Azahari Hassim
📜 Surah 2:124 and Genesis 17:21: A Qur’anic Contradiction of the Biblical Allocation of Covenant and Sacrifice
Introduction
The figure of Abraham stands at the heart of the Abrahamic traditions, yet the question of which son carries the covenant, and which son was nearly sacrificed, remains one of the most defining differences between the Qur’an and the Bible.
The Biblical narrative presents Isaac as both the covenantal heir (Genesis 17:21) and the child of sacrifice (Genesis 22). The Qur’an, however, frames the covenantal sequence very differently—most importantly in Surah 2:124, which explicitly ties the Abrahamic Covenant to Abraham’s great trial, understood in Islamic tradition as the near-sacrifice of Ishmael.
This Qur’anic link between the covenant and the sacrificial event fundamentally contradicts the Biblical arrangement, wherein Isaac is granted the covenant prior to the Akedah (sacrificial episode) and Ishmael is explicitly excluded from the covenant in Genesis 17:21.
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- The Qur’anic Framework: Covenant After the Trial
1.1 Surah 2:124 — The Covenant Follows the Trial of Sacrifice
Surah 2:124 states:
“And [remember] when Abraham was tested by his Lord with several commands, and he fulfilled them. He said: ‘I will make you a leader (imām) for mankind.’”
Islamic exegetes—from early mufassirūn to classical jurists—identify the “great trial” (al-ibtalā’) as the moment when Abraham was commanded to sacrifice his son. This is reinforced by:
• The flow of Surah 37:99–113, where the near-sacrifice is narrated before the announcement of Isaac’s birth.
• The Qur’an’s consistent refusal to name Isaac as the son of sacrifice.
• The theological logic that the covenantal elevation of Abraham to leadership (imāmah) occurs after he proves absolute obedience.
Thus, the Qur’an depicts the covenant as a direct reward for Abraham’s completion of the trial—which Islamic tradition universally associates with Ishmael, the firstborn son whom Abraham sent with Hagar to Mecca.
1.2 The Covenant Extends to “His Descendants”
When Abraham asks that this leadership (imāmah) be extended to his progeny:
“And of my descendants?”
God replies: “My covenant does not include the wrongdoers.” (2:124)
This indicates:
• The covenant includes Abraham’s descendants generally, but disqualifies the unjust.
• The covenant is not restricted to Isaac’s line, nor does the Qur’an ever assign it exclusively to Israel.
• The context of the sacrifice (Ishmael in Islamic memory) places Ishmael’s lineage at the center of the covenantal promise.
Therefore, in the Qur’anic perspective, the Abrahamic Covenant is linked to Ishmael, not Isaac.
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- Genesis 17:21 — A Contradictory Allocation of Covenant
Genesis 17:21 reads:
“But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”
This verse forms the Biblical foundation for the exclusivity of Isaac’s line regarding the covenant. According to the Bible:
• Ishmael is blessed (Genesis 17:20),
• But the covenant is restricted to Isaac (Genesis 17:21),
• Long before the near-sacrifice of Genesis 22 occurs.
2.1 A Contradiction in Sequence
The Bible presents the covenant before the sacrificial test.
The Qur’an presents the covenant after the sacrificial test.
Because these sequences differ, the Qur’anic account cannot coexist with Genesis 17.
The Bible states that the covenant is specifically granted to Isaac prior to the near-sacrifice event (Genesis 17:21). In contrast, the Qur’an indicates that the covenant is bestowed upon Abraham after he successfully completes the trial of obedience, and that this covenant extends particularly through Ishmael (Qur’an 2:124; 2:125–129; 37:100–113). In this Qur’anic narrative, the near-sacrifice involves Ishmael, not Isaac.
Therefore, the Bible and the Qur’an present contradictory sequences regarding both the timing of the covenant and the identity of the son nearly sacrificed.
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- The Islamic Claim: Isaac’s Line Belongs to the Sinai Covenant, Not the Abrahamic Covenant
Islamic theology treats two different covenants:
3.1 Sinai Covenant — Restricted to the Children of Israel
Isaac → Jacob → Israel
• The Israelites receive law, ritual, the Promised Land, and prophetic succession tied to the Torah.
• This is a national covenant, geographically bound and legally defined.
3.2 Abrahamic Covenant — Universal, Perpetual, and Pre-Sinai
Ishmael → Arabs → Muhammad → Global Ummah
• This covenant is universal, not ethnic.
• It is connected to the Kaaba, the original monotheistic sanctuary (2:125–129).
• It produces the final prophet (2:129), through the line of Ishmael.
Thus, Isaac’s descendants hold the Sinai Covenant, while Ishmael’s descendants carry the Abrahamic Covenant—which emerges after the sacrifice.
This position directly contradicts Genesis 17:21, which restricts the covenant to Isaac even before Isaac’s birth.
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- The Identity of the Sacrificial Son: Qur’an vs. Bible
4.1 Qur’anic Logic Favors Ishmael
Several Qur’anic elements align the sacrificial event with Ishmael:
- The sacrifice occurs before Isaac’s birth announcement (37:112).
- The son involved is described as patient, dutiful, and the firstborn, qualities associated with Ishmael in the Qur’anic historical memory.
- The episode occurs in a setting traditionally associated with Mecca, not Palestine.
- The covenant of leadership (2:124) is given after the sacrifice—suggesting the sacrificed son is also the line through which covenantal leadership flows.
4.2 Biblical Logic Has an Internal Tension
The Biblical narrative presents Isaac’s name—meaning “he laughs”—as theologically inconsistent with a near-sacrifice story built on fear, anguish, obedience, and solemnity.
Additionally:
• The phrase “your only son” (Genesis 22:2) becomes problematic because Ishmael was alive at that time, unless later redaction is assumed.
• The covenant is declared for Isaac before he is even born, which contradicts the Qur’an’s portrayal of covenant as the reward of a test.
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- The Contradiction Summarized
Qur’an (2:124):
• Abraham undergoes a major trial (near-sacrifice).
• Only after fulfilling the trial is he granted covenantal leadership.
• The covenant extends to descendants who are righteous—fulfilled through Ishmael’s lineage.
Bible (Genesis 17:21):
• Isaac receives the covenant before the trial occurs.
• Ishmael is excluded from covenantal status from the outset.
• Isaac is later presented as the child of sacrifice.
Thus, the Qur’an reverses the order, reassigns the covenant, and reidentifies the son of sacrifice, contradicting Genesis at each of these three points.
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Conclusion
Surah 2:124 depicts the Abrahamic Covenant as arising after Abraham’s completion of the sacrificial trial, implicitly linking the covenant to the son involved in that event—Ishmael. This stands in explicit contradiction to Genesis 17:21, which limits the covenant to Isaac even before the sacrificial narrative of Genesis 22.
From the Qur’anic perspective, Isaac and Jacob are honored prophets within the Sinai Covenant, tied to Israel’s sacred history. Yet the universal Abrahamic Covenant—the one that elevates Abraham as a leader for all humanity—belongs to the line of Ishmael, whose near-sacrifice forms the dramatic foundation of that covenant.
In this way, the Qur’an reinterprets the ancient narrative, offering a theological counter-reading in which Ishmael, not Isaac, stands at the heart of Abraham’s greatest trial and the covenant that follows.
ABRAHAMIC THEOLOGY 