About Father Abraham
Father Abraham, also referred to as the patriarch of world religion, is present in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Each of these three religions claims Abraham was a key founder of the faith. For Islam, Abraham, also referred to as Ibrahim, is a friend of God. They refer to him as the father of prophets. For Judaism, Abraham is a patriarch who bore the promised offspring ushering the twelve tribes of Israel. For Christians, Abraham stands as an exemplar of salvation. He is an emblematic figure of faith who showed unwavering commitment to serve God. As the father of Christianity, faith gives Christians a unique identity. The name Abraham means a father of many nations. According to the Bible, Abraham believed in God and did not once question Him. At one point, God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, and he followed the instructions to the latter until God revealed he was testing his faith. The interpretation of Abraham’s act of wanting to sacrifice his only son Isaac, even after waiting for so long to get a son, is a person who believes and follows God to the letter. His obedience to God evidences instances of Abraham’s unshaken faith. Abraham left without question when God told him to leave his people and country to go to undesignated land. According to Romans 11:8, through faith, Abraham obeyed God and departed for unknown lands where God would bless him with an inheritance. God promised to make him the founder of a new nation (Genesis 12:1-3). In Genesis 13:14-17, God told Abraham that he would bless him and his descendants forever. He promised to give him as many descendants as the earth’s dust. Also, God promised to make him famous and a blessing to others. God blessed Abraham with a son when his wife Sarah was too old. Under normal conventions, Sarah was beyond childbearing years, yet Abraham believed God would give them a child. Abraham’s story traverses many unnatural or miraculous events.
Early Years
Abraham was born around 1948 B.C.E. to Terah and Amathalaah in what the Torah calls “Ever-haNahar,” or Cutha in Mesopotamia. When “Abram” was born, later known as Abraham, Nimrod stargazers prophesied that one day Abraham would become a danger to the king. They said he would dethrone him. Therefore, Nimrod ordered Terah to send him the baby so he could be killed. Instead of sending him to his death, Terah organized with Amathalaah to hide Abraham in a cave, where they lived for 10 years. When he came out of the cave, he stayed with his great grandfathers (Shem and Noah) until he was 48 years old. Abraham then moved to his father’s house at the age of 50. However, Terrah appointed Abraham as his salesman to sell his idols. When Nimrod heard what Terah was doing, he ordered their arrest and condemned Abraham to be burned to death. When Abraham came out from the furnace unscathed, the king was in shock. As for Abraham declared to be serving God.
CHRISTIANITY, JUDAISM, AND ISLAM
Each of these three religions claims Abraham was a key founder of the faith.
Personal Life
Abraham was born in Cutha, a town in Mesopotamia. He spent most of his childhood in a cave, fleeing the wrath of King Nimrod. At 52, Abraham married Yiska, popularly known as Sarai or Sarah. He would move with his wife to stay with Noah again when Nimrod threatened to kill him. His father often visited them. They would later move, along with his father, to the city of Haran. However, at the age of 75, God asked him to move to Canaan, where he would make him the father of many nations. The Quran mentions God told Abraham, I will make you an Imam to the nations. When he moved to Canaan, Abraham was blessed with Isaac, making him a father. Father Abraham’s faith would later be tested. Father Abraham had many sons. These included Ishmael, Ishbak, Zimran and Jokshan. The many sons of Abraham are also his descendants as the father of faith.
Interesting Facts in the Bible
Abraham spent most of his childhood in a cave fleeing the wrath of King Nimrod. Though different biblical translations and interpretations present slight variations in the genealogy, Abraham was the 10th-generation descendant of Noah. At the age of seven, he decided to explore and leave. When he left the cave, he went to stay with his great-grandfathers (Shem and Noah). The family lived in Mesopotamia, known by scholars as one of the earliest civilizations in the world.
Abraham’s father in the Bible was an idol worshiper, while his son was a staunch believer in God. At one point, Abraham assisted his father in selling idols to the people. This demonstrates the kind of obedience Abraham had toward his father. In Genesis 12:10-20, Abraham, alongside his wife, moved to Egypt in an attempt to evade famine. Abraham convinced his wife to say that she was only his sister so the Egyptians would spare his life and take her. The lie was meant to protect Father Abraham from being killed. However, it was not exactly a lie because his wife was also his half-sister. When Pharaoh took Sarah, he rewarded Abraham with gifts of livestock, but God restored her to Abraham before the king could touch her.
DID YOU KNOW?
Abraham spent most of his childhood in a cave fleeing the wrath of King Nimrod. At the age of seven, he decided to explore and leave.
After going through a lot of challenges in Mesopotamia, God asked Abraham to depart for Canaan. Abraham was already 75 years old when he left his birthplace for the promised land. Abraham, the father of faith, heeded God’s voice and headed for a new land together with his family. He left without questioning where he was headed. Abraham bore with Hagar, Sarah’s handmaid, a son named Ishmael. In Canaan, Abraham was blessed with baby Isaac at an old age. God continued to test his faith, and Abraham continued to pass these tests. When Sarah passed away, Abraham married Keturah. Together they bore six children who were half-brothers to Ishmael and Isaac. Therefore, Father Abraham had many sons (eight in total). In Canaan, God fulfilled some of the promises he made to Father Abraham, for example blessing him with children. Therefore, Abraham helped usher in a promised nation.
Did Abraham Face Challenges as a “Father of Faith?”
Abraham’s life was not simple. He faced many challenges, many meant to test his faith. Abraham, the father of faith, was instructed to depart from his homeland to settle in an unknown land. His journey to Canaan was rough. He faced famine, a harsh climate, and hostility from the Canaanites.
Moreover, he lived a nomadic lifestyle in Canaan, owing to the harsh climatic conditions. At some point, a severe famine struck Canaan, forcing Abraham to flee to Egypt, where he lied about his wife being his sister because Egyptians threatened to take her. Also, Abraham endured a long time without siring a child with Sarah. When God delayed fulfilling the promise to give him a son, doubt assailed Abraham. When they finally got a child, God asked Abraham to sacrifice him. Father Abraham passed this test of faith when he prepared an altar to sacrifice his only son, Isaac.
Father Abraham’s Influence in History
Abraham is known as the father of faith because of his obedience and steadfast belief in God. He was named the father of all nations, siring eight sons. Abraham, the father of all nations, was a righteous man with a wholehearted commitment to God. He was a man of peace. His unwavering commitment to serving God shows he was a man of great spiritual depth and strength. Being human, he was not perfect and sinned. However, these instances did not make him fall out of grace with God.
Late in Life
After the death of his wife Sarah, Abraham, father of faith, married Keturah as his second wife. Abraham buried Sarah in a cave and led a quiet life after that. His marriage to Keturah gave him six sons. Abraham, the father of all nations, lived to 175 years before he died. His sons buried him in a cave in Machpelah near Mamre, where Sarah was also laid to rest. When he died, Abraham left everything he owned to his son Isaac.
FAQs
What is Abraham best known for?
Abraham is best known as the father of faith in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He is the first known Hebrew patriarch. He is a renowned figure throughout scripture in all three religions.
What is the story of Abraham in the Bible?
The story of Abraham is told throughout the Book of Genesis.
What is Abraham the father of?
Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
Where did Abraham go when he died?
He was buried in a cave in Machpelah next to his wife Sarah.
