We just finished Ramadan which Allahﷻ sent us to make us Muttaqoon. I remind myself and you that all the promises of Allahﷻ are for Muttaqoon. So, it is worth the effort to become a Muttaqi and benefit. In Ramadan we reminded ourselves that we are Muslim. That we have submitted our will to the Will of Allahﷻ, by following the order of Allahﷻ, we held ourselves back during the specified hours from things which are otherwise Halaal. This reinforces the meaning of being a Muslim – someone who submits to Allahﷻ. This is the secret to the greatest wealth – Ta’alluq Ma’Allahﷻ. It is this connection that Allahﷻ told us about in the story of His Khaleel, Ibrahim (AS). I want you watch this happen. Allahﷻ said:

وَإِذْ قَالَ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمُ رَبِّ أَرِنِى كَيْفَ تُحْىِ ٱلْمَوْتَىٰ قَالَ أَوَلَمْ تُؤْمِن قَالَ بَلَىٰ وَلَـٰكِن لِّيَطْمَئِنَّ قَلْبِى قَالَ فَخُذْ أَرْبَعَةً مِّنَ ٱلطَّيْرِ فَصُرْهُنَّ إِلَيْكَ ثُمَّ ٱجْعَلْ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ جَبَلٍ مِّنْهُنَّ جُزْءًا ثُمَّ ٱدْعُهُنَّ يَأْتِينَكَ سَعْيًا وَٱعْلَمْ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

Baqara 2: 260    And (remember) when Ibrahim said, My Rabb! Show me how You give life to the dead. He (Allah) said: Do you not believe? He [Ibrahim] said: Yes (I believe), but to be stronger in Faith. He said: Take four birds, then cause them to incline towards you (then slaughter them, cut them into pieces), and then put a portion of them on every hill, and call them, they will come to you in haste. And know that Allah is All-Mighty, All-Wise.

What always strikes me in this Ayah is how natural this conversation is. What does it say about the sense of Allahﷻ’s presence that Ibrahim (AS) must have felt that he simply asked a question. This is not a formal dua in Salah. It is just a natural conversation between two who know each other very well. It shows such a level of comfort that I can only marvel at it. Ibrahim (AS) must have been a young boy when he asked this question. Allahﷻ loved that so much that He answered him in such an affectionate way – ‘Don’t you believe?’ Ibrahim (AS) replied, ‘He [Ibrahim] said: Yes (I believe), but to be stronger in Faith.’ That is why Rasoolullahﷺ said about this response, ‘If Ibrahim could say this, then we have an even greater right to say it.’ So, Allahﷻ gave Ibrahim (AS) a whole project to answer his question. Take four birds of four different species. He is not asking him to get domestic birds, chickens, ducks, geese. Four wild birds. Then tame them so that they come to him when he calls them. Not put them in cages. Free flying birds. I always wonder why we don’t do this as a class project when teaching the Tafsir of this Ayah. To return to the story, this means that young Ibrahim (AS) must find the nests of four birds, learn about their lifecycle. Wait for their eggs to hatch and for the fledglings to be of exactly the right age. Too young and they will die. Too old and he will not be able to catch or train them. He must learn about what they eat. And he must do that for four different species. All this takes time. When it is done, he must slaughter the birds, chop them up, mix it all together, separate the mince into many piles and put one pile on each hill. Then he must return to the center and call them. Put yourself in his place and feel what he must have felt when he saw those birds come to him as if nothing had happened to them. Just thinking about it makes my skin tingle with excitement and awe. Imagine Ibrahim (AS) to whom it happened. This is the meaning of connecting to Allahﷻ. Feel Allahﷻ in your heart.

Think about this. Ibrahim (AS) was not the only one who asked this question. Allahﷻ told us about another man who asked the same question, but in a different tone, and how he was answered. Allahﷻ said:

أَوْ كَٱلَّذِى مَرَّ عَلَىٰ قَرْيَةٍ وَهِىَ خَاوِيَةٌ عَلَىٰ عُرُوشِهَا ق...