Was it Isma’il or Ishaque
 

 About four thousand years ago, Allah came to a man named Ibrahim.  He was living in a place called Ur on the Arabian Peninsula.   The people of Ur and even his family worshipped idols.  In the Tawraat we read what Allah said to Ibrahim:

“Get out of your country and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you.  I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing.  And I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”[1]

 Ibrahim obeyed Allah and went to what is the area of Israel and Palestine today.  Ibrahim never owned any of that land except a cave which he purchased as a burial place for himself and his family.  But, Allah promised him that one day his physical descendants would possess the land from the River Euphrates to the wilderness of Sanai (Egypt).   The descendants of Ibrahim through the line of Isahque did come to possess this land.  During the reigns of Dawood and Sulieman, the two most powerful Kings of Israel, the Kingdom of Israel extended from the River Euphrates to the wilderness of Sanai, just as Allah had promised.   But, because they often disobeyed Allah, Israel declined after this.  However they still remained in the land until after Isa came.

 Ibrahim was a man who showed great faith in Allah.  Allah had promised Ibrahim that he would have a son through his wife Sarai.  Many years passed and Sarai still had no child.  Sarai became impatient and encouraged Ibrahim to take their Egyptian servant girl named Hagar and try to have a son by her.  Ibrahim listened to Sarai and did have a son by Hagar and he named his son Isma’il.   Ibrahim was 86 years old at this time.[2]

 Many years later, when Ibrahim was 99 years old and Sarai was 90 years old, Allah told Ibrahim that now they would have the child.[3]  Both Ibrahim and Sarai laughed when Allah first told this to them.   Sarai was physically well past her time to conceive a child and Ibrahim also was very old.  But, they believed Allah and, just as He said, Sarai conceived and had a son.  They named him Isahque which means ‘laughter’.  His name reminded them both of the joy they now had in their son, but also of the fact that they had laughed at the very idea of having a son in their old age.

 One day, Allah tested the faith of Ibrahim.  He told Ibrahim to take his son and offer him as a qurbani (sacrifice) to Allah.  Ibrahim took his son to the place Allah showed him and prepared to kill him and offer him to Allah.  At the last moment Allah sent His Angel to stop Ibrahim.  A ram had gotten its horns caught in some bushes nearby and the Angel told Ibrahim to offer the ram instead.  Allah provided a substitute to take the place of Ibrahim’s son.  Allah told Ibrahim that He knew Ibrahim was faithful because he had not held back even his son!
 

Who Was the Son? 

This is a wonderful and amazing story filled with meaning.  But which son of Ibrahim did he offer that day? 

 Sura Al Saffat (Sura 37) 75 and 100-108 – Verily among those who followed His way was Ibrahim ….  He said, “Oh my Lord!  Grant me a righteous son.  So We gave him the good news of a boy ready to suffer and forbear.  Then, when the son reached (the age of serious work) with him, he said, “Oh my son!  I see in a vision that I offer you in sacrifice: now see, what is your view?”  (The son) said, “Oh my father!  Do as you are commanded.  You will find me, if God so wills, one practicing patience and constancy.”  So when they had both submitted their wills, and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead, We called out to him, “Oh Ibrahim!  You have already fulfilled the vision, thus We indeed do reward those who do right.  For this was obviously a trial.  And We ransomed him with a momentus sacrifice.  And we left (this blessing or testimony) for him among generations in later times.  Peace and salutations to Ibrahim.  Thus indeed do We reward those who do right.  For, he was one of our believing servants.  And We gave him the good news of Ishaque – a prophet and one of the righteous.  We blessed him and Ishaque.

Islam teaches that the son that was presented to be the Qurbani was Isma’il.   But what do we see in these ayyat.  The name is not given, is it?  The only son mentioned here is Ishaque.  We read that Allah gave Ibrahim good news of a son and later that Allah gave Ibrahim good news of Ishaque.  

 The Qur’an is not clear about which son Ibrahim offered Allah.  So what do we do if we are not clear about something in the Qur’an.  The Qur’an itself tells us exactly what to do.

 Sura Yunnus (Sura 10) ayya 94 – If you are in doubt about what we have revealed unto you, then ask those who have been reading the Book from before you; the Truth has indeed come to you from your Lord, so be in no wise of those who doubt.

The Qur’an is very clear about how to answer our questions about the Qur’an – Go to the Before Scriptures.  But how do we know for sure what “the Book from before you” is.  The Qur’an tells us very plainly what it is:

Sura Al Imran (Sura 3) ayya 48 – And Allah will teach Him (Isa) the Book and the Wisdom, the Tawraat and the Injiil.

So let us follow this guideline in the Qur’an and see what the Before Scriptures say:

Now it came to pass that Allah tested Ibrahim and said to him, “Ibrahim!”

And he said, “Here I am.”

Then He said, “Take your son Ishaque, whom you love and go to the land of Moriah and offer him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will show you.”

So Ibrahim rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Ishaque his son; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which Allah had told him.  Then on the third day, Ibrahim lifted his eyes and saw the place far off.

And Ibrahim said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey.  The boy and I will go there and worship and we will come back to you.”

So Ibrahim took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the knife and the two of them went together.

But Ishque spoke to Ibrahim his father and said, “Look, the fire and the wood; but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

And Ibrahim said, “My son, Allah will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.”

So the two of them went together.  Then they came to the place of which Allah had told him.  And Ibrahim built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Ishaque his son and laid him upon the wood.  And Ibrahim stretched out his hand and took the knife to kill his son. 

But the Angel of the LORD called out to from heaven and said. “Ibrahim, Ibrahim.”

So he said. “Here I am.”

And he said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear Allah, since you have not withheld your son from Me.”

Then Ibrahim lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by his horns.  So Ibrahim went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.  And Ibrahim called the name of the place “The LORD will provide” as it is called to this day.[4]

So if we do what the Qur’an says and go to the before Scriptures to have our doubts cleared up, the answer is very clear.  The Tawraat says very plainly that the son that Ibrahim offered was Ishaque.

 Why is this Important?

 What difference does it make whether Ibrahim offered Ishaque or Isma’il.  Does it mean that Allah loves the descendants of Ishaque more than the descendants of Isma’il.   Not at all.  Allah promised Ibrahim that the descendants of Isma’il would become a great nation.   But remember that Allah had a plan to bless all the people of the earth.  He told Ibrahim that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”   Allah had told Ibrahim:

 “Sarai your wife shall bear a son, and you shall call his name Ishaque.  I will establish my covenant (promise of the blessing for the whole earth) with him for an everlasting covenant and with his descendants after him.  And as for Isma’il, I have heard you and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. …. But My covenant I will establish with Ishaque.[5]

Allah says, “I declare the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying I will do all my pleasure and work all things after the counsel of my will.”[6]  From the time that Adam sinned and sin came into world separating us from Him, Allah had a plan.   He looked forward into time and chose to call out Ibrahim, and give him a son named Ishaque.  From the line of Ishaque came the nation of Israel, and from Israel Allah chose the tribe of Judah, and from Judah He chose the line of Dawood.  Then from the line of Dawood came forth a young girl named Maryam into whom Allah breathed His very Spirit.  This was Isa called Kalamatullah, Ruhallah, Messiah (Masih) and, as the Injiil reveals to us, – Ibnullah.  And through Isa Masih, Allah established the promise (covenant) He gave to Ibrahim to bless all the families of the earth through him.   And what is this blessing for all the families of the earth?  We see it pictured in the offering of Ishaque.   Ishaque did not have to die.  Why?  Because Allah provided a substitute! 

Ibrahim named the place “The LORD will provide” because Allah provided a substitute.   This place later became Jerusalem.  The spot where Ibrahim offered Ishaque was the place where Allah directed Israel to build the Temple with its altar for Qurbani.  There the people of Israel offered their Qurbani for their sins.  Musa had given us the Law of Allah.  The Qurbani was required by the Law because we all sin and come short of Allah’s standard of perfect righteousness.   But the Injill explains something to us:

For the Law (with Qurbani) was a shadow of good things to come, not the very image of those things, so it can never with those sacrifices offered year by year make those who approach (Allah in worship) perfect.  For in those sacrifices (qurbanis) there was a reminder of sins year by year.  For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.[7]

 Animals can never be equal substitutes for us.  The Qurbani had to be a person who was perfectly righteous and holy.  So Allah sent Isa.  Here was the one who could be the Qurbani for our sins, because He had no sin.  Isa told us that He came “not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom (payment, Qurbani) for many.”[8]

 There in Jerusalem, in the place that Ibrahim had called “The LORD Will Provide”, Allah provided the substitute for our sins when Isa died on the cross for us.  Allah would not allow Ibrahim to offer his son as a Qurbani for his sins.  He provided a substitute for Ishaque.  But, Allah did allow Isa to offer himself as the Qurbani for our sins.   In Isa, Allah has provided a Substitute, a Qurbani for the whole world.  This is the blessing that Allah promised for the whole world through the line of Ibrahim.  

 We read in the Injiil:

 If anyone sins we have an Advocate with the Father, Isa Masih the righteous, and He Himself is the Qurbani for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.[9]

Allah promised that through Ibrahim’s line, He would bless all the people of the earth.   That promise was passed on through his son Ishaque and then through Isaac’s descendants, who were the people of Israel.  Maryam was an Israelite and a descendant of Ibrahim through Ishaque.   So Isa came into the world through the line of Israel.  This is why both the Tawraat and the Qur’an say that Israel were the chosen people.  Allah chose to send the Messiah, the Savior of the world through the people of Israel. 

Sadly, most of the people of Israel did not believe in Isa.  They did not believe that Isa was the promised Messiah, even though Allah proved that Isa was the Messiah by raising him from the dead.  But, the forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life through faith in Isa are being offered to the whole world.  Through Isa, Allah is keeping His promise to Ibrahim – that through him (Ibrahim’s line) all the families of the earth would be blessed.  This is why Isa commanded His followers to go into all the world and proclaim this Good News (Injiil) to everyone.  And this is the Good news that has come to you by the Word of Allah in the Injiil:

If you confess with your mouth that Isa is Lord and believe in you heart that Allah has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved.[10]