The Sacrificed One: A Son of Ibrahim (peace be upon him)
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Fatwa No. ( 4797 ):
Q: A person embraced Islam in 1974 CE and is married. He wants to know who Allah the Exalted commanded His intimate friend Ibrahim (peace be upon him) to sacrifice: was it his son
(peace be upon him) Isma'il or his son Ishaq (peace be upon them both)?
A: It is among the Sunnah of Allah the Exalted to test His servants so that He may distinguish the bad from the good, and so that He may elevate whom He wills of His prophets and awliya (close friends of Allah) as He wills, and so that He may purify those who believe and destroy the disbelievers. Among those whom Allah the Exalted subjected to such trials was His intimate friend Ibrahim (peace be upon him), who was the model of perfection in fulfilling all that his Lord tested him with. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Baqarah 2:124], and He praised him by saying: [An-Najm 53:37]. Among the things with which Allah tested him was that He showed him in a dream that he was to slaughter his son, and the dreams of the prophets are true. So Ibrahim the intimate friend (peace be upon him) resolved to fulfill his dream in obedience to his Lord's command and in faithfulness to Him. He presented this to his son, and the son responded to him. When they both submitted their faces to Allah, and Ibrahim did everything in his power to carry out the slaughter, Allah honored him and his son and ransomed the one to be sacrificed with a great sacrifice. He made the praise of His intimate friend eternal for all time, and gave him the glad tidings of Ishaq, a prophet from among the righteous, and He blessed him and Ishaq (peace be upon them both). Allah the Exalted said: [As-Saffat 37:99-113]
This is the essence of what concerns the matter of the one to be sacrificed from the story of his father, Ibrahim the intimate friend (peace be upon him). The intimate friend had two sons: Isma'il , and Ishaq . Which of them was the one to be sacrificed, Isma'il or Ishaq (peace be upon them both)? There is no correct, explicit text naming him or specifying him in a way that settles the dispute. Therefore, the people of biographies, history, and exegesis differed in specifying him. A group of them said that it was Isma'il , because he was the one born to him after he left his people for Sham , and he was his only son at that time, and he was the one who was in Makkah , which is the place of the incident. Allah described him as gentle and patient. Add to this that the story of the one to be sacrificed began with the glad tidings of a gentle boy and ended with the glad tidings of Ishaq , so he was not the one to be sacrificed with whom the story began. The stronger position is that it was Isma'il , for the reasons mentioned above.
And many of the people of religions, biographies, and history said: It was Ishaq , because he was the one with whom Ibrahim and Sarah were given glad tidings after Ibrahim separated from his father and his people, as in Surat Maryam , Hud, al-Hijr, and al-Dhariyat. So let him be the one intended by the gentle boy with whom glad tidings were given in Surat al-Saffat, and then he would be the one to be sacrificed. The matter is easy in this, for the issue is a matter of independent legal reasoning (ijtihad) regarding something whose knowledge is not necessary, and ignorance of it carries no danger to the creed, nor does it have any effect on people's practical lives. Whichever of Ibrahim's sons was the one to be sacrificed, in him and his father lies the lesson, and in them lies the example of patience in tribulation and the preference for the obedience of Allah the Exalted, even if it meant the loss of the most beloved thing to a person, even the soul. And it does not disgrace the one who was not the one to be sacrificed, nor does it diminish his status, just as it did not greatly diminish many of the prophets and messengers that they did not receive such a thing. The very distinction indicates excellence, but it does not indicate superiority. A group of researchers delved into this matter driven by curiosity and the desire for research, and there was no correct, explicit text on the subject as mentioned above, so they differed based on independent legal reasoning and good intentions, or based on bias and ill intent. The correct view is: It was Isma'il as mentioned above, because it is the most apparent from the
Qur'anic verses, especially the verses from Surat al-Saffat mentioned earlier. And success is from Allah. May Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: A person embraced Islam in 1974 CE and is married. He wants to know who Allah the Exalted commanded His intimate friend Ibrahim (peace be upon him) to sacrifice: was it his son
(peace be upon him) Isma'il or his son Ishaq (peace be upon them both)?
A: It is among the Sunnah of Allah the Exalted to test His servants so that He may distinguish the bad from the good, and so that He may elevate whom He wills of His prophets and awliya (close friends of Allah) as He wills, and so that He may purify those who believe and destroy the disbelievers. Among those whom Allah the Exalted subjected to such trials was His intimate friend Ibrahim (peace be upon him), who was the model of perfection in fulfilling all that his Lord tested him with. Allah the Exalted said:
And [mention, O Muhammad], when Abraham was tried by his Lord with commands and he fulfilled them. [Allah] said, "Indeed, I will make you a leader for the people." [Abraham] said, "And of my descendants?" [Allah] said, "My covenant does not include the wrongdoers."
وَإِذِ ابْتَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ رَبُّهُ بِكَلِمَاتٍ فَأَتَمَّهُنَّ قَالَ إِنِّي جَاعِلُكَ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَامًا قَالَ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي قَالَ لاَ يَنَالُ عَهْدِي الظَّالِمِينَAnd [of] Abraham, who fulfilled [his obligations] -
وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ الَّذِي وَفَّى(99) And [then] he said, "Indeed, I will go to [where I am ordered by] my Lord; He will guide me. (100) My Lord, grant me [a child] from among the righteous." (101) So We gave him good tidings of a forbearing boy. (102) And when he reached with him [the age of] exertion, he said, "O my son, indeed I have seen in a dream that I [must] sacrifice you, so see what you think." He said, "O my father, do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah wills, of the steadfast." (103) And when they had both submitted and he put him down upon his forehead, (104) We called to him, "O Abraham, (105) You have fulfilled the vision." Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good. (106) Indeed, this was the clear trial. (107) And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice, (108) And We left for him [favorable mention] among later generations: (109) "Peace upon Abraham." (110) Indeed, We thus reward the doers of good. (111) Indeed, he was of Our believing servants. (112) And We gave him good tidings of Isaac, a prophet from among the righteous. (113) And We blessed him and Isaac. But among their descendants is the doer of good and the clearly unjust to himself.
وَقَالَ إِنِّي ذَاهِبٌ إِلَى رَبِّي سَيَهْدِينِ (99) رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ (100) فَبَشَّرْنَاهُ بِغُلامٍ حَلِيمٍ (101) فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ السَّعْيَ قَالَ يَا بُنَيَّ إِنِّي أَرَى فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنِّي أَذْبَحُكَ فَانْظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَى قَالَ يَا أَبَتِ افْعَلْ مَا تُؤْمَرُ سَتَجِدُنِي إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّابِرِينَ (102) فَلَمَّا أَسْلَمَا وَتَلَّهُ لِلْجَبِينِ (103) وَنَادَيْنَاهُ أَنْ يَا إِبْرَاهِيمُ (104) قَدْ صَدَّقْتَ الرُّؤْيَا إِنَّا كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ (105) إِنَّ هَذَا لَهُوَ الْبَلاءُ الْمُبِينُ (106) وَفَدَيْنَاهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍ (107) وَتَرَكْنَا عَلَيْهِ فِي الآخِرِينَ (108) سَلامٌ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ (109) كَذَلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُحْسِنِينَ (110) إِنَّهُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (111) وَبَشَّرْنَاهُ بِإِسْحَاقَ نَبِيًّا مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ (112) وَبَارَكْنَا عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَى إِسْحَاقَ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِهِمَا مُحْسِنٌ وَظَالِمٌ لِنَفْسِهِ مُبِينٌThis is the essence of what concerns the matter of the one to be sacrificed from the story of his father, Ibrahim the intimate friend (peace be upon him). The intimate friend had two sons: Isma'il , and Ishaq . Which of them was the one to be sacrificed, Isma'il or Ishaq (peace be upon them both)? There is no correct, explicit text naming him or specifying him in a way that settles the dispute. Therefore, the people of biographies, history, and exegesis differed in specifying him. A group of them said that it was Isma'il , because he was the one born to him after he left his people for Sham , and he was his only son at that time, and he was the one who was in Makkah , which is the place of the incident. Allah described him as gentle and patient. Add to this that the story of the one to be sacrificed began with the glad tidings of a gentle boy and ended with the glad tidings of Ishaq , so he was not the one to be sacrificed with whom the story began. The stronger position is that it was Isma'il , for the reasons mentioned above.
And many of the people of religions, biographies, and history said: It was Ishaq , because he was the one with whom Ibrahim and Sarah were given glad tidings after Ibrahim separated from his father and his people, as in Surat Maryam , Hud, al-Hijr, and al-Dhariyat. So let him be the one intended by the gentle boy with whom glad tidings were given in Surat al-Saffat, and then he would be the one to be sacrificed. The matter is easy in this, for the issue is a matter of independent legal reasoning (ijtihad) regarding something whose knowledge is not necessary, and ignorance of it carries no danger to the creed, nor does it have any effect on people's practical lives. Whichever of Ibrahim's sons was the one to be sacrificed, in him and his father lies the lesson, and in them lies the example of patience in tribulation and the preference for the obedience of Allah the Exalted, even if it meant the loss of the most beloved thing to a person, even the soul. And it does not disgrace the one who was not the one to be sacrificed, nor does it diminish his status, just as it did not greatly diminish many of the prophets and messengers that they did not receive such a thing. The very distinction indicates excellence, but it does not indicate superiority. A group of researchers delved into this matter driven by curiosity and the desire for research, and there was no correct, explicit text on the subject as mentioned above, so they differed based on independent legal reasoning and good intentions, or based on bias and ill intent. The correct view is: It was Isma'il as mentioned above, because it is the most apparent from the
Qur'anic verses, especially the verses from Surat al-Saffat mentioned earlier. And success is from Allah. May Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.