Who was the sacrifice? Ismail vs. Isḥāq
Yasir Qadhi Library Chat #7
Most of the early Muslims believed Ishaq (A) was the one who was was sacrificed by Ibrahim (A). Virtually all of the generation that succeeded the Companions were Team Ishaq.
Al-Hakim points out something interesting. During his lifespan, the scholars of Hadith were certain the sacrifice was Ismail. The scholars of Quran tafsir were certain the sacrifice was Ishaq.
Are there any hadith that shed light? The hadith of the Prophet (S) who says “I am the son of the two sacrifices” may have swayed some opinions. But this hadith is not authentic at all. Its weak. And that is a unanimous opinion.
Perplexed on who is right? You aren’t alone. Jurjani is so confused about the issue he suggests the sacrifice happened twice, one for each son. Suyuti went from Team Ishaq in early life to to Team Ismail in later life.
Az-Zujaj was the first to say, “I don’t know who the sacrifice was.” He was right. And saved a lot of time. But since you are here to waste time, please allow me to entertain you.
You should be asking… why do present day Muslims unanimously believe that Ismail was the sacrifice? Today, its the default position. Its come to the point that to even suggest Ishaq would get you cancelled by plebs.
Drumroll please. The answer lies with Ibn Taymiyyah.
Ibn Taymiyyah strongly believed that influence from foreign Judeo-Christian nations had pushed Muslims into believing Ishaq was the sacrifice. From his writing, it is clear that Ibn Taymiyyah was more passionate about this issue than any scholar before him. Was he right about the foreign influences?
One perspective is “Of course not”. Team Ishaq had existed since the early Muslims. But was Ibn Taymiyyah influential? Of course he was. That is who he was. Ultimately, he was one of the most influential scholars ever. And his opinion stood the test of time.
But who knows? Maybe the interaction with the early Christians and early Jews did influence the Muslims. It won’t be the first time ideas are exchanged.
Evidence for Ishaq
Quran Surah As-Saafat 37:101-102
“So, We gave him the good news of a forbearing boy. Thereafter, when he (the boy) reached an age in which he could work with him, he (Ibrahim) said, “O my little son, I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you, so consider, what is your opinion?”
He said, “O my dear father, do what you have been ordered to do. You will find me, inshā’allah , (if Allah wills) one of those who endure patiently.”
Team Ishaq points out the good tidings were only for Ishaq, not Ismail. The sacrificed child is described as “Haleem”, and the verses of Quran suggest that the sacrificed child was raised directly by Ibrahim (A). We know that Ismail wasn’t raised by Ibrahim, as Ibrahim was not present with Ismail in his early life.
Evidence for Ismail
Quran Surah Hud 11:71
“And his wife was standing, and she smiled. Then We gave her good tidings of Ishaq, and about Yaqub after Ishaq.”
Team Ismail brings up this verse. How can Ibrahim sacrifice Ishaq, when he knows there is going to be Yaqub?
The counterargument by Team Ishaq is that Ishaq may have already been a young father to Yaqub at the time of sacrifice.
Team Ismail says the sacrifice was in Mina. Why would Ishaq be in Mina? After all, Ismail was raised in Makkah.
Team Ishaq responds the sacrifice actually occurred in Aqsa. Or Ishaq had traveled to Makkah.
What the Companions believed
Regarding certain Companions, the information is a little vague. No one knows what Abdullah bin Umar (R), Abdullah bin Abbas (R), and Abu Huraira (R) believed. Some sources say they believed Ismail (A) was the sacrifice. Other sources say they believed Ishaq (A) was the sacrifice.
Some sources say that Umar bin Khattab (R), Ali bin Abu Talib (R), Abbas bin Abdul-Mutallib (R), Jabir bin Abdullah (R), and Abdullah bin Masud (R) believed that Ishaq was the sacrifice. There are no sources that say otherwise.
What do the famous scholars believe?
Team Ishaq is bigger. They include Ibn Tabari, Al-Azraqi, Imam Malik, Ibn Qutaiba, Abu Mansur al-Maturidi, Al Wahidi, and Ibn Jawzi. The list is actually a lot longer, but I have shortened it for brevity.
Team Ismail is smaller, but won the debate if the Muslims today were voting. They include some notable names. They are Hassan Al-Basri, Ibn al-Kalbi, Ibn Atiyah, and Baydawi. But it is clearly a minority opinion. But that changed in the 1200s CE. After Ibn Taymiyyah, every scholar afterward was Team Ismail. And Yasir Qadhi is still Team Ismail, albeit a soft proponent like Malauna Ashraf Ali Thanvi. They both will admit they don’t know.
Which brings us to Team IDK. They are Az-Zajjaj, Al-Biruni, Al-Zamakhshari, Fakhruddin Razi. “I don’t know” is their position. Unlike me, they are a lot more humble.
To me, this lecture was one of Qadhi’s finest work. But Qadhi doesn’t explore an important question. Why did Allah leave the door open for interpretation? Could it be that Allah did not want Muslims to elevate one brother over the other? These were great Prophets in their own right. They were the first generation of believers in a godless world.
Wouldn’t it be beautiful to see Ismail and Ishaq talk to each other? I actually hope that they did meet in Makkah. It would just add another great memory to this sacred place.
Now that you have read this, you can put down other plebs on social media. Or, you can pray for beneficial knowledge like the Prophet (S) did. And, show good akhlaq.