Page 118 - The Prophet Abraham (pbuh)

The Prophet Abraham (pbuh)

And We located the position of the House for Abraham:
"Do not associate anything with Me, and purify My House
for those who circle it and for those who stand and bow
and prostrate. Announce the Pilgrimage to humanity.
They will come to you on foot and on every sort of lean an-
imal, coming by every distant road so that they can be pre-
sent at what will profit them, and invoke Allah's name on
specific days over livestock He has provided for them. Eat
of them and feed those who are poor and in need." (Surat
al-Hajj: 26-28)
Allah told the Prophet Abraham (pbuh) to cleanse the
Ka`bah. This may represent a physical cleaning or may have a

spiritual meaning. Thus, Allah commanded that the Ka`bah be
cleansed both physically and spiritually (from pagan practices).
In another verse, Allah reveals the tasks He assigned to these
two prophets:
And when Abraham built the foundations of the House
with Ishmael: "Our Lord, accept this from us. You are the
All-Hearing, the All-Knowing." (Surat al-Baqara: 127)

As they engaged in building the Ka`bah and thereby ful-
filling their religious duty, these two prophets constantly
prayed to our Lord. Following this pleasing practice, we can
pray and seek Allah's help in any matter, and praise and call on
His name. This is because Allah knows what is hidden in peo-
ples' hearts, hears them at all times, and sees and knows what
they do. Believers know that He will respond to their prayers,
and so regard prayer as a means of drawing closer to Him.

People sometimes think that prayer can only be performed at
certain times or places, and therefore seek to mold it into a spe-
cific form. Yet the prophets' prayers show that believers can
turn to Allah at any time (e.g., when working, going to bed, or

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