from stories found in the book of Genesis in the
Bible and related accounts that were circulating
among Jews and Christians in the Middle East
during the seventh century c.e. These accounts
were then adapted to the Arab Muslim environ-
ment, as first shown in the qUran. The fact that
Muslims as well as Jews and Christians look to
Abraham as an ancestral figure for their respec-
tive religions has led some people to call all three
religions Abrahamic and their followers “children
of Abraham.”
Abraham is mentioned in the Quran more
than any other prophet except for moses. As in the
Bible, he is portrayed as an opponent of idolatry
(Q 6:74–84), a person who converses with God
and the angels (Q 11:69–76), the father of Ish-
mael (Arabic: Ismail, Q 2:133) and Isaac (Arabic:
Ishaq, Q 37:112), a founder of sacred places (Q
2:125–127), and a pious man who was prepared
to sacrifice his son at God’s command (Q 37:99–
111). Islamic traditions emphasize his role as the
builder of the ancient Kaaba and his connection
with many of the haJJ rituals. His wife, Hagar, and
their son Ishmael are associated with the well of
zamzam in the Sacred Mosque and the ritual “run-
ning” between the hills of Safa and Marwa. One
of the most important memorials in the Sacred
Mosque’s courtyard is the Station of Abraham,
where it is believed he stood while building the
Kaaba. Muslims commemorate the attempted sac-
rifice of his son every year during the id al-adha
(Feast of the Sacrifice), which closes the hajj sea-
son. The Quran does not say which of Abraham’s
two sons he intended to sacrifice, but the consen-
sus reached among Muslims is that it was Ishmael.
In Judaism, it is believed to have been his other
son, Isaac. Abraham is thought to have been bur-
ied in the West Bank town of Hebron, which is
called al-Khalil in Arabic in memory of Abraham’s
reputation as “the friend” of God (see Q 4:125).
His tomb there is a place of worship for both Jews
and Muslims, but it has become a flashpoint for
confrontations between members of these com-
munities in modern times.
See also JUdaism and islam; prophets and
prophecy.Further reading: Reuven Firestone, Journeys in Holy
Lands: The Evolution of the Abraham-Ishmael Legends
(Albany: State University of New York Press, 1990);
Gordon Darnell Newby, The Making of the Last Prophet:
A Reconstruction of the Earliest Biography of Muhammad
(Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 1989).Abu Bakr (573–634) first of four Sunni “rightly
guided” caliphs to rule the early Muslim community
after Muhammad’s death in 632
Abu Bakr, the close companion and father-in-law
of mUhammad, was elected the first caliph of the
Muslim community when Muhammad died in- Sunni Muslims regard him as one of the
four “rightly guided” caliphs, along with Umar
ibn al-khattab (r. 634–644), Uthman ibn aFFan
(r. 644–655), and ali ibn abi talib (r. 656–661).
A native of mecca, Abu Bakr was a member of
a branch of the qUraysh tribe and made a living
as a merchant. He is remembered as the first of
Muhammad’s associates (excluding family mem-
bers) to convert to Islam, and he helped protect
Muhammad when he departed on the hiJra to
medina in 622. His nickname was al-Siddiq (the
truthful) because he was the first to confirm
the reality of Muhammad’s night JoUrney and
ascent. Abu Bakr was Muhammad’s main adviser,
and he joined him in all his subsequent battles.
His daughter aisha married Muhammad and
became his most important wife. When Muham-
mad died, Abu Bakr was the candidate favored by
the powerful Quraysh and other emigrants from
Mecca to become the Prophet’s successor (caliph),
against Ali, who was favored by the ansar of
Medina. Ali and his supporters, however, pledged
allegiance to Abu Bakr without conflict. In what
were called the “wars of apostasy,” Abu Bakr was
soon forced to suppress rebellions by tribes in
outlying regions of the Arabian Peninsula that had
refused to pay alms (zakat), or had turned away
Abu Bakr 9 J