Can someone please explain to me in simple terms the story with Abraham, Sarah, Ishmael?

Question

Hagar

etc..etc..

I'm trying to see why the Jews and Arabs hate each other so much...

Whats the story with the birth rights..first born etc..etc..???

Answer 1

First, it is important to understand that not all Arabs are Muslims and not all Muslims are Arabs. While a majority of Arabs are Muslims, there are many non-Muslim Arabs. Further, there are significantly more non-Arab Muslims (in areas such as Indonesia and Malaysia) than Arab Muslims.

Second, it is important to remember that not all Arabs hate Jews, that not all Muslims hate Jews, and that not all Jews hate Arabs and Muslims. We must be careful to avoid stereotyping people. However, generally speaking, Arabs and Muslims have a dislike and distrust for Jews and vice-versa.

If there is an explicit biblical explanation for this animosity, it goes all the way back to Abraham. The Jews are descendants of Abraham’s son Isaac. The Arabs are descendants of Abraham’s son Ishmael. With Ishmael being the son of a slave woman (Genesis 16:1-16) and Isaac being the promised son who would inherit the promises to Abraham (Genesis 21:1-3), animosity between the two sons was almost inevitable. As a result of Ishmael mocking Isaac (Genesis 21:9), Sarah talked Abraham into sending Hagar and Ishmael away (Genesis 21:11-21). Likely this caused even more contempt in Ishmael’s heart toward Isaac. An angel even prophesied to Hagar that Ishmael would “live in hostility toward all his brothers” (Genesis 16:11-12).

The religion of Islam, of which a majority of Arabs are adherents, has made this hostility more profound. The Qur'an contains conflicting instructions for Muslims regarding Jews. At one point it instructs Muslims to treat Jews as brothers, but at another point it commands Muslims to attack Jews who refuse to convert to Islam. The Qur’an also introduces a conflict as to which son of Abraham was truly the son of promise. The Hebrew Scriptures say it was Isaac. The Qur’an says it was Ishmael. The Qur’an teaches that it was Ishmael that Abraham almost sacrificed to the Lord, not Isaac (in contradiction to Genesis chapter 22). This debate over who was the son of promise contributes to the hostility today.

However, the ancient root of bitterness between Isaac and Ishmael does not explain all of the hostility between Jews and Arabs today. In fact, for thousands of years of Middle Eastern history, Jews and Arabs lived in relative peace and indifference toward each other. The primary cause of the hostility has a modern origin. After World War II, when the United Nations gave a portion of the land of Israel to the Jewish people, the land was at that time primarily inhabited by Arabs (the Palestinians). Most Arabs protested against the nation of Israel occupying that land. Arab nations united and attacked Israel in an attempt to wipe them out of the land, but they were defeated by Israel.

Ever since, there has been great hostility between Israel and its Arab neighbors. If you look on a map, Israel has one tiny little sliver of land and is surrounded by much larger Arab nations, i.e. Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Egypt. It is our viewpoint that, biblically speaking, Israel has a right to exist as a nation with its own land because God gave the land of Israel to the descendants of Jacob, grandson of Abraham. At the same time, we strongly believe that Israel should seek peace and display respect for its Arab neighbors. Psalms 122:6 declares, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure."

Recommended Resource: Understanding the Arab-Israeli Conflict: What the Headlines Haven't Told You by Michael Rydelnik.

Answer 2

Abraham was married to Sarah. God told him that Sarah would give him a child who would be the start of a great nation. After waiting for a while, Sarah came up with a little "loophole" in God's promise. She would give Abraham her servant (Hagar) to be his wife and have the child God promised (she gave the servant so technically they could say the resulting child was a gift from her to Abraham)!

After Hagar became pregnant with Ishmael, Sarah drove her out into the desert. Ishmael was born there and God made a covenant with his mother to make him the father of a great nation...the Arab nations are the descendants of Ishmael.

Then, God told Abraham that he made a mistake and to go with Sarah and that she would become pregnant. She did and had Issac...who became the root of Israel.

God told Abraham that the consequence of his sin would be that the descendants of his two sons would be at war for all time. Some interpret this a a curse that God put on them. I think it was just predicting the future because he knew what would happen.

At that time (and for centuries after that), a father's "blessing" was the property of the first born son...in this case Ishmael. Abraham went against this tradition and gave his blessing to the second born son Issac. The bible makes it clear that God did not abandon the son's of Ishmael, but he didn't let Abraham's sin affect his plans for the son of Abraham and Sarah. The son's of Issac became God's "chosen people" and enjoyed the benefits of his protection and assistance against their enemies so they could claim "the promised land"...at least some of which was already occupied by the son's of Ishmael!

They're fighting over land, birthright, and God's favor...no wonder they continue to fight each other!

Answer 3

Do not look here for answers. People mix fact with opinion. And, even fact is hard to find. The Bible, Torah and Koran all have different views of Ishmael and Isaac. \

Abraham was married to Sarah. Sarah could not have kids. So Sarah offered her handmaid/slave Hagar to Abraham. Abe and Hagar got married. Hagar had Ishmael. Many years later God blessed Sarah with the ability to birth. So her and Abraham had Jacob. In the Bible and Koran it says that God made a covenant with Abraham through his only son. Here is where it gets tricky. 99% of Christians and all Jews believe Isaac was Abraham's only son because God promised him Isaac from his first wife - who was barren. 1% of Christians and all Muslims believe the Covenant is through Ishmael - father of the Arabs. Because he was born first and was circumcised first. Basically, at what point can Isaac becalled Abraham's only son? - Never because, as long as Abraham was alive, so was Ishmael. And, Ishmael wa born first....


what a cluster....



Christians and Jews will tell you that Hagar was only a slave. The Bible clearly states that Hagar was married to Abraham at the request of Sara.

Christians, and especially Jews, will tell you that Ishmael is an illegitimate son of Abraham. The Bible cleary states that God blessed Ishmael and his mother. Further, in Dueteronomy, the Bible clearly states that no child is illegitimate, no matter how the father feels about the mother. and, that the first born deserves their birthright (except in the case of Esau and Jacob - where Esau sold it).

Muslims, along with a very small number of Christians - me being one of them - will tell you that Ishmael is the bearer of the covenant between Abraham and God.

Answer 4

Abraham, born in Iraq, married his half-sister Sarah and the two, with their many servants, arrived in what is now Palestine or more likely southern part of Arabia along the Red Sea. For a while they also lived in Egypt, where Sarah found an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar.

Both Abraham and Sarah got very old and didn't have any children. Sarah then proposed to Abraham that he should marry Hagar to have children, which he did. Soon afterwards, Ishmael was born. Later on, God also decided that Sarah too should have a child and Isaac was born. Because Ishmael was the "first-born" [and by Jewish law had more rights] Sarah got jealous and wanted Hagar to leave. At first, Abraham was very reluctant but God decided otherwise. He asked Abraham to take Hagar and Ishmael to the Arabian desert and abandon them there.

Hagar and Ishmael, who was still a boy, were alone in the desert with no water or food. Hagar kept running between two hills to find water. But then God had mercy and when Ishmael rubbed his heels on the ground, a spring gushed forth, which later came to be known as Zamzam [it is still gushing forth]. A caravan was passing by there and seeing that spring, they decided to stay there. That later came to be known as Mecca. Abraham then visited his son Ishmael and on one visit he and Ishmael built a House of God, which is now the Kaaba [now rebuilt many times].

Christians and Jews claim that somehow Hagar was not Abraham's real "wife" [even though that's the word used in all Biblical translations] and Ishmael was not a "real son." But little evidence is ever provided to support that view.

Christians and Jews point out covenants that God made with Abraham and Isaac. But close study of the Bible shows that God made numerous covenants with Abraham, most of which were 'before' the birth of either Ishmael of Isaac. Later on, God made additional, separate covenants with Ishmael and Isaac. These covenants were pacts; Jews were to do their part of obeying God's law. One can also find a number of verses in the Bible where God annulled the covenant because He was unhappy with the Jews.

Most Jews claim that they are descendants of Isaac, but there is no evidence of that. Jewish history is full of conversions to Judaism [which only came to an end in medieval times because Christians threatened them with more pogroms if Jews didn't stop proselytizing]. Arab history also shows that most Arabs are not descendants of Ishmael. However, there is genealogical evidence that prophet Muhammad was a descendant of Ishmael through his second son Kedar, also mentioned in the Bible.

Answer 5

Sarah couldn't bear children so Abe did Hagar and had a kid-Ishmael. Afterword's God told Abe Sarah would bear a child Isaac. Isaac was the second born of Abe but Sarah was the true wife so Ishmael lost inheritance on a technicality.

Answer 6

Abraham and Sarah wanted a son. God promised them one. When Abraham got impatient, and seeing that Sarah was barren Abraham went to hagar, Sarah's hand maiden. This produced Ishmael, who wasn't the promised child that God provided. When Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90, God made Sarah fertile and the promise of God was fulfilled with the birth of Isaac. This is the lineage that our Savior came through. Because Ishmael was the firstborn he had certain rights and his descendants became many. But because Isaac was the promise of God, his lineage is the true lineage of our Savior and the Jewish people. The Bible says that there was bad blood between them after the death of Abraham.

Answer 7

the story goes like this:
Abraham married to Sarah but since Sarah can't have a child, she told Abraham to marry Hagar (their servants) to get descendants from her. After Sarah has a child (she has a child when she's 99 years old), she ask Hagar to go.
Sarah son is called Isaac
Hagar son is called Ishmael
But when Jew and Arabs talk, both of them actually refers to the same person.
The relation why the Jews and Arabs hate each other is because both of them claim that they are the true descendants of Abraham

Answer 8

The Jews and the Arabs actually didn't really hate each other all that much until the Westerners came in and started pitting one against the other a few centuries back. Before then, both were respectful for the most part to each other, there was no question on the part of the Arabs that Israel belonged to the Jews, etc.

The problems you see now are the result of Western interference, mainly. And on purpose, no less.

Answer 9

God promised Abraham would have a male heir

Abraham got old and never had one because Sarah wouldnt bear

Abe's wife Sarah convinced him to have a child with her handmaiden Hagar

Abe did so against Gods will

The childs name was Ishmael

Sarah grew extremely jealous of Hagar

God told Abe to send Hagar and Ishmael away because God would give Abe and Sarah a child of their own

Sarah soon bore Isaac

Isaac, not Ishmael, got Abraham's inheritance

Sibling rivalry mostly

For important details read the Bible

Answer 10

If memory serves... Abraham and Sarah (married couple) had no children so he fathered one with Hagar, who was his slave. Hagar had Ishmael. But then Sarah got pregnant at some crazy old age like 98, and then Abraham favored their son Isaac over his son Ishmael.

But he almost sacrificed Isaac on an altar just to please his God, so maybe he shouldn't be nominated as Father of the Year...