Began reading Kierkegaard's Fear and Trembling, some time ago. But prior to that was quite surprised when a colleague informed me that while Christians believe what is written in the Bible about the event where Abraham is ready to sacrifice his son Isaac, Muslims believe it was actually Ismail who was about to be sacrificed.
In all these years it never occurred to me that it could be Ismail and not Isaac. Especially given all those years as a child when we witnessed all our Muslim neighbours celebrate Bakrid. They'd send us too a portion of the meat. All those years, I was aware of them celebrating the sacrificial event of Abraham, but what I never thought that it would be involving Ismail; not Isaac. Though the willingness of Abraham lies at the centre of the celebration or commemoration, it does not make a huge difference whether it is Ismail or Isaac. However, the event also stresses Abraham's acceptance of God's command of sacrificing his only son! I'm told the Jewish have a slightly different take on this episode.
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