Our Connection

Jews & Christians are referred to as the "PEOPLE OF THE BOOK" in the Qur’an

Here is the brief story. Abraham’s wife Sarah had reached an old age and could not have any children. When Hagar was given to them by the Egyptian King, Sarah suggested that Abraham should marry her to have a child. He did so with the permission of Sarah and later on Ishmael was born. Sarah was afraid of her ill feelings and asked Abraham to take the mother and the baby to a far away place. God had a plan for them. He commanded Abraham to take Hagar and baby Ishmael to a place where the Kaaba stands now and leave them there. It was a barren and waterless place with no trace of life in any form. The great Patriarch left them to their fate with a heavy heart and came back to Sarah. Time passed by and Sarah, the old lady, gave birth to Isaac.

In the wilderness, baby started crying with thirst. Hagar started looking for water, running back and forth between the hills. There was no sign of water. She felt frustrated and started stamping her foot. Suddenly a spring emerged beneath her foot. This spring is called the Zam Zam Spring. They settled down near the spring. Later on Abraham came to visit them and as per God’s commandment, he and Ishmael built the Kaaba and dedicated it to the worship of the One God. Even after 4000 years, the Spring is still flowing and supplying water to the city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Its water is proven to be bacteria free. Ishmael’s progeny multiplied and ramified into numerous tribes and Prophet Muhammad belonged to one of the tribes, named Quraish. This is how he is the direct descendant of Abraham. We are all related. Allah refers to Jews and Christians in the Qur’an as the 'PEOPLE OF THE BOOK.' As time passed people forgot the teachings of prophets Abraham and Ishmael and they filled the Kaaba with idols. Muhammad (pbuh) tried very hard to teach people to worship the One God. At the end of his mission he was successful with the help of God to purify the Kaaba and rededicate it for the worship of only one God and establish the "ONENESS OF GOD" forever.

Ishmael became the Prophet of the Muslims and Isaac, the Prophet of the Jews. Muslims do not make any distinction between any of the prophets. We read in the Qur’an (Chapter 3 verse 84) "Say: We believe in God, and in what has been revealed to us, and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes, and in (the Books) given to Moses, Jesus, and the Prophets from their Lord; we make no distinction between any of them, and to God we submit."