The debate over which son the Prophet Ibrahim intended to sacrifice remains one of the classical discussions in Qur’anic exegesis. However, when examined carefully through the Qur’an, hadith, and narrations from the companions and the tabi’in, the stronger position indicates that the intended son was Prophet Ismail, not Ishaq.
The Qur’an itself, in Surah Ash-Shaffat, does not explicitly mention the child’s name. Instead, the verse employs a general expression:
فَلَمَّا بَلَغَ مَعَهُ السَّعْيَ قَالَ يَابُنَيَّ إِنِّي أَرَى فِي الْمَنَامِ أَنِّي أَذْبَحُكَ فَانْظُرْ مَاذَا تَرَى
Translation: “So when the boy was old enough to work alongside him, Ibrahim said, ‘O my son, indeed I have seen in a dream that I must sacrifice you, so tell me what you think.’” (QS. ash-Shaffat [37]: 102)
The phrase yā bunayya (“O my son”) remains mubham, or unspecified, since it does not directly identify the child by name. As a result, scholars have turned to the Sunnah as an authoritative interpretive source. In this regard, the Prophet Muhammad PBUH is reported to have said:
أَنَا ابْنُ الذَّبِيْحَيْنِ
Translation: “I am the son of the two sacrificed ones.”
Classical scholars explained this hadith by stating that the Prophet Muhammad PBUH descended from two individuals associated with sacrifice. The first was Prophet Ismail, the son of Ibrahim. The second was Abdullah, the Prophet’s father, whom Abdul Muthalib once vowed to sacrifice before ultimately redeeming him with one hundred camels.
This narration appears in reports transmitted by scholars such as al-Hakim and Ibn Mardawaih through Mu’awiyah. In addition, many historians and mufassirun regarded it as a significant indication that the original “sacrificed one” in prophetic history was Ismail rather than Ishaq.
Isra’iliyyat Narratives and the Case for Ismail
By contrast, the opinion identifying the intended sacrifice as Prophet Ishaq has often been linked to isra’iliyyat traditions incorporated into some exegetical works. These accounts include additional wording such as:
إِذْبَحْ بِكْرَكَ وَوَحِيْدَكَ إِسْحَاقَ
Translation: “Sacrifice your firstborn, your only son, Ishaq.”
However, many Muslim scholars considered the insertion of “Ishaq” to be later distortion. Contemporary Qur’anic exegete Wahbah az-Zuhaili wrote:
فَكَلِمَةُ “إِسْحَاقَ” مِنْ زِيَادَتِهِمْ وَتَحْرِيْفِهِمْ لِكِتَابِ اللهِ، وَإِلاَّ فَإِنَّ إِسْحَاقَ لَمْ يَكُنْ بِكْرَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ وَحِيْدَهُ، بَلِ الَّذِي كَانَ كَذَلِكَ هُوَ إِسْمَاعِيلُ
Translation: “The word ‘Ishaq’ is among their additions and distortions to the Book of Allah. Ishaq was neither Ibrahim’s firstborn nor his only son. That description belongs to Ismail.
Historical chronology further reinforces this argument. Ismail was born when Ibrahim was 86 years old, while Ishaq was born approximately fourteen years later, when Ibrahim was 100. Therefore, at the time the command to sacrifice his son was given, Ismail was Ibrahim’s only child. Consequently, the designation “only son” aligns more naturally with Ismail in its historical context.
Moreover, numerous narrations from the Companions and the tabi’in explicitly identify Ismail as the son intended for sacrifice. These reports come from figures including Ibn ‘Abbas, Ibn ‘Umar, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, and Abu Hurairah, as well as tabi’in such as Sa’id ibn Jubair, al-Hasan al Bashri, and Mujahid.
Imam al-Qurthubi also emphasized the strength of this position in his tafsir:
وَهَذَا الْقَوْلُ أَقْوَى فِي النَّقْلِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَعَنِ الصَّحَابَةِ وَالتَّابِعِينَ
Translation: “This opinion is stronger in terms of its transmission from the Prophet, the companion, and the tabi’in.”
Taken together, the Qur’anic evidence, prophetic traditions, and narrations from the earliest generations of Islam point toward one conclusion: the son whom Prophet Ibrahim was commanded to sacrifice was Prophet Ismail.
