Bible: An Islamic Perspective: Abraham

Abraham compares the Biblical patriarch of Judeo-Christian writings with the more idealized image of him found in the Quran and the Quranic commentary of Surabadi. This volume in The Bible: An Islamic Perspective brings this difference into focus. The Islamic Abraham is a noble, unrelenting, monotheist, a Muslim in the universal sense. Unlike the Biblical Abraham , he does not temporize or compromise his honor. Abraham’s relations with Sarah and Hagar are reviewed as is the identity of the sacrifice: Isaac of Ishmael? We also look at the infanticide in Canaan. Other topics include: Terah or Azar, the location of Ur, Abraham and the Idols, Abraham and the Fire and the Station of Abraham. As it is part of the Abrahamic cycle, the story of Lot and destruction of the Cities of the Plain is examined. Abraham’s story is preceded by two patriarchal stories drawn from the Quran and Islamic tradition with possible biblical connections: The Destruction of the People of Hud and Saleh and the Thamud.