THE FRIEND OF GOD(Khaleel-Ullah) AND HOW THEY WERE GRANTED:
By: Hazrath Moulana Abul Fatah Syed Nusrath Tashrifullahi
 
     On account of his ardent love for God, Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh) was honored by God as “Khaleel-Ullah” (Friend of God). Prophet Ibrahim’s (pbuh) total surrender to the will of Lord and his perfect obedience to whatever his Lord commanded, won him this distinguished title among the prophets of God. Further, according to Bible, God gave him the following good-tiding: “No longer shall you be called Abraham, for I am making you father of a host of nations. I shall render you exceedingly fertile. I shall make nations of you. Kings shall stem from you. (Genesis 17.3).

     As a patriarch to Jews, Christians and Muslims, he is equally respectable. All the prophets of Bani-Isra-el (Children of Isra-el) belong to his progeny. His second son Is-haq (Isaac) (pbuh) was a prophet. Is-haq’s son Yaqoob (pbuh) (Jacob) was also a prophet and Yaqoob’s son Yousuf (pbuh) (Joseph) too was a great prophet. A large number of other prophets who came after Yousuf *, including Musa (pbuh) (Moses), Dawood (pbuh) (David) and his son Suleiman (pbuh) (Solomon), Zakariyah (pbuh) and Yah-ya (pbuh) (John) all belonged to the progeny of Is-hac (pbuh) , the second son of Ibrahim (pbuh) . Even the mother of Isa (pbuh) (Jesus), Mariyam (Mary)[Allah bless her and give her peace) belonged to the progeny of Is-haq (pbuh).

     Ibrahim’s (pbuh) first son, Isma-el (pbuh) (Ishmael) was also a great prophet of God. However, there had been no prophet down the line of Isma-el (pbuh) until the last of all the prophets, Muhammad son of Abdullah (Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him). Imam of the later age, the promised Mehdi (pbuh), Syed Muhammad, son of Syed Abdullah too was born in the progeny of Isma-el (pbuh). This was a fulfillment of the prayers of Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh). The birth of Muslim Ummah (people of the last of all the prophets) was also a fulfillment of the prayers of the father and son, Ibrahim (pbuh) and Isma-el (pbuh). Ka-bah (the very first house of God on the earth) to become the spiritual center of Muslims all the world over, and Mecca to become the City of peace was also prayed for by both the prophets of God. The prayer of the father (Abraham) and the son (Ishmael-eel) have been narrated in the last book of Allah revealed to the last of the prophets (Muhammad (pbuh)) in the second chapter named Al-Baqarah as follows:

1. And when his lord tested Abraham with certain words, and he fulfilled them. He said; ‘Behold, I make you a leader (Imam) for the people’. Said he, “And of my seed” ? He said “ (the benefit of ) my covenant shall not reach the evil doers”.(Al-Baqarah)
Here the Qur-anic term “Imamul-Linnas” devotes a divinely guided spiritual leader. In the words of Abraham *, “and of my seed?” there is a humble and an earnest prayer to make a leader (Imam) for the people from among my progeny too.

2. And when Abraham said, “My Lord, make this a land secure, and provide it’s people with fruits, such of them as believe in God and the Last day,”
He said, “ And whoso disbelieves , to  him I shall give enjoyment a little, then I shall compel him to the chastisement of the Fire – how evil a home coming”!  
The above prayer of Abraham (pbuh) was granted with the advent of Prophet Muhammed ( Allah bless him and give him peace) and his conquest of Mecca.

3. .And when Abraham and Ishmael (pbuh)  raised up the foundations of the House, they prayed:
“Our Lord, receive this from us; Thou art the All-hearing, the All-knowing; and , our Lord, make us Muslims – submissive to Thee; and show us our holy sites, and turn towards us; surely Thou turnest, and art All compassionate.”
The prayer of the father and the son was granted when a submissive nation (i.e., the Muslim Ummah) was raised through the ministry of the last Prophet Muhammed (pbuh)  God had promised to Abraham (pbuh) that He will raise a nation from Ishma-el (pbuh).  According to Taorah, God said to Abraham (pbuh) that – 
“As for Ishmael, I am heeding you: I hereby bless him. I will make him fertile and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve chieftains, and I will make him a great nation.” (Genesis 17:20)  
God said to Ishma-el’s mother, Hager (Hajira (pbuh) )  
“Arise, lift up the boy and hold him by the hand; for I will make him a great nation.” (Genesis 21:18).

4. “and our Lord, do thou send among them a Messenger, one of them, who shall recite to them Thy signs, and teach them the Book and the Wisdon, and purify them; Thou art the All-mighty, the All-wise.”

Although a number of great messengers of God sent from time to time from among the progeny of Isaac (Ishaq (pbuh)), but none of them is meant in the above prayer. The prayer for “a messenger” is for none but the last of the messengers who belonged to the progeny of Ishmael (pbuh) and by the word “them” is meant the “Nation” which was raised from the seed of Ishma-el namely the Arabs, and more particularly the Quresh among them. By the word “Book” is meant the last Book of God revealed to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

So also by the prayer for a “Leader” (an Imam) is meant the Imam Mehdi, the promised Caliph of God, who too belonged to the progeny of Ishma-el (pbuh). The Prophet (pbuh) had informed the Ummah that the Mehdi is from me (my house) and that he shall belong to the progeny of Prophet’s daughter, Fatima (RZ).

Thus, by His Grace, the Lord has already granted all the prayers of His friend, Abraham regarding the progeny of his elder son Ishma-el (pbuh).