The short answer
Genesis names Isaac. The Qur’anic sacrifice scene leaves the son unnamed, and Muslim interpreters have discussed the identification.
The texts before the identification
Genesis 22 explicitly identifies Isaac as the son Abraham is commanded to offer. The test ends with the child spared and a ram offered. Qur’an 37:99–113 describes Abraham’s prayer for a righteous child, a forbearing boy, a dream of sacrifice, the son’s willing response and a ransom. It subsequently announces Isaac. The Qur’anic scene itself does not give the boy’s name. Abraham’s conflict with idols appears in the preceding verses and more fully in 21:51–70.
A Muslim reading and an internal debate
Ibn Kathir argues for Ishmael, reading the announcement of Isaac after the sacrifice as evidence that two sons are involved. His commentary also records reports identifying Isaac, although he rejects that conclusion. Thus the popular Ishmael reading should not be presented as a name printed in the verse or as a position that no Muslim ever disputed. For Muslim readers, the central action is submission to God by both father and son, followed by divine provision. The ethical and devotional significance is broader than the dispute over identity.
Jewish and Christian points of comparison
Jewish reading begins with the binding of Isaac in the Torah’s own narrative of Abraham’s family and covenant. Christian Hebrews 11:17–19 reads the episode through Abraham’s trust in God’s ability to raise the dead. Those are recognizable interpretive developments, not reasons to remove Isaac’s name from Genesis. An argument that the biblical text was altered requires manuscript or textual evidence beyond disagreement with a later commentary. Conversely, the unnamed son in the Qur’an should be allowed to remain unnamed at the first stage of reading. Ask what the narrative gains from the son’s spoken willingness, and what a particular identification adds to that lesson. This is comparison of texts and interpretations, not an instruction to imitate an exceptional sacrifice story.
What this establishes, and what it does not
The son’s identity is an interpretive question within the Qur’anic passage. We do not endorse claims that disagreement proves deliberate deception by another religious community. Specialist review pending.
Sources & reading notes
- Genesis 22 · Read this chapter hereWorld English Bible, public-domain text. Read the whole chapter for context.
- Qur’an 37:99–113Primary Qur’anic passage. Translation is an interpretation of the Arabic; compare the surrounding verses.
- Ibn Kathir on Qur’an 37:102Named Muslim commentary, in the hosted English edition. Evidence for this interpretation, not an independent witness to the narrated event.
- Hebrews 11 · Read this chapter hereWorld English Bible, public-domain text. Read the whole chapter for context.
- Qur’an 21:51–70Primary Qur’anic passage. Translation is an interpretation of the Arabic; compare the surrounding verses.
Sources checked for this editorial draft on 20 October 2026. Specialist review remains pending. A citation identifies a source; it does not make every interpretation uncontroversial.