Introduction

IRWANS.com & SEJARAHID Few stories in the Abrahamic faiths have sparked as much debate as the account of Abraham’s near-sacrifice of his son. In the Bible, the son is named Isaac. In the Qur’an, the son remains unnamed, but Islamic tradition overwhelmingly identifies him as Ishmael. For Jews and Christians, Isaac is the child of promise, the ancestor of Israel; for Muslims, Ishmael is the forefather of the Arabs and thus the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

Yet beyond the identity of the son lies a deeper meaning: both scriptures strongly reject human sacrifice. Instead, Abraham’s willingness to obey God is honored, while the ultimate substitution of an animal marks a decisive break with the practice of child sacrifice known in many ancient cultures.

This article explores the story through multiple lenses: ancient traditions of human sacrifice, the Biblical and Qur’anic narratives, and the religious practices that continue today.

1. Human Sacrifice Before Abraham

Before the emergence of monotheism, human sacrifice was a recurring practice in many civilizations. It symbolized the ultimate devotion to the gods, though often tied to fear and superstition.

• Egypt: Archaeological evidence suggests that in early dynastic Egypt, servants were sometimes buried alive alongside kings as a form of sacrifice. While the practice declined, ritual killing still lingered in some periods. Islamic historians even mention traces of such practices discussed during the caliphate of Umar ibn Khattab, when old pagan customs were still remembered.
• Mesopotamia & Canaan: The Old Testament itself records the worship of Moloch, where children were “passed through the fire” (Leviticus 18:21). Archaeological finds in Carthage (a Phoenician colony) suggest mass graves of sacrificed infants.
• China & Ancient Europe: In Shang Dynasty China (c. 1200 BCE), human sacrifice was practiced, especially to accompany rulers into the afterlife. In ancient Europe, Celtic tribes and early Germans were reported to have conducted sacrifices to appease their gods.
• Inca, Maya, Aztec: Across the ocean, in the Americas, civilizations such as the Maya and Aztec were well-known for offering human hearts to the gods. The Inca, too, practiced child sacrifice in rituals such as capacocha, leaving children on mountaintops as offerings.

Against this backdrop, Abraham’s story takes on greater significance: God does not desire human life as an offering. The test was about obedience, not blood.

2. The Biblical Account: The Binding of Isaac

In the Hebrew Bible (Genesis 22), the story is known as the Akedah (the Binding). God commands Abraham to take his son Isaac to Mount Moriah and offer him as a burnt sacrifice. Abraham obeys without hesitation. Isaac, carrying the wood for the altar, innocently asks, “Where is the lamb for the sacrifice?” Abraham answers, “God himself will provide the lamb.”

At the climax, Abraham raises the knife, but an angel intervenes:

“Do not lay a hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God.” (Genesis 22:12)

A ram caught in a thicket is sacrificed instead.

For Jews, this event is not about rejecting Isaac but about Abraham’s supreme faith. In later tradition, Isaac himself is seen as willingly participating, embodying obedience. Christians, meanwhile, often interpret the episode as a foreshadowing of Jesus’ sacrifice—where God provides His own son as the ultimate offering.

3. The Qur’anic Account: The Sacrifice of Abraham’s Son

The Qur’an recounts the event in Surah As-Saffat (37:100–113). Abraham dreams that he is sacrificing his son and tells the boy, who replies:

“O my father, do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah wills, among the steadfast.” (Qur’an 37:102)

As Abraham prepares to carry out the act, God intervenes:

“We called to him, ‘O Abraham! You have fulfilled the vision.’ Indeed, thus do We reward the doers of good. And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice.” (37:104–107)

The son is not named. However, Islamic tradition from hadith and tafsir identifies him as Ishmael, the elder son who, with Hagar, was associated with Mecca. The Qur’an later immediately mentions the glad tidings of Isaac’s birth (37:112), which reinforces the Muslim belief that Ishmael was the one nearly sacrificed, since Isaac was still to come.

4. The Shared Message: No Human Sacrifice

Despite their differences, both the Bible and Qur’an are united in one revolutionary message: God rejects human sacrifice. Abraham, the father of faith, is tested—but the final command is a refusal. God provides an animal in place of the child.

This principle reshaped religion in the ancient world. The divine will was no longer expressed in the killing of sons and daughters, but in obedience, mercy, and remembrance. The “great sacrifice” became animals—sheep, goats, cattle—dedicated to God, not human beings.

5. Sacrificial Traditions Today

The legacy of Abraham’s test continues differently across the three Abrahamic faiths.

• Islam: Every year during Eid al-Adha, Muslims around the world sacrifice livestock—sheep, goats, cows, or camels—in commemoration of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son. The meat is shared with family, neighbors, and the poor. It is a living, communal ritual that ties Muslims to Abraham’s legacy.
• Judaism: Ancient Israelites practiced animal sacrifice at the Temple in Jerusalem. However, after the Temple’s destruction in 70 CE, the practice ceased. Today, Jews commemorate the Binding of Isaac (Akedah) especially during Rosh Hashanah, not through animal sacrifice but through prayer, reflection, and the sounding of the shofar (ram’s horn).
• Christianity: Christians do not practice animal sacrifice. Instead, they see Jesus’ crucifixion as the ultimate and final sacrifice, fulfilling and ending the need for all others. Communion (the Eucharist) symbolizes this ongoing remembrance.

This difference is striking. Muslims still carry out a literal animal sacrifice; Jews and Christians spiritualize the story but no longer perform annual sacrifices. Yet, both Jews and Christians still affirm the Biblical version—that it was Isaac, not Ishmael.

6. Two Sons, Two Traditions

An intriguing interpretation, as noted by SEJARAHID.com and some modern scholars, is that perhaps both sons were involved in sacrificial traditions—one remembered in the Bible, the other in the Qur’an.

• Isaac lived in Canaan, in Hebron and the region of Judea.
• Ishmael grew up in the wilderness, associated with Mecca in Islamic tradition.

It is not inconceivable that Abraham, as patriarch of both lines, may have experienced or envisioned tests involving both sons, which were remembered differently in different communities. The Israelites preserved the story of Isaac; the Arabs preserved the story of Ishmael. Each narrative reinforced the identity of their descendants.

7. “This is my interpretation, distinct from traditional tafsir or mainstream scholarship”

If you have read my article “Are the miracle-stories of the Bible and the Qur’an influenced by ancient Greek “super-human” mythology?”

7. Conclusion

The story of Abraham’s sacrifice stands as one of the most profound episodes in religious history. Whether Isaac or Ishmael, the lesson transcends lineage: God does not desire human blood. The true offering is obedience, faith, and trust.

For Jews, the Akedah is about covenant and faith. For Christians, it foreshadows Christ’s sacrifice. For Muslims, it is the essence of submission (Islam itself) and the reason for the annual Eid al-Adha sacrifice.

History shows us that before Abraham, human sacrifice was widespread—from Egypt to the Americas. Abraham’s God shattered that cycle. Instead of children, God asked for the heart of the believer and replaced the son with a ram, a “great sacrifice.”

Yet the debate continues: Isaac or Ishmael? Jews and Christians uphold Isaac; Muslims affirm Ishmael. Perhaps both traditions preserve fragments of a larger story—two sons, two lands, two memories—each pointing back to Abraham, the father of faith.

If readers have already gone through my article:

• Are the miracle-stories of the Bible and the Qur’an influenced by ancient Greek “super-human” mythology?

then the readers will not be surprised when I say:

• The story never literally happened.
• Abraham deliberately used such a narrative scenario to persuade pagans that God rejects human sacrifice.
• Therefore, the account should be understood not as history, but as teaching rhetoric—a timeless lesson wrapped in story.