The Call Of God And The Response Of Abraham

Abstract

In this chapter, the author concerns with the identification of Islam as the religion of Abraham, a perspective from which Islam is seen, not as a new or variant form of the Middle Eastern monotheist religious tradition, but as the direct continuation of Abraham's religion. After consideration of how the idea of the religion of Abraham appears in, on the one hand, the Qurān and, on the other, the extra-quranic texts of Muslim tradition, the chapter discusses the issue of the historical circumstances that may have led to the appearance of the various ingredients involved in the identification of Islam with the religion of Abraham. The chapter suggests that the Islamic idea of the religion of Abraham should be understood as a product of the religious and social conditions brought about by the Arab conquests in the Middle East. Keywords:Abraham; Islam; Middle Eastern monotheist religious tradition; Muslim tradition; Qurān