Rediscovering Abraham's Legacy: Muhammad's Journey in Founding Islam

For many years, Arab tribes lived across the Arabian Peninsula. While much of the civilized world moved away from idol worship, the Arabs maintained a primitive pagan culture. In Islam, this era is known as the "Period of Ignorance," or "Jahiliyyah." Some tribes were more civilized, some less. Some identified with Ishmael and practiced circumcision, while others, like the Nabataeans, didn't worship idols. But most tribes denied any spiritual ideas, indulging in idol worship and wealth accumulation, until Muhammad arrived.

Muhammad ibn Abdullah was born in Mecca around 570 CE. He began "prophesying" at the age of 40, preaching against idolatry and criticizing the materialism and greed of Mecca's people. His message initially failed, and Meccans sought to kill him. Muhammad fled to "Yathrib," later renamed "Medina," or "City of the Prophet." In his Meccan sermons, Muhammad wasn't advocating for a new religion but was primarily a moral critic. In Medina, with growing support, he gradually tailored his sermons, establishing a theological framework as the basis for a new faith. Noted Islamic scholar Goldziher describes this transformation in Medina: "In a different environment than Mecca, Muhammad's prophetic role evolved. Now he wanted to be seen as restoring the religion of Abraham, which had been corrupted over time."

As seen, Muhammad views himself as Abraham's direct successor, with other claimants – Jews and Christians – as erroneous and misleading. Holding this belief, he approached the three Jewish tribes in Medina: Banu Nadir, Banu Qaynuqa, and Banu Qurayza, urging them to join him and accept his reforms. When they refused, he expelled Banu Qaynuqa to Syria and Banu Nadir to Khaybar. Later, the Quraysh tribe from Mecca fought Muhammad by besieging Medina. After the siege failed, Muhammad accused Banu Qurayza of aiding Quraysh and launched a campaign against them. The Jews sought to be expelled like Banu Nadir, but Muhammad demanded unconditional surrender. When they complied, Muslims attacked, killing all the men and distributing the women, children, and possessions among his followers.

Muhammad then made peace with the Quraysh of Mecca with the "Treaty of Hudaybiyyah," freeing him to address the Jews of Khaybar. The Jews had resided in the Arabian Peninsula since Roman times, renowned as fearless warriors. They lived in large fortresses atop mountains, rich and powerful, feared by surrounding Arabs. Muhammad sent a letter inviting them to recognize his call for monotheism, claiming the Torah signaled his prophetic role, suggesting they should believe in him. However, he added that if they didn't find such signs, he wouldn't force faith upon them. He invited 30 Khaybar Jewish leaders to a weaponless peace meeting, where armed Muslims ambushed and killed them. Subsequently, Muhammad sieged the Khaybar Jewish fortresses. Despite a valiant defense, his forces triumphed, allowing surviving Jews to live only if they surrendered half their agricultural produce.

In Muhammad's imagination, he reclaimed Abraham's legacy, not as Isaac's peer but as the elder brother, asserting final authority. He rejected Abraham's faith as received through Isaac, favoring Ishmael's lineage, positioning Ishmael as the chosen son. When Jews denied him primacy, he lost composure. He won the ideological dispute not through debate but by the sword. Thus concludes this chapter of Isaac-Ishmael relations with Muhammad's violent outburst towards Khaybar and Medina's Jews, starting a new chapter in Isaac-Ishmael relations during Islam's rise.