Issac and Ishmael: Some thoughts

 The latest round of violence which has occurred in the Middle East has prompted much discussion on the origins of the tensions. There is a great deal of disinformation regarding both the contemporary problems, as well as their origins, deliberate and outright evil attempts to control the narrative, to brainwash the next generation of human beings to be in favor of a system that is inherently unjust.

One of the theories that is often cited, especially in the last two weeks, is that the "Middle East conflict" is simply an extension of an old family feud, a feud between two brothers, themselves, while having different mothers, bear the same father. Indeed, Islam itself is claimed by those who hold that view to be a creation born from that feud!

Abraham 

According to the scriptures, Abraham ("father of many nations") was blessed by God to received guidance, delivery from idol-worship, and was given a covenant. Broadly speaking, this is agreed upon by the adherents of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Indeed, these faiths are referred to as the Abrahamic religions, as they see themselves as having their roots in  Abraham's experiences.

 

The Bible (Gen. 16:1-9) asserts that a wife of Abraham, by the name of Sarai (also known as Sarah) unable to give birth on her own, encouraged him to have a relationship with her "maidservant" (known as Hagar), conceive with her, so that the family line would go on. However, problems developed between the two women, causing the latter to leave.(#1)

 

The two sons from the Bible

Hagar gives birth to Ishmael, who is seen as the progenitor of the Arabs, whereas years later, Sarai gives birth to Isaac, viewed as the progenitor of the Hebrew group. 

 

The problems between their mothers were visited upon the sons, as the story goes. The Bible, while acknowledging that Hagar has not done anything wrong, nonetheless asserts  that Hagar was told that her son, who is the progenitor of the Arabs, would be "a wild donkey of a man".(Gen.16:12).

 

Isaac, although younger, is said to embody the covenant. Ishmael is disinherited from that. It is interesting that throughout the Bible, expressions such as "The Lord God of the house of Israel" and "The Lord God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob" are common.

 

The two sons from the Qur'an

 

The Qur'an does not entertain any problems between the two sons. They are both mentioned with respect (Q 6:84, 14:39-41, 2:136 and other places), and it is common practice to say "peace be upon him" when referencing both. 

 

There is never a disrespectful passage in the Qur'an about Issac, even though he is viewed as the progenitor of the Jews. Indeed, Isaac  is viewed as a recipient of Divine guidance.

It is important here to note that the Qur'an contrasts from the Biblical style in that it NEVER uses racist or nationalistic language. It refers to God as the "Caretaker of the universe" (Q 1:2), and never as being restricted or exclusively connected to Arabs.

Religious rhetoric has certainly been exploited throughout the "Middle East conflict". Arabs are routinely portrayed as savages, and antisemitism is a charge regularly made by the supporters of the state of Israel, as a means to disarm criticism. Indeed, the ghosts of the holocaust are routinely resurrected to accomplish this, even though the Arabs and Muslim world had no relation to the Nazi-led holocaust that occurred (in Christian Europe) during the days of the second world war. 

Evangelical figure John Hagee, in almost all of his speeches and writing, has exemplified this pattern, as well as stated in no uncertain terms that he expects a time in the near future when "Israel will own an control all of present-day Israel, including Jerusalem, Lebanon, The West Bank of Jordan, and most of Syria, Iraq and Saudi Arabia".(#2)

Such rhetoric cannot be ignored, especially when it is backed by financial and political drive. One need only conduct a google search to see the reach this figure and this trend has.

If there ever was conflict between Isaac and Ishmael, or between  Hagar and Sarah, that conflict is no excuse to perpetuate oppression. Moreover, in the spiritual realm, it is Islam, which has been conveyed via the Qur'an to Muhammad, which has stated clearly that blood ties has no bearing on one's ties to God. It is Islam which has clearly stated that respect and love be had not only for one son of Abraham, but the other one as well. 

This post has only been some brief thoughts, meant to convey that the Islamic position is actually very reasonable, for any who use reason, when it comes to issues surrounding the descendants of Abraham(#3).In conclusion, we pray "Glorified is Your Lord, the Lord of honor and glory, he is above what is wrongly attributed to him, peace be upon the messengers, and praise belongs to God, the caretaker of the universe." ( Q 37:180-182).

 

Endnotes

 (1) Robert Alter, in his Torah translation THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES ( New York, Norton& Company Limited, 2004) pg.78 uses the word "harassed" to describe Sarah's attitude towards Hagar.

 (2) This quotation is taken from John Hagee's book CAN AMERICA SURVIVE? 10 PROPHETIC SIGNS THAT WE ARE THE TERMINAL GENERATION ( New York, Howard Books, 2010) pg.109. 

(3) The following article has a thorough explanation of the Muslim understanding of issue such as the covenant, sacrifice, etc.. associated with Abraham. http://www.why-christians-convert-to-islam.com/nice201.htm

 

Eid Ul Ad-haa Khutbah: Toledo 2017

[Note: The following is an edited version of my Khutbah (sermon) delivered at the United Eid prayers held Friday, September 1st, 2017. An article on this year's prayer service can be found at https://www.toledoblade.com/Religion/2017/09/01/Area-Muslims-gather-in-unified-prayer-for-Eid-al-Adha]

 Praise belongs to Allah, who has directed us towards repentance, which we could never have obtained, except by his bounty. O servants of Allah, I advise you as myself, to have reverence for God, indeed, it is those with reverence [Taqwaaa] who attain felicity. الحمد لله الذي دلنا على التوبة التي لم نفد ها الا من فضله

اصيكم و نفسي بتقوى الله فقد فاز المتقون

Why are we here?

We are here today, in recollection of an important series of events and teachings, teachings that have had a global impact. These teachings and events center around the person of Abraham [Ibrahim, 'alayhis salaam] . He is a man of God, and the Quranic narrative [Q 6:74-79] tells us of his search to understand the reality that is God. The narrative is given in stages. He sees a heavenly body [Kawkaab] and says "This is My Lord", but it disappears. He sees the moon and proclaims "This is My Lord" but it disappears. He sees the sun and says "This is My Lord, [in fact] This is the greatest", yet, once again, it disappears. 

Abraham then says " Indeed, I turn my entire being to Him who is the origin of the heavens and the Earth, and I do not worship any others besides Allah"

Understanding that God is not captured within the physical, that He is beyond the physical and is actually the source of the physical, this understanding allows him to become connected to Allah.

That connection allows him to keep firm throughout the challenges that he would find  in life.

The Sacrifice

The Qur'an tells us that he had a vision, and within this vision, he understands it as a command to sacrifice his son. The Qur'an says [37:103] that both father and son submitted to that and that when the sacrifice was near happening, God calls out to Abraham "Indeed, you have fulfilled your vision" [Q 37:104]. The willingness to sacrifice for God's will, that is why we are here today. To learn from the patriarch, from that personality rightly called in the Judeo-Christian tradition as "father of many nations". As people who seek to follow the Divine ethos, as exemplified through Prophets, ending with the final Prophet [Sall Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam], we need to learn not only to sacrifice an animal for the benefit of the poor, we need to be willing to sacrifice our time, resources, for the right causes.

The Qur'an ( Q 22:37) reminds us that the blood of sacrifice does not reach God, nor the meat, rather, it is your collective reverence. Yanaaluhut Taqwaaa minkum. Thus, we return to the sentence in which we began this Khutbah, "I advise you and myself, to have Taqwaaa of Allah, Indeed, it is those with Taqwaaa who attain felicity". May we be closer to Him who is The Most High, may He accept our prayers, fasting and any good that we do.

Second part

This gathering also coincides with the Hajj, pilgrimage to the site associated with Abraham and his family.  At Hajj, we find unity in a tapestry of diverse colors, languages, backrounds and religious orientations. They gather together in obedience to Allah. We pray for them and likewise always ask any pilgrims we know to offer prayers on our behalf. The key point is that despite their differences, they join together in expression of their love of Allah. The Qur'an says "And whosoever obeys Allah and His Messenger achieve a mighty achievement".

We pray that the pilgrims today find their Hajj to be acceptable and successful, and that any future pilgrimages we do are acceptable in God's sight as well. May we take the most valuable lessons from the Hajj and the Ka'bah, in what these things represent. The lesson of replacing wrong concepts for proper thinking, abandoning vice and embracing that which God wants us to embrace, dropping trends as our models, but rather taking for role models Prophets such as Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad the seal of the Prophets ['alayhimus salaam], taking them as models to do what they did, to become like them in their obedience and nearness to Allah.

Eid ul ad-haa Khutbah video

This is from Oct 15, 2013, Eid ul adhaa speech [Khutbah] at Toledo Masjid.

Eid ul adhaa Khutbah

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Abraham: father of all nations, a goodly model

There is for you an excellent example (to follow) in Abraham and those with him..[Qur'an 60:4]

'Eid Ul-Ad-haa, Imams and orators worldwide undoubtedly mentioned the story of the sacrifice, as given in scripture, wherein Abraham was ready to take the life of his son in response to a vision interpreted to have been from God. Another theme usually explored is when he left his son and Hagar [Hajar] in the desert to fend for themselves. This particular narrative has it that during the process of searching for water for her infant son, Hagar ran bath and forth seven times, and at the end, almost in a miracle fashion, the well appears. Indeed, Muslims re enact this event during the Hajj [Pilgrimage] at the Safa and Marwa trails [which has now been included in the complex of the Masjid Al-Haraam], the well itself still giving water, known as ZamZam water.[Ft.1]

Yet, there is something to be said of other aspects of the life of Abraham, who is called in the scripture of the Jews and the Christians "father of all nations" [ Genesis 17:5].

Origins of Abraham

Called Ibrahim in Arabic, tradition has it that he was born in Southern Iraq, although there does exist other places, in Northern Iraq, Turkey and even Sicily. Regardless of where he was born, eventually he found his ways to such diverse places as Egypt, Palestine, and Arabia. Sites in all those places, not the least of which is the Ka'bah at Makkah, are associated with him.

Is there a lesson in these sites?

The Qur'an tells us a very interesting observation, one which should be associated with Abraham, but also with seekers of truth and guidance in all times, places and among all peoples.

"Have they not traveled in the land so that their hearts will come to understand, or that their ears will come to hear?"[ Qur'an 22:46]

Travel is very important, for the sake of religious or spiritual knowledge. This is something that seems to have been universally recognized, when we notice adherents of Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, going forth from country to country to study with respected spiritual figures. Reading books, or even studying at a local university, are all wonderful acts, acts which can produce blessings and appropriate information, but nothing can beat leaving the comforts of one's home and family for the sake of attaining knowledge.

The journey itself is a learning experience, be it meeting interesting people at airports, or having some time in isolation while in transit to deeply contemplate the pressing concerns of the body, soul and mind.

Whatever one thinks of Abraham, the towering figure in the three monotheistic traditions, this aspect of his existence cannot be denied. This is, of course, especially true for the Muslim, the reader of the Qur'an.

This author has done, and continues to, much traveling, and the above mentioned Quranic verse is very true. Many times we cannot process the information or insight someone gives us [or that we read in a book, magazine or website] until we have the same, or a similar experience, or a set of experiences.

So, on this occasion of 'Eid ul-Ad-haa[ft.2], let us try to emulate the goodly model present in Ibrahim ['Alayhis salaam]. Attain whatever knowledge we can from our scholars, books and websites. But always be prepared to learn something from one's one experiences, or the experiences of other people. There is much insight to be gained from travels of this nature.

Role of the Qur'an

The word Qur'an itself means a reading, a recital. It has the sense of "something put together piece by piece, part by part." This is a very appropriate name, as it was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad [Sall-Allahu 'alayhi wa sallam] slowly, over a period of twenty-three years.

The Qur'an serves many roles, but for the sake of this article, we want to emphasis that it serves as a guide to make its reader a bit more sophisticated, well-rounded, knowledgeable. It is an undeniable fact that it can be speaking of theology for several verses, and then turn to a completely different subject such as war or marriage.

Those with broad knowledge in various fields, who have lived and traveled in many places, learning languages and cultures alien to their native backround, can appreciate such a guide as the Qur'an.

In issues not addressed in the Qur'an, God allows us to figure it out on our own, we can access some guidance or precedent in the reliable sources about the Prophet Muhammad [the last Prophet, and universal messenger], we can access guidance [or perhaps assistance is a better word] from our collectives experiences present in our culture, our personal reading of the situation [as well as our reading of the goal of religion] to ascertain the proper way to proceed.

In any case, all of that comes from having a broad experience, an open mind, open ears and open heart.

The Qur'an is very suitable for our guidance because we, like the last book of Allah itself, have been put together piece by piece, part by part. We are born as babies and absorb everything while growing up. Our parents and societies give us the foundation and much assistance, but there are times when we will have to learn lessons on our own, because our own mistakes will teach us how to act in the future. Our own actions will be suitable to serve as precedent, and each time that occurs, as far as the Qur'an goes, we can come to appreciate, nay, understand, texts better. It will grow in meaning for us.



Endnotes

[1] This author has examined in great detail the Qur'anic presentation of Abraham's story of the sacrifice in the work The Languuge of Revelation [pg. 237 "Abraham"]. To obtain, go to www.arifinimports.com

[2] The significance of the 'Eid-Ul Ad-haa occasion has been addressed in a lecture and Q & A session called "The story and sacrifice", available for free at www.esnips.com/web/shamsuddinwsStuff.