What do the Muslims Believe About Abraham?

Abraham. The father of Ishmael and Issac. Muslims trace their race back to Abraham through Ishmael.

 To Hagar Sarah’s maidservant: 

Genesis 16:11-“Behold, you are with child, and shall bear a son; you shall call his name Ish′mael; because the Lord has given heed to your affliction. ¹² He shall be a wild ass of a man, his hand against every man and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”

The Jews trace their lineage to Abraham through Issac.

Genesis 17:18 And Abraham said to God, “O that Ish′mael might live in thy sight!” ¹⁹ God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.²⁰ As for Ish′mael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him and make him fruitful and multiply him exceedingly; he shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. ²¹ But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this season next year.”

Later, in Genesis,

Genesis 22 After these things God tested Abraham, ….“Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Mori′ah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” ³ So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his ass, and took … his son Isaac; and he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. …And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. …⁷ And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!”…, “Behold, the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” ⁸ Abraham said, “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together.

⁹ When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. ¹⁰ Then Abraham put forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹ But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” ¹² He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” ¹³ And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ So Abraham called the name of that place The Lord will provide; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

This is the Biblical version of Abraham’s obedience to God. But the Muslim version, instead,  has Abraham nearly sacrifice his firstborn son, Ishmael. What interests me about this is that the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem is the third most holy site for Muslims. I always thought they built it there just to spite the Jews. But, with this information it makes more sense. The mountains of Moriah, where the Lord directed Abraham to sacrifice his son is the very place where Jerusalem is built. Therefore, for Muslims it is the site where Abraham, in obedience to God was willing to sacrifice Ishmael. Therefore, they built the Dome of the Rock and a mosque.

For Jews and Christians it is the sacred site also. The Holy City of Jerusalem was built in the mountains of Moriah.

2 Chronicles 3:1 Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem on Mount Mori′ah…

And it was also here, that God provided the Lamb of sacrifice for the salvation of the world through the death and resurrection of Jesus, His Son, who like Isaac carried the wood of sacrifice up the mountain. Therefore, we have the Church of the Holy Sepluchre a Christian Holy site and a huge church that encloses both the mount of crucifixion and the tomb where Jesus was buried.

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