Ishmael, Part of the Covenant Family

Ishmael was born to Hagar, (Gen. 16:11) just as God had promised.

Please turn to Gen. 17:20-21:

Insofar as this prophecy goes, we can sum it up by saying Ishmael will be blessed and multiplied into an ethnic family with twelve subdivisions.

The words that God will establish His covenant with Isaac are still paramount and the real reason for the story, but not to the exclusion of Ishmael from God's blessing. Isaac, like his father, is to be the agent of blessing for all nations, as will be his ultimate descendant, Jesus, in whom and through whom we finally see the nature and magnitude of that blessing.

God’s promise to Abraham about having a son with Sarah as fulfillment of the promise is recorded in Genesis 21:1-3.

The promise God made to Abraham is reconfirmed and more specifically in Gen. 22:15-18. We understand the passage is about Isaac. Muslims are taught that the passage is about Ishmael.

The only son here is Isaac, but to the Muslim, it is Ishmael. Ishmael is the one offered as a sacrifice according to the Qur’an and Islamic doctrine. Because of this belief, Islam places great emphasis upon places they consider especially holy since they were associated with Abraham.

Mt. Moriah: One of the more important places is Mt. Moriah-considered holy by Muslim, Jews and Christians.

A topographic map of Jerusalem shows that Mount Moriah is not a single peak, but an elongated ridge, which commences to rise at its Southern end at the junction of the Kidron and Hinnom Valleys, at the original City of David. The ridge then climbs in elevation to just Northeast of the present Damascus Gate of the Old City. The Temple Mount, prominent in most photos of Jerusalem, occupies an area of about 45 acres. The elevation of the bedrock outcropping on the Temple Mount is much smaller.

Even prior to the conquest of the city of Jebus by David- which became the City of David, (1 Chronicles 11:4) - we know of the existence of Jerusalem from the record of Abraham's visit to Melchizedek there, recorded in Genesis Chapter 14. Although the original inhabitants were descendants of Noah's son Caanan, Melchizedek was both a priest and a king of "God Most High," in Jerusalem about 4 millennia ago. Melchizedek (his name means "king of righteousness") was a man to whom Abraham paid tithes, and he is a "type" of Jesus Christ as the believer's Great High Priest, (Psalm 110:4, Hebrews 5-7).

Jerusalem does not lie on any important trade routes nor is there any natural reason why this city should be one of the most important places in the world for more than four thousand years. Jerusalem lies at the crest of a low range of hills, which are a barrier to winter rains from the Mediterranean Sea, which is only 30 miles to the West. Immediately to the East, annual rainfall drops nearly to zero in the Judean Wilderness. The elevation to the East also drops rapidly to the Dead Sea, falling to 1,290 feet below sea level, in less than 15 miles as the crow flies.

Jerusalem's importance as a site chosen by God for His special purposes dates from the call of God to Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah, in the city of Jebus, as recorded in Genesis 22. (The Jews as "the Akeda" or "the binding of Isaac" know this important event in the life of Abraham.)

"After these things God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering upon one of the mountains of which I shall tell you."

All religions that claim Abraham as a prophet also consider Mt. Moriah as a special, or holy place because of the sacrifice of Abraham. There are other reasons for thinking Mt. Moriah is special.

Late in his reign as King of Jerusalem David erred grievously in the sight of the Lord by ordering a census. (I Chronicles 21, 2 Samuel 24). As part of his repentance before the Lord, David purchased a large piece of property owned by a Jebusite man named Ornan (or Araunah) for 600 shekels of gold. David's purchase of Ornan's property seems to have included an additional 50 shekels of silver for the purchase threshing floor proper, and oxen for sacrifice. David then erected an altar there and offered sacrifices there.

It was David's intent to build a temple to the Lord on this property, on Mt. Moriah, however God chose Solomon for this task instead, after allowing David to amass the material resources that would be required. (I Chronicles 22ff, 1 Kings 5ff).

There is some archaeological evidence to suppose that the place of the crucifixion of Jesus was at the summit of Mt. Moriah, probably near the present-day Damascus Gate and the Garden Tomb which would of course be a literal fulfillment of Abraham's offering of Isaac when God said, "On the mount of the Lord it [the final offering for sin] will be provided."

To the Jews and Christendom, Mt. Moriah is the place by tradition where Melchizedek, king of Salem, blessed Abraham [Genesis 14:18] , where Abraham offered Isaac [Genesis 22], where Jacob dreamed [Genesis 28:10-18], where David bought the threshing floor from Araunah (the city’s former Jebusite king) and offered sacrifice to God [1 Chron. 21:25; 2 Samuel 24:18-25], where Solomon built the temple and placed the Holy of Holies, and possibly the location of the crucifixion.

To Islam, Mt. Moriah is not only the place where Ishmael was offered by Abraham but where Muhammad ascended to heaven. The story of Muhammad’s journey and ascent to heaven has several versions. One of them is:

In the year 621, at the age of 51 years old, IN A DREAM, Muhammad flew on the magical Winged-Horse of Fire which he called Burak, which means "Thunder-Lightning", to several cities including Jerusalem. The full version of this dream is found in "The Bokhari" ( Vol.15, p.3615 ) one of the Holy Islamic Scriptures.

The story of the Ascension of Mohammed, known as "Miraj", or "Stairway to Heaven" began when Mohammed fell asleep on a carpet at his cousin's place and became the inspirational source of different "Stories of the 1001 Nights of Arabia" involving "Magic Carpet Rides".

One night as the Prophet lay sleeping next to the Ka’ba, the Archangel Gabriel woke him. Later the Prophet described what happened: 'I sat up and he took hold of my arm. I stood beside him and he brought me to the door of the mosque where there was a white animal for me to ride.' The animal was a white winged horse.

The Prophet told of how he mounted the animal and, with the Archangel Gabriel at his side, was transported from Mecca. First of all, they went to the summit of Mount Sinai, at the very place where Jehovah had given the stone tables to Moses. Then, they flew on and went to Bethlehem at the exact place where Jesus was born, then to the mosque called al-Aqsa, in Jerusalem.

In Jerusalem, on the temple mound, at the rock of Mt. Moriah, Muhammad found Abraham, Moses, and Jesus among a group of Prophets. Muhammad acted as their leader, or imam, in prayer. A most interesting case of "Transfiguration".

Then he was brought two jugs, one containing wine and the other milk. He chose the milk and refused the wine. At this, the Archangel Gabriel said, 'You have been rightly guided to the fitrah (the true nature of man) and so will your people be, Muhammad. Wine is forbidden to you. Which is why Muslims do not drink alcohol beverages.

The Prophet also related how they passed through Heaven's gates and saw countless angels. Among them was Malik, the Keeper of Hell, who never smiles. Malik stepped forward and showed the Prophet a view of Hell and the terrible plight of those who suffer in that place.

Then the Prophet was taken up by the angels, through the seven Heavens, one by one. Along the way he again saw Jesus, Moses, and Abraham, and the Prophet said that he had never seen a man more like himself than Abraham. He also saw John, Joseph, Enoch, and Aaron.

At last he reached the Lote Tree of the Uttermost, where no Prophet had been before. Here the Prophet received Revelation of what Muslims believe. 

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. The Messenger believeth in that which hath been revealed unto him from his Lord and (so do) the believers. Each one believes in Allah and His Angels and His Books and His Messengers-We make no distinction between any of His messengers-and they say: We hear, and we obey. Grant us Thy forgiveness, our Lord. Unto Thee is the homecoming. Qur’an Surah 2.285. 

Then he was taken into the Light of the Divine Presence of Allah, and was instructed that Muslims should pray fifty times a day. The Prophet recalled: On my way back I passed by Moses and what a good friend to you he was! He asked me how many prayers had I been ordained to perform. When I told him fifty, he said, 'Prayer is a serious matter and your people are weak, so go back to your Lord and ask Him to reduce the number for you and your community.' I did so and He took away ten. Again I passed by Moses and he said the same again; and so it went on until only five prayers for the whole day and night were left. Moses again gave me the same advice. I replied that I had been back to my Lord and asked him to reduce the number until I was ashamed, and I would not do it again. He of you who performs the five prayers faithfully, will have the reward of fifty prayers.

On the morning following these events and the Prophet's return to Mecca, he told Quraysh what had happened. Most of them said, '… This is ridiculous! A caravan takes a month to go to Syria and a month to return! Can you do that long journey in a single night?' Even many Muslims were amazed by this and wanted the Prophet to explain. Some ran with the news to Abu Bakr who said, 'By Allah, if Muhammad himself has said so, then it is true. Remember, the Prophet tells us that the word of Allah comes to him directly from heaven to earth at any hour by day or night, and we believe him. Isn't that a greater miracle than what you are now doubting?' Then Abu Bakr went to the mosque and listened to the Prophet's detailed description of Jerusalem. He commented, 'You tell the truth, O Prophet of Allah!' From then on, Abu Bakr was honored with the title 'al-Siddiq’, which means 'he who gives his word to support the truth'.

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful  Glory be to Him, who carried His servant by night from the Holy Mosque to the Far distant place of worship, the Neighborhood which We have blessed, that We might show him some of Our signs, He, only He is the All-hearing, the All-seeing. Qur’an, Surah 17,1.

In these passages and in Surah 53,1-18 is the basis for the belief that Muhammad journeyed to Jerusalem and from there went to heaven to visit the prophets of old, including Jesus. It is said that the four holes in the rock under the Mosque of Omar were made by the hooves of the winged horse when it landed in Jerusalem. Muslims believe that anything said by Muhammad is true, therefore they venerate the rock on the temple mound and that is why the mosque was built over it to preserve it. It is also why they intend to hold on that that piece of real estate at whatever cost to them.

Some parts of the dream story were taken from The Messenger, the Life of Mohammed" by R.V.C. Bodley, Greenwood press, N.Y., 1946; while other parts were derived from "Apocalypses et Voyages dans L'Au-Delà" by Angelo Piemontese.

Mohammed enjoyed discussing about dreams and interpreting them and became very frustrated about the Christian Church's strange attitude in regards to dreams and was able to condense his whole knowledge in only a few lines.....

" Now Allah has created the dream not only as a means of guidance and instruction, I refer to the true dream, but he has made it as a window on the World of the Unseen." This is basically the repetition of Job 33:15 plus a few details.

" He who does not believe in the True Dream does not believe in Allah and in the Day of Reckoning." ..... which is basically Numbers 12:6 slightly rearranged to counteract the influence of the Bible.

"There are above you Watchers." Qur’an Surah 82,10

" Glory be to Him, who carried his Servant by Night from the sacred temple of Mecca to the Temple that is more remote, whose precinct we have blessed, that we might show him of our signs, for He is the Hearer and the Seer" Qur'an Surah 17,1

This is very interesting, because he clearly states here that all the Glory goes to Him, the Winged-Horse, who carried his Servant..... and truly that is the case the Rider must serve the Horse which is truly the Hearer and the Seer, which is Allah, the Creator...and finally...in the stories concerning his return ....his future resurrection which should occur at a time will be a real wasteland....he will be told... as he will come out of his grave...

Perhaps you have had the opportunity to see the beautiful and most famous painting of the Ascension of Mohammed on the Horse of Fire from the manuscript "Khamset al-Nizami", British Museum Orient Ms.# 2265. If you have, you noted that Mohammed is shown faceless... and along with the following words....

" Glory be to Him who carried his Servant by Night from the sacred temple of Mecca to the Temple that is more remote, whose precinct we have blessed, that we might show him of our signs, for He is the Hearer and the Seer" (Qur'an 17,1)

Because of the belief in Muhammad’s midnight trip to Jerusalem on a winged horse, and the present day location of the Mosque of Omar (also called the Dome of the Rock) Islam wants to own and control that piece of real estate. Israel currently owns and controls. It is important because of Abraham and the two temples. This is a continuous conflict: Bin Laden said the only solution to the problem would be for "the American troops should go back from Saudi Arabia and the Jewish army should withdraw from the whole of Palestine." [The Tennessean, Oct. 16, 2002, p. 7A}

Hebron is the place where Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Jacob are buried.

• Abram moved his tent, and went and dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar there to the LORD. Genesis 13:18
• So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her. Gen. 23:2.
• And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan. Genesis 23:19.
• Death of Isaac Then Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre, or Kirjath Arba Genesis 35:27 Literally Town of Arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had dwelt.

The bible tells that Abraham purchased the Cave (of Machpelah) for the full market price of 400 silver shekel [Genesis Chapter 23: 16. And Abraham listened to Ephron; and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver, which he had named in the hearing of the Hittites, four hundred shekels of silver, current money among the merchants.]

But two chapters earlier in Genesis, the Bible tells that the king of the land, Abimelech, gave Abraham and his wife, Sarah, one thousand pieces of silver  [Genesis Chapter 20:16. And to Sarah he said, Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver; behold, he is to you a covering of the eyes, to all who are with you, and with all other; thus she was reproved.]

For Muslims, Hebron is holy because it has the Magarat (Cave, Colloquial Gar) where Muslims believe that Abraham was buried. To Muslims, Abraham, is called the father of all the prophets. Muslims cannot be Muslims without the absolute belief in the prophecies of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as well as the Torah as the word of God. In the Qur’an Abraham, Jacob and Isaac are named 73, 18 and 16 times, respectively as opposed to only 4 times for the prophet of Islam, Muhammad.

The Jews revere the Cave for the same reason.

Hebron (Heb. HEVRON), is the southern Judean Hills, south-southwest of Jerusalem. It is 3,050 feet above sea level. In modern times, it was part of mandated Palestine during 1923-48; after the Arab-Israeli War of 1948-49, it was in the territory annexed by Jordan (1950); but since the Six-Day War of June 1967, it has been part of the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) territory under Israeli administration.

Hebron is one of the oldest cities in the region; because of its associations with the biblical patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and with King David, it is one of the four holy cities of Judaism (Jerusalem, Hebron, Tiberius, and Zefat [Safed]). Islam, which reveres Abraham as a founder of monotheism and precursor of Muhammad, also considers it a holy city and they all want the same piece of real estate under their control.

A second great area of religious conflict between Islam and Christianity is over the role of Jesus in the Bible, especially that of his sacrifice on Calvery for the sins of the people, and the denials of Christ in the Qur’an. Islam teaches that Jesus:

(1) was a miraculous birth.

Surah 3:47 She said: My Lord! when shall there be a son (born) to I me, and man has not touched me? He said: Even so, Allah creates what He pleases; when He has decreed a matter, He only says to it, Be, and it is. For thou knowest in full all that is hidden

(2) was born under a palm tree

Surah 19:22-27 So she conceived him; then withdrew herself with him to a remote place. And the throes (of childbirth) compelled her to betake herself to the trunk of a palm tree. She said: Oh, would that I had died before this, and had been a thing quite forgotten! Then (the child) called out to her from beneath her: Grieve not, surely your Lord has made a stream to flow beneath you; And shake towards you the trunk of the palmtree, it will drop on you fresh ripe dates: So eat and drink and refresh the eye. Then if you see any mortal, say: Surely I have vowed a fast to the Beneficent Allah, so I shall not speak to any man today. And she came to her people with him, carrying him (with her). They said: O Marium! surely you have done a strange thing. (Muhammad mistook the sister of Moses for Mary the mother of Jesus in all his writings. Some translators correct this error.)

(3) Jesus was not the son of God, but only an apostle (messenger)

Surah 4:171 O People of the Book! (What Muslims call Christians and Jews) Commit no excesses in your religion: Nor say of Allah aught but the truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) an apostle of Allah, and His Word, which He bestowed on Mary, and a spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and His apostles. Say not "Trinity" : desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is one Allah. Glory be to Him: (far exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth. And enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs.

(4) Jesus must not be called Christ

Surah 5:17. In blasphemy indeed are those that say that Allah is Christ the son of Mary. Also, in Surah 5: 72 and 116.

(5) Jesus is not to be worshipped

Surah 5:116. And behold! Allah will say: "O Jesus the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah.?" (Jesus never said this, never implied it; by the time Muhammad propagated this Catholics were promoting the veneration of Mary and this was probably Muhammad’s reaction to that new Catholic doctrine.)

(6) To say Jesus is God’s Son is gross blasphemy

Surah 2:116 They said, "GOD has begotten a son!" Be He glorified; never! To Him belongs everything in the heavens and the earth; all are subservient to Him.

(7) Jesus was never crucified

The sacrifice of Christ is a central issue of dispute between the two beliefs. No doubt, the cross is the core of the Christian faith. The Bible clearly indicates that the eternal destiny of man depends on the atoning death of Christ on the cross.

Islam rejects the whole concept of the cross. Muslims allege that it is against reason to claim that God, the Omnipotent, would not forgive man's sins without the cross. To say so is to limit God's power. When repentance, they say, is combined with God's mercy and forgiveness, it becomes sufficient to award the penitent all the pleasures of the paradise promised in the Qur’an.

Jesus said, ``Whosoever believeth in me...has everlasting life.'' (John 3:16, NKJ). This does not mean that a person can indulge in sin believing that the death of Christ has secured for him the pardon of his transgressions in advance. Anyone who seeks everlasting life has to live a Christ-like life to meet the moral demands of the Christian faith. A person whose life does not attest to the new creation in him may still be under the condemnation of God's wrath.

Salvation in Islam is based on a continuous effort to obtain God's favor, which would be bestowed in the form of blessings, joys, and the pleasures of paradise, if He wills. This requires constant exertion in the hope of pleasing God. A Muslim can never be sure that he really has pleased God and secured His approval.

Good deeds in Islam are the avenue for obtaining God's reward, while good works in Christianity are the fruit of love and faith. To Christians, good works are not a means of earning some present or future reward. Everlasting life has already been guaranteed by the merit of the sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

The redemptive act of Jesus Christ on the cross for the salvation of the human race is an essential tenet of the Christian faith. It was neither planned nor implemented by people, but has been carried out by God Himself. Therefore man cannot claim any credit for it.

Since the inception of Islam in the seventh century A.D., the death of Christ on the cross and His resurrection have been disputed issues between Muslims and Christians. Muslims deny that Jesus was crucified, or even that He died a natural death (although some of their scholars are inclined to say that Jesus suffered a natural death and then God raised Him up to heaven). On the other hand, Christians maintain that Jesus was crucified for the salvation of mankind. Both sides quote their own scripture to prove their point of view, implying their disbelief of the other's scripture.

Muslim denial of the crucifixion of Christ aims at negating the whole concept of atonement, or even the need for a savior. To them salvation could be achieved without shedding blood, that is, without the atoning act that took its final and eternal form on the cross in the person of Christ. In one reference to the crucifixion, the Bible says: " ..without shedding of blood there is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22, NKJ)

This is the very thing all Muslims strongly denounce. Muslims believe that both repentance and good deeds are sufficient to save people from their iniquities because forgiveness always depends on God's mercy and his will. Muslims also do not believe that there is a need for an intercessor between man and God. They claim that man is born innocent. He deviates from the straight path because of his weakness and deficiency

In their absolute denial of the death of Christ, Muslims rely on one statement in the Qur’an, Surah (al-Nisa) 4:156-157:

...and for their saying (in boast), ``We slew the Messiah, Jesus son of Marium, the Messenger of God" --- yet they did not slay him, neither crucified him, only a likeness of that was shown to them. Those who are at variance concerning him surely are in doubt regarding him; they have no knowledge of him, except the following of surmise; and they slew him not of a certainty ---.

On the basis of this solitary passage that denies the death of Christ (though it is subject to various contradictory interpretations), Muslims assert that the crucifixion of Jesus did not take place and that the story of Christ's death and resurrection is the innovation of the early Christians.

We are confronted by two facts. First, we have two books, the Qur’an and the Bible, and each one of them is regarded by its followers as a revelation from God. Apparently this cannot be true because they contradict each other in some of their most basic doctrines. This being the case, one of them must have come from a source other than God. It is of no avail to charge that the People of the Book, as Islam calls the Jews and the Christians, have perverted the Bible because all objective studies --not studies based on speculation or imagination --- have proven the authenticity of the Bible as we currently have it.

The second fact is that historical documents corroborate the Gospel text, while no historical evidence is available to attest to the veracity of the Quranic text concerning the crucifixion of Jesus. When history confirms the Biblical text but not the Quranic text, then the advantage is with the Bible and not with the Qur’an.

Him, being delivered by the predetermined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified and put to death; (Acts 2:23, NKJ)

Muslims claim that it really was not Jesus who was crucified, but that another person was crucified who resembled Jesus in his face only. His body was not subject to any change. They said, ``The face is the face of Jesus, but the body is not His [body].'' They made this statement in the context of their interpretation of Surah (al-Nisa) 4:157: "Those who are at variance concerning him surely are in doubt regarding him; they have no knowledge of him, except the following of surmise;" This is a miracle they call the Shabih which was designed to save Jesus, the Prophet, from having to die on the cross.

We need only to remember that Christ did not endeavor to avoid crucifixion. He came, in the first place, for the redemption of mankind. It is a task He elected to accomplish by His own will. If Christ really tried to evade crucifixion either through cowardice or apathy He would be evading a responsibility He took on Himself to fulfill. This is not a characteristic of the Christ who is the Word of God. In this case there was no need at all for God to perform the miracle of the Shabih.

Muslim scholars disagreed on the identity of the Shabih. Muslim narrators have related many imaginary stories, and they have been quoted by many Muslims expositors without any inquiry into their validity. These are not based on any historical document, archaeological proof or authentic text. No Muslim was able to provide any concrete evidence to prove the veracity of any of these fantasies concerning the Shabih. It appears that Islam has adopted the teachings of the Shabih and the denial of Jesus' crucifixion from the early Christian heretics.