Ibrāhīm عليه السلام and the Philosophical Foundations of the Five Daily Ṣalāh

[This talk, edited and abridged by Sulayman Qadhi, was delivered by *Shaykh Dr Muhammad Akram Nadwi* at his residence in Batley, West Yorkshire, after Fajr Ṣalāh on Sunday, 21 December 2025. A number of friends and acquaintances were present, including Habibullah Akudi, Zubair Chothia, and Hāfeẓ Muhammad Gardee. Owing to the importance and significance of the subject matter, it is being shared for wider benefit.]

الحمدُ لله، والصلاةُ والسلامُ على النبيِّ محمدٍ وعلى آله

*Ibrāhīm عليه السلام and the Philosophical Foundations of the Five Daily Ṣalāh*

﴿فَلَمَّا أَفَلَ قَالَ لَا أُحِبُّ الْآفِلِينَ﴾
‘When it set, he said: “I do not love those that disappear.”’
Sūrat al-Anʿām (6:76)

*Introduction: The Significance of Ibrāhīm عليه السلام in Sacred History*

An important matter that we need to understand is why Prophet Ibrāhīm عليه السلام is so significant in our history. Allāh says that Ibrāhīm عليه السلام was a leader and a guide, and from Ibrāhīm عليه السلام came many prophets. Ibrāhīm عليه السلام was not the first prophet: Ādam عليه السلام was a prophet, Nūḥ عليه السلام was a prophet, and many, many prophets came after them.

What happened over time is that people encountered Allāh’s religion, and they misunderstood its essence. Īmān means turning toward Allāh, and religion has two dimensions: one is Īmān (faith), and the other is Islām. Īmān is intellectual; it involves understanding. You comprehend. Then comes Islām, which is the practical manifestation. These two dimensions exist for the protection of the prophetic message, culminating in the mission of the Prophet Muḥammad صلى الله عليه وسلم.

*Revelation, Understanding, and Renewal*

When Allāh assigns a rank or a mission, some people aspire to it and others attain it. Allāh introduced a new method, a new movement, a new initiative through the Qurʾān. Whenever a movement emerges, it carries significance, but it also requires reflection, purification, renewal, and reassessment.

Allāh grants understanding (fahm). True understanding cannot accommodate falsehood. Sometimes a person may lack knowledge, yet still reflect. Reflection refreshes ideas and deepens comprehension. You may know what is right, but understanding seeks to grasp it fully. When knowledge becomes internalised, it generates power. This is what Allāh desires.

The word millah (مِلَّة) refers to lived experience, awareness, and realisation. Religion (dīn) is from Allāh, but the millah of Ibrāhīm عليه السلام represents experiential awareness. In this way, Ibrāhīm عليه السلام becomes a model and an exemplar.

*The Ḥanīf Path and Critical Reflection*

Religion belongs to Allāh, yet Allāh established the millah of Ibrāhīm عليه السلام. The community of Ibrāhīm عليه السلام followed the Ḥanīf path—the upright way. If someone asks why this path is true, one must reflect deeply. Just as thinkers such as Newton analysed reality carefully, similarly one must engage in deep reflection to understand Ibrāhīm عليه السلام.

The peoples of Thamūd and Arabia were commanded to observe, to think, and to understand. When Thamūd ignored guidance, destruction followed. Prophets delivered their messages repeatedly. When questions are posed correctly, the observer is compelled to act correctly.

*Essence versus Form: Food, Culture, and Religion*

Consider food: eating is not merely about biryānī, samosas, or kebabs. It is about nourishment and strength. Culture often distorts this reality, focusing on superficial enjoyment rather than substance. Likewise, in religion, people may perform rituals without understanding their essence.

Ibrāhīm عليه السلام sought to awaken people to their fiṭrah (فِطْرَة)—their natural disposition—and to question why they worshipped. True worship arises from understanding, not blind imitation. Habitual worship without comprehension requires repeated reminders to revive awareness.

*Intellectual Courage and Moral Independence*

Ibrāhīm عليه السلام left his community in pursuit of truth, even if it meant standing alone. The Qurʾān records how he argued wisely with his people, exposing the falsehood of idol worship. His relationship with guidance was precise, unwavering, and principled.

Every religion acknowledges that life has two forms of happiness: intellectual happiness and spiritual happiness. Intellectual happiness comes from understanding why things occur. Spiritual happiness emerges when moral consciousness aligns with what Allāh desires. Culture, however, can hollow religion into empty ritual. Ibrāhīm عليه السلام rejected religion devoid of intellectual and moral clarity.

*“I Do Not Love What Sets” — The Central Declaration*

When Ibrāhīm عليه السلام observed the star, the moon, and the sun, he was not merely observing appearances. He was analysing permanence. When the star disappeared, he declared:

لَا أُحِبُّ الْآفِلِينَ
“I do not love those that set.” (Qurʾān, al-Anʿām 6:76)

After Lā ilāha illā Allāh, there is perhaps no sentence in human history more powerful than this declaration. It shatters all idols—position, wealth, power, status—everything that is temporary. Loving what is temporary brings pain. The history of all lovers is a history of loss. Ibrāhīm عليه السلام made it clear: love attached to the transient is a curse.

He did not say, “I dislike stars.” He universalised the principle. Anything that disappears is unworthy of ultimate love.

*The Qurʾānic Structure of Tawḥīd and Ṣalāh*

This declaration stands at the heart of Sūrat al-Anʿām, where Tawḥīd is presented with uncompromising clarity. Ibrāhīm عليه السلام is its central figure. Allāh wants this reality embedded in every heart and every intellect.

This is why Allāh structured the five daily prayers around the movement of the sun, moon, and stars—to remind believers daily of Ibrāhīm عليه السلام’s declaration.

*The Meaning of Ḥanīfiyyah*

Ḥanīf means two things:
1. Turning away from everything else
2. Turning wholly toward Allāh

Many people turn toward Allāh but refuse to turn away from other attachments. That is not ʿibādah.

To illustrate this, consider Tasbīḥ Fāṭimah رضي الله عنها. It is not merely reciting Subḥān Allāh thirty-three times. It means giving something up, then engaging in remembrance. Worship always involves relinquishment before acquisition.

*Dunyā as a Tool, Not an Object of Love*

Does this mean rejecting the dunyā entirely? No. Ibrāhīm عليه السلام was among the wealthiest men of his time, possessing vast herds. The issue is not using the dunyā; the issue is preferring it over Allāh.

Ibrāhīm عليه السلام’s generosity—slaughtering a calf for guests without asking—demonstrates abundance without attachment. Allāh loved this detachment of the heart.

*Continuous Seeking and Never Stopping*

Ibrāhīm عليه السلام never stopped at any spiritual station (maqām). Even after certainty, he asked:

رَبِّ أَرِنِي كَيْفَ تُحْيِي الْمَوْتَىٰ
“My Lord, show me how You give life to the dead.” (al-Baqarah 2:260)

This was not doubt; it was the pursuit of deeper knowledge. Allāh loves those who seek Him endlessly.

*Education, Language, and Understanding the Qurʾān*

Religion must reside in the intellect, not merely in dress or inheritance. If children are not taught why Islām is true, they will treat all beliefs as cultural equivalents.

Understanding the Qurʾān requires understanding its language. Meaning is the soul; words are garments. Recitation without comprehension weakens impact. Every sūrah exists because meaning unfolds through diversity, not repetition.

*Conclusion: Ibrāhīm عليه السلام as the Ever-Living Model*

Ibrāhīm عليه السلام is not a tribal figure. He belongs to Allāh alone. The Qurʾān consistently detaches him from lineage and nationalism. Even the Kaʿbah is declared:

لِلنَّاسِ كَافَّةً
“For all mankind.”

Ibrāhīm عليه السلام represents intellectual courage, moral clarity, and unending pursuit of truth. This is Īmān Ibrāhīmī—faith rooted in reason, conviction, and unwavering devotion.

وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ