Islam claims that Yishmael is the forefather of Muhammad. Yishmael in the tradition of Islam, is an important figure who is recognized as a patriarch of Islam. He is additionally recognized as teh forefather of many prominent Arab tribes. He is mentioned as one of the righteous in the Koran along with many other important Muslim prophets and patriarchs. So here is my question for everyone: If we take Hashem's promise literally and we follow the ideas of Islam for a second, did it really come true? Did Hashem truly turn Yishmael into a great nation that multiplied and increased in numbers? If we believe that Yishmael is a forefather of Mohammad and therefore a patriarch of Islam, does he really have a "great" nation? Also, what do we mean by great here? Do we mean in terms of numbers or in terms of success? Basically, did Hashem's promise come true?
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Yishmael in Islam
As we said in class, the promise that Hashem makes to Avraham concerning Yishmael is a little bit strange. We see that he is going to be successful and will multiply and be the father of a great nation. Hashem makes this promise in response to the news that Avraham will have a new son who will carry on his legacy. Avraham, shocked by the news, has to cope with the fact that the child who he previously thought will be the one to carry on his name, is truly the child who will be pushed aside. Now there is a new child in the picture: Yitzchak. But don't forget about Yishmael, Hashem says, because he too will be great and will multiply.
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Greetings!
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that Gods promise to avraham about his firstborn Yishmael definitely came true. The religion with the most numerous members is definitely the Muslim religion. Many muslims are often seen as very prominent people. So many people today are muslim and they have become a famous and known religion. Hashem's promise to make the descendants of Yishmael a great nation most definitely came true and he kept his promise. In some ways, it can be said that god has "blessed" them even more than us "the chosen people" who are the descendants of Yitzchak since they are more numerous than we are.