Submission

Religion

Defiance to a command is the sign of rebellion, and its acceptance a mark of submission.

01 May 2024 | Serdar Kilic | Issue 159 (May - Jun 2024)

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The life of every single prophet is filled with examples of their utmost submission to the Divine Command. This is seldom more obvious than in the explication of a particular event in the life of Prophet Abraham.
The most terrifying trial that one can experience is that of a parent being tested by their beloved child. And this is exactly what lay in wait for Prophet Abraham.
The ending of Prophet Abraham’s ordeal was also a perfect reflection of the ending state of the true submissive believer, one that is blessed and exalted by God.

Among the plethora of events and miracles in the life of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, there is one that was particularly unique. Around a year before the Muslim community’s migration to Medina, the Prophet was taken by a heavenly steed from Mecca to Jerusalem, and from there lifted to the seven heavens. At the end of this journey, he was brought to the direct presence of God, closer than anyone before or after him.

One of the many fruits of this stunning occasion is the revelation of the last two verses of chapter al-Baqarah in the Qur’an. Because they were revealed to the Prophet from God without any intermediary, they are considered to hold a unique degree of importance compared to the rest of the scripture. Just these two verses hold enough meaning for volumes of scholarship; nevertheless, if we wanted to summarize their contents, we could say that they contain a summary of the true nature of a believer.