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16. Who Started Islam: Abraham or the Arabs?
Chapter 7. The contents and message of the Suhuf Ibrahim
7.1. Contents of the Suhuf Ibrahim and how they have influenced the Koran
Here we list the complete contents of the Suhuf Ibrahim (scripture pages of Abraham) as they can be found in the Hebrew Tawrat Musa (Torah of Moses) in Genesis 11 to 25 (excluding Genesis 24, which concerns how Isaac found his wife Rebecca). The Koran has not quoted any verse from these Hebrew texts. However, quite a number of verses from the Koran have been influenced by these passages from the Suhuf Ibrahim, which are highlighted in the list below with the color GREEN. Other passages from these Scripture Pages of Abraham were ignored by the Koran, often the most important passages from the point of view of the Suhuf Ibrahim. Here are the details:
- The ancestors of Abram (Genesis 11:10-26)
This was IGNORED by the Koran but INCLUDED in Muslim Narrations. - Terah and his sons Abram and Nahor move from Ur in southern Iraq to Haran in northern Syria. Terah dies in Haran (Genesis 11:27-32)
This was IGNORED by the Koran and has INFLUENCED Muslim Narrations. - The quiet beginnings of the LORD's plan of salvation: He commands Abram to leave his relatives and promises him rich blessings (Genesis 12:1-3)
This has INFLUENCED Suras al-Tawba 9:114 and Maryam 19:48, where Abraham separates from his anonymous father. - Abram obeys the LORD and moves to Canaan. Lot comes with him. (Genesis 12:4-5)
This has INFLUENCED Sura al-'Ankabut 29:26, where Lot joins Abraham. - The LORD promises the Land of Canaan to Abram's descendants (Genesis 12:6-8)
This was IGNORED by the Koran. - Why Abram continued his journey to Egypt (Genesis 12:9-13)
This was IGNORED by the Koran. - Why the Pharaoh in Egypt expelled Abram and his wife Sarai from his country (Genesis 12:14-20)
This was IGNORED by the Koran and has INFLUENCED Muslim Narrations. - Abram moves with Sarai and Lot up from Egypt to Bethel (Genesis 13:1-4)
This was IGNORED by the Koran. - Quarrels between the shepherds of Abram and Lot's shepherds and Abram's proposed solution (Genesis 13:5-9)
This was IGNORED by the Koran. - Lot moves into the fertile Jordan valley and Abram remains behind in the barren hill country of Canaan (Genesis 13:10-13)
This was IGNORED by the Koran. - The LORD promises Abram and his innumerable descendants the whole land of Canaan (Genesis 13:14-18)
This was IGNORED by the Koran. - After a lost war, Lot is abducted and his property captured (Genesis 14:1-12)
This was IGNORED by the Koran. - How Abram with the help of allies brought back Lot's property and Lot himself (Genesis 13:13-14)
This was IGNORED by the Koran. - Melchisedek, the priest of God the Highest, blesses Abram (Genesis 14:17-20)
This was IGNORED by the Koran. - Abram refuses a remuneration by the king of Sodom (Genesis 14:21-24)
This was IGNORED by the Koran. - The LORD promises childless Abram that a son will be his heir (Genesis 15:1-6)
This has INFLUENCED Sura al-Saffat 37:99-100, where Abraham prays for a son. - The LORD predicts for Abram the future of his descendant and concludes a covenant with him, in which Abram brings animals and cuts them apart (Genesis 15:7-21)
This has INFLUENCED Sura al-Baqara 2:260, where Abraham separates four birds. - Abram listens to his childless wife Sarai and impregnates her maid Hagar (Genesis 16:1-6)
This was IGNORED by the Koran but has INFLUENCED Muslim Narrations. - While fleeing from her mistress, Hagar is addressed by the angel of the LORD, and later she gives birth to Ishmael, Abram's son (Genesis 16:7-16)
This was IGNORED by the Koran but has INFLUENCED Muslim Narrations. The Koran mentions Ishmael in these 13 verses only: Suras al-Baqara 2:125.127.133.136.140 -- Al 'Imran 3:84 -- al-Nisa' 4:163 -- al-An'am 6:86 -- Ibrahim 14:39 -- Maryam 19:54-55 -- al-Anbiya' 21:85 -- Sad 38:48. - The eternal covenant of the LORD through which He made Himself to be the God of Abraham (Genesis 17:1-14)
This fundamental passage in the Suhuf Ibrahim was IGNORED by the Koran. - The circumcision of the male foreskin as a sign of this eternal covenant (Genesis 17:10-14)
This was IGNORED by the Koran, even though all Muslim men are circumcised as commanded by the LORD in this passage. - God renames Sarai into Sarah and promises to Abraham a son Isaac from her to be the only carrier of the covenant (Genesis 17:15-22)
This fundamental passage in the Suhuf Ibrahim was IGNORED by the Koran. - Abraham circumcises the foreskin of all male members of his household, including Ishmael (Genesis 17:23-27)
This was IGNORED by the Koran, even though all Muslim men are circumcised like Abraham. - Three men, who are the LORD, appear to Abraham and he offers them food, which they eat (Genesis 18:1-8)
This has INFLUENCED Suras Hud 11:69-70 -- al-Hijr 15:51-52 -- al-Dhariyat 51:24-28, where the visitors do not eat the food offered to them by Abraham. - The tri-une LORD promises the aged Sarah a son, about which she laughs (Genesis 18:9-15)
Some details from this passage in the Suhuf Ibrahim have INFLUENCED Suras Hud 11:71-73 -- al-Hijr 15:53-56 -- al-Dhariyat 51:28-30. - Why the LORD did not conceal from Abraham his plan for Sodom (Genesis 18:16-19)
This has INFLUENCED Suras al-Hijr 15:57-60 -- al-'Ankabut 29:30-31 -- al-Dhariyat 51:31-33. - Abraham tries in vain to avert the judgment of the LORD for Sodom (Genesis 18:20-32)
This has INFLUENCED Suras Hud 11:74-75 and al-'Ankabut 29:31-32. All the details of the intercession of Abraham for Sodom were ignored by the Koran. - Lot shelters two angels in Sodom (Genesis 19:1-3)
This has INFLUENCED Sura al-Hijr 15:61-64, where they are not angels and they come to Lot's wife and not to Lot himself. - The Sodomites want to abuse the angels, Lot then quarrels with the Sodomites and is saved by the angels from their evil actions (Genesis 19:4-11)
Some details from this passage in the Suhuf Ibrahim have INFLUENCED Suras Hud 11:77-79 -- al-Hijr 15:67-72 -- al-Naml 27:54-56 -- al-Qamar 54:37, with many changes, however the overall plot from the Suhuf Ibrahim remains intact in the Koran. - The angels send Lot off, to lead his relatives away from Sodom (Genesis 19:12-14)
This was IGNORED by the Koran. - The angels bring Lot, his wife and their two daughters out of Sodom (Genesis 19:15-16)
This has INFLUENCED Suras Hud 11:80-18 -- al-'Ankabut 29:33-34 (where Lot's wife is not to be saved) -- al-Hijr 15:65-66. - Lot is permitted to flee to Zoar. Therefore, this town is not destroyed (Genesis 19:17-22)
This was IGNORED by the Koran. - The LORD destroys Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:23-26)
This passage has significantly INFLUENCED nine passages in the Koran, but many details were CHANGED in Suras Hud 11:82-82 -- al-Hijr 15:73-74 -- al-Anbiya' 21:70 -- al-Shu'ara' 26:172-173 -- al-Naml 27:58 -- al-'Ankabut 29:34-35 -- al-Saffat 37:136 -- al-Qamar 54:34 and 37-38. - Lot's wife looks back and becomes a salt pillar (Genesis 19:26)
This single verse from the Suhuf Ibrahim has INFLUENCED six passages of the Koran in Suras Hud 11:81 -- al-Hijr 15:59-60 -- al-Shu'ara' 26:170-171 -- al-Naml 27:57 -- al-Saffat 37:134-135 -- al-Tahrim 66:10, where Lot's wife is not saved by Allah's design and it is not stated that she was changed into a salt pillar. - How Abraham experienced the doom of Sodom (Genesis 19:27-29)
This was IGNORED by the Koran. - The incest of the daughters of Lot with their father: the birth of Moab and Ben-Ammi (Genesis 19:30-38)
This was IGNORED by the Koran. - Why Abimelech, the king, sent for Abraham's wife Sarah, but did not touch her (Genesis 20:1-7)
This was IGNORED by the Koran. - How Abraham defended himself against the accusations of king Abimelech (Genesis 10:8-13)
This was IGNORED by the Koran, but was taken up in Muslim Narrations as one of the lies of Abraham. - Abimelech gives presents to Abraham and Sara and God heals him and his house after the prayer of Abraham for him (Genesis 20:14-18)
This was IGNORED by the Koran. - Sarah becomes pregnant and gives birth to Isaac, aged Abraham's son (Genesis 21:1-7)
This key passage in the Suhuf Ibrahim is IGNORED by the Koran. - Rivalry between Isaac and the son of Hagar, Sarah's maid. Sarah asks Abraham to banish her with her son (Genesis 21:8-12)
This was IGNORED by the Koran; however, it was taken up and has INFLUENCED Muslim Narratives. - Abraham sends Hagar with her son into the desert of Beersheba, where God saves them from dying of thirst (Genesis 21:13-31)
This key passage from the Suhuf Ibrahim was completely CHANGED in Sura Ibrahim 14:37 (see 3.2 and 3.3 above). And this vague verse from the Koran gave rise to a number of significant Muslim Narrations, which give details about how Abraham went to a desert place near Mecca, dropped off Hagar and Ishmael there and how they survived after finding water (see 3.4a to 3.4d above). All of these Muslim Narrations were INFLUENCED by this passage from the Suhuf Ibrahim, however placed in a completely different location, not southern Palestine, but western Arabia. - God concludes a covenant with Abimelech in Beersheba (Genesis 21:22-34)
This was IGNORED by the Koran. - God demands from Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering (Genesis 22:1-2)
This has INFLUENCED Surah al-Saffat 37:101-102a, where Abraham dreamt that he will slaughter his son, who is not named. - Abraham goes with his son Isaac to the place, where he is to sacrifice him. Isaac asks Abraham questions (Genesis 22:3-8)
This has INFLUENCED Sura al-Saffat 37:102b, where the unnamed son of Abraham encourages his father to obey and hopes to be patient. - Abraham wants to start sacrificing Isaac, but the angel of the LORD prevents him from being killed (Genesis 22:9-12)
This has INFLUENCED Sura al-Saffat 37:103-104. - Abraham notices a ram in the thicket, which he then took and sacrificed as a burnt offering in place of his son. Abraham names the place Moriah (Genesis 22:13-14)
This fundamental passage in the Suhuf Ibrahim was CHANGED by condensing it into one fascinating Koran verse in Surah al-Saffat 37:107 "And we redeemed him with a gigantic sacrifice". Why was Abraham's son in need of being redeemed? What does it mean to redeem somebody? What made this sacrifice to be gigantic? And why was it Allah, who redeemed Abraham's son? These are questions, which are enigmatic in the Koran and have led many Muslims to go to the Suhuf Ibrahim and the Tawrat Musa to find an answer. As a result, they came to believe in the Injil al-Masih, because Christ in his death on the cross for our sins is the gigantic sacrifice, which redeemed Abraham's son and redeems all mankind and it was God who sent His Christ to bring about this saving act of redemption. - The oath of blessing of the LORD for the readiness of Abraham, to sacrifice his only son (Genesis 22:15-19)
This passage was fundamentally CHANGED in Sura 37:105-106 and 108-113, where the Koran changed the LORD's OATH of blessing for Abraham into a blessing WISH, which Muslims have to utter for Abraham: "May peace be upon Abraham!" (salaamun 'alaa Ibrahim). - The descendants of Nahor, Abraham's brother (Genesis 22:20-24)
This was IGNORED by the Koran. - Sarah dies in Hebron at the age of 127 years (Genesis 23:1-2)
This was IGNORED by the Koran. - How Abraham bought a hereditary burial place in Canaan to bury his dead wife (Genesis 23:3-20)
This was IGNORED by the Koran. However, if you visit Hebron today, you will find a mosque in the spot, of this burial place that Abraham bought, and the tomb of Sarah is prominent in that mosque. Some of us have visited this mosque and can testify that Muslims go there to pray five times a day. - Abraham again took a wife, called Ketura, who bore him six sons (Genesis 25:1-2)
This was IGNORED by the Koran but INCLUDED my Muslim Narrations. - The descendants of Abraham from his six sons with Ketura (Genesis 25:3-4)
This was IGNORED by the Koran but INCLUDED and amplified by Muslims Narrations. - Abraham gave all his property to Isaac. The sons of his concubines he sent away with presents towards the East (Genesis 25:5-6)
This was IGNORED by the Koran. - Abraham died full of years aged 175 years old (Genesis 25:7-8)
This was IGNORED by the Koran, but INCLUDED in Muslim Narrations. - Isaac and Ishmael buried their father in the burial place, where Sarah, his wife, lay buried (Genesis 25:9-10)
This was IGNORED by the Koran. However, if you visit Hebron today, you will find in the mosque containing Sarah's tomb also the tomb of Abraham not far from her's. Some of us have seen it personally and testify that every day hundreds of Muslims perform their ritual prayers next to this tomb of Abraham inside the mosque. - God blessed Isaac after Abraham's death. The twelve sons of Ishmael from his Egyptian wife and their descendants as well as their dwelling place in the wilderness of Paran in the Sinai Peninsula. Ishmael died aged 137 years old (Genesis 25:11-18)
This was IGNORED by the Koran, but INCLUDED in part by Muslims Narratives. - Abraham is called a friend of God (NOT in the Suhuf Ibrahim, however in Isaiah 41:8 -- 2 Chronicles 20:7 -- James 2:23)
This was INCLUDED in the Koran in Sura al-Nisa' 4:125.