Verse 104

3337

Commentary:

The Quran and the Bible disagree as to which of his two sons—Ishmael and Isaac—Abraham, in pursuance of God’s command, offered for sacrifice. The Quran says that it was Ishmael, but according to the Bible, it was Isaac. The Bible, speaking of the sacrifice says "And He said, 'Take now thy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac and get there into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I tell thee of'" (Gen. 22:2). The Quran, on the other hand, declares clearly and unequivocally, in the verse under comment, that it was Ishmael who was offered for sacrifice. The Bible, however, contradicts itself in this respect. According to it, Abraham was commanded to offer his only son for sacrifice, but Isaac was at no time his only son. Ishmael was born to Abraham when he was 86 years old while Isaac was born to him when he had reached the very advanced age of 99. Thus for 13 years Ishmael was Abraham’s only son, and, being also his first born, was doubly dear to him. It stands to reason, therefore, that Abraham must have been required by God to offer for sacrifice his nearest and dearest thing which was his only and first born son who was Ishmael.

Some evangelists have vainly tried to show that, "Ishmael being of the handmaid, was born after the flesh while Isaac being born of the free woman was by promise" (Galatians, 4:22, 23). Apart from the fact that Hagar, Ishmael’s mother, belonged to the royal family of Egypt and was no handmaid, Ishmael has repeatedly been mentioned in the Bible as Abraham’s son, exactly as Isaac has been mentioned as his son (Gen. 16:16; 17:23, 25). Moreover, analogous promises were made to Abraham in regard to the future greatness of Ishmael as were made to him about Isaac. The Bible says: "And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation" (Gen. 17:20). "And the angel of the Lord said unto her (Hagar) "I will multiply thy seed exceedingly that it shall not be numbered for multitude." (Gen. 16:10, 11). So apart from the substitution in the Bible of Isaac for Ishmael which seems to be deliberate, and of Moriah for Marwah, an hillock which lies in the vicinity of Mecca near which Abraham, in fulfilment of his vision, referred to in the preceding verse, left Ishmael with his mother Hagar while yet a child, there is nothing in the Bible to lend the slightest support to the view that Abraham offered Isaac for sacrifice and not Ishmael.

Furthermore, the fact that whereas no trace is to be found in the religious ceremonies of Jews and Christians of the supposed sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham, the Muslims, spiritual descendants of Ishmael, commemorate with great fervour his intended sacrifice, by slaughtering every year rams and goats all over the world on the tenth day of Dhul-Hijjah. This universal sacrifice of rams and goats by Muslims on a specific day in commemoration of Abraham’s preparedness to slaughter Ishmael, establishes beyond dispute or doubt that it was Ishmael whom Abraham offered for sacrifice and not Isaac. In a sense Abraham had already fulfilled his vision by leaving Ishmael while yet a child with his mother, Hagar, in the bleak and barren valley of Mecca where at that time there was to be found no sign of life, nor even a blade of grass or a drop of water. That brave act, in fact, had symbolised the sacrifice of Ishmael.