Lessons from the Life of Prophet Abraham

The story of Abraham is one which is repeated many times in the Quran. There are many lessons we can learn from this story. In this post, we will highlight some of the main lessons.

1. Dedication to God

The story of Abraham is a story of dedication and submission to God. Each time God issued a commandment to Abraham, he immediately and willingly submitted himself. God says about Abraham, “His Lord said to him, ‘Devote yourself to Me.’ Abraham replied, ‘I devote myself to the Lord of the Universe.’” 2:131 No matter how difficult the command seemed from abandoning his family in the desert to sacrificing his son with his own hand, Abraham trusted in God and his love for God over all else was enough faith. In return, God honoured Abraham for his devoutness.

As Muslims, we must learn to devote ourselves to God. This means to love God above all else including ourselves, and by extension to carry out God’s commands even if they clash with our own preferences and desires.

2. Challenging the Status Quo

Abraham’s love, faith and dedication to God meant that he did not just accept things without thinking. He wasn’t willing to follow his forefathers in idol worship simply because they were his relatives or ancestors. He challenged his people to think about God and the attributes of God. When the answers his people gave him were unsatisfactory, Abraham was willing to search for the truth, even if that risked displeasing them.

Abraham teaches us the importance of learning and knowledge. We found Islam by searching for the truth and God helped us. Now we must continue to learn more so that we can please God in our worship of Him.

3. Following the Truth All Alone

Abraham was opposed by his whole people, including his father. He was alone, but his lack of support did not faze him as he had the help of God. When his people threatened to burn him alive, Abraham remained steadfast. Once again, he trusted in God. His people carried out their threat but God made the fire cool for him.

Sometimes we feel alone, our family and friends may not agree with our devotion to God. Yet in reality we are not alone, we have God with us. Abraham would continuously turn to God for help.

4. Serving God as Much as Possible

Some Prophets had vast nations and others were kings. Abraham was neither. Much of his life is about his personal struggles and his personal dedication to God. Abraham served God as best he could. Sometimes that meant migrating from his home in search of a place where he could worship God better. At other times, it meant leaving his family behind or building a place of worship for God. In all of this and more, Abraham never wavered.

We must also strive to worship God as best we can. This is what God wants from us. God tells us in the Quran that he does not hold us accountable for what is beyond our capabilities.

5. A Family of Faith

Abraham started off alone. However, by the end of his life. God rewarded his sincerity by making his two sons prophets, and then his grandson and great grandson. All subsequent prophets were from Abraham’s descendants. Abraham dedicated his family to serving God and dedicating their lives to Him.