Continuing Part 2.
Ok here is some narrative about Abraham who was a messenger (Rasul) and a teacher (nabi). Literally the word 'nabi' means a person who narrates a story or brings information.
The english word "prophet" means someone who can see into the future or prophecise. In Malay it is called 'tukang telek'.
The Biblical teaching as well as the teaching of the religious folks says that Abraham was commanded by 'god' to sacrifice his son (by slaughtering him).
This belief has since been reenacted every year during the pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia where hundreds of thousands of sheep and goat are sacrificed as a commemoration of Abraham sacrifing his own son.
So this story of Abraham wanting to sacrifice his son has a great impact on ritual practise.
The Quran says that Abraham was an important messenger of Allah. He was appointed a leader for all mankind (imaamu lin-nass).
The mullahs have many stories about Abraham, his wife and family. Many of these stories are found written in the Bible. They are different from the Quranic version of Abraham’s life. Firstly here is one story from the Bible.
Book of Genesis: 16 : 1 – 16 : Hagar and Ishmael
1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her."
Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.
When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me." 6 "Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.
7 The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?" "I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered. 9 Then the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." 10 The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count."
11 The angel of the LORD also said to her: "You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. 12 He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." 13 She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me." 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi ; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered. 15 So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
Now here is the version from the mullahs. Note the similarity.
Volume 4, Book 55, Number 584 : When Abraham had differences with his wife, because of her jealousy of Hajar, Ishmael's mother, he took Ishmael and his mother and went away. They had a water - skin with them containing some water, Ishmael's mother used to drink water from the water-skin so that her milk would increase for her child.
When Abraham reached Mecca, he made her sit under a tree and afterwards returned home. Ishmael's mother followed him, and when they reached Kada' (Kadesh is mentioned in the Bible), she called him from behind, 'O Abraham! To whom are you leaving us?' He replied, '(I am leaving you) to God's (Care).' She said, 'I am satisfied to be with God.' She returned to her place and started drinking water from the water-skin, and her milk increased for her child.
When the water had all been used up, she said to herself, 'I'd better go and look so that I may see somebody.' She ascended the Safa mountain and looked, hoping to see somebody, but in vain. When she came down to the valley, she ran till she reached the Marwa mountain. She ran to and fro (between the two mountains) many times.
Then she said to herself, 'i'd better go and see the state of the child,' she went and found it in a state of one on the point of dying. She could not endure to watch it dying and said (to herself), 'If I go and look, I may find somebody.'
She went and ascended the Safa mountain and looked for a long while but could not find anybody. Thus she completed seven rounds (of running) between Safa and Marwa. Again she said (to herself), 'I'd better go back and see the state of the child.'
But suddenly she heard a voice, and she said to that strange voice, 'Help us if you can offer any help.' Lo! It was Gabriel (who had made the voice). Gabriel hit the earth with his heel like this (Ibn 'Abbas hit the earth with his heel to Illustrate it), and so the water gushed out. Ishmael's mother was astonished and started digging.
The Bible narrates the jealousy of Abraham’s wife Sarah towards Hagar who was supposedly a bondwoman whom she ‘gave’ to her husband Abraham to bed. The mullah version is similar to this biblical story. This story is not found in the Quran.
In both the biblical and mullah versions Hagar is left alone in the desert. In the biblical version the angel found Hagar beside a spring. In the mullah version the angel digs a spring for Hagar. There is no such narrative in the Quran.
The names Sarah and Hagar can be found in both the Bible and the mullah stories. However the Quran does not mention these names Sarah and Hagar at all.
The idea that a prophet like Abraham would even have a slavegirl in his household is repulsive to all the teachings of the Quran and to what Allah taught to Abraham and Moses. The prophets came to free the slaves - NOT to go to bed with slave girls in their households.
Quran 90 : 10 - 13
90.10 And pointed out to him the two paths?
90.11 But he would not attempt the uphill road,
90:12 And what will make you comprehend what the uphill road is?
90:13 (It is) the setting free of a slave
Man is shown two paths. He must choose the path that requires greater commitment and effort. That is the path of freeing the slaves, feeding the hungry, feeding the orphans and the poor. Never will the messengers keep slave girls and sleep with them.
Abraham would definitely have known the same Quranic message because the Quran says that the same teachings were revealed to both Abraham and Moses.
87:18-19 This is recorded in the earlier Scriptures. The Scriptures of Abraham and Moses
However the extra Quranic narratives about Abraham and his family continue. The Bible also has another story that 'god' had commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son. This story makes both 'god' and Abraham parties to a ritual of shedding human blood. Here is the Bible :
Genesis 22 : Abraham Tested
1 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, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled 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 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."15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said,"I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."
This is the biblical account of Abraham wanting to sacrifice his son because Abraham thought it was 'god’s' command. The mullahs have narrated something similar to this biblical story too. Until today to commemorate this narrative, the mullahs and millions of Muslims sacrifice goats, camels and cows on the Feast of the Sacrifice or Eid-Al-Adha which forms a cornerstone of the annual pilgrimage ritual to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
It may interest the reader greatly to know that the story of Abraham having a dream about sacrificing his son is recorded in substantially different detail in the Quran. This is what I want to share. That while the Biblical stories are similar to what the mullahs say the narrative in the Quran is very different.
This means that as a Criterion or Furqan, the Quran cannot confirm the biblical story. Here is the Quranic version of Abraham which is actually much shorter and really quite simpler :
37:102. When he grew enough to work with him, he (Abraham) said, "My son, I see in my sleep (araa’ fil manami) that I am sacrificing you. What do you think?" He said, "O my father, do what you are commanded to do. You will find me, Allah willing, patient."
37:103. They both submitted, and he put his forehead down.
37:104. We called him: "O Abraham”
37:105. "surely you have verified the dream (qadsaddakta al ru’ya)". We thus reward the righteous.
Ru’ya means dream. The word ‘saddaqta’ means ‘to verify’ or ‘to confirm’. For example refer 66:12 where Mary confirms (saddaqa) the words of her Lord as being true.
37:106. That was an exacting test indeed.
37:107. We redeemed him with a great sacrifice.
37:108. And we preserved his history for subsequent generations.
37:109. Peace be upon Abraham.
37:110. We thus reward the righteous.
37:111. He is one of our believing servants.
This is the record in the Quran of Abraham trying to live up to a dream (ru’ya) he saw in his sleep (araa’ fil manaami). This was a dream that he had.
Firstly in the narrative above we see the following:
37:102. When he grew enough to work with him, he (Abraham) said, "My son, I see in my sleep (araa’ fil manaami) that I am sacrificing you. What do you think?" He said, "O my father, do what you are commanded to do. You will find me, Allah willing, patient."
Many verses in the Koran state that when Allah commands his messengers to do something He gives them clear commandments which leave no room for doubt or misunderstanding by the messengers. The evidence is in the following verses :
10:15 “when our signs are recited to them, clear signs (ayaatun bayyinaatin)”.
7:101 “their messengers came to them with clear signs”
2:87 “We gave Jesus son of Mary clear signs”
2:92 “Moses came to you with clear signs”
The messengers were always given ‘clear signs’ (ayaatun bayyinaatin).
And when the believers (especially a messenger) receive a commandment they say “we hear and we obey” (sami’na waata’na). This appears in a few verses in the Koran:
24:51 “The only utterance of the believers, whenever invited to Allah and His messenger to judge in their affairs, is to say, "We hear and we obey." These are the winners.”
But Abraham saw something in a dream during his sleep (araa’ fil manaami) of which he was not sure, because he expressed doubts to his son ‘What do you think?’
Dreams during sleep (especially doubtful ones) are not included in the short list of how commandments are conveyed from Allah to the messengers.
The Quran details that Allah communicates with people in three ways:
42:51 “No human being can communicate with Allah except through inspiration (WAHIYY) or from behind a barrier (HIJAB) or by sending a messenger (RASUL) through whom He reveals what He wills. He is the Most High, Most Wise.”
Please note that this verse 42:51 lists THREE ways whereby Allah communicates with humans:
1. inspiration (wahiy)
2. from behind a barrier / a separator / divide (hijab)
3. through a messenger (rasul)
There is no mention of ru’ya or dreams during sleep (fil manaami) as a means for Allah to communicate with the messengers.
I agree that it would be unfair of Allah to communicate with messengers through their dreams during sleep. This is because it is very natural and normal for all human beings to have dreams during sleep. Since the prophets were also normal human beings it would be impossible for them to know if their dreams were messages from Allah or the result of a heavy dinner or a disturbed sleep. (Hence also Abraham's uncertainty and asking his son, 'What do you think?')
A command to kill one’s own child also contradicts the Quran as follows :
6.151 “Say: Come I will recite what your Lord has forbidden to you – that you do not associate anything with Him, showing kindness to your parents, and do not kill your children for (fear of) poverty--We provide for you and for them – and do not draw nigh to indecencies, those of them which are apparent and those which are concealed, and do not kill anyone which Allah has forbidden except for the requirements of justice; this He has enjoined you with, that you may understand.”
The Quran says we cannot kill our children even for fear of poverty. Hence Allah cannot command people to kill their children as a ‘sacrifice’ or as a test.
The verse further says that we cannot kill any one at all except in the course of justice.
So, because Abraham had a dream, therefore his son had to die. Where would the "course of justice" be identified here ? Abraham’s son had not committed any major wrong (for example) that justified death.
The Quran also says clearly that killing a believing person is a great wrong :
4:93 "Anyone who kills a believer on purpose, his retribution is the fire, wherein he abides forever, Allah is angry with him, and condemns him, and has prepared for him a terrible retribution."
Again, both Abraham and his son were certainly believers. Having said thus, Allah would not command Abraham a believer to kill his son, also a believer. Here is another verse:
4:92 "No believer shall kill another believer, unless by mistake.... "
Again a believer cannot kill another believer. That would be against Allah’s teachings. Except by mistake. Meaning intentionally, without any aforethought or premeditation.
But the Biblical story and the mullahs say Abraham intentionally and deliberately wanted to kill his son.
After saying that :
i. it is wrong to kill your children
ii. it is wrong to kill anyone except for reasons of justice
iii. it is wrong to kill a believer, it will earn you the fire
iv. it is wrong to kill a believer except by mistake
could Allah still issue a command to someone to do something wrong like slaughtering your own son?
The following verse makes clear that Allah NEVER advocates doing anything that is wrong :
7:28 " ...Say, "Allah never advocates wrong doing. Are you saying about Allah what you do not know?”
So to say that Allah issued a command to Abraham to do something wrong in order to teach something good or to test the obedience of his messenger is really saying things about Allah that you do not know.
Killing a believer, killing anyone without justice, killing one’s own children are all wrongful actions. Surely Allah does not advocate such wrong.
The Quran also says that the idea of shedding the blood of human beings, especially killing your own child has pagan origins.
6:137 "And thus their pagan idols have made fair to the pagan polytheists the killing of their children, that they may cause them to perish and obscure for them their way of life and if Allah had pleased, they would not have done it, therefore leave them and that which they fabricate."
This verse 6:137 above clearly says that sacrificing human beings especially killing your own children as a sacrifice is a pagan act. After teaching thus and that the retribution for killing a believer is the fire – it would be a serious contradiction if Allah gave Abraham a test which requires Abraham to kill his own son.
The Biblical narrative of course rejects all the above verses of the Quran. The biblical story says that "god" commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son. The act of killing your own son.
The mullahs say that Allah never intended that Abraham’s son would be killed. It was merely a test. This is debunked by the Quran again :
60:12O Prophet! when believing women come to you giving you a pledge that they will not associate anything with Allah, and will not steal, and will not commit fornication, AND WILL NOT KILL THEIR CHILDREN, and will not bring a calumny which they have forged of themselves, and will not disobey you in what is good, accept their pledge, and ask forgiveness for them from Allah; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”
This is a test specifically prescribed in the Quran to accept the pledge of believing women.Their pledge shall include their promise that they WILL NOT KILL THEIR CHILDREN.
This is because it is a great wrong to kill one’s own child. Therefore it is highly contradictory (within the Quran) that Allah would test Abraham’s belief in the exact opposite manner ie by giving Abraham a command to kill his own child.
87 : 18 – 19 “Most surely this is in the earlier scriptures, the scriptures of Abraham and Moses.”
If the Quran says "do not kill your children" the earlier books of Abraham and Moses would say the same things as well. Hence the Quran would be contradicting itself if it says that Abraham was indeed commanded to kill his son. There are no such ‘slip ups’ in the Quran.
The Bible however teaches that "god" commanded Abraham to shed the blood of his son. Christians also believe in a ritual of drinking the blood and eating the flesh of Christ who they believe was also ‘sacrificed’ by god to atone for human sins. This is the biblical belief in the shedding of human blood as a sacrifice.
The mullahs share a belief similar to this biblical belief too. The narrative in the Quran is different.
If we put all these facts side by side, we know that Abraham’s son was a good believer, thus killing him would be a great wrong and Allah NEVER advocates wrong.
Abraham had a dream but it was in his sleep. Allah intervened and saved Abraham’s son and saved Abraham too from committing a great wrong (37:107).
It was a dream (ru’ya) which Abraham saw in his sleep (‘araa fil manaami’).
I must qualify that all this is as per the narrative in the Quran.
Of course when we refer to sources other than the Quran, then the story is different.
The mullahs have many stories about Abraham, his wife and family. Many of these stories are found written in the Bible. They are different from the Quranic version of Abraham’s life. Firstly here is one story from the Bible.
Book of Genesis: 16 : 1 – 16 : Hagar and Ishmael
1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her."
Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.
When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me." 6 "Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.
7 The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?" "I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered. 9 Then the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." 10 The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count."
11 The angel of the LORD also said to her: "You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. 12 He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." 13 She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me." 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi ; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered. 15 So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
Now here is the version from the mullahs. Note the similarity.
Volume 4, Book 55, Number 584 : When Abraham had differences with his wife, because of her jealousy of Hajar, Ishmael's mother, he took Ishmael and his mother and went away. They had a water - skin with them containing some water, Ishmael's mother used to drink water from the water-skin so that her milk would increase for her child.
When Abraham reached Mecca, he made her sit under a tree and afterwards returned home. Ishmael's mother followed him, and when they reached Kada' (Kadesh is mentioned in the Bible), she called him from behind, 'O Abraham! To whom are you leaving us?' He replied, '(I am leaving you) to God's (Care).' She said, 'I am satisfied to be with God.' She returned to her place and started drinking water from the water-skin, and her milk increased for her child.
When the water had all been used up, she said to herself, 'I'd better go and look so that I may see somebody.' She ascended the Safa mountain and looked, hoping to see somebody, but in vain. When she came down to the valley, she ran till she reached the Marwa mountain. She ran to and fro (between the two mountains) many times.
Then she said to herself, 'i'd better go and see the state of the child,' she went and found it in a state of one on the point of dying. She could not endure to watch it dying and said (to herself), 'If I go and look, I may find somebody.'
She went and ascended the Safa mountain and looked for a long while but could not find anybody. Thus she completed seven rounds (of running) between Safa and Marwa. Again she said (to herself), 'I'd better go back and see the state of the child.'
But suddenly she heard a voice, and she said to that strange voice, 'Help us if you can offer any help.' Lo! It was Gabriel (who had made the voice). Gabriel hit the earth with his heel like this (Ibn 'Abbas hit the earth with his heel to Illustrate it), and so the water gushed out. Ishmael's mother was astonished and started digging.
The Bible narrates the jealousy of Abraham’s wife Sarah towards Hagar who was supposedly a bondwoman whom she ‘gave’ to her husband Abraham to bed. The mullah version is similar to this biblical story. This story is not found in the Quran.
In both the biblical and mullah versions Hagar is left alone in the desert. In the biblical version the angel found Hagar beside a spring. In the mullah version the angel digs a spring for Hagar. There is no such narrative in the Quran.
The names Sarah and Hagar can be found in both the Bible and the mullah stories. However the Quran does not mention these names Sarah and Hagar at all.
The idea that a prophet like Abraham would even have a slavegirl in his household is repulsive to all the teachings of the Quran and to what Allah taught to Abraham and Moses. The prophets came to free the slaves - NOT to go to bed with slave girls in their households.
Quran 90 : 10 - 13
90.10 And pointed out to him the two paths?
90.11 But he would not attempt the uphill road,
90:12 And what will make you comprehend what the uphill road is?
90:13 (It is) the setting free of a slave
Man is shown two paths. He must choose the path that requires greater commitment and effort. That is the path of freeing the slaves, feeding the hungry, feeding the orphans and the poor. Never will the messengers keep slave girls and sleep with them.
Abraham would definitely have known the same Quranic message because the Quran says that the same teachings were revealed to both Abraham and Moses.
87:18-19 This is recorded in the earlier Scriptures. The Scriptures of Abraham and Moses
However the extra Quranic narratives about Abraham and his family continue. The Bible also has another story that 'god' had commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son. This story makes both 'god' and Abraham parties to a ritual of shedding human blood. Here is the Bible :
Genesis 22 : Abraham Tested
1 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, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."
3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled 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 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."15 The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time 16 and said,"I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me."
This is the biblical account of Abraham wanting to sacrifice his son because Abraham thought it was 'god’s' command. The mullahs have narrated something similar to this biblical story too. Until today to commemorate this narrative, the mullahs and millions of Muslims sacrifice goats, camels and cows on the Feast of the Sacrifice or Eid-Al-Adha which forms a cornerstone of the annual pilgrimage ritual to Mecca in Saudi Arabia.
It may interest the reader greatly to know that the story of Abraham having a dream about sacrificing his son is recorded in substantially different detail in the Quran. This is what I want to share. That while the Biblical stories are similar to what the mullahs say the narrative in the Quran is very different.
This means that as a Criterion or Furqan, the Quran cannot confirm the biblical story. Here is the Quranic version of Abraham which is actually much shorter and really quite simpler :
37:102. When he grew enough to work with him, he (Abraham) said, "My son, I see in my sleep (araa’ fil manami) that I am sacrificing you. What do you think?" He said, "O my father, do what you are commanded to do. You will find me, Allah willing, patient."
37:103. They both submitted, and he put his forehead down.
37:104. We called him: "O Abraham”
37:105. "surely you have verified the dream (qadsaddakta al ru’ya)". We thus reward the righteous.
Ru’ya means dream. The word ‘saddaqta’ means ‘to verify’ or ‘to confirm’. For example refer 66:12 where Mary confirms (saddaqa) the words of her Lord as being true.
37:106. That was an exacting test indeed.
37:107. We redeemed him with a great sacrifice.
37:108. And we preserved his history for subsequent generations.
37:109. Peace be upon Abraham.
37:110. We thus reward the righteous.
37:111. He is one of our believing servants.
This is the record in the Quran of Abraham trying to live up to a dream (ru’ya) he saw in his sleep (araa’ fil manaami). This was a dream that he had.
Firstly in the narrative above we see the following:
37:102. When he grew enough to work with him, he (Abraham) said, "My son, I see in my sleep (araa’ fil manaami) that I am sacrificing you. What do you think?" He said, "O my father, do what you are commanded to do. You will find me, Allah willing, patient."
Many verses in the Koran state that when Allah commands his messengers to do something He gives them clear commandments which leave no room for doubt or misunderstanding by the messengers. The evidence is in the following verses :
10:15 “when our signs are recited to them, clear signs (ayaatun bayyinaatin)”.
7:101 “their messengers came to them with clear signs”
2:87 “We gave Jesus son of Mary clear signs”
2:92 “Moses came to you with clear signs”
The messengers were always given ‘clear signs’ (ayaatun bayyinaatin).
And when the believers (especially a messenger) receive a commandment they say “we hear and we obey” (sami’na waata’na). This appears in a few verses in the Koran:
24:51 “The only utterance of the believers, whenever invited to Allah and His messenger to judge in their affairs, is to say, "We hear and we obey." These are the winners.”
But Abraham saw something in a dream during his sleep (araa’ fil manaami) of which he was not sure, because he expressed doubts to his son ‘What do you think?’
Dreams during sleep (especially doubtful ones) are not included in the short list of how commandments are conveyed from Allah to the messengers.
The Quran details that Allah communicates with people in three ways:
42:51 “No human being can communicate with Allah except through inspiration (WAHIYY) or from behind a barrier (HIJAB) or by sending a messenger (RASUL) through whom He reveals what He wills. He is the Most High, Most Wise.”
Please note that this verse 42:51 lists THREE ways whereby Allah communicates with humans:
1. inspiration (wahiy)
2. from behind a barrier / a separator / divide (hijab)
3. through a messenger (rasul)
There is no mention of ru’ya or dreams during sleep (fil manaami) as a means for Allah to communicate with the messengers.
I agree that it would be unfair of Allah to communicate with messengers through their dreams during sleep. This is because it is very natural and normal for all human beings to have dreams during sleep. Since the prophets were also normal human beings it would be impossible for them to know if their dreams were messages from Allah or the result of a heavy dinner or a disturbed sleep. (Hence also Abraham's uncertainty and asking his son, 'What do you think?')
A command to kill one’s own child also contradicts the Quran as follows :
6.151 “Say: Come I will recite what your Lord has forbidden to you – that you do not associate anything with Him, showing kindness to your parents, and do not kill your children for (fear of) poverty--We provide for you and for them – and do not draw nigh to indecencies, those of them which are apparent and those which are concealed, and do not kill anyone which Allah has forbidden except for the requirements of justice; this He has enjoined you with, that you may understand.”
The Quran says we cannot kill our children even for fear of poverty. Hence Allah cannot command people to kill their children as a ‘sacrifice’ or as a test.
The verse further says that we cannot kill any one at all except in the course of justice.
So, because Abraham had a dream, therefore his son had to die. Where would the "course of justice" be identified here ? Abraham’s son had not committed any major wrong (for example) that justified death.
The Quran also says clearly that killing a believing person is a great wrong :
4:93 "Anyone who kills a believer on purpose, his retribution is the fire, wherein he abides forever, Allah is angry with him, and condemns him, and has prepared for him a terrible retribution."
Again, both Abraham and his son were certainly believers. Having said thus, Allah would not command Abraham a believer to kill his son, also a believer. Here is another verse:
4:92 "No believer shall kill another believer, unless by mistake.... "
Again a believer cannot kill another believer. That would be against Allah’s teachings. Except by mistake. Meaning intentionally, without any aforethought or premeditation.
But the Biblical story and the mullahs say Abraham intentionally and deliberately wanted to kill his son.
After saying that :
i. it is wrong to kill your children
ii. it is wrong to kill anyone except for reasons of justice
iii. it is wrong to kill a believer, it will earn you the fire
iv. it is wrong to kill a believer except by mistake
could Allah still issue a command to someone to do something wrong like slaughtering your own son?
The following verse makes clear that Allah NEVER advocates doing anything that is wrong :
7:28 " ...Say, "Allah never advocates wrong doing. Are you saying about Allah what you do not know?”
So to say that Allah issued a command to Abraham to do something wrong in order to teach something good or to test the obedience of his messenger is really saying things about Allah that you do not know.
Killing a believer, killing anyone without justice, killing one’s own children are all wrongful actions. Surely Allah does not advocate such wrong.
The Quran also says that the idea of shedding the blood of human beings, especially killing your own child has pagan origins.
6:137 "And thus their pagan idols have made fair to the pagan polytheists the killing of their children, that they may cause them to perish and obscure for them their way of life and if Allah had pleased, they would not have done it, therefore leave them and that which they fabricate."
This verse 6:137 above clearly says that sacrificing human beings especially killing your own children as a sacrifice is a pagan act. After teaching thus and that the retribution for killing a believer is the fire – it would be a serious contradiction if Allah gave Abraham a test which requires Abraham to kill his own son.
The Biblical narrative of course rejects all the above verses of the Quran. The biblical story says that "god" commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son. The act of killing your own son.
The mullahs say that Allah never intended that Abraham’s son would be killed. It was merely a test. This is debunked by the Quran again :
60:12O Prophet! when believing women come to you giving you a pledge that they will not associate anything with Allah, and will not steal, and will not commit fornication, AND WILL NOT KILL THEIR CHILDREN, and will not bring a calumny which they have forged of themselves, and will not disobey you in what is good, accept their pledge, and ask forgiveness for them from Allah; surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.”
This is a test specifically prescribed in the Quran to accept the pledge of believing women.Their pledge shall include their promise that they WILL NOT KILL THEIR CHILDREN.
This is because it is a great wrong to kill one’s own child. Therefore it is highly contradictory (within the Quran) that Allah would test Abraham’s belief in the exact opposite manner ie by giving Abraham a command to kill his own child.
87 : 18 – 19 “Most surely this is in the earlier scriptures, the scriptures of Abraham and Moses.”
If the Quran says "do not kill your children" the earlier books of Abraham and Moses would say the same things as well. Hence the Quran would be contradicting itself if it says that Abraham was indeed commanded to kill his son. There are no such ‘slip ups’ in the Quran.
The Bible however teaches that "god" commanded Abraham to shed the blood of his son. Christians also believe in a ritual of drinking the blood and eating the flesh of Christ who they believe was also ‘sacrificed’ by god to atone for human sins. This is the biblical belief in the shedding of human blood as a sacrifice.
The mullahs share a belief similar to this biblical belief too. The narrative in the Quran is different.
If we put all these facts side by side, we know that Abraham’s son was a good believer, thus killing him would be a great wrong and Allah NEVER advocates wrong.
Abraham had a dream but it was in his sleep. Allah intervened and saved Abraham’s son and saved Abraham too from committing a great wrong (37:107).
It was a dream (ru’ya) which Abraham saw in his sleep (‘araa fil manaami’).
I must qualify that all this is as per the narrative in the Quran.
Of course when we refer to sources other than the Quran, then the story is different.
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