Sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim (AS)

One of the rituals that most Muslims observe on Eid ul Adha is to offer sacrifice in the tradition of Prophet Ibrahim (AS). It is a fascinating story that shed light on the human condition and the deep relationship we have with the creator so much that we should be willing to sacrifice things dear to us. We have to learn lessons from the sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) but we can only do that when we look at it from the perspective of both Bible and Quran. Here is how Bible narrates this sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim (AS):
Bible International Version: Genesis 22: Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

Here is how Quran narrates it:

Sura 37 (As-saaffaat) Verses 100-109: “O my Lord! Grant me a righteous (son)!”

So We gave him the good news of a boy ready to suffer and forbear.

And when he attained to working with him, he said: O my son! surely I have seen in a dream that I should sacrifice you; consider then what you see. He said: O my father! do what you are commanded; if Allah please, you will find me of the patient ones.

So when they had both submitted their wills (to Allah), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (for sacrifice),

We called out to him “O Abraham!

“Thou hast already fulfilled the vision!” – thus indeed do We reward those who do right.

For this was obviously a trial-

And We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice:

And We left (this blessing) for him among generations (to come) in later times:

“Peace and salutation to Abraham!”

Thus do We reward the doers of good.

Surely he was one of Our believing servants.

And We gave him the good news of Ishaq, a prophet among the good ones.

Before we talk about the differences in the two stories the most important thing to remember is that both Christianity and Islam, the two largest monotheistic religions, agree that Prophet Ibrahim (AS) was asked to offer a sacrifice of his son. Now let’s look at the differences.

The first difference is the manner in which the message was communicated to the Prophet. Bible suggests there was a direct conversation between him and God. This means that there could be no doubt that God had asked Prophet Ibrahim to offer the sacrifice. Quran, on the other hand, proposes that message was conveyed through a dream. Most scholars agree that literal meaning of Arabic word الْمَنَامِ is a dream. Why is this important? It is very important because a dream could be a delusion. This raises questions about nature of dreams and whether they convey significant information to us. Because the matter was not insignificant a father is asked to sacrifice his son. This is not a small matter and Prophet Ibrahim (AS) had to be sure that it is a message from God and not a delusion. This is not the only story in which significance of dreams is highlighted. In the story of Prophet Yusuf (AS), it is also suggested that dreams do convey significant information. I have been fascinated by this question and read books by some prominent psychiatrists on the subject. All I can say is that scientific knowledge about dreams is still at an early stage and requires more work.

The other difference in two narratives is that Bible clearly mentions it was Prophet Isaac (AS), younger son of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) that was chosen as a sacrifice while Quran does not mention the name of the son. In other words, Quran does not differentiate in father’s love for his two sons. Scholars of Islam although propose that the first born son Prophet Ismael (AS) was the one chosen by Prophet Ibrahim (AS). They point to verses 112 which suggest Prophet Isaac was born after the event of the sacrifice as a reward. This is important socially because the idea of a favourite son is not proposed by Quran rather it is our own human condition to have such differentiation. In the Quranic narrative the son had attained adulthood when the event happened.

A very significant difference between Bible and Quran is that according to Bible son was not aware that he has been offered as a sacrifice while in Quranic narration son willingly agreed to be offered as a sacrifice. In other words, Prophet Ibrahim (AS) did not impose his decision on his son rather gave him a choice. This is very important because the relationship between father and son is built on mutual trust. Secondly, the father cannot impose his will on the son as the patriarch of the family; rather allow him to have a voice in a critical matter. The son chooses to honour commitment of the father as well as show his own willingness to be sacrificed for the pleasure of God.

The most significant commonality between the two narratives of the stories in Bible and Quran is that God ultimately did not want a human sacrifice. The question then is why would God choose to have this test of a possible human sacrifice? I have struggled with this question for a long time and do not have a definite answer. One explanation that comes to my mind but that requires significant scholarly research is that there was a tradition of human sacrifice in many pagan religions around the world. God had to demonstrate to mankind that He does not seek human sacrifice and used Prophet Ibrahim (AS) to teach that lesson.

The ultimate aim of any sacrifice that God seek is to improve the condition of mankind in this world. Whether it is imparting with money in the form of zakat or distributing meat of the sacrificed animal. It helps mankind and creates better relations among them. May God accept your sacrifices and help us improve our condition as a society.