Q. I find it difficult to accept the story about Prophet Abraham’s sacrifice except in a figurative way. It may be that he was required to part from his son when he needed him in his old age. Besides, how can God order something that He has forbidden, which is murder? And how can Abraham act on the basis of a dream which he saw three times, interpreting it as God’s command? How authentic is the Hadith that relates this story? Also, when we say that Abraham hit Satan with stones, we are making Satan appear physically, when he does not appear to human beings in physical form.
(Name and address withheld)
A. To start with, the story of Abraham’s sacrifice of his son is mentioned in the Qur’an, and only given further details in Hadith. You may refer to Surah 37, Verses 100-110. You know for certain that what is mentioned in the Qur’an is true and accurate, and cannot be interpreted in any way other than what it states.
Secondly, the first indication of prophethood is that whatever a prophet sees in a dream is certain to be true. Therefore, a dream by a prophet is to be treated as reality, not a mere dream. Hence, when Abraham (peace be upon him) saw a dream three times, it meant an order by God. His son, Ishmael, realized this. Hence, when he was told by his father that he dreamt he should be sacrificing him, Ishmael said: “Father! Do as you are commanded.” He did not object, because he knew that God’s orders must be fulfilled.
Now, does God give a wrong command? Certainly not. In this case, He knew beforehand that Abraham would be doing what he is bid, and He would be spared the hard trial of sacrificing his own son. The order was merely to test Abraham’s and Ishmael’s compliance. Both came out of the test with flying colors. Hence, they deserved God’s reward and blessings. However, had God decided not to replace the sacrifice and allowed Ishmael to be sacrificed, the matter was entirely up to Him. After all, He decides when everyone of His creatures dies, and how they die, as well as the cause of everyone’s death. If you look at this sacrifice in the same light, you will not have such trouble understanding it.
As for Satan, he may take physical form sometimes, as happened in this particular case. When we do the stoning as one of the rituals of pilgrimage, we commemorate Abraham’s action as he stoned Satan.
Fixed returns, prayer times
Q.1. Two people went into partnership, with one of them providing only capital but no work, and the other doing all the work. They agreed to split the profits equally between them. However, the partner who does all the work gives his partner a fixed amount of money every month. He says that this is the average profit after deducting all expenses of running the business. Please comment.
Q.2. I have been told that if one does not feel to be able to concentrate on one’s prayer, one should delay it until such time as he can give it all one’s attention, even if this means having to pray it after its time has lapsed. Please comment.
A.S. Qureshi, Riyadh
A.1. I understand that the working partner provides all the work, but no capital, while the sleeping partner provides the capital but no work. As such an agreement on equal sharing of profits is appropriate. The arrangement could be different and still valid, as in the case when capital is given a higher or lower share of profits.
However, when this is agreed, it does not follow that the sleeping partner receives the same amount every month. No business can ensure to make the same returns every month or every year. It may be, as one partner says, the amount is an average amount. If so, the payments are appropriate, provided that at the end of the year, an accurate sheet of accounts is produced, showing the exact amount of profits made and the share of each partner. This is then adjusted against the payments already made and any balance or shortfall is paid accordingly.
A.2. No, this is not correct. In fact, the reverse is true. Prayer must be offered on time. There can be no excuse, apart from what God has permitted, to justify not praying on time. In fact, even in illness we should pray on time. If one is too tired to concentrate, he may delay praying while he takes some rest, provided he offers his prayers on time. But if he is tired and the time left is short, he should pray immediately, without taking rest first. If he feels that taking rest will mean that he misses his prayers, then he should pray without taking rest first.
Arab News Islam 17 February 2003
