The Sacrifice Of Abraham: Isaac or Ishmael ?

(P)

Muhammad Ghoniem & M S M Saifullah

© Islamic Awareness, All Rights Reserved.

Assalamu-alaikum wa rahamatullahi wa barakatuhu:

It is well known to Muslims, Christians and Jews that Abraham(P) was ordered to
sacrifice his son and he was willing to do so but God gave him a sheep to sacrifice
instead of his cherished progeny. So far, everybody agrees. However, Jews and
Christians say that the sacrificed was Isaac(P) -"Abraham's only son", whereas
according to the Islamic tradition the sacrificed is Ishmael(P). The opposition between
the two versions has not bothered any side that much because in the common mind
"what we think is certainly right and those who think differently are necessarily
wrong". Recently, we came across an article by the Christian missionaries claiming
that according to the Islamic sources themselves the sacrificed was Isaac(P) (i.e., the
Judeo-Christian version of the story). In the following article, the reader will get the
fruits of our research about this matter.

The most relevant passage in the Qur'ân is from verse 37:99 to verse 37:109, a
passage including two different glad tidings brought to Abraham(P). Here under, we
quote the verses concerning the sacrificed:

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99. He said: "I will go to my Lord! He will surely guide me
100. "O my Lord! Grant me a righteous (son)!"
101. So We gave him the good news of a forbearing son.
102. Then, when (the son) reached (the age of) (serious) work with him, he said: "O
my son! I have seen in a 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 will find me, if
Allah so wills, one of the steadfast!"
103. So when they had both submitted (to Allah), and he had laid him prostrate on his
forehead (for sacrifice),
104. We called out to him "O Abraham! ...
105. "Thou hast already fulfilled the vision!" - thus indeed do We reward those who
do right.

A Strange Logic

The first argument put forward by those who support the Isaac-theory is that, in the
Qur'ân, the name associated to glad tidings is Isaac(P) while Ishmael's(P) name was never
associated to good news or glad tidings. They quote verse 37:112

"And We gave him the good news of Isaac - a Prophet - one of the righteous."

and verse 51:28

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"They said, "Fear not," and they gave him glad tidings of a son endowed with
knowledge."

Some points have to be made clear in this concern:

1. It is well known that Abraham(P) got his first child in his old days (more than
80 years old). By all means, when he was given the news of his first son,
Ishmael(P), the news were great and not only good. It seems reasonable to think
that the news of having his second son, Isaac(P) would be equal or less because
in the first time the surprise factor has certainly increased his happiness.
2. More to the point, using the same argument as the opposition, one can safely
say that the sacrificed was described as forbearing and steadfast in the Qur'ân
and if we search the whole Qur'ân we will find the name of Ishmael(P)
associated to patience and steadfastness and not Isaac(P)!
3. Indeed verse 21:85 (in red in the picture below) reads

"And (remember) Ishmael, Idris, and Zulkifl, all (men) of constancy and patience".

Conclusion: The sacrificed is Ishmael(P) according to the opponent's own logic.

Further scrutiny requires that we quote the full passage in surah 37:

99. He said: "I will go to my Lord! He will surely guide me!

100. "O my Lord! Grant me a righteous (son)!"
101. So We gave him the good news of a forbearing son.
102. Then, when (the son) reached (the age of) (serious) work with him, he said: "O

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my son! I have seen in a 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 will find me, if
Allah so wills, one of the steadfast!"
103. So when they had both submitted (to Allah), and he had laid him prostrate on his
forehead (for sacrifice),
104. We called out to him "O Abraham! ...
105. "Thou hast already fulfilled the vision!" - thus indeed do We reward those who
do right.
106. For this was a clear trial-
107. And We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice:
108. And We left for him among generations (to come) in later times:
109. "Peace and salutation to Abraham!"
110. Thus indeed do We reward those who do right.
111. For he was one of Our believing Servants.

112. And We gave him the good news of Isaac - a prophet,- one of the Righteous.
113. We blessed him and Isaac: but of their progeny are (some) that do right, and
(some) that obviously do wrong, to themselves.

It is very obvious that, in this passage, there are two distinct good news, the first one
about a forbearing son (the one to be sacrificed) and the second one about Isaac(P).
Thus, the sacrificed cannot be Isaac(P) at least not according to the Qur'ân. But, once
again, the opponent avoided (willingly?) to quote the full passage and this is
frequently their way of doing things. Moreover, those who support that the two news
are actually the same show their incompetence with the Qur'ânic style. Such a
repetition cannot be imagined nor accepted by anyone who studied the Qur'ân, God's
Final Book.

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The Opinion Of Ibn Kathîr [1]

The above scan is the exegesis of verse 37:101 "So We gave him the good news of a
forbearing son". Here is the translation of the above passage:

"So We gave him the good news of a forbearing son."

And this son is Ishmael(P) for he is the first son whose

good news was brought to Abraham(P). He is older than Isaac
according to Muslims and ahl al-kitâb (i.e., the People
of the Book) too. It is even said in their Scripture that
Ishmael(P) was born when Abraham(P) was 86 years old and
Isaac(P) was born when Abraham(P) was 99. In their Scripture
as well, God is said to have ordered Abraham(P) to
sacrifice his only son and in another version his
firstborn. And, at this spot, they inserted falsely the
name of Isaac(P) against the text of their very Scripture.
The reason they inserted Isaac(P) is that he is their
father whereas Ishmael(P) is the father of the Arabs. They
added Isaac(P) out of envy and brushed away "only son" by
saying that Ishmael(P) and his mother had already been to
Makkah. This is a mere [farfetched] explanation since we
never say "only son" except to a person who hasn't got

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but one son. Moreover, the firstborn has got a special
place [in the heart of his father] that is not given to
the following children and the order to sacrifice him is
therefore a greater test. Some knowledgeable people were
inclined to say that the sacrificed was Isaac(P). This was
reported from some people of the salaf (i.e. people of
the previous generations) and it was even reported from
some Companions(R) but [this opinion] does not have any
bearings from the Book [i.e., the Qur'ân] nor from the
Sunnah. I think such opinion was received from the Rabbis
of ahl al-Kitâb as is without evidence. Moreover, God's
Book is a witness and points to the fact that it is
Ishmael(P) because the glad tiding said that the son was
patient and that he is the sacrificed. Only afterwards,
He said: "And We gave him the good news of Isaac - a
prophet,- one of the Righteous." and when the Angels
brought the good news of Isaac(P) to Abraham(P) they said: "
"Fear not," and they gave him glad tidings of a son
endowed with knowledge." And the Most High said: " We
gave her [Sarah] glad tidings of Isaac, and after him, of
Jacob." [11:71] meaning that in the lifetime of Abraham(P)
and Sarah(P), Isaac(P) will beget a child that he will call
Jacob(P) implying that Isaac(P) will have a progeny. We have
already explained why it is not possible that Isaac(P) be
sacrificed while still a child i.e., because God promised
them [Abraham and Sarah] that he will have a progeny. On
the other hand, Ishmael(P) was described as forbearing and
he fits that description.

[Note that many commentators including Ibn Kathîr believe

that "forbearing" does not fit a child, it can at least
describe teenagers for they are old enough to be
described as such.]

In a nutshell, the great Qur'ânic commentator Ibn Kathîr adds to our first three
arguments two new ones: according to the Bible, the sacrificed is said to be
Abraham's(P) only son (or his firstborn in some versions), which cannot fit Isaac(P);
according to the Qur'ân, the good news of Isaac(P) said that he would have a progeny
and consequently God cannot order Abraham(P) to sacrifice Isaac(P) before the promise
is fulfilled. Again, according to the Qur'ân, the sacrificed cannot be Isaac.

The Opinion of Ulûm al-Hadîth

c

As a matter of fact, there was a debate between Muslim scholars whether the
sacrificed was Isaac(P) or Ishmael(P). But the critical study of the reports allows us to
drive safe conclusions. Here is the opinion of a scholar of the Science of Hadîth:

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The truth is that the reports stating that the Sacrificed
is Isaac are part of the Isrâ'îliyyât due to the People
of the Book, it was transmitted by those who converted
among them like Kacb al-Ahbâr and it was conveyed [from
the converts] by some Companions and Followers [tâbicûn]
as sign of trust. Later, the scholars who came after them
were fooled by such reports and supported that the
Sacrificed was Isaac(P). Every book of exegesis [tafsîr] or
biography or even history would mention the argument that
took place among the salaf. However, some [of those
books] would follow the argument by outlining the truth
and others wouldn't add any commentary either by
conviction or surrender [to these reports].[2]

And further:

The truth is that the Sacrificed is Ishmael(P). This is

supported by the Qur'ânic verses and reports from the
Companions and Followers and reports rated Marfuc by
approval of the Prophet [i.e., when something is said in
the presence of the Prophet(P) and he does not oppose it
then we consider that it is correct but it does not
amount to Sahîh which is, by the way, what the Prophet(P)
himself said.].

No wonder that many Companions and Followers and the

later scholars of [Qur'ân] and hadîth among which we
enumerate great Companions and poles of knowledge like:
c
Alî, Ibn cUmar, Abû Hurayrah, Abû Tufayl, Sacîd Ibn
Jubayr, Mujâhid, al-Sha'by, Al-Hasan al-Basri, Muhammad
Ibn Kacb al-Qardhy, Sacîd Ibn al-Musayyab, Abû Jacfar
Muhammad al-Bâqir, Abû Sâlih, al-Rabî' Ibn Anas, Abû cAmr
Ibn al-cAlâ' and Ahmad Ibn Hanbal and others and it is one
version and the strongest from the reports of Ibn cAbbâs.

In Zâd al-Ma'âd by Ibn al-Qayyim: It is the correct

opinion according to the knowledgeable among the
Companions and Followers and later generations. This
opinions was famous among the Arabs before the advent of
Islam and it was transmitted from generation to
generation in tawâtur and it was also mentioned in the
poetry of Umayyah Ibn Abî al-Salt.[3]

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The Opinion Of Judeo-Christian Scholars & Islamic Viewpoint

The Encyclopaedia Judaica says:

In the tale of binding (surah 37:99-110) Muhammad

identified the son who was to be sacrificed as Ishmael
and, indeed, the opinion of the traditionalists were also
divided on this subject. It is related that a renowned
traditionalist of Jewish origin, from the Qurayza tribe,
and another Jewish scholar, who converted to Islam, told
that Caliph Omar Ibn cAbd al-cAzîz (717-20) that the Jews
were well informed that Ismail was the one who was bound,
but that they concealed this out of jealousy. The Muslim
legend also adds details of Hajar (Hagar), the mother of
Ismail. After Abraham drove her and her son out, she
wandered between the hills of al-Safa and al-Marwa (in
the vicinity of Mecca) in search for water. At that time
the waters of the spring Zemzem began to flow. Her acts
became the basis for the hallowed custom of Muslims
during the Hajj.[4]

The testimony of the former Jew as mentioned hadîth literature as quoted in the
Encyclopaedia Judaica reads:

Another proof of our speech [i.e., that sacrificed was

Ishmael(P)] is reported by Ibn Ishâq: "Muhammad Ibn Ka'b
narrated that cUmar Ibn cAbd al-cAzîz sent for a man who
had been a Jew then converted to Islam and showed signs
of true Islam. [Before his conversion], he was one of
their scholars [i.e., he was a Jewish scholar] So he
[i.e., cUmar] asked him: which son did Abraham(P) sacrifice?
He replied: 'It is Ishmael(P). By God, O Commander of the
Believers, the Jews know that but they envy you - the
Arabs.'[5]

The Oxford Companion To The Bible echoes the same position as the Encyclopaedia
Judaica.

In Muslim tradition, the Arabs trace their ancestry back

to Abraham through Ishmael. Because Ishmael was
circumcised (Gen. 17:25), so are most Muslims. And,
analogous to Paul's reversal of the figures of Isaac and
Ishmael (Gal. 4:24-26), Muslim tradition makes Ishmael

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rather than Isaac the son Abraham was commanded to
sacrifice.[6]

It is quite clear from the statement of Judeo-Christian scholars what the Muslim
position is about the person who was sacrificed by Abraham(P).

Further Evidence From Hadîth Literature

The following says:

Some reports and traditions from the Companions and

Followers state that the Sacrificed is Ishmael(P). Narrated
by al-Hâkim in Al-Mustadrak, and Ibn Jarîr [at-Tabarî] in
his commentary with its isnâd, and others that cAbdullâh
Ibn Sacîd al-Sâbihy said: "We were at Mu'âwiyah's
reception and the people started discussing [the story
of] Ishmael and Isaac(P) and which one was the sacrificed.
Some said Ishmael and some said Isaac(P). Mu'âwiyah said: I
am the expert you need; We were at the Prophet's(P) when a
bedouin came to him saying "O Prophet of God, I have left
the pasture dry and the life hard, the children died and
the wealth is gone, so give me [something] of what God
has bestowed on you, O Son of the two sacrificed." The
Prophet(P) smiled and did not blame/criticize what he said.
The people asked: Who are the two sacrificed O Commander
of the believers? He replied: When cAbdul Muttalib was
ordered to dig Zamzam he vowed to sacrifice one of his
sons if God helps him with his mission [i.e., Zamzam].
When he achieved the mission, he cast lots on his
children, there were ten of them. The choice fell on
c
Abdullâh so he decided to sacrifice him but the child's
uncles, Banu Makhzûm, opposed the sacrifice and said
satisfy your Lord and ransom your son. So, he ransomed
him with a hundred camels. Mu'âwiyah said: this is one
[of the two Sacrificed] the other is Ishmael(P)."

This report is regarded as Marfuc.[6]

There is another report according to which the Prophet(P) is believed to have said: "I
am the son of the two Sacrificed". The authenticity of this report is very controversial
so we will not use it as evidence especially when the above report is correct enough
and suffices to our study.

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Conclusion

According to the Qur'ân, the sacrificed cannot be Isaac(P). According to authentic

Islamic tradition, the sacrificed is Ishmael(P). The Muslim scholars have solved this
case a long time ago and, very early in the history of Islam, the popular Islamic
tradition has integrated the fact that Ishmael(P) was the sacrificed.

Concerning the claim of 'world-renowned commentary of Yusuf Ali', any Muslim

with a basic knowledge of Qur'ânic commentary would have a good laugh. The
'commentary' in the translation of the Qur'ân by Yusuf cAlî is just about good enough
to be qualified as 'footnotes'. And of course, the commentary on the Qur'ân contains
much more than these footnotes. Secondly, the statement

It is obvious that the claim that the son was Ishmael is

not according to the Qur'ân!

is a rather foolish and reflects colossal ignorance on the part of the critic who has no
idea about how the Qur'ânic exegesis is carried out.

Let the Christian missionaries study the Qur'ân thoroughly before calling upon ghosts
that will frighten nobody but themselves. Indeed, the Biblical version of the story:
"sacrifice your only son, Isaac" or "sacrifice your firstborn son, Isaac" is an enigma
they must live with.

Praise be to Allah that guided us to Islam and gave us in the Qur'ân healing and
guidance.

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References

[1] Abul-Fidâ' Ismâcîl Ibn Kathîr ad-Dimishqî, Tafsîr Ibn Kathîr, Available online
(requires an Arabic enabled browser).

[2] Dr. Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Abû Shahbah (Professor of Qur'ânic Sciences
and Hadîth at al-Azhar and Umm al-Qurâ Universities), Al-Isrâ'iliyyât wal Mawdû'ât
fî Kutub at-Tafsîr, Maktabat as-Sunnah (4th edition) - 1408AH/1988, p. 254.

[3] Op. cit., p. 257.

[4] Encyclopaedia Judaica, Volume 9, Encyclopaedia Judaica Jerusalem, pp. 82

(Under 'Ishmael').

[5] Abû al-Fadl Shihâb-uddîn al-Alûsî, Ruh al-Macâni fi Tafsîr al-Qur'ân al-'Adhîm
wassab' al-Mathâni, Part 23, p. 135.

[5] Bruce M Metzger & Michael D Coogan (Ed.), Oxford Companion To The Bible,
1993, Oxford University Press, Oxford & New York, pp. 329 (Under 'Ishmael').

[6] Dr. Muhammad Ibn Muhammad Abû Shahbah, Op. cit., p. 259-260.

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