Abraham, being a combination of Ab and Raham, literally means “The Kind Father.” His father Tarah died when he was very young, so he was reared by his uncle, who made idols that were worshipped by royalty and dignitaries. He was called Adar, which in Chaldean means “The Arch Priest” or “Guard of a temple.” The Qur’an mentions his name as Azar, and since in Arabic the same word abbi is used for both father and uncle, he has been referred to as abbi.
Abraham, father of the prophets, was born in Ur, an ancient city that existed before Babylon and Nineveh, near the River Euphrates in southern Iraq. According to the given locations, this place is now known as Tel Aviv. People in those times worshipped various stars. They also believed in worshipping the souls. They had faith in God but considered the stars partners to Him.
Stars were worshipped three times a day. They believed that a soul resides in each star and that these souls are either good or bad. According to their belief, to please the bad souls charity and sacrifices were necessary, whereas singing and dancing could please the good souls. There were scores of idols in the temples that represented various gods, which they worshipped. These included the gods of sustenance, rain, manhood, and health, and there were gods for other necessities.
A combined team of the British Museum and Philadelphia University Museum unearthed the ruins of that city and found names of about five thousand gods from the plaques they discovered and deciphered. Every city had a guardian god that was worshipped as a major god and was worthy of more reverence than others. Ur had the moon as its god, and Shamash (sun god) was the god of the capital. The king was acknowledged as the son of Shamash. People offered grains besides a portion of their income to the temples. Temples owned farms, orchards, and lands. Decisions of the priests were considered the decision of God, and the king was worshipped and people prostrated before him in the royal court.
Before the birth of Abraham, Nimrod, the king at that time, witnessed a bright star shining in his dream. The royal priests and astronomers, interpreting the dream, told him that a child would be born that year who would become a threat to his kingdom. The king ordered a ban on matrimonial relations and to kill any child born that year.
As the legends tell, Osha, mother of Abraham, hid herself in a cave near the city and gave birth to Abraham there.
When Abraham reached adolescence, he saw people worshipping idols made by his guardian. He wondered how statues sculpted by human hands could answer people’s prayers, and yet they prostrated before them. When his innocent mind could not resolve the question, he asked his mother, “Mother, who is your Lord?”
She replied, “Your father is my lord, who provides me food to eat.”
“Then, who is the lord of my father?” Abraham asked.
“The stars shining up above in the sky are the lords of your father,” his mother replied. This answer did not satisfy the young inquisitive mind, so he asked, “What is this star?”
When the night covered him, he saw a star and said, “This is my Lord.” But when it set, he said, “I love not those that set.” When he saw the moon rising in splendor, he said, “This is my Lord.” But when the moon set, he said, “Unless my Lord guides me, I shall surely be among those who go astray.” When he saw the sun rising in splendor, he said, “This is my Lord. This is the greatest of all.” But when the sun set, he said, “O my people, I am indeed free from your guilt of giving partners to God. For me, I have set my face, firmly and truly, towards Him who created the heavens and the earth, and never shall I give partners to God.”
His people disputed with him. He said, “Do you dispute with me about God when He Himself has guided me? I fear not the beings you associate with God. Unless my Lord wills, nothing can happen. My Lord comprehends in His knowledge all things. Will you not be admonished?” (S: 6, V: 76–80)
God bestowed the quest to study nature and find the true reality.
“So also did We show Abraham the power and the laws of the heavens and the earth, that he might, with understanding, have certitude.” (S: 6, V: 75)
Abraham was blessed with a thinking mind, and he thought how fair it would be to hope for benefit from an object that cannot move on its own, remains where it is kept, and cannot save itself from harm.
He used to think how the system of this vast universe is run. Who runs it. Who keeps day and night in order. Who causes the trees to bear fruit. Who causes it to rain. Who makes the seeds sprout and crops grow. Who is the Being at whose behest everything moves and performs its function. When he tried to think that handmade statues govern the universe and control its complicated affairs, he felt confused. This was something he could not accept.
When Azar came to know of Abraham’s aversion to their handmade gods and star worship, he asked Abraham, “Have you turned away from my gods?”
Abraham replied, “O my father, why do you worship something that cannot see or hear, nor can it benefit you?” (S: 19, V: 42)
Azar was terrified by Abraham’s answer. He looked at him in bewilderment. When Abraham asked again, he said, “This is the way my fathers used to do, so I am doing the same, and you are required to do so.”
But Abraham did not accept this logic. He told him, “O my father, I know something you do not know. Leave this path of Satan and follow what is right and virtuous. This is indeed straying away.”
This angered his father. He said, “Do not dare to reject my gods. If you do not mend yourself, I will stone you to death.”
Abraham said, “I cannot acknowledge your handmade stone statues as my Lord. These cannot benefit me, nor do I fear them. I acknowledge only Him, the Lord and Cherisher of the Worlds, who created me, and it is He who guides me, who gives me food and drink, and when I am ill, it is He who cures me, who will cause me to die and then bring me to life again, and who, I hope, will forgive me my faults on the Day of Judgment. And I pray to Him, ‘O my Lord, bestow wisdom on me, and join me with the righteous.’” (S: 26, V: 78–83)
This reply further infuriated his uncle, and he said, “Get out. I do not want to see you.”
Abraham, before leaving, said, “He is most merciful to me. I call upon Him, leaving all those whom you worship, and He will not deprive me.”
One day Abraham gathered the intellectuals of his people and asked them a few questions. If, according to our beliefs, a star is worthy of worship because it has power to be our lord, then why does it keep changing, and why does it not keep shining all the time, but only for a few hours at night. Why does the moonlight prevail over them and dim them when the moon is present. And how is it that in front of the sun even your moon is extinguished.
He said, “Do you dispute with me about God when He Himself has guided me. I fear not the beings you associate with God. Unless my Lord wills, nothing can happen. My Lord comprehends in His knowledge all things. Will you not be admonished.” (S: 6, V: 80)
None of them had any answer to his queries. It was hard for them to quit their centuries-old beliefs, which obstructed their sight from seeing the guiding light that Abraham presented. So they started fighting with him and tried to scare him with the wrath of their so-called gods. Seeing them lost in darkness, Abraham said, “You are lost in the darkness of ignorance. I care least what your gods can or cannot do, but I know that statues of wood and stone that cannot protect themselves cannot protect others.”
One day, when all the people of the city went out to a religious festival, Abraham entered the temple of Shamash. He saw heaps of fruits and sweets piled before the statues. He said to the statues, “Eat. This is for your pleasure.”
He asked them repeatedly and then said, “I am talking to you. Why do you not listen to me. Why do you not reply.” Then he attacked the statues with his hammer. After smashing them all, he placed the hammer on the shoulder of the statue of Shamash.
When the people returned and saw their gods in shambles, they were upset and started crying noisily.
People opined that, since they had heard Abraham speaking against their gods, he was the one who could have desecrated them. The matter reached Nimrod. He summoned Abraham to his court. The court was full of courtiers and a huge gathering. Abraham walked up to the king, ignoring royal protocol. His courage shocked Nimrod and the courtiers and impressed the common people. The chief priest, on the king’s orders, asked Abraham, “Who defiled our gods in the temple.”
“As far as I know, the hammer was found on the shoulder of Shamash. Why do you not ask him. He must know, because he was there. Perhaps he did it,” Abraham replied coolly.
The chief priest, stung by the taunt, said, “Do not try to be clever. You know that if he could, we would not be asking you.”
Abraham, pressing the point, said, “When they cannot speak, cannot move, and cannot protect themselves, why do you expect them to benefit you or harm you. Do you not have any sense that you should worship the Real God, the Lord of the Universe.”
Nimrod was clever. He sensed that Abraham had struck their beliefs with the force of reason and that even his own godhood was at stake. He asked in a patronizing tone, “Young man, what made you oppose the religion of your forefathers. Why do you deny accepting these sacred statues as your gods.”
Abraham replied, “God is the only Lord of the entire universe. We are all His creatures. Statues sculpted from wood and stone cannot be God. They are indigent and need others for their safety and upkeep. Worthy of worship is only He who is not indigent, while all are indigent to Him.”
Upon hearing this, Nimrod said, “If there is any God other than me, tell me something He can do that I cannot.”
Abraham said, “God is He who gives life and takes it.”
Nimrod retorted, “I too can give life and can take it.” To demonstrate, he ordered the release of a prisoner who was to be executed and commanded that an innocent person present there be killed.
Abraham said to him, “Every particle of this universe is indigent of my Lord God. The sun rises from the east daily at His command and sets in the west. If you can, do this otherwise.”
This shattered the edifice of their beliefs. They cried that Abraham had desecrated their gods and defiled their ancestors’ religion, therefore he deserved to be thrown into a blazing fire pit.
Nimrod ordered the execution of Abraham, as suggested by the priests. A great fire, spread over a large area, was prepared.
This fire was kept ablaze for many days. The heat was so intense that nearby trees and bushes also caught fire and turned to ashes. Birds stopped flying in that area. Then Abraham was placed in a catapult and hurled into the scorching flames.
People with a satanic approach used the fire for evil and destructive purposes and threw Abraham into it. But God, the Lord of the universe, ordered, “O fire, cool off and be a comfort for Abraham.”
“We said, ‘O Fire, be cool and a means of safety for Abraham.’” (S: 21, V: 69)
The fire did not harm Abraham, and he remained safe. After this incident, God commanded him to migrate towards Syria. Lut, nephew of Abraham, also accompanied him. Syrian land is the blessed land about which God promised Abraham and his progeny. For this reason, it is also known as the Promised Land.
“And the Lord said unto Abraham, after that Lut was separated from him, lift up now your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land which you see, to you will I give it and to your seed forever. And I will make your seed as the dust of the earth, so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall your seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it, for I will give it unto you. Then Abraham removed his tent and dwelt in the plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the Lord.” (Old Testament, Genesis 13:14–18)
People of Canaan, descendants of Ham son of Noah, already inhabited there. For that reason, the area was known as Canaan. Abraham built two altars, one in Sicham (present-day Byblos) and the second in Bethel. According to a legend, Abraham married the daughter of the king of Syria, and when famine gripped Canaan, he migrated to Egypt. In those days a Hyksos Pharaoh, who belonged to Shem’s race, ruled Egypt. When that Semitic ruler learned of a Semitic family arriving, he greeted them kindly and served them. To develop good relations, he asked for Sara’s hand in marriage. When told that she was Abraham’s wife, he apologized and offered his daughter Hager to marry Abraham. He also gave Abraham large herds of cattle and many valuable presents.
Hager in Hebrew meant an alien, a stranger, one who separates. When famine in Canaan ended, Abraham with his wives and Lut returned to Syria.
Pharaoh had presented him herds of cows and sheep and many male and maidservants. Abraham was now prosperous. He sent Lut to spread the mission of monotheism towards Sodom. Lut stayed near Sodom on the Jordan. Abraham also moved to Hebron from Bethel. When Abraham was eighty-five and had no children, Sara, ten years after their return from Egypt, allowed Abraham to have relations with Hager. Abraham prayed to God for a son, and God blessed him with Ishmael.
Ishmael
“O my Lord, grant me a righteous son.” So We gave him the good news of a boy ready to suffer and forbear. (S: 37, V: 100–101)
Ishmael is a Hebrew name that later became Ismael in Arabic. Abraham loved Ishmael very much. He carried him in his lap and made him ride on his shoulders. Sara had no patience for these scenes. She often quarreled with Hager and Abraham over trivial matters. Abraham tried to create harmony between his two wives, but without success.
Finally, God commanded His dear servant Abraham to take Hager and Ishmael to Makka. When he reached there, he left Hager and Ishmael in that barren desert with some dates and a water skin and returned. When he was departing, Hager asked nervously, “Under whose care are you leaving us here.”
The man of God replied, “God’s.”
She asked, “Is this God’s command.” When Abraham said, “Yes,” she said, “Then go in peace. Indeed, He is the best of all patrons. He will not abandon us.”
When the water skin emptied and the dates were finished, the mother’s breasts dried up. The infant Ishmael started crying. In the desert there was no water. Hager, in search of water, ran towards the nearby hill, leaving the child under the shade of a large stone, but she could not see any sign of water. She looked from the hill and saw only dry stones and rocks. She ran back to the child. The baby was hungry and crying. She ran towards the other hill, hoping to see a passing caravan or some nomads, but she saw only sand dunes and whirlwinds. She returned in despair. Thus she completed seven rounds between those two hills. On her return from the seventh visit, she saw water gushing from under the heels of little Ishmael.
Hager drank from that clear water and gave it to her child. The water was flowing around, so she built a boundary on the opening with stones and mud to save the water from being wasted. After a few days, a caravan of Banu Jarham passed by and, seeing water in the wilderness, stopped and asked Hager for permission to use the water and stay the night. She permitted them, and they gave her food and provisions in return.
Gradually people built a house for her, and a few people from the caravan settled there. The area grew into an habitation.
Although Abraham resided in Palestine, he occasionally visited Makka to see his wife and firstborn. When Ishmael was thirteen, God commanded circumcision. “This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your seed after you. Every male child among you shall be circumcised.” (Genesis 17:10)
When Abraham was ninety-nine, he witnessed a dream in which God told him to sacrifice his beloved son Ishmael for Him. He related the dream to Ishmael, who submitted in obedience.
History testifies that this practical example of submission and obedience cannot be compared with any other incident. When Abraham was commanded this, he had no other son, yet he did not hesitate and prepared to comply.
“We called out to him, ‘O Abraham, you have already fulfilled the vision.’ Thus do We reward those who do right. For this was obviously a trial, and We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice, and We left this blessing for him among generations to come in later times. Peace and salutations to Abraham. Thus do We reward those who do right, for he was one of Our believing servants. And We gave him the good news of Isaac, a prophet, one of the righteous.” (S: 37, V: 104–112)
Deliberation on these verses leads to the conclusion that when Abraham passed the test, God blessed him with His favors. His act of sacrifice was made a ritual to be followed while the world exists, and he was blessed with another son, Isaac, and prophethood was bestowed upon him as well.
Construction of Ka‘aba
“Behold, We gave the site to Abraham of the Sacred House, saying, ‘Associate nothing in worship with Me, and sanctify My House for those who compass it round or stand up or bow or prostrate themselves in prayer. And proclaim the pilgrimage among men. They will come to you on foot and mounted on every kind of camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways.’” (S: 22, V: 26–27)
Abraham started construction of the Holy Ka‘aba as God commanded him. Ishmael assisted him. When the walls of the Ka‘aba reached a height where they needed a pedestal for further construction, they used a large stone for this purpose. This is now known as Maqam Ibrahim (Abraham’s Station).
Birth of Isaac
Isaac was the younger brother of Ishmael. Glad tidings of his birth were given to Abraham when he was one hundred and Sara was ninety.
The Qur’an reports this event in these words.
Angels appointed to inflict punishment upon the people of Sodom visited Abraham before going to Lut. He served them roast meat. They introduced themselves and told him they were sent to destroy the people of Lut, and then they gave Abraham and Sara the glad tidings of a son. They both expressed surprise at the news, for they had grown old and Sara was barren.
“They said, ‘Even so has your Lord spoken, and He is full of wisdom and knowledge.’” (S: 51, V: 30)
Makfila
Abraham had three wives. Sara was his first wife, and she bore Isaac, forefather of Israel and the Israelite prophets of God. Ishmael was born of Hager, the second wife of Abraham. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) came from Ishmael’s lineage. Sara died at the age of one hundred and twenty-seven in Hebron. Abraham purchased the cave of Makfila and its adjacent field for 400 silver coins and buried Sara there. After Sara’s demise, Abraham married Keturah. She bore Shuaib. Abraham died at 175 and was buried in the cave of Makfila beside Sara. Ishmael and Isaac were present at his burial.
Contemplation and the Inner Self
Abraham inclined to contemplation of the universe and the manifestations of nature. In the Qur’an, where contemplation about the stars, moon, and sun is mentioned in Surah An‘am, his deliberations and quest for the reality behind manifestations are narrated there.
Abraham submitted to God, “O my Lord, show me how You raise the dead to life.” God inquired, “Do you not believe.” He submitted, “Yes, indeed I believe, but for the peace of mind that comes from certitude.” (S: 2, V: 260)
God instructed him to rear four birds, then slay them and chop them into pieces, and put those pieces on different hills, and then call them. Abraham acted upon the instructions, and all four birds came back to him alive when he called them. Thus the secrets of the creative process were disclosed to Abraham.
Many acts of Abraham, his wife, and his sons have been made ceremonial rituals to be followed by coming generations. These include the offering of sacrificial meat on Eid al-Adha, Rami (casting stones at Satan), circumcision of male children, circumambulation of the Ka‘aba, and Sa‘i (running between Safa and Marwa) during Hajj and Umrah.
Point to Note
The story of Abraham invites us to contemplate the universe. It states which paradigm of thinking God’s chosen people are given and what acts they perform under that approach. Acts performed under the prophetic approach earn the pleasure of God. Compliance with God’s commands is the purpose and motto of their lives. Gratitude is their way of life. Contemplation is their routine, and they develop the feeling of the closeness of God to such an extent that they see Him surrounding them.
Deliberations on the story of Abraham as stated in the Qur’an lead to the conclusion that the actual source of all experiences, observations, and feelings is the mind. All inventions of mankind are products of mental effort. Contemplation helps in developing and expanding mental horizons, and a formula or new doctrine is expounded.
Man Within Man
Ever-new revelations about the self and the brain provide evidence that man is composed of two parts. One concerns the external, and the other relates to the stimuli within. Both parts of the human self are deeply related.
It is a reality beyond doubt that man is not only the externally witnessed states. There is a man within who is free from material stimuli, and all thoughts are associated with that real person, the soul.
Spiritualists draw our attention to the fact that if a person travels in the inner recesses of the heart, the potentials of the soul are revealed. The Qur’an and other Divine Books mention the extraordinary abilities of man. Apparently man is composed of flesh and bones, but there is a potent energy operating in him that reflects the properties of the Creator. This real side of human potential becomes active only when the spiritual senses become active.
These spiritual senses open a new vista of perception and observation that ordinarily remains closed. These senses enable a person to enter the celestial system of galaxies, meet creatures of the unseen and angels, and know the realities operating behind material phenomena. This happens when a person lives according to the approach of the prophets of God like Abraham and the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and the heirs of their knowledge, the Auliya.
When we look at something, the light from that object reaches the store of information in the brain through our eyes. What we call the process of sight, in fact, is our internal knowledge. Internal knowledge is not associated with physical activity. During observation, which is internal knowledge, the material limbs and parts of the body do not partake. All that we see is the sight of the inner self, the Ana (ego). This Ana, or inner self, is the body of the soul, and it is the body that moves and acts during dreaming. The acts performed during dreaming are an example of a positive mode of conduct.
Acts are of two types. One type is performed without any obligation of the physical body, like acts during dreaming. The other type consists of acts we perform in wakefulness with the help of the physical body. These acts are initiated by mental stimuli. The physical body cannot move without the guidance of the mind. Internal stimuli are the actual functions of life.
Record of Feelings
Ana is the record of all internal feelings. The inner self that Moses and the following prophets of God taught is mentioned in the Qur’an at various places.
When Abraham became inquisitive about who his Lord was and where He was, his quest led him to the stars, moon, and sun.
“So also did We show Abraham the power and the laws of the heavens and the earth, that he might, with understanding, have certitude. When the night covered him, he saw a star and said, ‘This is my Lord.’ But when it set, he said, ‘I love not those that set.’ When he saw the moon rising in splendor, he said, ‘This is my Lord.’ But when the moon set, he said, ‘Unless my Lord guides me, I shall surely be among those who go astray.’ When he saw the sun rising in splendor, he said, ‘This is my Lord. This is the greatest of all.’ But when the sun set, he said, ‘O my people, I am indeed free from your guilt of giving partners to God. For me, I have set my face, firmly and truly, towards Him who created the heavens and the earth, and never shall I give partners to God.’ His people disputed with him. He said, ‘Do you dispute with me about God when He Himself has guided me. I fear not the beings you associate with God. Unless my Lord wills, nothing can happen. My Lord comprehends in His knowledge all things. Will you not be admonished. How should I fear the beings you associate with God when you do not fear giving partners to God without any warrant given to you. Which of us two parties has more right to security. Tell me if you know. It is those who believe and do not confuse their beliefs with wrong who are truly in security, for they are on right guidance.’ That was the reasoning about Us which We gave to Abraham to use against his people. We raise whom We will degree after degree. For your Lord is full of wisdom and knowledge.” (S: 6, V: 75–83)
When Abraham witnessed the moon and the sun disappearing from his sight, he announced, “I do not befriend those that disappear.” Through him, God is suggesting that the Lord cannot be negated. The Lord is He who cannot be separated from the human conscience, and the non-lord is that which can be separated from the human conscience.
This statement of Abraham defines Ana. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) termed this very Ana as the Self, and God called it the Habl al-Warid (the Jugular Vein). This human Self, Ana, or Conscience, cannot be separated from the Lord in any situation or circumstance. This is the first stage of the cognition of God. If one separates oneself from one’s Lord, one remains devoid of the cognition of the Lord.
Everyone knows that life keeps renewing every moment, and the material means of this regeneration are air, water, and food. Eventually there comes a stage when air, water, and food cannot revive life. In worldly terms, this is called death. If air, water, and food were the actual cause of life, restoring life to a dead body would not be impossible.
This establishes that air, water, and food are not the actual source of life. It is something else. This is elaborated in the Qur’an.
“Glorify Him who created all things in pairs.”
Sleep: One Third of Life
In light of this verse, the sources of life are, on one hand, Conscious sources and, on the other, Unconscious ones. One unconscious and immaterial source that is a chief component of life is the negation of non-lords. Man, under the will of the Persona Major, is constrained to comply with this dictum of God.
When we analyze human life, we observe that half of life is Unconscious and half is Conscious. After birth, a portion of life is lived in a state of unconsciousness, and when we add the portion spent sleeping, which is about one third of the average lifespan, these total half of one’s life. Man spends half of life under the Unconscious.
Thus we know two portions of life as Conscious and Unconscious, and these are a pair. The Unconscious part of life necessarily negates non-lords, and the result of this negation is achieved involuntarily in the form of physical awakening. For this reason, if a person increases the time spent under the Unconscious, he can enjoy spiritual awakening. This principle is narrated in the Qur’an:
“O thou folded in garments. Stand to prayer by night, but not all night, half of it, or a little less, or a little more, and recite the Qur’an in slow, measured, rhythmic tones. Soon shall We send down to you a weighty message. Truly, the rising by night is most potent for governing the soul and most suitable for the Word of Prayer and Praise. True, there is for you by day prolonged occupation with ordinary duties. But keep in remembrance the name of your Lord and devote yourself to Him wholeheartedly. He is Lord of the East and the West. There is no god but He. Take Him therefore for your Disposer of Affairs.” (S: 73, V: 1–9)
Just as a man, for physical strength, is obliged to negate non-lords unconsciously, similarly, for spiritual awakening one is obliged to negate non-lords consciously. In the verses above, God has stated this law. Just as unconscious negation of non-lords results in the construction of physical life, conscious negation helps in acquaintance with spiritual life.
Four Birds
Abraham had a natural inclination for research and exploration. His quest to know the truth remained insatiable until he reached a satisfactory conclusion. He wanted to observe the workings of nature and the Lord of nature who made it so. For this reason, he questioned God about resurrection. When God asked whether he did not have faith, he submitted, “Indeed I do believe and I know that You can do anything You will, because You are Omnipotent. For the satisfaction of my quest and to quench my thirst about how You do this, I would like to see the process of resurrection.”
“Behold, Abraham said, ‘My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead.’ He said, ‘Do you not then believe.’ He said, ‘Yes, but to satisfy my heart.’ He said, ‘Take four birds, tame them to turn to you, put a portion of them on every hill and call to them. They will come to you flying with speed. Then know that God is exalted in power, wise.’” (S: 2, V: 260)
This submission of Abraham, that he believed but sought the satisfaction of the heart, tells us that faith is one thing and the satisfaction of the heart is another.
“The desert Arabs say, ‘We believe.’ Say, ‘You have no faith. You only say, We have submitted our wills to God, for not yet has faith entered your hearts. But if you obey God and His Messenger, He will not belittle any of your deeds, for God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.’” (S: 49, V: 14)
According to this Divine statement, faith remains incomplete unless supported by observation. The Heart is the center of the Conscious. The senses of the Heart work in two dimensions. The sight of the Heart witnesses the Unseen and, after descending one step, sees in the material world. When a person witnesses a thing in both the Seen and Unseen realms, he is equipped with certitude. Abraham was an exalted prophet of God. Prophets are bestowed with special knowledge. Bringing the dead to life is included in this knowledge because God not only creates a thing for the first time, but is also capable of resurrecting it after death.
Having certitude of learned knowledge is a trait of the spiritual Conscious. When a person is born, the spiritual Conscious operates in the background, and the individual Conscious, the intellect, wants to observe everything practically besides seeing it theoretically. The individual Conscious is not pacified unless it sees a thing in form and features with material senses.
For the practical experiment of resurrecting a dead body, God told Abraham to get four birds, raise them, and acquaint them with himself so that they recognize him and listen to him. When called, they must come. Name is the greatest means of recognition of an individual.
The name of a person or thing describes that individual’s typical personality and character. This is why, when the name of a person is announced in a multitude, that individual instantly becomes aware that someone is calling. The second instruction was to acquaint the birds with him. Acquaintance is based on emotional attachment. When this mutual attachment between Abraham and the birds was established, he was told to slay them, cut them into small pieces, place those pieces on different hills, and then call them by their names, just as he called them in life.
It requires deliberation that, after slaying, when all the senses of the birds were finished, and the organs with which they used to see and hear were smashed, how did they hear their names and rush to their master. They must have another body that had senses like their physical body, which was minced. When Abraham called them, they heard his voice, recognized it, and determined the direction from which they were called. When they intended to respond, God allowed their resurrection to enable them to respond to their master’s voice.
Abraham, upon God’s command, reared the birds and acquainted them with himself to the extent of emotional involvement. This involvement established a mutual correlation between Abraham and the birds. When this command was supported by God’s will, this involvement entered the souls of the birds. The souls of the birds were familiar with the typical frequency of Abraham’s voice. When he called them by name, their souls turned toward him, and the birds came back to him by the leave of God. In other words, upon Abraham’s call, the birds traveled on the waves of sound from the zone of lights to the material zone.
Low and High Senses
It is stated in the Holy Scriptures of all religions that all acts and deeds are recorded. This means that the entire cosmic system, from Eternity to Infinity, is a film prepared by God. The record existing in Eternity is displayed in the realms of the Souls, Purgatory, and the Material Realm. Every realm is like a screen upon which this film is displayed, and we observe the activities exhibited therein.
Abraham performed the act of smashing the bodies of the birds, which disintegrated the system of physical bodies, but the record of the lives of the birds remained. When Abraham called them, the separate parts gathered, and the recorded system was restored, bringing the birds back to life.
The administrative law of Resurrection is no different. When God commands, the disintegrated system, the record, will be restored. All that we have done in this world will be restored, for it has been preserved as a record. Upon this restoration, our hands, feet, eyes, and ears will testify whether we have been doing good or bad.