider:
Gradually Take on Family Responsibilities: This varies with each family. It could mean working during semester breaks and giving money to your mother or simply helping your younger sister with her school lessons.
Lead by Example: Pray before your parents remind you, keep your room tidy, and help your mother clean up after meals. Then, take on leadership roles by encouraging siblings to pray together or helping with family’s responsibilities.
Adopt Mature Thinking Patterns: Ibrahim wouldn’t have asked for his son’s opinion if the son’s thinking was still childish. Strive to become someone whose opinion your father values. Observe older mentors, teachers or leaders, and absorb their mature thinking.
Stay Calm During Interactions: Listen more than you speak. Understand that your parents have different vocabularies based on their education and experiences. Extract the good from their words, even if poorly expressed. Respond with kindness.
Discuss Serious Life Issues: Talking about serious matters can be uncomfortable. Our instinct might be to deflect with jokes or lighter topics. Resist this. Build emotional stamina. Remember that Ibrahim’s son didn’t joke or change the subject when discussing the gravest of issues—God and death.
Easing Their Transition to Life Without Us
Parents’ struggle to let us go will never entirely disappear. They will always see us as their little child, no matter our age.
Our responsibility is to make their sacrifice and their transition to life without us easier.7Of course, this is a general spiritual principle that depends on context. For instance, an adult child with a serious disability may need to depend on their parents; God doesn’t place a moral burden on us beyond what we can bear. Similarly, it’s true that our parents should place their spiritual peace in God, not in us (or other worldly matters). But we shouldn’t let our ego misuse that principle by automatically dismissing their emotional needs. While helping them ‘sacrifice’ their emotional and spiritual dependence on us, continue to find opportunities to make them feel loved and happy.
Reduce their worries through our courage, maturity, and patience in facing adulthood.
By them sacrificing us to the journey toward the Truth, and by us striving in that journey, may both we and our parents be granted iḥsān.
And this iḥsān will make the rewards far greater than what we will sacrifice, benefiting their generation, ours, and those to come.
Notes:
- 1Some interpreters, like al-Ṭabarī, name Ishaq (Isaac) as the son in this story. Others, like al-Rāzī, name Ismail (Ishmael). The Qur’an does not specify the name, urging its audience to focus on the lessons of the story rather than surface details like the individual’s name. My essay continues without naming Ibrahim’s son to honour that Qur’anic guidance.
- 2And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. (Genesis 22:7-8 [KJV])
- 3Then when the boy reached the age to work with him, Abraham said, “O my dear son! I have seen in a dream that I sacrifice you. So tell me what you think.” He replied, “O my dear father! Do as you are commanded. God willing, you will find me patiently steadfast.”(Al-Ṣāffāt 37:102)
- 4You have fulfilled the vision. Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good (Al-muḥsinīn). That was truly a revealing test. And We ransomed his son with a great sacrifice (Al-Ṣāffāt 37:105-107). I notice how the Arabic reading of this verse strongly emphasises that this sacrifice is a test. According to interpreters like al-Qurtubi, life’s tests are a gift; they qualify individuals to enhance themselves for worldly and spiritual rewards.
- 5
- 6Your wealth and children are only a test, but God has a great reward (al-Taghābun 64:15).
- 7Of course, this is a general spiritual principle that depends on context. For instance, an adult child with a serious disability may need to depend on their parents; God doesn’t place a moral burden on us beyond what we can bear. Similarly, it’s true that our parents should place their spiritual peace in God, not in us (or other worldly matters). But we shouldn’t let our ego misuse that principle by automatically dismissing their emotional needs. While helping them ‘sacrifice’ their emotional and spiritual dependence on us, continue to find opportunities to make them feel loved and happy.