Judaism, Islam, and Christianity are often perceived as discordant with one another, providing conflicting perspectives on theology and worship. However, these three faiths are interrelated, even complementary, in terms of tradition, origin, and practice. This interrelation is no more apparent than in the narrative of Abraham and the binding of his son, Isaac/Ishmael, which was first recorded in Genesis 22. All three faiths view this story as significant, however there is a disjunction within the details of the narrative as well as what should be taken from the teachings. This paper will analyze these three faiths, by looking through the lens of Abraham’s story and will discuss how the narrative acts as both a unifying and an alienating force
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The story diverges with Genesis 22 in two main points: who is being sacrificed, and how that sacrifice came into existence. In Surah 37:101, God, or Allah provides Ibrahim and his wife Hagar with the son Ishmael. Instead of being overtly commanded by Allah to sacrifice Ishmael, Ibrahim receives a vision through a dream. Ibrahim told his son, “I see in my dream I am slaughtering you” and in response Ishmael told his father, “Do as you are bidden. You will find me, if Allah so wills, among the steadfast” (Surah 37:102). In the Qur’an, Ibrahim is sacrificing his firstborn son, Ishmael, who is absent in the Torah narrative because he was sent away in Genesis 21. Ishmael takes the words of his father as a command from God, revealing that Ishmael understands the responsibility of devotion to God, even when God’s words are not definitively expressed to …show more content…
This is evident in the fact that Ibrahim discloses his vision to Ishmael, and in Abraham’s act of nondisclosure to Isaac when he asks about the burnt offering. In his article, M. Shahid Alam discusses the importance of consent and openness with regards to devotion to God, arguing that “he [Ibrahim] invites his son to consider: to judge for himself whether his father’s dream is from God, and to decide what they – father and son – should make of the dream, [and] how they should respond to it” (Alam 2012: 147). In the Qur’an there is less transparency between God and Ibrahim because his commands are transmitted through a dream, however the devotion is tested through interpretation between father and son. This transparency between father and son, allows the son to claim his own devotion to God as well as personal sovereignty in submitting himself over to
The story diverges with Genesis 22 in two main points: who is being sacrificed, and how that sacrifice came into existence. In Surah 37:101, God, or Allah provides Ibrahim and his wife Hagar with the son Ishmael. Instead of being overtly commanded by Allah to sacrifice Ishmael, Ibrahim receives a vision through a dream. Ibrahim told his son, “I see in my dream I am slaughtering you” and in response Ishmael told his father, “Do as you are bidden. You will find me, if Allah so wills, among the steadfast” (Surah 37:102). In the Qur’an, Ibrahim is sacrificing his firstborn son, Ishmael, who is absent in the Torah narrative because he was sent away in Genesis 21. Ishmael takes the words of his father as a command from God, revealing that Ishmael understands the responsibility of devotion to God, even when God’s words are not definitively expressed to …show more content…
This is evident in the fact that Ibrahim discloses his vision to Ishmael, and in Abraham’s act of nondisclosure to Isaac when he asks about the burnt offering. In his article, M. Shahid Alam discusses the importance of consent and openness with regards to devotion to God, arguing that “he [Ibrahim] invites his son to consider: to judge for himself whether his father’s dream is from God, and to decide what they – father and son – should make of the dream, [and] how they should respond to it” (Alam 2012: 147). In the Qur’an there is less transparency between God and Ibrahim because his commands are transmitted through a dream, however the devotion is tested through interpretation between father and son. This transparency between father and son, allows the son to claim his own devotion to God as well as personal sovereignty in submitting himself over to