September 5, 2025
Contrary to popular belief, Islam should not be classified as an Abrahamic religion alongside Judaism and Christianity. Though it claims lineage through Abraham, a close inspection of the Koran, Hadith, and Sira literature reveals that Islamic doctrine redefines, replaces, and contradicts the core Abrahamic tradition rather than continuing it.
At the heart of this is Islamic replacement theology, where foundational biblical narratives are rewritten. Most notably, the Koran erases the central Jewish lineage through Isaac by inserting Ishmael as the son offered in sacrifice, though the Koran (Koran 37:99-113) omits his name. Early Islamic exegesis, such as that of Ibn Kathir and al-Tabari, confirms this substitution was deliberate. The Hadith literature also reinforces this reshaping. For example, Sahih al-Bukhari (Vol. 4, Book 55, Hadith 583) describes Abraham and Ishmael building the Kaaba—an unbiblical tradition meant to root Islamic worship in Mecca rather than Canaan.
The Sira (Ibn Ishaq) further emphasizes this ideological break. Mohammed claimed that the Arabs descended from Ishmael, and that he himself was the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant—a claim made without any historical or genealogical evidence, but supported only by Islamic narrative. The Sira describes Abraham abandoning Hagar and Ishmael in Mecca, even though this location has no connection to any known Abrahamic route.
Most crucially, the Koran condemns Jews and Christians as having falsified scripture (Koran 2:75, 2:79) and denies the core of their covenant. The People of the Book are labeled as having gone astray (Koran 1:7, 5:18), while Islam claims abrogation of their faiths (Koran 3:85). This is not inclusion—it is replacement.
In conclusion, Islamic doctrine rewrites, replaces, and rejects the Abrahamic foundation it claims to inherit. The Abraham it reveres is a reconstructed figure serving Islamic purposes, not the patriarch of Jewish and Christian tradition. Islamic theological divergence disqualifies it from being authentically “Abrahamic” in the historical or doctrinal sense.