When Both of Them Submitted — Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) and the Great Sacrifice
When Both of Them Submitted — Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) and the Great Sacrifice
When Both of Them Submitted — Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) and the Great Sacrifice
An old man walked away from his own people with empty hands and a full heart. Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) had called them to Allah for years, and they would not listen. So he turned towards his Lord and said:
وَقَالَ إِنِّى ذَاهِبٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّى سَيَهْدِينِ
> "And he said, “I am going to my Lord. He will show me the way."
Quran 37:99
He had no child. In his old age, all his longing gathered into one prayer:
رَبِّ هَبْ لِى مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ
> "O my Lord, bless me with a righteous son.”"
Quran 37:100
And his Lord answered him: He gave him the good news of a forbearing boy.
A son was born, just as promised, and grew at his father's side, walking and working with him. Then came the night that would test them both: Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) saw in a dream that he was slaughtering his own son. The dream of a prophet is no ordinary dream — the commentators explain that it is a form of revelation. Yet see what this father did with it. He did not hide it from his son, nor spring it upon him. He sat with the boy, told him openly, and even asked his opinion:
فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ ٱلسَّعْىَ قَالَ يَـٰبُنَىَّ إِنِّىٓ أَرَىٰ فِى ٱلْمَنَامِ أَنِّىٓ أَذْبَحُكَ فَٱنظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَىٰ ۚ قَالَ يَـٰٓأَبَتِ ٱفْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ ۖ سَتَجِدُنِىٓ إِن شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ مِنَ ٱلصَّـٰبِرِينَ
> "Thereafter, when he (the boy) reached an age in which he could work with him, he (Ibrāhīm) said, “O my little son, I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you, so consider, what is your opinion?” He said, “O my dear father, do what you have been ordered to do. You will find me, inshā’allah , (if Allah wills) one of those who endure patiently.”"
Quran 37:102
What a son. He did not argue, and he did not run. He recognised the dream for what it was — a command of Allah — and promised patience, tying even that promise to Allah's will. So the two went forward together: the hardest command ever given to a father, and a son beside him in willing surrender. Allah gathers that journey into a single verse:
فَلَمَّآ أَسْلَمَا وَتَلَّهُۥ لِلْجَبِينِ
> "So, (it was a great episode) when both of them submitted themselves (to Allah’s will), and he laid him on his forehead (to slaughter him),"
Quran 37:103
The father laid his son down upon his forehead, so he would not have to look into his face. Both hearts had given everything; nothing was held back. And at that very moment the call came from Allah — "O Ibrāhīm," He called out, and declared:
قَدْ صَدَّقْتَ ٱلرُّءْيَآ ۚ إِنَّا كَذَٰلِكَ نَجْزِى ٱلْمُحْسِنِينَ
> "you did make the dream come true.” This is how We reward those who are good in their deeds."
Quran 37:105
The dream had come true — not through the boy's death, but through complete obedience: what Allah sought was never the son's life, but the surrender of them both. And the son was given back, ransomed by Allah Himself:
وَفَدَيْنَـٰهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍ
> "And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice,"
Quran 37:107
A ram was sent as the ransom, and the son rose alive — safe, unharmed, honoured. For Ibrahim (علیہ السلام), Allah left a greeting of peace later generations still repeat: "Salām be on Ibrāhīm!"
And the passage holds one more gift, given separately, after the trial: Allah gave Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) the good news of another son:
وَبَشَّرْنَـٰهُ بِإِسْحَـٰقَ نَبِيًّا مِّنَ ٱلصَّـٰلِحِينَ
> "And We gave him the good news of IsHāq (Isaac), a prophet from among the righteous."
Quran 37:112
IsHāq — a prophet from among the righteous. So the story that began with a prayer ends with blessing upon blessing: on the father who submitted, the son who was ransomed, and the prophet yet unborn.
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🌿 Stop and Think About This Scene
Sit with the dream for a moment. A father is shown in his sleep that he must slaughter the son he prayed for in his old age — the son just grown old enough to walk beside him. He could have searched for another meaning, or hoped the feeling would pass. Instead he went to his son and spoke openly. And the son — a young boy — answered with words grown men would tremble to say: "Do what you have been ordered to do." One command, two surrenders. Which stays with your heart: the father's obedience, or the son's?
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❤️ The Greatest Lesson
Allah never wanted the boy's life. He wanted the father's heart — and when He saw it given completely, He gave the son back. Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) made the dream come true not by the knife, but by a submission so complete nothing was held back. That is the heart of it: whatever Allah asks of us, He asks first for our surrender. And the One who sends the trial also sends the ransom. No one who submits to Allah leaves his trial empty-handed.
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📚 Important Lessons From This Story
1. The dream of a prophet is revelation, and Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) met it without a single excuse. When we know a thing is Allah's command, hunting for clever interpretations is often just delay in disguise.
2. Even in the hardest command, he consulted his son first. The command was certain, yet this tender father prepared his son's heart beforehand, so the boy would meet it knowingly and willingly.
3. The son's answer is a school of beautiful manners: "You will find me, inshā'allah, one of those who endure patiently." He tied his promise to Allah's will and counted himself only as one among the patient — no pride, no tall claim.
4. "This is how We reward those who are good in their deeds." Allah returned the son safely to his father in this world — and left Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) praise and a greeting of peace among all later people.
5. The trial revealed faith; it did not destroy a family. Allah called it "a trial that clearly demonstrated (their obedience)" — a mirror showing the world what was in these two hearts.
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🏠 How Can We Apply This in Our Daily Lives?
When a duty from Allah feels heavy, follow Ibrahim (علیہ السلام): face it early, honestly, without excuses. When you promise yourself patience, say inshallah and mean it — patience is Allah's gift, not your boast. At home, speak openly about hard decisions, as this father spoke to his son. And when Allah replaces what you feared losing with something better, remember the ransom: His commands come wrapped in mercy for those who submit.
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🌹 The Most Beautiful Message
An old man's prayer. A young boy's surrender. A call from heaven at the final moment — and a greeting that will never fade: "Salām be on Ibrāhīm!" The father offered Allah his dearest, and Allah handed it back with honour upon honour. Nothing surrendered to Allah is ever lost.
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📖 What the Tafsir Says
Ma'ariful Quran, on why this command came through a dream, at Quran 37:102, writes:
> But, the wisdom behind communicating it through a dream was to unravel the obedience of Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) at its most sublime form. A command given through a dream could have a lot of room for interpretations and excuses by the human self. But, this was Sayyidna Ibrahim (علیہ السلام) . He did not take to the way of excuses. On the contrary, he simply bowed down (sans interpretations, sans hesitations) before the command of his Lord. (Tafsir Kabir)
Quran 37:102
Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged), on "This was indeed a trial" at Quran 37:106, explains what the command was truly for:
> The purpose of His command had been primarily to reward His close Friend for his patience and resolve in sacrificing his son. Allah says: إِنَّ هَـذَا لَهُوَ الْبَلاَءُ الْمُبِينُ (Verily, that indeed was a manifest trial.) meaning, it was clearly a test when he was commanded to sacrifice his son, so, he hastened to do it, in submission to the command of Allah and in obedience to Him.
Quran 37:106
A careful reader will notice: in this passage the Quran does not name the son who was to be sacrificed, and the commentators have differed over who he was. This story follows the Quran's own telling and leaves him unnamed — the shining lesson is not the boy's name, but the submission of them both.
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📖 Authentic Reference
Book: The Holy Quran
Verses: Quran 37:99 Quran 37:100 Quran 37:101 Quran 37:102 Quran 37:103 Quran 37:104 Quran 37:105 Quran 37:106 Quran 37:107 Quran 37:108 Quran 37:109 Quran 37:110 Quran 37:111 Quran 37:112 Quran 37:113
Tafsir: Ma'ariful Quran (Mufti Muhammad Shafi) and Tafsir Ibn Kathir (Abridged) on these verses, as shown on this site's verse pages.