46 r Bat-Sheva Garsiel
midrashic exegeses, and discusses the major differences between these
various traditions.
Abraham: The Prophet, the First Muslim, and the Founder of Islam
Abraham’s image in the Quran underwent developments and modifica-
tions. At the onset of Muhammad’s Mecca period, Abraham was consid-
ered an ordinary prophet, appearing generally in the list of prophets and
messengers.^3 But at the close of the Mecca period and during the Medina
period, when Muhammad realized that the Jews were not willing to con-
vert to Islam, he changed his approach. He ceased presenting Islam as a
stage parallel to but more developed than Judaism, and instead he spoke
of Islam as a religion more ancient than and completely separate from
Judaism. In line with this concept, the image of Abraham in the later suras
was transformed into that of the first Muslim, the person who laid the
earliest foundations of Islam.^4
One of the reasons for which Abraham was selected as the first Mus-
lim is that his persona was famous and revered in all of the monotheistic
religions. This is reflected in the Quran, which asks: “People of the book,
why do you dispute concerning Abraham? The Torah was not sent down,
neither was the Gospel, but after him” (3:65).^5 According to this concept,
“Abraham in truth was not a Jew, neither a Christian; but he was a Mus-
lim, a Hanif. Certainly he was never one of the idolaters.”^6 The term Hanif
attributed to Abraham describes a man who believes in only one God. At
that time, the new religion was not yet called “Islam.” The Quran used the
term islam to refer to submission and obedience to God and acceptance
of His rulership. The Quran thus coined a new term, one found neither in
the Hebrew Bible nor in the New Testament.
At first glance, the Quran’s description of Abraham seems to be a modi-
fication of some earlier Jewish traditions, with an added emphasis laid on
Abraham’s being a Muslim, that is, on his obedience and submissiveness
to God. There is some basis in Genesis 17:1 for such a description when
the Lord said to Abraham: “Walk in My ways and be blameless,” which
seems to allude to a person who follows the guidance of God and walks
in His ways. Similarly, there are comments in early midrashim (postbib-
lical homiletic commentaries on biblical texts), emphasizing Abraham’s
submissiveness to God. One midrash states that “even when he did not
find a place to bury Sarah, Abraham did not question God’s ways.”^7 That