The "great nation" of Ishmael and its definition in the Bible:
The sections of this article are:
1- The "great nation" of Ishmael and its
definition in the Bible.
2- The Arabs, whom Islam came from, are the descendents of Ishmael, and they
are the "great nation" along with all Muslims.
3- GOD's Covenant was taken from the Jews and given to the Muslims in the
Bible.
The Biblical verses of Genesis 17:20 and Deuteronomy 4:7-8 were sent to me by brother albustami@usa.net; may Allah Almighty always be
pleased with him.
Let us look at the verses from the NIV Bible:
"And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. (From the NIV Bible, Genesis 17:20)"
"What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today? (From the NIV Bible, Deuteronomy 4:7-8)"
In the above verses, we first see a clear promise from GOD Almighty that He will make a "great nation" from Ishmael's descendents. We then see the definition of "great nation" as being a nation that directly receives a Law from GOD Almighty.
This is all great and agreeing with Islam. Let us look at what Allah Almighty said about the Jewish Law in the Noble Quran:
"It was We who revealed the law (to Moses): therein was guidance and light. By its standard have been judged the Jews, by the prophets who bowed (as in Islam) to God's will, by the rabbis and the doctors of law: for to them was entrusted the protection of God's book, and they were witnesses thereto: therefore fear not men, but fear me, and sell not my signs for a miserable price. If any do fail to judge by (the light of) what God hath revealed, they are (no better than) Unbelievers. (The Noble Quran, 5:44)"
The Law of the Muslims is the Noble Quran:
"Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than God; that which hath been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by being gored to death; that which hath been (partly) eaten by a wild animal; unless ye are able to slaughter it (in due form); that which is sacrificed on stone (altars); (forbidden) also is the division (of meat) by raffling with arrows: that is impiety. This day have those who reject faith given up all hope of your religion: yet fear them not but fear Me. This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. But if any is forced by hunger, with no inclination to transgression, God is indeed Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (The Noble Quran, 5:3)"
The Arabs, whom Islam came from, are the descendents of Ishmael, and they are the "great nation" along with all Muslims:
No knowledgeable Muslim would deny Judaism. Judaism was the "light" of the Jews according to the Noble Quran as I showed above. The verses of Deuteronomy 4:7-8, while they are talking about the Jews, clearly say that if the people have the "law of the LORD", then they are a "great nation".
Since GOD Almighty promised that He was going to make the Arabs a "great nation", since they are from Ishmael, then this means that the Noble Quran is indeed GOD Almighty's Law to the Arabs, and to ALL Muslims as well that embraced Islam. The people of Ishmael are clearly the Arabs (through biological descent), and all Muslims through theological descent. No knowledgeable non-Muslim would dispute that.
Therefore, since "great nation" proves that the people have the Law of GOD Almighty, and since the Arabs were promised to become a "great nation" in the Old Testament, then this clearly and irrefutably makes the Noble Quran as the Law of the LORD in the Old Testament since it came from the Arabs, the "great nation".
GOD's Covenant was taken from the Jews and given to the Muslims in the Bible:
All of the Biblical verses from both the Old and New Testaments, and Jesus' own words in the Bible that clearly prove this are discussed in great details at:
Are Muslims the "Chosen People" of GOD? If not, then who are?
Isaac and Ishmael in Islam and Christianity.