Zibha e Azeem
Summary
Those who use their intellect and logic to interpret Holy Verses go completely wrong and end up refuting the well established Ahadith of Ahl Al-Bayt-asws, e.g., a speaker quotes from a Mujtahid that the Holy Verse: And We Ransomed him with a magnificent sacrifice [37:107] does not refer to the great sacrifice of Imam Hussain-asws on Ashura (10th of Muharram 61 AH) based on the logic that a person of higher status (Imam Hussain-asws) cannot be sacrificed for someone, whose sacrifice was replace through a lamb (Prophet Ismail-as) being from a lesser value. However, it was the ‘Mashiya’ (Will) of Allah-azwj to save the life of Ismail-as at that time by letting Prophet Ibrahim-as slaughter a heavenly lamb instead of his-as son-as.
Allah-azwj brings forth what He Likes and Delays/Changes what He-azwj Wills. See the concept of Badā’: https://hubeali.com/articles/bada-moving-forward-or-delaying
Without going into further details, we present the Holy Verse and its explanation by Ahadith:
Allah-azwj Says in the Holy Quran:
وَفَدَيْنَاهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍ {107}
And We Ransomed him with a magnificent sacrifice [37:107]
Ransoming by a ram – the apparent ransom
الطبرسي: روى العياشي بإسناده عن بريد بن معاوية العجلي، قال: قلت لأبي عبد الله (عليه السلام):
Al-Tabarsy – Al-Ayyashi has reported by his chain, from Bureyd Bin Muawiya Al-Ajaly who said,
In a lengthy Hadith, Imam Abu Abdullah-asws narrates:
فلما انتهى به إلى الجمرة الوسطى، و أضجعه لجنبه الأيسر، و أخذ الشفرة ليذبحه، نودي: أَنْ يا إِبْراهِيمُ قَدْ صَدَّقْتَ الرُّؤْيا إلى آخره. و فدي إسماعيل بكبش عظيم، فذبحه، و تصدق بلحمه على المساكين
When he-as (Prophet Ibrahim-as) ended up with (his son Ismail-as to sacrifice him for Allah-azwj) at the middle rock, and placed him-as on his-as left, and took the blade to slaughter him-as, there was a Call: And We Called out to him: “O Ibrahim! [37:104] You have ratified the dream [37:105] – up to the end of it. And Ismail-as was ransomed by a magnificent ram, so Ibrahim-as slaughtered it (instead), and gave out its meat to the poor in charity’.[1]
Allah-azwj Changed it (Badā’) for the magnificent sacrifice of Al-Husayn-asws
وَ هُوَ أَنَّهُ رُوِيَ أَنَّ الصَّادِقَ ع قَالَ: مَا بَدَا لِلَّهِ بَدَاءٌ كَمَا بَدَا لَهُ فِي إِسْمَاعِيلَ أَبِي إِذَا أَمَرَ أَبَاهُ بِذَبْحِهِ ثُمَّ فَدَاهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍ
It is reported from Al-Sadiq-asws: ‘There has not been a change of Decision for Allah-azwj like what had changed for Him-azwj regarding my-asws father Ismail-as (the Prophet) when He-azwj Commanded his-as father-as to slaughter him-as, then Ransomed him-as with a mighty slaughter’.[2]
حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ عُبْدُوسٍ عَنِ ابْنِ قُتَيْبَةَ عَنِ الْفَضْلِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ الرِّضَا ع يَقُولُ لَمَّا أَمَرَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ أَنْ يَذْبَحَ مَكَانَ ابْنِهِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ الْكَبْشَ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَهُ عَلَيْهِ تَمَنَّى إِبْرَاهِيمُ أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدْ ذَبَحَ ابْنَهُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بِيَدِهِ وَ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يُؤْمَرْ بِذَبْحِ الْكَبْشِ مَكَانَهُ لِيَرْجِعَ إِلَى قَلْبِهِ مَا يَرْجِعُ إِلَى قَلْبِ الْوَالِدِ الَّذِي يَذْبَحُ أَعَزَّ وُلْدِهِ عَلَيْهِ بِيَدِهِ فَيَسْتَحِقَّ بِذَلِكَ أَرْفَعَ دَرَجَاتِ أَهْلِ الثَّوَابِ عَلَى الْمَصَائِبِ
It is narrated to us by Ibn Ubdous, from Ibn Quteyba, from l Fazl who said,
‘I heard Al-Reza-asws saying: ‘When Allah-azwj Mighty and Majestic Commanded Ibrahim-as to slaughter a ram which He-azwj had Send down unto him-as, in place of his-as son-as, Ibrahim-as wished that he-as could have slaughtered his-as son-as Ismail-as and had not been Commanded to slaughter the ram in his place in order to return the feeling to his heart what the father who slaughtered his dearest of his sons to him, by his own hand so due to that he would be deserving of the loftiest of the Rewarded people upon the calamities.
فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ إِلَيْهِ يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ مَنْ أَحَبُّ خَلْقِي إِلَيْكَ فَقَالَ يَا رَبِّ مَا خَلَقْتَ خَلْقاً هُوَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ حَبِيبِكَ مُحَمَّدٍ
Allah-azwj Mighty and Majestic Revealed to him: “O Ibrahim-as! Who is the most beloved of My-azwj creatures to you-as?” He-as said: ‘O Lord-azwj! You-azwj have not Created any creature who is more beloved to me-as than Your-azwj Beloved Muhammad-saww!’
فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ أَ فَهُوَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْكَ أَمْ نَفْسُكَ- قَالَ بَلْ هُوَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِنْ نَفْسِي
Allah-azwj Revealed to him-as: “Is he-saww more beloved to you-as or your own self?” He-as said: ‘But, he-saww is more beloved to me-as than myself’.
قَالَ فَوَلَدُهُ أَحَبُّ إِلَيْكَ أَمْ وَلَدُكَ قَالَ بَلْ وَلَدُهُ
He-azwj Said: “Is his-saww son-asws more beloved to you-as or your own son-as?’ He said: ‘But, his-saww son-as is’.
قَالَ فَذَبْحُ وَلَدِهِ ظُلْماً عَلَى أَيْدِي أَعْدَائِهِ أَوْجَعُ لِقَلْبِكَ أَوْ ذَبْحُ وَلَدِكَ بِيَدِكَ فِي طَاعَتِي قَالَ يَا رَبِّ بَلْ ذَبْحُهُ عَلَى أَيْدِي أَعْدَائِهِ أَوْجَعُ لِقَلْبِي
He-azwj Said: “His-saww son-asws will be slaughtered unjustly by the hands of his-asws enemies. Is it more painful to your heart or slaughtering your-as son-as by your-as own hands in My-azwj obedience?” He-azwj said: ‘O Lord-azwj! But his-asws being slaughtered by the hands of his-asws enemies of more painful to my-as heart!’
قَالَ يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ فَإِنَّ طَائِفَةً تَزْعُمُ أَنَّهَا مِنْ أُمَّةِ مُحَمَّدٍ سَتَقْتُلُ الْحُسَيْنَ ابْنَهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ ظُلْماً وَ عُدْوَاناً كَمَا يُذْبَحُ الْكَبْشُ وَ يَسْتَوْجِبُونَ بِذَلِكَ سَخَطِي
He-azwj Said: “O Ibrahim-as! A group will claim that it is from the community of Muhammad-saww. It will be killing his-saww son Al Husayn-asws from after him-saww, unjustly and aggressively just as the ram gets slaughtered, and due to that they will be deserving My-azwj Wrath!”
فَجَزِعَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ لِذَلِكَ وَ تَوَجَّعَ قَلْبُهُ وَ أَقْبَلَ يَبْكِي فَأَوْحَى اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ قَدْ فَدَيْتُ جَزَعَكَ عَلَى ابْنِكَ إِسْمَاعِيلَ لَوْ ذَبَحْتَهُ بِيَدِكَ بِجَزَعِكَ عَلَى الْحُسَيْنِ وَ قَتْلِهِ وَ أَوْجَبْتُ لَكَ أَرْفَعَ دَرَجَاتِ أَهْلِ الثَّوَابِ عَلَى الْمَصَائِبِ
Ibrahim-as was alarmed by that and his heart pained, and he-as went on to cry. Allah-azwj Mighty and Majestic Revealed: “O Ibrahim-as! I-azwj have Ransomed your alarm upon Al-Husayn-asws and his-asws killing as a substitute for the grief you-as would have felt over your-as son-as Ismail-as had you-as slaughtered him-as with your-as own hand, and I-azwj have Obligated for you the highest ranks of those who are Rewarded upon the calamities!”
وَ ذَلِكَ قَوْلُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَ وَ فَدَيْناهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍ
And that is the Word of Allah-azwj Mighty and Majestic: And We Ransomed him with a magnificent sacrifice [37:107]’.[3]
[1] مجمع البيان 8: 710
[2] Bihar Al-Anwaar – V 4, The book of Tawheed, S 2, Ch 3 H 26
[3] Bihar Al Anwaar – V 12, The book of Prophet-hood, Ch 6 H 1