Abraham's Vision - The Truth Revealed

Traditionally, people believe when Abraham wanted to sacrifice his son , Ismail, he was carrying out God's commandments. The Quran reveals the facts... "We decreed certain rituals for EVERY congregation; whereby they show their appreciation of God's provision of livestock. However YOUR GOD IS THE SAME GOD, you shall submit to Him". (Sura Al-Hajj 22:34)  

The Quran says in Chapter Al-Saaffaat:
    "My Lord grant me righteous children" We promised him a clement son.
When he grew up and started to accompany him, he said, "My son, I see in a vision that I must sacrifice you. What do you think?"
    He said, "Father, do whatever is enjoined upon you. You will find me, God willing, patient." When they both submitted, and he turned him down on his forehead, We called him, "O Abraham" you have fulfilled the vision. We thus reward the pious. It was indeed an exacting test We RANSOMED him with a great offering (Al Saaffaat 37:I00-107)

This is the episode of Abraham sacrificing his clement son Ismail. The traditionally held view is that Abraham was carrying out God's commandments in wanting to sacrifice his own son.

However closer reading of the above verses and other verses from the Quran indicate otherwise. God did not command Abraham to sacrifice his son.

In verse 102 above, Abraham does not say that the vision is from God. In fact he is unsure and hesitant, hence he asks his son, "What do you think?"

And it is Abraham's son who decides the issue by telling his father to proceed as he saw fit.

God then intervenes and RANSOMS Ismail with a great offering. Why does God say that He RANSOMED Ismail if it was God himself who had decreed the sacrifice in the first place?.

There are some facts within verses 37:100-107 which invite scrutiny.

If we say that Abraham's vision was from God , then we will see that these verses clearly contradict other verses in the Quran.

In Sura 6:151 we read "... you shall not kill your infants from fear of poverty;... you shall not kill, for God has made life sacred, except in the course of justice.."

From this verse we learn that human sacrifice is prohibited. Therefore how could God demand that Ismail be sacrificed? Was Ismail's life not sacred, and where is the justice in killing Ismail who was a righteous son.

"No believer kills another believer, except by mistake.." (Sura AI-Nisaa 4:92).

Abraham and Ismail were believers. God could not have commanded Abraham, a believer, to kill Ismail, another believer.

Therefore the fact that Abraham wanted to kill Ismail MUST have been a mistake. And God DOES NOT guide BELIEVERS to make mistakes.

The traditional explanation is that God was God then intervenes and RANSOMS Ismail never going to let Ismail get killed. It was a test on Abraham. But we must understand that the foresight of events was only with God. As far as Abraham and Ismail were concerned, at that point in time, they had absolutely no idea at all about God's intervention to save Ismail from being killed. Otherwise it would not have been an "exacting test" as mentioned in verse 106 Sura 36.

It's written in Sura Al-Nisaa 4:79: "Whatever good that happens to you is from God. Whatever bad that happens to you is the consequence of your own work".

Verse 79 in Sura 4 is the clearest interdiction to the claim that Abraham's vision was from God. From verse 6:151 we can see that absolutely no good at all is derived from human sacrifice or from killing without justice.

There is no good in a father killing his own righteous son.

Also from Ismail's standpoint there is no good at all in him getting killed, especially when they are uncertain about where the vision was from, as stated in verse 102 Sura 37.

They also did not know yet about God's intervention. Ismail was merely being obedient to his father.

To positively reinforce our view, let us quote again: "Whatever good that happens to you is from God ".

This immediately tells us that all the events prior to God's INTERVENTION TO RANSOM Ismail were BAD and therefore not from God. The only GOOD in this whole episode was God's INTERVENTION TO RANSOM Ismail.

"Why do they not study the Quran carefully? I f it were from other than God they would have found many contradictions therein".
(Sura Al-Nisaa 4:84)

The Quran is perfect, therefore one part of the Quran CANNOT CONTRADICT any other part. If Abraham's vision was from God, then verses 37:100-107 would be clearly contradicting 6:151, 4:92 and 4:79.

To counter these facts, some have argued that prior to the Quran, God allowed human sacrifice (or at least He made an exception for Abraham).

Besides being an incorrect statement, even the thought that God could institute human sacrifice, a ritual more akin to pagan cults, is disgusting and abhorrent.

God Himself informs us in His Quran "These (Quranic decrees) are the same as those revealed in the earliest Scriptures. The Scriptures revealed to Abraham and Moses" -
(Sura Al-A'la 87:18-19).

Therefore the decrees in 6:51 and 4:92 were known to Abraham and Moses and were applicable upon them.

The fact remains that in all His previous Scriptures (Taurat, Injil, Zabur and the "Suhuf" revealed to Abraham) there is no decree of human sacrifice, anyplace at all. God never decreed human sacrifice.

Instead the only sacrifices which God has decreed for Abraham, Moses, Muhammad are animal sacrifices.

"We decreed certain rituals for EVERY congregation, whereby they show their appreciation of God's provision o f livestock. However YOUR GOD IS THE SAME GOD, you shall submit to Him".
(Sura Al-Hajj 22:34)

"The livestock offerings are part o f the religious duties decreed by God, for your own good".
(Sura Al-Hajj 22:36)

In these verses, God tells us that although there were many congregations, HE REMAINS THE SAME GOD, and He has extracted from these congregations the same sacrifice of livestock sacrifices only.

Therefore, after decreeing thus, it cannot be that God changed His rules and extracted a human sacrifice from Abraham.

God does not contradict Himself by changing the rules like these.