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Islamic view of Abraham

"Ibrahim" redirects here. For other meanings, see Ibrahim (disambiguation).

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Ibrāhīm (Arabic: ابراهيم), the biblical patriarch Abraham (circa 2000 B.C.), is an important prophet in Islam. He is the son of Tarakh and the father of the Prophet Ismail (Ishmael), his firstborn son who is considered the Father of the Arabs. Ibrahim is commonly termed Khalil Allah, or "Friend of God". His father died when he was very young and he was subsequently brought up by his polytheist uncle, Azar.[1]

Islam regards many of the biblical patriarchs as prophets of Allah, and hence as Muslims (i.e., monotheists). Ibrahim is regarded as a Hanif (meaning a discoverer of monotheism without being taught by a messenger).

Because of their mutual veneration for Abraham, Islam, Christianity and Judaism are sometimes summarized under the term "Abrahamic religions".

Commemoration of Ibrahim

The faith of Ibrahim is called Millat-e-Ibrahim in the Qur'an. Muslims believe that Ibrahim is a prophet of God, in accordance with the narrative of his life in the Qur'an. Ibrahim and his son Ismail are said to have fixed the Kaaba in Mecca. (Qur'an 2:125). Ibrahim also has an important role in one of the Pillars of Islam, the Hajj, which is a pilgrimage to the Holy Mosque. The principal aspect of the Hajj is remembering Ibrahim's sacrifice of Ismail (Ibrahim's firstborn son) and his path to the altar where Iblees (Satan) attempted to dissuade him three times. Those places where Satan appeared are marked with three symbolic pillars where pilgrims throw stones. Moreover a part of the Hajj is a commemoration of the sacrifice and efforts of the wife of Ibrahim Hajre, Hagar, to find water for her son Ismail, when he was near dead with thirst. She ran between the two hills, Safa and Marwa, seven times and this ritual, Saaee (means effort/struggle in Arabic) is mandatory for all pilgrims to Mecca. During her quest for water she saw that a spring of fresh water had erupted near where her son Ismail lay. That spring became the basis of founding the city of Mecca, since fresh water was scarce in that barren land, and many tribes settled around there. This spring has been running for thousands of years. Ibrahim settled his wife and son in the valley of Mecca by God's order, to pioneer a civilization. It was from this civilization that the final prophet of Islam, Muhammad, was later born.

In Islamic prayer, Salat, that occurs five times a day, Muslims have a specific dua that they recite asking God to bless both Ibrahim and Muhammad and their household. According to Islamic tradition, Ibrahim is buried in Hebron. In the Masjid al Haram in Mecca, there is an area known as the "station of Ibrahim" (Maqam Ibrahim مقام), which is said to bear an impression of his footprints.

Ibrahim in the Qur'an

There are numerous references to Ibrahim in the Qur'an. According to the Qur'an, Ibrahim is the spiritual father of all the believers. He is mentioned as an upright person who was neither a polytheist nor a Christian or a Jew (Qur'an 3:67). An example is like the one below:

O ye who believe! Bow down and prostrate yourselves, and worship your Lord, and do good, that haply ye may prosper And strive for Allah with the endeavor which is His right. He hath chosen you and hath not laid upon you in religion any hardship; the faith of your father Ibrahim (is yours). He hath named you Muslims of old time and in this (Scripture), that the messenger may be a witness against you, and that ye may be witnesses against mankind. So establish worship, pay the poor due, and hold fast to Allah. He is your Protecting Friend. A blessed Patron and a blessed Helper. (Qur'an 22:78)

According to the Qur'an, Ibrahim reached the conclusion that anything subject to disappearance could not be worthy of worship, and thus became a monotheist (Qura'n 6:76–83). Some Sunni Muslims — like Jews — believe that Azar who was an idol-maker was the father of Ibrahim and some Sunnis and Shias believe that Tarakh was his father and Azar was Ibrahim's uncle (Father of Ibrahim). One should recognise the word Ab is used in the Quran not only to denote somebody's father but other close family relations too. For example,

Nay! were you witnesses when death visited Yaqoub, when he said to his sons: What will you serve after me? They said: Well will serve your God and the God of your fathers, Ibrahim and Ismail.

The word Ab here is used to describe Isma'il/Ishmael as the uncle of Yaqub/Jacob as Yaqub/Jacob is the son of Ishaq/Isaac.

Nevertheless, whether Azar or Tarakh was his father, both were polytheists, as the infidelity of Azar is mentioned in the Qur'an (6:74) and that of Tarakh in the Bible (Joshua 24:2). Ibrahim broke his father's idols, calling on his community to worship God instead. They then cast him into a fire, which miraculously failed to burn him (Qur'an 37:83–98). The well-known but non-canonical Qisas al-Anbiya (Ibn Kathir) records many more details of his life, which are commonly referred to in Islamic accounts.

The sacrifice

Traditionally, Muslims believe that it was Ishmael rather than Isaac whom Ibrahim was told to sacrifice. In support of this, Muslims note that the text of Genesis, despite specifying Isaac, appears to state that Ibrahim was told to sacrifice his only son ("Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac" Genesis/Bereshit 22:2) to God. Since Isaac was Ibrahim's second son, it is arguable there was no time at which he would have been Ibrahim's "only son", and that this supports the Muslim belief that there was an original text that must have named Ishmael rather than Isaac as the intended sacrifice. Although, theologians tend to interpret this to be referring to the fact that Isaac would be the only one of his descendants counted as a Jew. Because Judaism is passed down matrilineally. In other words most theologians think since Ishmael who had already left to the desert would not be reckoned as a Jew because his mother wasn't a Jew the extra inface is there. The Qur'an itself does not specify by name which son Ibrahim nearly sacrificed saying only that it was his only son (Qur'an 37:99–111). Isaac (Ishaq in Islam) is also considered a prophet in Islam.

Muslims believe Ibrahim's dream was a test from God. When Ibrahim told his dream to Ismail, it was Ismail who convinced Ibrahim to fulfill God's order. So this was a test for both Ibrahim, who had longed for a son for such a long time, and for Ismail. Shayṭān (Satan, according to Christianity) appeared before Ibrahim and Ismail to try and deceive them. Ibrahim and Ismail threw stones at Shayṭān as a response. This is commemorated during the jumrah, one of the rites undertaken by Muslims making the required pilgrimage to Mecca. As Shaytaan had failed to deceive Ibrahim and Ismail, he went to Ibrahim's wife, and mother of Ismail, Hajar. When he told her what had happened she did not believe him, but when he told her that Ibrahim believed he was carrying out God's will, Hajar said: "If it is God's will, let what God wills be done". Their faith had overcome Shaytaan and in the end, God stopped Ibrahim and gave him a sheep to slaughter instead.

The entire episode of the sacrifice is regarded as a trial that Ibrahim had to face from God. It is celebrated by Muslims on the day of Eid ul-Adha.

References in the Qur'an

References

  1. ^ Ibrahim was the son of Tarakh. When Tarakh was 75 years of age, Ibrahim was born to him. Sunni reference: al-Bidaya wan Nahaya, by Ibn Katheer, v 1 p 139

External links

Prophets of Islam in the Qur'an
Adam Idris Nuh Hud Saleh Ibrahim Lut Ismail Is'haq Yaqub Yusuf Ayub Mosque.svg
آدم ادريس نوح هود صالح إبراهيم لوط اسماعيل اسحاق يعقوب يوسف أيوب
Adam Enoch Noah Eber Shelah Abraham Lot Ishmael Isaac Jacob Joseph Job
Shoaib Musa Harun Dhul-Kifl Daud Sulayman Ilyas Al-Yasa Yunus Zakariya Yahya Isa Muhammad
شعيب موسى هارون ذو الكفل داود سليمان إلياس اليسع يونس زكريا يحيى عيسى محمد
Jethro Moses Aaron Ezekiel David Solomon Elijah Elisha Jonah Zechariah John Jesus

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