Was Sarah really Abraham’s sister ? Ibn Hazm questions the status of Sarah as being Abraham’s sister, as accepting that viz., from the Biblical perspective would result in various disagreements with other passages in the Old Testament concerning moral and theological issues. This is in reference to the stories of Sarah’s seizure by Pharaoh and Abime’elech which was narrated in Genesis 12:10 – 18 and Genesis 20, Genesis 17:17 and Genesis 20:1 – 18. We cite the related passages on the story of the seizure of Sarah as follows.
The story of Prophet Ibrahim’s migration from Babylonia to Syria-Palestine (Kan’an), then to Egypt, then his return to Palestine and subsequently his coming with his wife Hajar and son Isma’il to Makka is well-known. These epoch-making travels took place roughly at the beginning of the second millennium B.C. Ibrahim had at first called his own people to abandon the worship of idols and other objects like the heavenly bodies and to worship the One Only God. They, however, instead of responding to his call, put him to various vexations and ultimately to the test of fire from which God protected and saved him. Only his wife Sarah and nephew Lot believed and accepted his call. Under God’s directive Ibrahim, accompanied by Sarah and Lot first migrated to Haran (in Syria) and then on to Kan’an (Palestine). At both the places he preached God’s message and called the people to worship Him alone.
“Does the Bible use language not fitting for God?” This was the question that a missionary rhetorically posed to his…