Isaac and Ishmael in Islam and Christianity:
The sections of this article:
- Isaac and Ishmael in Islam and Christianity.
- The Bible was badly corrupted by its people.
- The Jews received the highest number of Prophets. Yet, neither Moses
nor Jesus nor several other Prophets liked the Jews!
- Are Muslims then the "Chosen People" of GOD? If not, then who are?
- Comparing the Bible's claims to the Noble Quran's about who was the
Son to be sacrificed, Isaac or Ishmael?
- Ishmael
(Ismail) was the Son to be Sacrificed.
- Conclusion.
Muslims believe that when Abraham peace be upon him, the father of Isaac and Ishmael (Ismail), offered his son for sacrifice for GOD Almighty, he offered Ishmael. Jews and Christians believe that he offered Isaac.
The conflict between the Jews and Christians, and the Muslims, is much more serious than disagreeing on a story. The Jews and Christians believe that any son or daughter born from a Servant or Slave woman is not considered a biological son or daughter. Muslims on the other hand, believe that any son or daughter born from any mother is a biological son or daughter. Not only that, but the slave woman instantly becomes free.
Please visit Islam came to end the Judeo-Christian and Pagan Slavery.
Jews, Christians and Muslims all agree that Ishmael peace be upon him was 13 years older than Isaac peace be upon him. This means that the Muslims' claim is much closer to the Truth than the Jews' and Christians', because if we were to believe that Abraham offered Isaac for sacrifice to GOD Almighty, then he would've waited at least 13 years to do so if not even longer.
The Bible was badly corrupted by its people:
It is important to know that whatever claim you from a Jew or Christian backed up by the Bible, then that claim is highly doubtful and unreliable. Let us look at what GOD Almighty Said in the Bible:
"`How can you say, "We [the Jews] are wise, for we have the law of the LORD," when actually the lying pen of the scribes has handled it falsely?' (From the NIV Bible, Jeremiah 8:8)"
The Revised Standard Version makes it even clearer: "How can you say, 'We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us'? But, behold, the false pen of the scribes has made it into a lie. (From the RSV Bible, Jeremiah 8:8)"
In either translation, we clearly see that the Jews had so much corrupted the Bible with their man-made cultural laws and fabrications, that they had turned the Bible into a lie! See Also Deuteronomy 31:25-29 where Moses peace be upon him predicted the corruption/tampering of the Law (Bible) after his death. The Book of Moses predicted that the Law (Bible) will get corrupted. The Book of Jeremiah which came approximately 826 years after did indeed confirm this corruption.
Please visit Contradictions and proofs of Historical Corruptions in the Bible.
Why did Allah Almighty allow for the Bible to get corrupted?
Also, please visit The original Bible was lost! See comments from Historians and Theologians from the commentary of the NIV Bible (one of the most used Bibles world wide) itself admitting that most of the Books and Gospels of the Bible are corrupted. No one ever claimed ownership of the current Books and Gospels. The owners/writers are unknown.
So knowing the above solid facts about the Bible's validity, one must ask a very simple question here: Why should we trust historical narrations from the Bible?
Since the followers of the Bible so obviously corrupted the Bible, then why should you take their narrations/stories about Abraham for instance, offering his son Isaac for GOD Almighty as a sacrifice? Couldn't this story be all false or altered?
Could it be that the Jews in order for them to prove their Satanic theory about them being GOD's "Chosen People" that they altered the Bible and came up with a bunch of nonsense such as a son born from a Slave woman is not considered a biological son to enforce Isaac's position since he came from a Jewish mother, and to make the Jews look even more superior?
What kind of a religion that accepts no converts and considers its people superior above all nations? Did you know that in Judaism, if your mother was Jewish, then you are automatically a Jew?
This whole corruption was created to only prove that Isaac was the son whom Abraham peace be upon him offered for Sacrifice, because his mother was Jewish, and to further as I said prove that the Jews are superior above all nations.
It just doesn't sound right. There is an obvious alteration that took place, and ironically, the Bible confirms this alteration in Jeremiah 8:8 and in the links that I provided above.
The Jews received the highest number of Prophets. Yet, neither Moses nor Jesus nor several other Prophets liked the Jews!
The old Jewish trick about Jews received the highest number of Prophets which then makes them GOD Almighty's "Chosen People" is nothing but a deception. In fact, it is a bad thing for the Jews that GOD Almighty kept sending them Prophets who many of them ended up getting killed anyway by the Jews themselves according to the Saying of Jesus peace be upon him below. We need to know that neither Moses nor Jesus nor many of the Prophets in the Bible really liked Jews! Let us look at the following:
From Moses:
"And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, That Moses commanded the Levites(Jews), which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee. For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death? Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them. For I know that after my death ye will become utterly corrupt, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands. (Deuteronomy 31:25-29)"
From Jeremiah:
"How can you say, 'We [The Jews] are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us'? But, behold, the false pen of the scribes has made it into a lie. (From the RSV Bible, Jeremiah 8:8)"
From Jesus:
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. (From the NIV Bible, Matthew 23:37)"
Please visit Contradictions and proofs of Historical Corruptions in the Bible.
Why did Allah Almighty allow for the Bible to get corrupted?
The Jews were corrupt! They corrupted the Word of GOD Almighty. Like Jeremiah 8:8, the Noble Quran clearly states it:
"But on account of their breaking their covenant We cursed them (Jews and Christians) and made their hearts hard; they altered the words from their places and they neglected a portion of what they were reminded of; and you shall always discover treachery in them excepting a few of them; so pardon them and turn away; surely Allah loves those who do good (to others). (The Noble Quran, 5:13)"
"O Apostle! let not those grieve thee, who race each other into unbelief: (whether it be) among those who say "We believe" with their lips but whose hearts have no faith; or it be among the Jews,- men who will listen to any lie,- will listen even to others who have never so much as come to thee. They change the words from their (right) times and places: they say, 'If ye are given this, take it, but if not, beware!' If any one's trial is intended by God, thou hast no authority in the least for him against God. For such - it is not God's will to purify their hearts. For them there is disgrace in this world, and in the Hereafter a heavy punishment. (The Noble Quran, 5:41)"
Perhaps, that is why Allah Almighty decided to end His Message/Revelations with the Arabs, the other part of the Middle Eastern society that has not been polluted and unhampered by the burden of age-old prejudicies.
Are Muslims then the "Chosen People" of GOD? If not, then who are?
No race, color or gender are chosen by GOD Almighty in Islam. Everyone is evaluated by his Good Deeds.
Allah Almighty Said in the Noble Quran:
"O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other. Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well-acquainted. (The Noble Quran, 49:13)"
As I mentioned above, Muslims believe that the idea of "Chosen People" is a Jewish lie that was fabricated and inserted into the Bible to make the People of Israel be the Superior over all nations. The Bible, however, admits that it got corrupted by the Jews themselves, thus making their bogus claims get flushed right down the toilet.
Please visit Why did Allah Almighty allow for the Bible to get corrupted?
Comparing the Bible's claims to the Noble Quran's about who was the Son to be sacrificed, Isaac or Ishmael?
Let us look at what the Bible claims:
"By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son....(From the NIV Bible, Hebrews 11:17)"
Let us look at the validity of the Book of Hebrews in the Bible:
The following was take from the commentary of the Historians and Theologians of the NIV Bible to every Book and Gospel in the Bible:
The Book of Hebrews:
"The writer of this letter does not identify himself, but he was obviously well known to the original recipients. (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 1856)"
So because the guy was supposedly "well known (which we don't really know that for sure anyway)", then would that give us the right to consider his words as the Words of GOD Almighty?! I am sorry, but I don't really see the logic behind this! The Book of Hebrews is one of the highly used Books among Christians. I hear references from it a lot when listening to Christians preaching. Yet, no one really knows who wrote it!. This is quite ironic, because Christians use such highly doubtful books in their teachings as if they were the True Living Words of GOD Almighty. I don't care what you call this, but I call it blasphemy, because it is the most ridiculous insult to GOD Almighty and His Holy Words that I have ever seen.
I just hope you see the real cheap quality in the religion of Christianity, with all my respect due to every Christian reader.
Hebrews 11:17 was referring to the Book of Genesis' claims regarding Abraham supposedly offering Isaac for sacrifice. Therefore, let us examine the validity of the Book of Genesis:
The following was take from the commentary of the Historians and Theologians of the NIV Bible to every Book and Gospel in the Bible:
The Book of Genesis:
"Historically, Jews and Christians alike have held that Moses was the author/compiler of the first five books of the OT. These books, known also as the Pentateuch (meaning "five-volumed book"), were referred to in Jewish tradition as the five fifths of the law (of Moses). The Bible itself suggests Mosaic authorship of Genesis, since Ac 15:1 refers to circumcision as "the custom taught by Moses," an allusion of Ge 17. However, a certain amount of later editorial updating does appear to be indicated (see, e.g., notes on 14:14; 36:31; 47:11). (From the NIV Bible Commentary, page 2)"
So in reality, the book of Genesis had been tampered with by man. It had been corrupted.
As we clearly see above, the author of the Book of Hebrews is not known. This means that anyone could've written this Book/Letter. This obviously would mean that the Book/Letter then would in no way be the True Living Words of GOD Almighty.
We also clearly see above, that the Book of Genesis had been altered and updated by people after Moses peace be upon him. Again, it is highly possible that when the Jews altered the Book of Genesis, they made it persuade the reader that Isaac was the son to be sacrificed, because his mother was Jewish. They also inserted the false claim, that any son born from a Slave woman is not considered a biological son.
Below, we will see how false their bogus claims are, and why did Abraham choose the name "Ishmael" for his first-born son, who was 13 years older than Isaac? The meaning of the name, Ishmael, is one proof that the Jews' claims are false.
Ishmael (Ismail) was the Son to be Sacrificed:
Let us look at what Allah Almighty Said:
" 'O my Lord! grant me a righteous (son)!' So We gave him the good news of a boy ready to suffer and forbear. Then when (the son) reached (the age of) (serious) work with him, He said: 'O my son! I see in vision that I offer thee in sacrifice: Now see what is thy view!' (The son) said: 'O my father! Do as thou art commanded: Thou wilt find me, if Allah so wills one practising patience and constancy!' (The Noble Quran, 37:100-102)"
Here we see Abraham peace be upon him prayed to Allah Almighty to grant him a righteous son. This was in the fertile land of Syria and Palestine. The boy thus born was, according to Muslim tradition, (which however is not unanimous to this point), the first-born son of Abraham, Ismail or Ishmael. The name itself is from the root Samia, to hear, because Allah had heard Abraham's prayer (Noble Verse 37:100). Abraham's age when Ismail was born was 86. [2]
Let us use some logic here: As I mentioned, the Bible claims that Abraham offered his son Isaac for sacrifice, and the Noble Quran claims that he offered Ishmael, who was 13 years older than Isaac for sacrifice. So, we have the Bible's word against the Noble Quran's.
As intelligent people with good common sense, we can tell what is true and what is false from the evidence provided. As mentioned above, if Ishmael means "to hear", then Abraham had named him as such, because Allah Almighty heard his prayer and granted him a son, his first-born son Ishmael.
Abraham was so happy to have his first-born son Ishmael at a very old age, that he named him a name that symbolizes his long patience and his gratefulness to GOD Almighty that he finally Heard Abraham and granted him his wish that he'd always wanted. Remember that Abraham was 86 when Ishmael was born. So Ishmael was NOT as the corrupted Bible claims, a not considered biological son to Abraham. Abraham adored Ishmael and loved him so dearly. The proof to this is as I said, Ishmael's name.
Important Note: As I mentioned above, Ishmael was 13 years older than Isaac, and Abraham loved GOD Almighty very much that he wanted to sacrifice his own son for Him. If Ishmael's name represents Abraham's gratefulness to GOD Almighty after a desperate long wait to have a son, then it makes perfect sense that Abraham wanted to sacrifice Ishmael to GOD Almighty by giving Him the most precious thing he ever had.
Let us continue reading what Allah Almighty Said in the Noble Quran:
"So when they had both [Abraham and Ishmael] submitted their wills (to Allah), and he had laid him prostrated on his forehead (for sacrifice), We called out to him, 'O Abraham! Thou hast already fulfilled the vision! - thus indeed do We reward those who do right. For this was obviously a trial - and We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice: And We left (this blessing) for him among generations (to come) in later times: 'peace and salutation to Abraham!' Thus indeed do We reward those who do right. (The Noble Quran, 37:103-110)"
Note (in Noble Verse 37:103) that the sacrifice was demanded of both Abraham and Ismail. It was a trial of the will of the father and the son. By way of trial the father had the command conveyed to him in a vision. He consulted the son. The son readily consented, and offered to stand true to his promise if his self-sacrifice was really required. The whole things is symbolical. Allah does not require the flesh and blood of animals (Noble Verse 22:37), much less of human beings. But he does require the giving of our whole being to Allah, the symbol of which is that we should give up something very dear to us, if duty requires that sacrifice. [3]
"For he [Abraham] was one of our believing Servants. And we gave him the good news [a second-born son to come] of Isaac - a Prophet - One of the Righteous. (The Noble Quran, 37:111-112)"
Isaac was Abraham's second son, born of Sarah, when Abraham was 100 years of age. He was also blessed and became the ancestor of the Jewish people. [4]
Conclusion:
It is quite clear that Ishmael was the son to be sacrificed and not Isaac, peace be upon both of them. We also saw how corrupt the Bible is. The Bible is not reliable. It was badly tampered with by man's alterations and narrations, that we no longer can tell which parts of it are the True Living Words of GOD Almighty, and which aren't.
Ishmael was 13 years older than Isaac, and Abraham loved GOD Almighty very much that he wanted to sacrifice his own son for Him. If Ishmael's name represents Abraham's gratefulness to GOD Almighty after a desperate long wait to have a son, then it makes perfect sense that Abraham wanted to sacrifice Ishmael to GOD Almighty by giving Him the most precious thing he ever had.
Please visit Why did Allah Almighty allow for the Bible to get corrupted?
Bibliography:
1- The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an.
Author: Abdullah Yusuf Ali.
Published by: Amana Publications, 10710 Tucker Street, Suite B, Beltsville, Maryland
20705-2223 USA.
Telephone: (301) 595-5777.
Fax: (301) 595-5888.
ISBN: 0-91597-59-0 (HC).
2- The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an [1], foot note #4095, page 1149.
3- The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an [1], foot note #4100, page 1149.
4- The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an [1], foot note #4105, page 1151.
Allah, Islam, Quran, Muhammad questions and answers.
What is the place of Jews, Christians and non-Muslims in Islam.
Contradictions and proofs of Historical Corruptions in the Bible.
Why did Allah Almighty allow for the Bible to get corrupted?
The Bible claims that Sarah (Isaac's mother) was Abraham's biological sister.
The "great nation" of Ishmael and its definition in the Bible.