Page 69 - World Religions I - Islam

 God commands Abraham at one point to sacrifice his son, to which he obeys. The Qur'anic account
is similar to the Biblical account (with substantially less detail), except that the name of the son is
omitted from the narrative.40
o Early traditional sources debate which of Abraham's sons were put up for the sacrifice, but
modern Muslims hold to the idea that it was Ishmael, since the verses following the narrative
discuss the birth of Isaac.41
o Muslims acknowledge Abraham's willingness to obey God through sacrifice by sacrificing
animals during the yearly festival of Eid al-Adha.
 Abraham is believed to have built the Ka'aba in Mecca as a central worship place for humanity, and
to have established the rites of pilgrimage (Hajj) with his son Ishmael.42 Despite the Qur'an's claim
that Abraham established the Ka'aba as a place of worldwide central worship, Muhammad and his
followers prayed towards Jerusalem for 14 years before changing the direction to Mecca.
o During the construction of the Ka'aba, Abraham and Ishmael implore God to send to the people
of Mecca "a messenger of their own", which Muslims interpret to be Muhammad.43 It's
interesting to note in this passage that Abraham requests a messenger who will "rehearse [God's]
signs" to the people. The Qur'an emphatically negates the idea of Muhammad performing
miracles (Surahs 2:118, 2:145, 6:37, 6:109, 10:20, 13:7).
 Abraham is considered by Muslims to be the ancestor of Muhammad, who is claimed to be a
descendant through Abraham's son Ishmael.44
 Abraham is mentioned in the Qur'an by name 69 times.
o Ishmael (Isma'il)
 Ishmael is recognized by Muslims as the ancestor of several prominent Arab tribes and being the
forefather of Muhammad.
 Muslim tradition relates the story of the banishment of Hagar and Ishmael into the wilderness. 45 Hagar
is not mentioned by name in the Qur'an but is referenced and alluded to in the stories concerning
Abraham.
o Abraham brought Hagar and baby Ishmael to the desert on the western edge of the Arabian
Peninsula, where he left them.
o During a desperate search for water between the hills of Safa and Marwah, an angel of God
revealed a spring of water to Hagar by striking the ground with his heal (some traditions claim it was
his wing), which has come to be known as the Zamzam Well.
 Both the Qur'an and the Hadith indicate that Ishmael settled (along with Hagar) near the area where
Mecca would later be located.46 The Bible states that Hagar and Ishmael (around age 14, according to
the timing listed in Genesis 17) settled in the Desert of Paran (located in the Sinai Peninsula), where his
mother found for him a wife from the Egyptians (Genesis 21:20-21).
 Ishmael, along with his father Abraham, "raised the foundations of the [Ka'aba]".47
 Ishmael is mentioned alongside other patriarchs as one who had been given revelations.48
o Jacobs sons promise to follow the faith of their forefathers, "Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac", when
testifying of their faith.49 This statement seems highly uncharacteristic of the time period, especially
since Ishmael isn't really their forefather, but rather their fore- great-half-uncle.
 Ishmael is mentioned in the Qur'an by name 12 times.
o Isaac (Is'haq)
 The Qur'an mentions very little about Isaac compared to the Biblical accounts.
 Isaac was promised to Abraham and Sarah in their old age, at which point Sarah laughed.50
 Isaac was declared as a "gift" to Abraham.51
 God made "prophethood and the Book to be among his offspring", which is interpreted to be Isaac's son
Jacob and his grandson Joseph, who are both considered prophets in Islam.52
 Isaac is mentioned in the Qur'an by name 17 times.

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