Abraham’s Sacrifice in the Quran: An Alternate Reading

By V.A. Mohamad Ashrof, New Age Islam 7 June 2025 Abstract The narrative of Prophet Abraham’s (Ibrahim’s) willingness to sacrifice his son stands as a cornerstone of Abrahamic faiths, yet its Quranic portrayal offers distinct nuances often overlooked in homogenized interreligious discussions. This paper undertakes a hermeneutical exploration of the Quranic account (Q.37:100–113) to present an alternate reading. This interpretation moves beyond an emphasis on the physical body and patriarchal authority, instead highlighting themes of mutual spiritual submission, divine mercy, the son’s active agency, and the interpretive nature of the trial. By critically examining the textual evidence and contrasting it with traditional and comparative readings, this paper argues that the Quranic narrative presents a sophisticated theological message that challenges patriarchal exegesis, underscores God’s transcendent justice, and redefines sacrifice as an internal act of devotion rather than a literal immolation. This reading foregrounds the ethical and spiritual dimensions of the trial, presenting a God who values conscious submission and mercy over blind obedience to perceived commands that contradict divine law. Framing the Inquiry: Beyond Traditional Interpretations The story of Prophet Abraham’s trial, involving the perceived command to sacrifice his son, is a powerful and evocative narrative shared across Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Within Islamic tradition, this event, culminating in the Eid al-Adha festival, is profoundly significant, symbolizing faith, obedience, and divine mercy. However, prevalent interpretations—sometimes influenced by extra-Quranic traditions or comparative frameworks that lean heavily on Biblical accounts—can obscure the unique theological and ethical emphases present within the Quran itself. This paper seeks to explore an alternate reading of this trial, drawing upon a hermeneutical approach that prioritizes the Quran's internal coherence and its unwavering ethical framework. This approach challenges interpretations that centre the narrative on the physical act of slaughter, the unquestioning obedience of a silent patriarch, or the passivity of the son. Instead, it proposes a reading that understands the trial as a profound spiritual and ethical test emphasizing mutual consent, the son's moral agency, and God's ultimate rejection of human sacrifice. The analysis will focus primarily on the verses in Q.37:100–113, with reference to other verses that illuminate the Quran's stance on divine justice and the sanctity of life. This paper argues that the Quranic narrative, when read without the imposition of external patriarchal or body-centric frameworks, reveals a God who does not command immoral acts, a prophet whose trial involves interpreting divine communication correctly, and a son who is a willing participant in a divine plan. The ultimate "sacrifice" is thus re-envisioned, moving beyond the physical to encompass deeper spiritual meanings, including the surrender of misinterpretation and the affirmation of God's supreme compassion. The Quranic Narrative: A Distinct Textual Foundation A crucial starting point is recognizing that the Quranic account of Abraham’s trial presents significant distinctions from the more widely known Biblical narrative in Genesis 22. While the Bible describes God unambiguously commanding Abraham, "Take your son... Sacrifice him there" (Genesis 22:2), the Quran offers a more nuanced portrayal. The Quranic narrative begins with Abraham's prayer for a righteous son (37:100), which is granted (37:101). The pivotal moment is introduced through a vision: "Then, when (the son) reached (the age of) (serious) work with him, he said: 'O my son! I see in a vision (ru'ya) that I am sacrificing you: now see what is thy view!' (The son) said: 'O my father! Do as you are commanded: you will find me, if God so wills, among the patient!'" (37:102). Several points are immediately salient. Firstly, the impetus is a ru'ya (vision or dream), distinct from a direct verbal command. Visions often carry symbolic weight and demand careful interpretation. Secondly, Abraham initiates a dialogue, explicitly asking for his son’s perspective ("now see what is thy view!"), a radical departure from patriarchal norms of absolute authority. Thirdly, the son’s response is one of active, conscious submission. He is not a passive victim but a participant who interprets his prophet-father’s vision as a divine command and affirms his own spiritual agency. The narrative continues: "So when they had both submitted their wills (aslama), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead" (37:103). The focus is on their shared submission (aslama—the root of Islam), not on physical binding, which is absent from the account. It is at this zenith of spiritual surrender that divine intervention occurs: "We called out to him 'O Abraham! You have already fulfilled the vision!'" (37:104-105). God affirms that Abraham fulfilled the vision, not a command to slaughter, suggesting the trial’s purpose was to test their internal state of submission. Finally, "And We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice" (37:107), underscoring that God’s mercy provides an alternative and that human death was never the divine intent. Critiquing "Abrahamic" Homogenization and the Kierkegaardian Frame The term "Abrahamic religions," while useful, can lead to a homogenization of distinct theological narratives, often superimposing a Biblically-centred or Kierkegaardian framework onto the Quran. Søren Kierkegaard’s Fear and Trembling, based on the Genesis account, grapples with Abraham’s silent obedience as a "teleological suspension of the ethical"—a paradox of faith that transcends human ethics. This framework, however, does not neatly map onto the Quranic narrative. Here, Abraham is not silent; he consults his son. The son is not a passive victim but a consenting agent. The ethical framework is thus maintained through dialogue and consent, culminating in God's intervention which prevents the violation of life—a principle strongly upheld elsewhere in the Quran (5:32, 6:151). The Quranic account does not depict a suspension of the ethical, but rather an elevation of it, where the ultimate divine will be revealed to be merciful and life-affirming. Therefore, applying a universal template risks misrepresenting the Quran's unique focus on shared submission over solitary anguish. An Anti-Patriarchal Hermeneutic A close reading of Q.37:102 offers substantial grounds for an anti-patriarchal interpretation. Abraham’s act of consulting his son ("now see what is thy view!") subverts the patriarchal model where a father’s command, especially one perceived as divine, would be absolute. By seeking his son's opinion, Abraham acknowledges his son's agency and moral individuality. This is not a story of a patriarch imposing his will but a shared journey of submission to God. This mutual submission suggests that in the Quranic worldview, "God’s rule overrides patriarchal rights and authority." This aligns with the core Quranic principle of tawhid (radical monotheism), which precludes analogies between divine sovereignty and human patriarchal structures. The core relationship is between the individual and God, unmediated by human hierarchy in terms of ultimate accountability (35:18). The narrative thus becomes a testament to a divine order that values individual conscience and mutual respect over autocratic control. Deconstructing the Body's Role: Beyond Physical Sacrifice The Quranic narrative shifts the focus of sacrifice from the physical to the spiritual. By omitting details like the binding of the son and focusing on the internal state of submission (aslama), the Quran de-emphasizes the son's body as the site of the trial. The crux is the emotional and ethical surrender to God's wisdom. This resonates with Sufi interpretations, which often view the trial as one of correctly discerning the symbolic meaning of a vision, an act of alignment with divine wisdom rather than a test of willingness to kill. The "momentous sacrifice" (37:107) can thus be understood not merely as a ram, but as a symbol for enduring institutions of devotion, like the Hajj, further redirecting the meaning of sacrifice from a singular body to a communal, spiritual undertaking. The Nature of the Vision: Divine Symbol, Prophetic Interpretation, or Satanic Test? A pivotal element of this alternate reading is the nature of the ru'ya. As visions require interpretation, one hermeneutical path suggests the trial was a test of discernment. In this view, Abraham, in his zeal, initially interpreted a symbolic vision as a literal command. God's intervention—"You have already fulfilled the vision!" (37:105)—then serves as a divine clarification, affirming that the internal surrender was the true goal, and a physical killing was a misreading of the divine intent. Taking this ethical reasoning to its ultimate conclusion, another, more radical interpretation emerges. This viewpoint contends that since God is axiomatically just and "never advocates sin" (7:28), and the killing of an innocent is unequivocally prohibited in God's law (6:151), the vision commanding such an act could not, by definition, have originated from God. In this framework, the vision is understood not as a symbolic divine message to be interpreted, but as a satanic plot designed to lead the prophet into a catastrophic error. According to this reading, the trial was a test of a different nature: a test of faith in the face of a profoundly deceptive spiritual experience. God’s intervention, "And We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice" (37:107), is thus re-framed as an act of divine rescue, saving Abraham and his son from this plot. God’s declaration, "You believed the vision!" (37:105), becomes an acknowledgement of Abraham’s sincerity, while the intervention itself serves as the ultimate corrective. This perspective directly challenges the traditional premise that God would test a prophet by commanding him to break His own universal law, arguing such a test is theologically untenable. Instead, it posits that God tests people in their ability to uphold His established commandments, even when faced with what appears to be a contradictory directive. Both of these interpretive paths preserve God's absolute justice and mercy, avoiding a portrayal of God commanding an act that is morally abhorrent. The "great sacrifice" (37:107) then signifies not only the ram but also the sacrifice of Abraham's initial, literalist misinterpretation in favour of a deeper understanding of God's compassionate will. An Ethic of Mercy and Interpretive Responsibility The Quranic narrative of Abraham’s trial, when read through a hermeneutic that prioritizes its textual distinctiveness, offers a profound alternate reading. This interpretation moves beyond simplistic notions of patriarchal command, instead emphasizing mutual submission, the son’s active agency, the symbolic nature of the vision, and God’s ultimate mercy. This reading carries significant implications. For interreligious dialogue, it demands an appreciation for the Quran's unique theological voice, resisting assimilation into a single, often Biblically-centred, "Abrahamic" model. Internally, it redefines submission (islam) not as blind obedience to a seemingly immoral command, but as a conscious, consultative, and deeply felt alignment with a Divine Will that is fundamentally just and merciful. The purpose of the trial, in this framework, is to foster spiritual growth by testing the sincerity of faith and the willingness to surrender one's deepest attachments—including one’s own interpretation—to God. Whether a misread divine symbol or a satanic test, the narrative culminates in the same truth: God's intervention affirms the sanctity of life and repudiates human sacrifice. The story of Abraham, re-read in this light, becomes not a testament to a "teleological suspension of the ethical," but a powerful allegory of interpretive responsibility, divine compassion, and the ultimate triumph of a life-affirming faith. It encourages an ongoing critical and ethically engaged exegesis, rooted in the conviction of God’s supreme justice and mercy. 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Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2004. Rahman, Fazlur. Major Themes of the Qur’an. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1980. Wadud, Amina. Qur’an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman’s Perspective. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. ------ V.A. Mohamad Ashrof is an independent Indian scholar specializing in Islamic humanism. With a deep commitment to advancing Quranic hermeneutics that prioritize human well-being, peace, and progress, his work aims to foster a just society, encourage critical thinking, and promote inclusive discourse and peaceful coexistence. He is dedicated to creating pathways for meaningful social change and intellectual growth through his scholarship. 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