Page 32 - Quranic Wisdom - New.indd

From Potential to Reality

From Potential to Reality

braham was a great Prophet. As a tribute to his greatness,
Ahe was called Abul Anbiya (Father of the Prophets). Born in
ancient Iraq, he travelled to different countries, such as Palestine,
Egypt and Syria. Lastly, he settled his wife, Hajira and their son,
Ishmael in the desert of Arabia, in a place near present-day
Makkah.
The Quran narrates the story of the life of the Prophet
Abraham in different chapters. The above story is referred to in
chapter fourteen. When the Prophet Abraham settled there, he
said a prayer to God Almighty, which is recorded in the chapter
Ibrahim (Abraham) of the Quran:

O Lord! I have settled some of my offspring in an
uncultivable valley near Your Sacred House, Lord,
so that they may establish prayer. So, make people’s
hearts incline towards them and provide them with
fruits, so that they may be grateful. (14:37)
One aspect of this story was purely religious. This aspect is
quite well-known. But there is also another aspect to it that may
be termed secular. The latter aspect of this story has also a great
lesson to teach. And this is no doubt a universal lesson.
I would say that this prayer was not a mysterious prayer. It was
the invocation of a natural law, that is, God created the present
world with great potential and then He gave man the capacity to
turn this potential into reality.

Four thousand years ago, when this event occurred, most of
this area was a desert. This was the same area that is now in
the broader sense called the Middle East. It is now a land where

31