When most hear of Christianity, they reference with The Holy Bible and Jesus Christ; Who came to redeem mankind froma world of sin; and the future torment that would surely follow had it not been for His Loving grace at the Cross of Calvary.
That's a touch of Christianity. Today, we're going to focus on Islam.
Anyone who has ever heard of Islam, you're probably familiar with a certain name, being that of Muhammad, the "prophet" of "Allah", and beginnings of the religion Islam.
Where does Muhammad trace back to?
Muhammad's line can be traced from the book of Genesis, as we shall find. Every Nation of people on this earth are descendants of Abraham's two sons, each born to a different mother. One to Hagar, a maidservant to Sarai later named Sarah, and they called Hagar's son, Ishmael. The other son, born to Abrahams wife Sarah, and they called Sarah's son, Isaac.
The account begins with Ishmael in Genesis 16 --
Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, "The Lord has kept me from having children. Abram, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. he slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she know she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. Then Sarai siad to Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me. "your servant is in your hands." Abram said, "Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her. The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to shur. And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?" "I am running away from my mistress Sarai." She answered. Then the angel of the Lord told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count." The angel of the Lord also said to her: "You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers. She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me." That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered. So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
Ok, so this is the starting point for which the two lines of people had their beginnings. The first line beginning with Hagar. Now, if you noticed, in verse 12 of Genesis 16 God says that, "Ishmael will be against everyone and everyone against him, which means that the line of Ishmael's people will be warring people all their lives.
Why is this? God explains this and His plan. Further in chapter 17. When He delivers news to Abram now Abraham, that Sarai soon to be Sarah will bear a child.
Genesis 17:19-21
Then God said, "Yes, but but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for this descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you; I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. but my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.
As the account continues, Sarah becomes afraid and in disbleief at what God had revealed to her, due to her old age, so she laughed and He returned to her and questioned her and she lied, "I didnot laugh," but He said, "Yes, you did laugh."
So, Ishmael is born to Hagar. Isaac born to Sarah. And ... as God had told Hagar, her son Ishmael and his offspring would live in hostility toward everyone is later confirmed, 137 years later...at Ishmael's death.
Genesis 25:17-18
Altogether, Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. he breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur. Near the border of Egypt, as yu go toward Egypt, as you go toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.
And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.
And they still do to this day. There's your Muslim roots, friends. The lineage of Ishmael.
Why the two different lineages?
Why does the covenant fall on Isaac and not on Ishmael too?
The most likely reason - to give us exemplaries down through the generations as to how to live our lives according to what God's Word teaches through Isaac's lineage, and through Ishmael's line to show us the difference.
Despite the continuing war and rumors of war; it will continue to the end as it always has.
The difference is clear!
I'm going to continue to research this, so this will probably be one in a series of posts on this topic.
A work in progress.
So, be in prayer with me, as God will continue His blessings of wisdom, that we may better do His will.
God bless!
Update: Ok, I've just found out something new, and make a slight correction: Ishmael is considered 'offspring' of Abraham, instead of a son, since he was born through a sinful relationship. It is Isaac who is considered the only rightful heir which all Christians are the lineage of.
~Jeremiah
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