Abraham in Islam
Abraham[a] was a prophet and messenger[5][6] of God according to Islam, and an ancestor to the Ishmaelite Arabs and Israelites.[5][7] Abraham plays a prominent role as an example of faith in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.[5] In Muslim belief, Abraham fulfilled all the commandments and trials wherein God nurtured him throughout his lifetime. As a result of his unwavering faith in God, Abraham was promised by God to be a leader to all the nations of the world.[8] The Quran extols Abraham as a model, an exemplar, obedient and not an idolater.[9] In this sense, Abraham has been described as representing "primordial man in universal surrender to the Divine Reality before its fragmentation into religions separated from each other by differences in form".[10]: 18 Muslims believe that the Kaaba in Mecca was built by Abraham and his son Ishmael as the first house of worship on earth. The Islamic holy day Eid al-Adha is celebrated in commemoration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son on God's command, as well as the end of the Hajj pilgrimage to the Kaaba.[10]
Ibrahimi Mosque, Hebron
Khalīlullāh (Arabic: خَلِيْلُ ٱللهِ, "Friend of God")
- Being an ancestor of the Ishmaelites and the Israelites
- Building the Kaaba
Lut (nephew)
Muslims believe that Abraham became the leader of the righteous in his time and that it was through him that Adnanite-Arabs and Israelites came. Abraham, in the belief of Islam, was instrumental in cleansing the world of idolatry at the time. Paganism was cleared out by Abraham in both the Arabian peninsula and Canaan. He spiritually purified both places as well as physically sanctifying the houses of worship. Abraham and Isma'il (Ishmael) further established the rites of pilgrimage,[11] or Ḥajj ('Pilgrimage'), which are still followed by Muslims today. Muslims maintain that Abraham further asked God to bless both the lines of his progeny, of Isma'il and Isḥaq (Isaac), and to keep all of his descendants in the protection of God.
Quranic account and Islamic tradition[edit]
Family[edit]
Muslims maintain that Abraham's father was not Azar,[1] [(Arabic: آزَر, romanized: Āzar), which could be derived from Eusebius' reference to his father Athar in Koine Greek,[12]] but Tarakh[13][14][15][16] who is known in the Hebrew Bible as Terah. Abraham had two children, Ishmael and Isaac, who both later became prophets. Abraham's nephew is said to have been the messenger Lut (Lot), who was one of the other people who migrated with Abraham out of their community. Abraham himself is said to have been a descendant of Nuh through his son Shem.[17]
![The most significant mosque in Islam, that is the Mosque of the Kaaba in the Hejazi city of Mecca, is believed to date to the time of Abraham and Ishmael[54]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Kaaba_mirror_edit_jj.jpg/240px-Kaaba_mirror_edit_jj.jpg)
The Maqam (Station) of Abraham which is believed by Muslims to contain his footprints, near the Kaaba in Al-Masjid Al-Haram
Masjid Al-Aqsa, also known as the Temple Mount, Old City of Jerusalem in Shaam, is also believed to date to the lifetime of Abraham[54]
![Masjid Al-Aqsa, also known as the Temple Mount, Old City of Jerusalem in Shaam, is also believed to date to the lifetime of Abraham[54]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/40/Temple_Mount_%28Aerial_view%2C_2007%29_05.jpg/274px-Temple_Mount_%28Aerial_view%2C_2007%29_05.jpg)
One of Abraham's most important features in Islamic theology is his role as the constructor of the Kaaba. Although tradition recounts that Adam constructed the original Kaaba, which was demolished by the Great Flood at the time of Noah, Abraham is believed to have rebuilt it in its original form. The Quran, in the Muslim perspective, merely confirms or reinforces the laws of pilgrimage. The rites were instituted by Abraham and for all Muslims, as they perform the pilgrimage, the event is a way to return to the perfection of Abraham's faith.[53] Just as Medina is referred to as the "City of the Prophet [Muhammad]" or simply the "City of Muhammad", Mecca is frequently cited as the "City of Abraham", because Abraham's reformation of the monotheistic faith is believed to have taken place in Mecca.[10] Likewise, Islamic belief links the original sanctuary of Al-Aqsa in the Old City of Jerusalem to Abraham.[54]
In the section of the cave which is a mosque, this grate allows visitors to look down into a shaft measuring 40 feet (12 metres), which leads to the ground level of the cave where Abraham and Sarah are buried
Muslims believe that Abraham was buried, along with his wife Sarah, at the Cave of the Patriarchs in the Old City of Hebron, the West Bank. Known to Muslims as the Sanctuary of Abraham it is also thought to be the burial site of his son Isaac, his wife Rebecca, their son Jacob, and his wife Leah.[69][70]