Today, more than a billion Muslims, along with many Druze in Israel and around the world, will mark Eid al-Adha. Despite being one of the two main holidays in Islam, most Israelis know very little about it. Both Jewish and Islamic traditions share a belief in Abraham's great devotion to God, expressed in his willingness to sacrifice his Son. Jews commemorate this event on Rosh Hashanah, while Muslims and Druze commemorate it on Eid al Adha, the festival of Eid al-Adha in Arabic.
God is a God of mercy and love, so both versions of the story – Jewish and Islamic – end in life rather than death. And here, precisely in these days, of difficult moments and great losses, the similarities and differences between the two stories of the Akida can serve as the basis for the much-needed connections between Jews and Muslims. A connection that will be created by recognizing that there is a great story in which both religions have a part.
In the Torah the son is Isaac, while in the Qur'an although the identity of the son is not explicitly stated, according to prevailing Islamic tradition it is Ishmael. A close friend of mine, who is a Muslim sheikh from Nazareth, was once asked who the son was in the story of the sacrifice and replied: "If it's Ishmael, it's my father. If it's Isaac, it's my uncle. Either way, this is my family, which we must love and learn from."
Netanyahu revealed: "Bin Salman contributed to the achievement of the Abraham Accords" // Archive photo: From Facebook
My father-in-law, Bible professor Uriel Simon, notes that a careful reading of the Torah already makes room for both traditions. This is because, in parallel to the story of the binding of Isaac, the Torah also tells the story of Hagar, who entered the desert with Ishmael. As in the binding of Isaac, in this story, too, the son faces the danger of death – the possibility of his death from thirst, and here, too, at the last moment, an angel of God comes to say that the son has been spared, and he receives a great blessing.
The great insight that Rabbi Jonathan Sacks derives from the parallels between the stories is that the Bible teaches that there are no rejected people – neither the son Isaac nor the son Ishmael. Both will be blessed, and this is the message that Jews and Muslims must embrace. In a similar vein, I met during my visit to the home of Fethullah Gulen, the spiritual leader of the global Islamic Hizmet movement. There I saw in his room a picture of a verse from the Quran: "Abraham is God's beloved friend." Indeed, Abraham loves his two children and all their offspring, and just as God loves Abraham, He loves all his children.
This shared love is reflected in a very moving way to me, in that all five daily prayers in Islam mention the blessing given to Abraham and his descendants – the Salah al-Ibrahimiyeh. In doing so, Muslims pray in every prayer, even for the well-being of the Jewish people. Moreover, in the Qur'an, too, the story of the sacrifice ends with a blessing for Isaac.
Paradigm shift
Looking to these days, it seems that the naming of the Abraham Accords for the recent peace agreements between Israel and Arab countries symbolizes a paradigm shift. Unlike previous agreements, such as Camp David and Oslo, which were named after places foreign to the Middle East, the Abraham Accords express the common religious heritage that unites Jews and Muslims. The religious identity that was once a wedge separating religions is here utilized to create a narrative of connection. Perhaps we should go one step further and call for future peace agreements, the Isaac and Ishmael agreements.
For, ultimately, the goal is beyond the Middle East, beyond Jews and Muslims. We must join together to return to the first Father and Mother, Adam and Eve, to create global dignity and brotherhood for all humanity. The Talmud teaches that this is why God chose to limit creation and begin with one common ancestor (Sanhedrin 37a).
If in such a conflicted Middle East we find a path to reconciliation and connection through our common roots, it can give hope and direction to our fractured world, that building a common future for all is not just a dream.
The writer is the head of the Beit Midrash for Israel and Humanity from the Ohr Torah Stone network
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us