Al-Quran 37:99 He (Abraham) said: "I will go to my Lord! He will surely guide me!
Al-Quran 37:100 “O my Lord! Grant me a righteous (son)!"
Al-Quran 37:101 So We gave him the good news of a boy ready to suffer and forbear.
Al-Quran 37:102 Then, when (the son) reached (the age of serious) work with him, he said: "O my son! I see in 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 practicing Patience and Constancy!"
Al-Quran 37:103 So when they had both submitted their wills (to Allah), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (for sacrifice),
Al-Quran 37:104 We called out to him "O Abraham!
Al-Quran 37:105 “Thou hast already fulfilled the vision!" - thus indeed do We reward those who do right.
Al-Quran 37:106 For this was obviously a trial-
Al-Quran 37:107 And We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice:
Al-Quran 37:108 And We left (this blessing) for him among generations (to come) in later times:
Al-Quran 37:109 "Peace and salutation to Abraham!"
Al-Quran 37:110 Thus indeed do We reward those who do right.
Al-Quran 37:111 For he was one of our believing Servants.
Al-Quran 37:112 And We gave him the good news of Isaac - a prophet,- one of the Righteous.
The Quran puts the stories of the prophets and their endeavors in a nutshell. As seen in the verses above, the Quran gives the jest of stories only to convey that the most important aspect of the story is the display of submission to God. The Quran makes it clear here that the son is of mature age and that he is just as willing as Abraham (pbuh) is to do as God commands. While in the Quran, Abraham (pbuh) is upfront with his son about his vision to have him sacrificed, the Jewish Torah would have us to believed that Abraham (pbuh) lied to his son.
Genesis 22:7 And Isaac spoke unto Abraham his father, and said: 'My father.' And he said: 'Here am I, my son.' And he said: 'Behold the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for a burntoffering?'
Genesis 22:8 And Abraham said: 'G-d will provide Himself the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.' So they went both of them together.
Here Isaac specifically asks his father where is the sacrificial animal and Abraham, believing that Isaac (pbut) was to be the actual sacrifice, told him that there will be a lamb to sacrifice provided by God. Of course, Isaac’s (pbuh) death was halted by an angel of God and a ram was offered to God instead of his son (Gen. 22:13). This might compel some to assume that Abraham (pbuh) was not lying to his son. The problem with the idea that Abraham (pbuh) already knew that a ram would be substituted is that this episode would not really be a test to prove Abraham’s (pbuh) faith as the Jewish Torah suggests (Gen. 22:1-2, 12). So the Jewish Torah depicts this prophet as untruthful, even to his son in the last moments on earth. Even worse is that Abraham, tied and bound Isaac (pbut) according to the Jewish Torah (Gen. 22:9). Can you imagine the terror that Isaac (pbuh) felt when he finally realized that his father has lied to him and he is to be the sacrifice? Compare this to the words of Ishmael (pbuh) in the Quran:
Al-Quran 37:102 "O my father! Do as thou art commanded: thou will find me, if Allah so wills one practicing Patience and Constancy!"
Though the principle of the story is basically the same in Jewish Torah and the Quran, to submit your will to God, but the Quranic version of the sacrificial son is much more noble and believable as it pertains to men of God. The Quran puts more emphasis on their submission to God, than it does on the identity of the participants. While it does not say that this son is Ishmael (pbuh), it gives us hints to draw this conclusion. It is easily deduced from the verses of chapter 37:99-102 that the son which Abraham (pbuh) prayed for, the son whom God granted him and the sacrificial son were all one in the same. Also this son is described as one who “practices patience and constancy.” It is no coincidence that Ishmael (pbuh) is again described with these exact attributes in another place in the Quran, 21:85. The final bit of evidence is the sequence of events described in the Quran. Abraham (pbuh) asks for a son. He is granted a son. Abraham (pbuh) is tested. Then Isaac (pbuh) is born.
As the Quran says of itself, it is the criteria by which other scriptures are to be judged. When you read the Quran, you will better understand the Jewish Torah.
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