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Faith and beliefs

Who is Abraham in Judaism, Christianity and Islam?

2 min read Answered by the Neighbor Radio team Neighbor review in progress Updated

Recording soon: Abraham, three ways, with a pastor, a rabbi and an imam

Abraham is the shared father of faith for all three. That’s why they’re called the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, he is the first patriarch, or founding father, and God made a covenant, a binding promise, with him. In Christianity, he is the model of trusting God. In Islam, he is called Ibrahim, a great prophet who rebuilt the Kaaba in Mecca with his son Ishmael.

1 · MindWhat people believe, and how they know

Abraham reaches us through tradition: stories handed down for thousands of years by three communities. Comparing the tellings shows what they share and where each took its own path.

What each tradition or community says

Judaism

God calls Abram to leave his homeland and promises to bless all families of the earth through him (Genesis 12:1-3). The covenant passes through Isaac and Jacob. He is called Avraham Avinu, “Abraham our father.”

Christianity

“He believed in Yahweh, who credited it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6). Paul uses Abraham to show faith comes before law (Romans 4). James calls him God’s friend (James 2:23).

Islam

Ibrahim rejects idols, and with Ishmael raises the foundations of the House in Mecca (Qur’an 2:127). The Qur’an calls him neither Jew nor Christian but upright and devoted to God alone (Qur’an 3:67, summarized).

Where the stories part

Which son God asked Abraham to offer: Genesis names Isaac; the Qur’an does not name him, and most Muslim scholars hold it was Ishmael.

2 · HeartWhat it feels like

Abraham is a bit like a family photo all three faiths keep on the mantel. Each family tells a slightly different story about the day it was taken.

He left home without a map, trusted a promise he couldn’t see, and was called God’s friend in all three traditions.

Abraham has about half the planet calling him family, and the family argues a lot. If he could see us now, I suspect he’d tell us to set another place at the table.Neighbor Radio

3 · HandsHow to be a good neighbor

Jesus told religious leaders who bragged about being Abraham’s children that real children of Abraham would act like him (John 8:39). Family ties weren’t the point. Faithfulness was.

This weekRead the Abraham story with someone from another Abrahamic faith and compare what stood out to each of you.

TimelineWhere this fits

More than 15,000 years ago: Native peoples in North AmericaAbout 1500 BC: The Rig VedaAbout 1450 BC: The Exodus and the Torah at SinaiAbout 500 BC: The Buddha teachesAbout 400 BC to AD 200: The Bhagavad GitaAbout 250 BC: Emperor AshokaAbout AD 30: Jesus' death and resurrectionAD 622: The Hijra1469: Guru Nanak is born1699: The Khalsa is founded1787: No religious test for office1791: The First Amendment1820: The First VisionApril 6, 1830: The Church is organized1965: Immigration and Nationality Act1978: American Indian Religious Freedom Act2023–24: 29 percent unaffiliated About 2000 BC: Abraham answers God's callAbout 6 BC: Jesus is bornAD 610: The Qur'an's revelation begins

See every faith on one timeline →

SourcesWhere it is in the scriptures

Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament)

  • Genesis 12:1-3 Read it in the World English Bible on Free Scripture
  • Genesis 15:6 Read it in the World English Bible on Free Scripture

New Testament

  • Romans 4 Read it in the World English Bible on Free Scripture
  • James 2:23 Read it in the World English Bible on Free Scripture
  • John 8:39 Read it in the World English Bible on Free Scripture

Qur’an

  • Qur'an 2:127
  • Qur'an 3:67

Bible passages are quoted from the World English Bible. Other sacred texts are summarized, with references so you can find them.

Plain wordsWhat do these words mean?

Covenant
A sacred promise between God and people, like the promises the Bible describes with Abraham and Moses.
Prophet
Someone believed to speak a message from God.
Qur’an
The holy book of Islam. Muslims believe God revealed it to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel.

All the words →

Four questions to take with you

From Jesus' story of the Good Samaritan, about the stranger who stopped to help. We call it the Samaritan Test.

  1. Did they see? Or look right past?
  2. Did they stop? Even when it was inconvenient?
  3. Did it cost them? Time, money, comfort, reputation?
  4. Did they treat the person like a person? Not like a label?

Try it on: a neighbor who shares Abraham with you. Did you know you had the same great-great-grandfather in the story?

Quick questions

Why are they called Abrahamic religions?

Judaism, Christianity and Islam all trace their faith back to Abraham and his relationship with the one God.

Was Abraham a Muslim?

In Islamic teaching, Abraham was a muslim in the original sense of the word: one who submits to God. He lived long before the religion of Islam as practiced today.

Sources and research
  1. Genesis 12:1-3; 15:6; Romans 4; James 2:23; John 8:39 (World English Bible)
  2. Qur'an 2:127 and 3:67
How this answer was made

Written in plain words by the Neighbor Radio team. Each faith's and community's section is checked by someone from that faith or community. Until then, this page says so. Spot something wrong? Tell us. We read every note and fix mistakes.

Where to go next

Free tools that go with this

  • Free Scripture (opens in a new tab)→ Read

    A calm Bible reader with three translations and full search. No ads, no sign-up. Just the words.

    First step: Look up any Bible verse quoted on this site.

  • Luther's World (opens in a new tab)→ Learn

    Gentle, plain-language lessons from the Lutheran tradition. Tap any word you don’t know and it explains itself.

    First step: Start with the Lord’s Prayer, one line at a time.