Hajj: A Commitment to Ultimate Sacrifice

living conditions, and I told him that we are in a good state.” Isma’il then asked, “Did he give you any message for me?” She replied, “He conveyed his greetings of peace to you and asked that you secure the threshold of your door.” Isma’il said, “That was my father, and you are the threshold. He was advising me to keep you as my wife.” Years later, Ibrahim returned and found Isma’il crafting arrows under a tree near Zamzam. They greeted each other warmly, as a father and son would. Ibrahim said, “O Isma’il, God has commanded me to build a house here,” pointing to a small hill. Together, they began constructing the Ka‘bah, with Isma’il bringing stones and Ibrahim building. As the walls grew higher, Isma’il brought a stone for Ibrahim to stand on, which later became known as the Maqam Ibrahim. While building, they prayed together, as mentioned in the Quran (2:127): “Our Lord, accept this from us. Indeed, You are the All-Hearing, the AllKnowing. (Musannaf Abd al-Razzaq, Vol. 4, p. 352). Prophet Ibrahim had prayed for a prophet to arise from Isma’il’s descendants (Quran 2:129). The Prophet Muhammad was born as the fulfilment of this prayer. However, as is known, there was a gap of 2,500 years between the prayer and its acceptance. The reason for this delay was that, during this period, a generation was being prepared—one that would be able to break free from the continuity of idolatry and think independently. Through the rigorous training of the desert, this generation developed the capacity to support the Prophet and carry out the challenging mission to its completion. The Quran