Islam is the fulfillment of God's promise!

[Out There]

The following is my article on the issue.

According to the Chumash (חומש) Islam is a fulfillment of God’s promise to Ishmael​

by Ibn Anwar​

Chumash is one of the terms used to describe the five books attributed to Moses. It is derived from the root chamesh which means five. More commonly they are known as the Torah or the Pentateuch. In this brief article we will be using the Stone’s Edition of the Chumash by Rabbi Nosson Scherman which has the main text of the five books together with selected commentaries from Rabbinic writings(in Hebrew and English) most prominent of which is Rabbi Rashi’s who is described as the “Father of Commentators” in the editor’s introduction.​

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Abraham had two wives(or some say three including Keturah) Sarah and Hagar. His first son born from Hagar(yes, Hagar was his wife!*) was Ishmael whose name means ‘God hears’. It is the Islamic standpoint that it was Ishmael who was actually taken for sacrifice and not the second son born to Sarah whose name was Isaac. Contrary to Islamic belief Jews and Christians believe that Isaac was the one taken for sacrifice and that it is he alone and his progeny that were bestowed the covenant whilst Ishmael is neglected. Taking the Judeo-Christian perspective in hand don’t you find it interesting that Ishmael carries God’s name whilst Isaac’s does not? Think about it. However, this is not an article on who was taken to be sacrificed. Rather, in this article we shall see that Rabbis recognise the fact that Islam is the fulfillment of God’s promise given to Ishmael who was the firstborn of Abraham.​

The promise to Ishmael is seen in the following verse,​

“But regarding Ishmael I have heard you: I have blessed him will make him fruitful, and will increase him most exceedingly; he will beget twelve princes and I will make him into a great nation.”(Genesis 17:20)​

This promise is repeated several times for Ishmael,​

“And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation” (Genesis 21:13)​

“Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine [hagar] hand; for I will make him [Ishmael] a great nation.”(Genesis 21:18)​

“The angel added,”I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count.”(Genesis 16:10)​

Who among the descendants of Ishmael succeeded in fulfilling this promise in making a great nation that bore multitudes?​

“We see from the prophecy in this verse that 2337 years elapsed before the Arabs, Ishmael’s descendants, became a great nation [with the rise of Islam in the 7th century C.E.]…. Throughout this period, Ishmael hoped anxiously, until finally the promise was fulfilled and they dominated the world.” [1]​

Though the paragraph that precedes the above in the commentary(not produced here) suggests an eventual downfall of the kingdom of the descendants of Ishmael which I suppose has taken place the above makes it explicit that Islam is a fulfillment of God’s promise for Ishmael. If Islam is a fulfillment of God’s promise then it only follows that it is His decree. If it is His decree then it only follows that it is the truth. Thus we can safely conclude that because Islam is a direct fulfillment of the promise of God made to Ishmael what logically follows is the truth of Islam.​

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References and Notes:​

* There are some Christians and Jews out there who perhaps because of their personal distaste of Islam would go so far as to totally reject the fact that Hagar was Abraham’s wife. They would go out of their way to accuse her of illigitimacy and extend that to the fruit of her womb, Ishmael. Was she Abraham’s wife? I have written an article on this. Please proceed to it for clarification.Was Hagar Abraham’s wife according to the Bible?​

[1] Rabbi Nosson Scherman. The Chumash(1998). Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd. p. 76​

 

[bananabrain]

except, of course, that the Torah says that G!D Will Make ishmael into a great nation - but a nation, in Torah terminology, is not a religion. it refers, rather, to the *ethnic* descendants of ishmael, in other words, the arabs who are, undeniably, a great nation. of course, it remains to be shown how islam specifically is what is meant here. unless, of course, you mean that it was islam that made the arabs great, or something.

Taking the Judeo-Christian perspective in hand don’t you find it interesting that Ishmael carries God’s name whilst Isaac’s does not?

what point are you trying to make here, exactly? or is this some sort of snide insinuation?

of course, if you're going to take the Torah's word for things then you might also be interested in the bit where abraham laments G!D's Decision to fulfil the "covenant between the parts" via isaac, rather than by his firstborn, ishmael - but somehow i doubt that is your agenda.

If Islam is a fulfillment of God’s promise then it only follows that it is His decree. If it is His decree then it only follows that it is the truth. Thus we can safely conclude that because Islam is a direct fulfillment of the promise of God made to Ishmael what logically follows is the truth of Islam.

are you kidding? what about direct fulfilment of the promises of G!D to the jews, such as bringing us out of egypt, bringing us to the Land, enabling us to build and rebuild the Temple? of course, don't forget all the bad stuff that's happened as well. are we, by your logic, to conclude that because of the prophecies about the destruction of the northern kingdom by sennacherib, the first Temple by nebuchadnezzar and the second Temple by titus, the assyrians, babylonians and romans were therefore also in possession of G!D's Truth?

and then, of course, there are people like baha'ullah and mirza ghulam ahmad... are these two also fulfilling G!D's prophecies?

b'shalom

bananabrain

 

[Out There]

except, of course, that the Torah says that G!D Will Make ishmael into a great nation - but a nation, in Torah terminology, is not a religion. it refers, rather, to the *ethnic* descendants of ishmael, in other words, the arabs who are, undeniably, a great nation. of course, it remains to be shown how islam specifically is what is meant here. unless, of course, you mean that it was islam that made the arabs great, or something.


what point are you trying to make here, exactly? or is this some sort of snide insinuation?

of course, if you're going to take the Torah's word for things then you might also be interested in the bit where abraham laments G!D's Decision to fulfil the "covenant between the parts" via isaac, rather than by his firstborn, ishmael - but somehow i doubt that is your agenda.


are you kidding? what about direct fulfilment of the promises of G!D to the jews, such as bringing us out of egypt, bringing us to the Land, enabling us to build and rebuild the Temple? of course, don't forget all the bad stuff that's happened as well. are we, by your logic, to conclude that because of the prophecies about the destruction of the northern kingdom by sennacherib, the first Temple by nebuchadnezzar and the second Temple by titus, the assyrians, babylonians and romans were therefore also in possession of G!D's Truth?

and then, of course, there are people like baha'ullah and mirza ghulam ahmad... are these two also fulfilling G!D's prophecies?

b'shalom

bananabrain

Indeed, the promise found in Genesis 17 speaks of God blessing Ishma'el with a great NATION. No doubt the word does not in itself mean religion whether it is in the language of the Torah or even any language for that matter. It is noteworthy that the Torah actually does not identify or spell out any specific religion. The term Judaism for example is foreign to the Torah. But, what of this great nation that God had promised to give to the descendants of Ishmael? I think the Chumash of the Stone's edition has answered this. Let me reproduce the quotation for you,
“We see from the prophecy in this verse that 2337 years elapsed before the Arabs, Ishmael’s descendants, became a great nation [with the rise of Islam in the 7th century C.E.]…. Throughout this period, Ishmael hoped anxiously, until finally the promise was fulfilled and they dominated the world.”
The above is not from Muslim sources but are the understanding adduced in Rabbinical writings. The above quotation is taken directly from "The Chumash(1998). Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd. p. 76" and edited by Rabbi Nosson Scherman. Indeed, it is almost universally accepted in historical circles that the religion or faith propagated by Muhammad propelled the Arabs from the state of being a "non-entity" to that of a glorious and envied civilisation. This is also what the quotation clealy admits when it says, "with the rise of Islam in the 7th century". Because Islam is the instrumental cause that spearheaded the Arabs' advancements in conquest and knowledge the necessary implication is that God caused and ordained Islam as Genesis 17:20 identifies Him as the active force in making "him a great nation".

What about the children of Isaac, the Jews? Have God blessed them? You mentioned that they were released from their captivity. I have no problem at all accepting this as God's blessing upon the children of Isaac, the Yahud. However, let us not forget the curses that God sent to your forefathers(as you yourself mentioned) and perhaps the curses continue to this day. In fact, just after the quotation from Stone's edition of the Chumash it says that the Jews should wait for their turn which will come and the reason for the long delay is because of the sins they have committed. In fact, we have a rather glaring passage in Deuteronomy 31:24-29,
"And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished,That Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, saying, Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee. For I know thy rebellion, and thy stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious against the LORD; and how much more after my death? Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record against them. For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands."