Everyone should follow the way of Prophet Abraham

For thousands of years before Prophet Abraham, Allah sent tens of thousands of prophets to all the tribes, nations and empires on the earth, and not one of them were able to establish an ongoing imageless monotheistic community. So Allah decided to do things in a different way.

Allah decided to make a covenant with one small tribe, and send hundreds of his prophets to this small tribe and work continually for centuries with the people of this tribe; until they were able to establish an ongoing imageless monotheistic community that would always have a core of righteous and loyal believers.

Allah selected Abraham the Hebrew (Genesis 14:13) and the descendants of Prophets Ishmael, Issac, and Jacob to be the first, but not the last monotheistic community. “There is for you an excellent example (to follow) in Abraham and those with him.” [Qur’an 60:4] and “Indeed Ibrahim was a nation obedient to Allah, a Hanif, he was not one of the polytheists.” [Qur’an 16:120].

“Praise to Allah, who has granted to me in old age Ishmael and Isaac. Indeed, my Lord is the Hearer of supplication [Qur’an 14:39]. And “O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring (Ishmael) to dwell in a valley without cultivation, near your Sacred House (the Ka’ba); in order our Lord, that they may establish regular Prayer: so fill the hearts of some among men with love towards them, and feed them with fruits: so that they may give thanks”. [Qur’an 14:37}

We know this because one day Abu Dharr asked the Messenger of Allah: How many prophets are there in all? He replied: One hundred and twenty four thousand. Abu Dharr then asked: How many of them were messenger prophets? He replied: Three hundred thirteen from the above group. He asked: Who was the first of them? He replied: Adam…The first prophet among Bani Israel was Musa and the last of them was Isa and they were in all six hundred (Jewish) prophets.” (Biharul Anwar, Vol. 11, Pg. 32)

During the many centuries between Prophet Adam and Prophet Abraham, God’s Prophets focused totally on teaching the Divine truth of imageless monotheism. And for thousands of years before Prophet Abraham, the prophets who God sent to the thousands of tribes and nations on the earth spreading the Divine truth of imageless monotheism; not one of them was able to establish an ongoing imageless monotheistic community that lasted for more than a few generations. “And when there came to them a Messenger from Allah, confirming what was with them, a party of the people who were given the Book threw away the Book of Allah behind their backs, as if they did not know it!” (Qur’an 2:101)

And: “The people of Noah denied before them, and the companions of the well and Thamūd; and ʿAad and Pharaoh and the brothers [neighbors] of Lot; and the companions of the forest, and the people of Tubbaʿ. All denied the messengers [Allah sent to them] so My threat was justly fulfilled.” [Qur’an 50:12-14]

So God decided to do things in an radically different and unique way. Instead of the theology truth of imageless monotheism, God decided to make a partnership loyalty covenant with a small tribe, and send six hundred of his prophets to this small tribe; and work continually for centuries with the people of this tribe, until they were able to establish an ongoing loyal community that would always have a core of righteous and loyal believers.

As Quran 2:130 states: And (everyone) who shuns the creed of Abraham (is) but a foolish soul. We chose him (Abraham the Hebrew Genesis 14:13) in the world and in the Hereafter he shall be among the righteous.”

Although there have been 313 Messengers sent by Allah, only four of them have received a book of revelation that has lasted to the present time: Prophets Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad. All four of them were descendants of Prophet Abraham and his two sons, Prophets Ishmael and Isaac.

Prophet Abraham also received from Allah a smaller written revelation called Suhuf Ibrahim by the Qur’an (The Scrolls of Abraham). They were written by Ibrahim himself, and his scribes and followers according to some Islamic traditions. The exact contents of the Suhuf Ibrahim revelation are not described in the Qur’an; but it does refer to the Scrolls of Abraham several times, including this verse: “Most surely this is in the earlier scriptures, the Books of Abraham and Moses” (87:18-19).

Perhaps the Qur’an connects Prophets Abraham and Moses here because the Suhuf Ibrahim are now included within the first 24 chapters of the Torah of Moses.

Most people think that Islam started with Prophet Muhammad but he really was the last of the Prophets who were descendants of Prophet Abraham. The Qur’an says: “When his Lord said to him (Abraham), ‘Submit,’ he said, ‘I have submitted to the (one and only) Lord of the worlds.’” (2:131)

The Qur’an also mentions Prophet Moses saying: “O my people (Banu Israel), if you have believed in Allah, then rely upon Him, if you would be (Jewish) Muslims [submitting to the one God].” (10:84)

And Qur’an 5:20-21 states: “Moses said to his people: O, my people, remember the favor of Allah upon you when he appointed among you prophets and made you possessors [of the Land of Israel] and gave you what he had not given anyone among the worlds. O my people, enter the holy land which Allah has assigned to you.”

The Hebrew Bible makes reference to several different kinds of a partnership loyalty covenants (Hebrew: בְּרִיתוֹת) with God. These include the Noahic Covenant set out in Genesis 9, which was decreed between God and all living creatures, as well as a number of more specific covenants with Prophet Abraham, and with the whole Israelite people.

The Bible offers differing verses about how many major covenants were created between God and Israel, ranging from one to ten. The Noahic covenant mentioned in Genesis 9:9-17 applies to all of humanity and is ongoing. In this covenant with all living creatures, God promises never again to destroy all life on Earth and creates a rainbow as a sign of this ongoing “everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”

The covenant in Genesis 15 is the basis for brit milah (the covenant of circumcision) for ongoing Judaism. The covenant a partnership loyalty was for Prophet Abraham and his offspring, both of natural birth, and adoption or conversion.

Two other covenants of partnership loyalty God makes with Prophet Abraham, are land and a multitude of descendants, without stipulations (ongoing and unconditional) on Prophet Abraham’s descendants for the covenant’s fulfillment: Genesis 12: And to make of Prophet Abraham a great nation and bless Abraham and make his name great so that he will be a blessing, to bless those who bless him and curse him who curses him and all peoples on earth would get an ongoing blessed through Prophet Abraham.

The success of this unique ongoing partnership covenant with Abraham’s descendants explains why the God of the Hebrews publicly and spectacularly defeated Egypt’s Pharaoh; and why Prophet Jesus only needed to performed smaller healings as signs of his faith; and why Prophet Muhammad did not need to do miracles at all.

As Prophet Isaiah said: “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, you who seek the Lord: look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug. Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you; for he [Abraham] was only one when I called him, that I might bless him and multiply him. (Isaiah 51:1-2) and the Qur’an states: “You have an excellent example to follow in Abraham.” (60:4) and “Follow the way of Abraham as people of pure faith.” (3:95)