Ibrahim عليه السلام Echo: Where Footsteps Become Footprints

In our theme for this year`s Hajj, we are focusing on the life of the great Prophet of Allah, Ibrahim Alayhis Salaam and his relationship with Allah as well as with the people around him, viz his father, sons, wives and the community he belonged to. We commence by looking at his relationship with ALLAH. 

Neither a Jew nor a Christian

Prophet Ibrahim AS is one of the greatest and most honoured prophets in Islam. Revered by Jews, Christians, and Muslims alike, his legacy transcends religious labels and historical divisions. However, the Holy Qur’an makes it explicitly clear that Ibrahim AS was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but rather a pure monotheist (ḥanīf) who submitted entirely to the will of Allah ﷻ. This distinction is crucial in understanding the true nature of his faith and the spiritual foundation upon which Islam stands.

The Qur’anic Declaration

The Noble Qur’an directly addresses the confusion and conflicting claims made by various religious groups about Ibrahim AS’s identity:

مَا كَانَ إِبْرَٰهِيمُ يَهُودِيًّا وَلَا نَصْرَانِيًّا وَلَـٰكِن كَانَ حَنِيفًا مُّسْلِمًا وَمَا كَانَ مِنَ ٱلْمُشْرِكِينَ

“Ibrahim was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but he was a ḥanīf (upright in faith), a Muslim [in submission to Allah], and he was not of the polytheists.” [Al ʿImran 3: 67]

This verse dismantles any attempt to confine Ibrahim AS’s identity within later religious developments. Judaism and Christianity, as formal religions with those names, came centuries after Ibrahim AS. The Torah was revealed to Musa AS and the Injil to Isa AS, both long after Ibrahim AS’s time. Thus, it is historically and theologically incorrect to label him as either.

What Does It Mean That He Was a “Muslim”?

In the Qur’anic context, the term Muslim refers not to a follower of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ per se, but to anyone who submits completely to Allah ﷻ. The root of the word Islam means “submission” and Muslim means “one who submits.”

إِذْ قَالَ لَهُۥ رَبُّهُۥٓ أَسْلِمْ ۖ قَالَ أَسْلَمْتُ لِرَبِّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ

“When his Lord said to him, ‘Submit,’ he said, ‘I have submitted [aslamtu] to the Lord of the worlds.’” Al-Baqarah (2: 131)

From this we understand that Ibrahim AS was a Muslim in the truest sense: he submitted entirely to his Lord, Allah, without resistance or compromise.

The Dispute Over Ibrahim AS

During the time of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, both Jews and Christians claimed Ibrahim AS as their own. The Jews claimed him as the forefather of their nation through his son Ishaq, while the Christians traced a spiritual lineage through belief and prophecy. The Qur’an addresses this argument clearly:

يَـٰٓأَهْلَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ لِمَ تُحَآجُّونَ فِىٓ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ وَمَآ أُنزِلَتِ ٱلتَّوْرَىٰةُ وَٱلْإِنجِيلُ إِلَّا مِنۢ بَعْدِهِۦٓ ۚ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ

“O People of the Scripture, why do you argue about Ibrahim while the Torah and the Gospel were not revealed until after him? Then will you not reason?” Āl ʿImrān (3: 65)

This verse appeals to logic and chronology: neither the Torah nor the Gospel existed in Ibrahim AS’s time, so he could not have followed a religion defined by either scripture. Rather, he practiced the original, uncorrupted monotheism that is the essence of all divine revelation.

Ibrahim AS’s Message: Pure Tawḥid

Ibrahim AS preached Tawḥid, the absolute Oneness of Allah, and rejected all forms of idolatry. This made him distinct from the prevailing beliefs of his time — and it continues to make him a central figure in Islamic theology. His religion was based on sincere belief, pure worship, and complete obedience to Allah ﷻ.