Prophets & prophecy
The sacrifice in the Qur’an (37:99–113)
The Qur’an tells the story of Abraham’s sacrifice in Surah 37. It does not name the son, but the order of the passage matters. This topic reads it alongside Genesis 22.
1The question
How does the Qur’an tell the story of the sacrifice, and what does it suggest about the son?
2What Christians believe
Christians note that the Qur’an does not name the son, so it cannot settle the question against Genesis, which names Isaac. They also point out that some of the most respected early Muslim scholars held that the son was Isaac.
For Christians, Genesis 22 is the original account, and they read the later Islamic tradition in its light.
3What the texts say
The story in Genesis
And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
4What scholars say
The historian al-Tabari (died 923) reports both views from the early generations of Muslims and himself leaned towards Isaac. Later scholars such as Ibn Kathir (died 1373) argued strongly for Ishmael, using the order of Surah 37 and the link with Mecca.
Reuven Firestone (Journeys in Holy Lands, 1990) traces this debate and shows that the view that the son was Ishmael became the majority view over time.
Scholars agree that the Qur’an’s account does not name the son, and that the good news of Isaac is given after the account of the sacrifice.
5The Islamic perspective
In Surah 37 Abraham prays for a righteous son and is given good news of a gentle boy. When the boy is old enough, Abraham tells him of his dream, and the son agrees to obey. God stops the sacrifice and ransoms the son. Only then does the Qur’an give the good news of Isaac:
And he said: Lo! I am going unto my Lord Who will guide me. My Lord! Vouchsafe me of the righteous. So We gave him tidings of a gentle son.
And when (his son) was old enough to walk with him, (Abraham) said: O my dear son, I have seen in a dream that I must sacrifice thee. So look, what thinkest thou? He said: O my father! Do that which thou art commanded. Allah willing, thou shalt find me of the steadfast.
Then, when they had both surrendered (to Allah), and he had flung him down upon his face, We called unto him: O Abraham! Thou hast already fulfilled the vision. Lo! thus do We reward the good. Lo! that verily was a clear test. Then We ransomed him with a tremendous victim.
And we gave him tidings of the birth of Isaac, a prophet of the righteous.
Muslims notice two things. In the Qur’an the son is asked and agrees, so the sacrifice is the obedience of father and son together. And because the good news of Isaac comes after the test, the son who was tested must be the first-born, Ishmael.
6Objections and responses
“Al-Tabari, one of Islam’s greatest scholars, thought the son was Isaac.”
Response: That is true, and it shows the early debate was honest. Later scholars, looking closely at the order of Surah 37 and at the link between Ishmael, the Kaaba and the rites of Hajj, came to hold that the son was Ishmael, and that became the majority view.
“Verse 112 may simply repeat the good news of the same son.”
Response: Verse 101 gives good news of “a gentle son” without a name. Verse 112, after the test is over, gives good news “of the birth of Isaac, a prophet”. It reads as a second gift, a reward for Abraham’s obedience.
7Conclusion
Both sides agree that the Qur’an tells the story without naming the son, and that early Muslim scholars discussed both answers. Christians follow Genesis, which names Isaac. Most Muslims read the order of Surah 37 as showing the son was Ishmael.
Read Qur’an 37:99–113 and Genesis 22:1–19 side by side and note what each version stresses.
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Sources
- Bible, King James Version:Genesis 22:1Genesis 22:10Genesis 22:11Genesis 22:12Genesis 22:13
- Qur’an, translated by M. Pickthall:Qur’an 37:99–101Qur’an 37:102Qur’an 37:103–107Qur’an 37:112
- al-Tabari, The History of al-Tabari, vol. 2: Prophets and Patriarchs
- Ibn Kathir, Stories of the Prophets
- Reuven Firestone, Journeys in Holy Lands (1990)