 May have been a henotheist  Believed in one God, no proof that he rejected others though  God provided law to Abraham to abide by ◦ Rewards and punishments – many are basis for our society today ◦ Many stories about him in Jewish and Muslim books

 When he was 86 – married to Sarah – too old to have kids  Sarah gives servant Hagar permission to become impregnated  Hagar has Ishmael

 Sarah now 90  God tells Abraham Sarah will become pregnant and bear a son – she is to name him Isaac  Sarah worried for Isaac and inheritance  Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael away

 This is where the division of Judeo/Christian and Islam comes into play

 God tells Hagar and Ishmael when wandering the desert – He will save them!  Promises that Ishmael’s descendants will become a great nation!  Book of Genesis states God was with them  Quran does too!

 Genesis 21:14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave [it] unto Hagar, putting [it] on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. 15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. Genesis 21:14  19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.

 Muslims taught the “well of water” is the well in Mecca, SA - Zamzam  What does this mean????  That they traveled 1000’s of miles on the little water they left with!  Still known as land that is uninhabitable!

 The Kaaba was destroyed in the great flood but it is said that Abraham and Ishmael rebuilt it together

 Jewish people trace their lineage through Isaac  Muslims through Ishmael  Muslims believe it was Ishmael intended to be sacrificed and that it happened by the kaaba before Isaac was born!  “When Abraham passed God’s test, the Qur’an says, he was told that he would be given another son, Isaac, ‘a prophet from among the righteous ones’”

 Most important point on how all three religions differ!  Jews believe the covenant between God and Abraham is passed on through Isaac  Therefore, they are God’s “chosen people”  Christians believe he was to sacrifice Isaac too