Who was Abraham and how was he the "father" of three religions?

Question

As I read about history, religion, etc. I keep hearing comments like this: Abraham was the father/origin/precursor of three big religions: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. I am unfamiliar with this concept. How did all three religions spring from this one man (or his people), etc.? Please advise. Serious answers only please! Thanks.

Answer 1

I'll try to be short. God picked Abraham to be the father of His people. When Abram found he could not have children with his wife his wife offered him a slave to bed. That was when Ishmael was born and started the line of muslims. Abrams wife finally got pregnant and had children that became the Jewish people. And the Jew named Jesus started the christian faith which was not kept to only one ethnic group but spread all over the world. Isn't it amazing that Jews and Arabs are brothers? And they still fight?

Answer 2

Abraham was through whom the blessing of God towards a Hebrew race began. Judaism, which sprang from the Jews was fulfilled in Jesus and a new covenant of grace began from there, there are those that didn't accept Christ as the Messiah so the old Jewish tradition continues. Islam began about 500 years after Jesus through the false prophet Mohammed and had nothing to do with Abraham, the only tie in is that the people through the line of Ishmael was the majority of who adopted this false religion.

Answer 3

Actually he is the Father of Isaac and Ishmael.
Ishmael's descendants are the Arabs.
Isaac's descendants became Israel(Jacob).
Some Arabs became Muslims.
Some of the Israeli's became Jews.
Eventually, Jesus completed the law and Christianity continued the true path of God. The Jewish system was no longer recognized by God with proof of this being the end of the temple, priest class(Levite), and the end of all the animal sacrifices.
Islam, was by no means a 'child' of father Abraham, though Islam claims him as their father they are and always will be the illegitimate offspring.
So in overview, Abraham is only the "father of" those that choose to walk with God as God's friends.

Answer 4

Abraham was promised a son from God and in getting tired of waiting, since his wife was barren, he decided to have a child with the maid. Out of this relationship, Ishmael was born.

After Abraham's promised son, Isaac, was born, Abraham sent Ishmael and his mother (the maid) away, since Ishmael was jealous of Isaac. Ishmael formed the Arab nation and Islam.

Isaac's descendants formed Israel and of course Christ came from Israel and is the basis of Christianity.

Viola, there you have it....one man, three religions.....

Answer 5

Muslims are descendant of Abraham. Abraham believed in one God (Allah) The God of the Christians and the Jews is a Trinity. Just read Quran, you will see what I'm talking about.

Answer 6

The Quran specifically states that Abraham himself was a Muslim, and his children were supposed to follow the basic message of There is no god but Allah(God in english) The Quran says:

003.067 مَا كَانَ إِبْرَاهِيمُ يَهُودِيًّا وَلا نَصْرَانِيًّا وَلَكِنْ كَانَ حَنِيفًا مُسْلِمًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ
003.067 Abraham was not a Jew nor yet a Christian; but he was true in Faith, and bowed his will to Allah's (Which is Islam), and he joined not gods with Allah.

Al-Qur'an, 003.067 (Aal-E-Imran [The Family of Imran])

Text Copied from DivineIslam's Qur'an Viewer software v2.9

Answer 7

Abraham had 2 sons:
Ishmael from wife Hagar - Arabs>Muhammad>Islam
Isaac from wife Sarah - Jews>Moses&Jesus>Judaism&Christianity

Answer 8

because he is considered the first one to believe in a monotheistic religion.

according to the bible, the spirit of god was first revealed to abraham, and god told him to go to canaan and settle down there, and that his seed shall grow into the chosen people, meaning israel. he is considered the first father in the jewish religion. since christianity and islam stem from judaism, he is also considered the father of these religions.

i answer religion questions way too much. *laughs*

Answer 9

Read the book Abraham, by Bruce Feiler. He tells the story and then relates the people representing the religons today.

Answer 10

He was the father of one religion. Two other religions hijacked some of his ideas and history.