A Father's Precious Wish, God's Way & God's Colour | Surah Al-Baqarah Lesson
Assalamualaikum warahmatullah and hello my wonderful friends! Have you ever heard a very wise person, maybe your mom, grandpa or grandma, give you super important advice? Advice they want you to remember always, like a precious treasure in your heart?
Well, today I want to share a story from the Holy Qur'an about some very important advice given by two very special fathers a long, long, LONG time ago!
Who Were These Wise Fathers?
They were Prophets! Special messengers chosen by Allah (God). One was Prophet Ibrahim a.s (Abraham in English). We learned about his special prayer for Makkah before, remember?
He was a super good messenger of Allah. The other was his grandson, Prophet Ya'qub a.s (Jacob in English). He was also a very wise and loving father and prophet.
What Was Their Big Wish for Their Children?
What do good daddies and mommies want most for their children? They want their children to be safe, happy, and to always choose the right path in life, right? Prophet Ibrahim a.s and Prophet Ya'qub a.s wanted that too! They knew the best path was the path of loving and obeying Allah.
So, when they were getting old, they gathered their children and grandchildren around them. They gave them one last, super important piece of advice. They said something like this (from Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 132):
وَوَصَّىٰ بِهَآ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمُ بَنِيهِ وَيَعْقُوبُ يَـٰبَنِىَّ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱصْطَفَىٰ لَكُمُ ٱلدِّينَ فَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنتُم مُّسْلِمُونَ ١٣٢
This was the advice of Abraham—as well as Jacob—to his children, ˹saying˺, “Indeed, Allah has chosen for you this faith; so do not die except in ˹a state of full˺ submission.”
That sounds really important, doesn't it? They were telling their children: The best treasure I can leave you is this special way of life, the way of Islam.
What Does "Islam" Mean Anyway?
"Islam" is a beautiful word. In simple terms, it means "peacefully giving your heart to Allah" or "submitting" to God's good plan. It means trying your best to listen to Allah and follow His loving instructions, with your whole body and your whole heart.
What does that look like? The basic important actions are like building blocks for a strong, happy life:
Believing: Saying with your mouth and feeling in your heart that there is only One God (Allah) and that Muhammad Sallalahu alaihiwasalam is His messenger.
Praying (Solat): Talking to Allah five times a day.
Fasting (Puasa): Not eating or drinking during the daytime in the special month of Ramadan (to help us remember Allah and feel for hungry people).
Giving Charity (Zakat): Sharing some of our money to help poor people.
Making Hajj: If we are able to, making the special journey to Makkah once in our life.
What About Believing?
Being a Muslim also means having special beliefs in your heart. This is called Iman (Faith). It means truly believing in:
Allah (the One and Only God)
His special Messengers (ike Ibrahim a.s, Ya'qub a.s, Musa/Moses a.s, Isa/Jesus a.s, and Muhammad Sallalahualaihiwasalam, peace be upon them all!
His holy Books like the Qur'an, the Bible, the Torah and Zabur the original messages
His Angels (special made of light)
The Last Day (when we will all meet Allah again)
God's Plan (Qadar - knowing that Allah knows everything, the good and the tricky parts of life)
And believing in the Qur'an means we believe that everything inside it, from the first page to the last, is true and comes from Allah. It is like our guidebook for life!
One Big Family, One Big Message! (Verses 135-136)
Sometimes people argue, "No, my way is the only right way! You must follow my prophet only!" But guess what Allah tells us in the next few verses (135-136)? He reminds us that ALL the prophets brought the SAME main message!
They all taught people to believe in One God (Allah) and to be good and kind! It is like they were all singing different verses of the same beautiful song! Allah tells us Muslims to say:
وَقَالُوا۟ كُونُوا۟ هُودًا أَوْ نَصَـٰرَىٰ تَهْتَدُوا۟ ۗ قُلْ بَلْ مِلَّةَ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمَ حَنِيفًۭا ۖ وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ ١٣٥
The Jews and Christians each say, “Follow our faith to be ˹rightly˺ guided.” Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “No! We follow the faith of Abraham, the upright—who was not a polytheist.”
قُولُوٓا۟ ءَامَنَّا بِٱللَّهِ وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَمَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَىٰٓ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمَ وَإِسْمَـٰعِيلَ وَإِسْحَـٰقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَٱلْأَسْبَاطِ وَمَآ أُوتِىَ مُوسَىٰ وَعِيسَىٰ وَمَآ أُوتِىَ ٱلنَّبِيُّونَ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍۢ مِّنْهُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُۥ مُسْلِمُونَ ١٣٦
"Say, ˹O believers,˺ “We believe in Allah and what has been revealed to us; and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and his descendants; and what was given to Moses, Jesus, and other prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them. And to Allah we all submit."
Wow! Isn't that beautiful? Islam teaches us to love and respect ALL of Allah's prophets! We are part of one big, long family of faith!
Being "Colored" by Allah! (Verse 138 - Sibghatallah)
Then comes a really beautiful idea in verse 138! Allah uses a special word: Sibghah. (Say: SIB-gha). It means "dye" or "color", like when you dip white cloth into colorful dye!
The verse says something like this:
صِبۡغَةَ ٱللَّهِ وَمَنۡ أَحۡسَنُ مِنَ ٱللَّهِ صِبۡغَةٗۖ وَنَحۡنُ لَهُۥ عَٰبِدُونَ ١٣٨
This is the ˹natural˺ Way of Allah. And who is better than Allah in ordaining a way? And we worship ˹none but˺ Him.
What does it mean to be "colored" by Allah? Wise people say it means a few lovely things:
God's Special Religion (Islam): It is like Allah has given us the beautiful "color" of Islam to make our whole lives bright and meaningful! Everything we do – how we eat, how we talk, how we treat others – should be "colored" by kindness, honesty, and love for Allah. Islam becomes our special way of life, coloring everything beautifully!
God's Original Goodness (Fitrah): Maybe the "color" is the natural goodness that Allah put inside every single baby when they are born! A little spark in our hearts that loves truth, beauty, and kindness. Our job is to keep that beautiful, original color bright and not let the dust of the world cover it up. Islam helps us keep that first, pure color shiny!
So, "Sibghatallah" means living our lives in Allah's beautiful way (Islam), and keeping our hearts good and pure (Fitrah), just like He made us! Who can give us a better "color" for our lives than the One who created all the colors in the first place?
What's the Lesson for Us Today?
These verses, shared so long ago, are like little treasure maps for our hearts today!
Pass on the Goodness: Just like Prophet Ibrahim a.s and Ya'qub a.s worried about their children, we should care about helping our families and friends stay on a good path too. Share kindness and good advice gently.
Keep it Simple: Islam is beautiful! It is about loving Allah, believing in His messengers (all of them!), and trying our best to do good things (like praying, being kind, sharing).
Be United: Remember we are one big family with all who believe in One God! Respect all the prophets. Don't argue about small differences.
Live Beautifully: Let Allah's beautiful "color" – His guidance, His gift of thinking, His natural goodness – color everything you do! Let your actions shine with kindness and peace.
May Allah help us all hold onto His beautiful way and color our lives with His special light! Amiin.
We are learning today about the wise advice from Prophet Ibrahim and his grandson, Prophet Ya'qub! Prophet Ibrahim was such a special friend of Allah, always thinking about goodness.
It reminds me of another beautiful prayer he made, asking Allah to make Makkah super safe and full of yummy food!
(Based on Surah Al-Baqarah, verses 132-136 and 138, and general Islamic understanding of the terms Islam, Iman, and Sibghatallah/Fitrah. Authentic sources include the Quran itself and widely accepted Tafsir principles.)
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