[Herimoisige]

As-salamu alaikum wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh

Why are we ordered to follow millata Ibrahim (pbuh)? Why not millata Adam (pbuh), the father of mankind?

Why are Muhammad and Ibrahim (pbut) the most favored out of the five Messengers of great resolve? Would it be alright to say that they are the two greatest because they came from traditions that lived in societies that had totally lost the Truth as opposed to Noah, Moses and Jesus (pbut) who were born into families that knew the Truth?

The Jews also hold Abraham (pbuh) in such a high esteem and say that he is the first Jew (which of course is refuted in the Qur'an). They say that it is because he sought God and found Him and reintroduced monotheism when it had been lost. I am asking these questions from this perspective if you are wondering why I am asking. I am asking these questions so I can, inshaa Allah, use the answers for dawah.

Jazakum Allah khair

[Anakattawl]

I dont really have a clear answer to your question, but I did notice something in your post that may be a hinderence to dawah - to say the claim that Ibrahim was the first jew is refuted by Quran is adversarial and not entirely true - There was a time when following the religion of Bani Israel was the true religion - in essence, Bani Israel, while calling themselves Jews, were in fact Muslim. Ibraheem was on earth at a time when neither the name Jew nor Muslim was used, when we call him or Ieas or Adam a Muslim, we do not mean they called themselves Muslim, but in the literal sense, that they were in full submission to Allah. Another point to take into account is that Jews actually do call Ibraheem and all the anbiya before Musa "Muslim" which in Hebrew also means "one in submision", many jews concede that Muslims do worship the God of Abraham , however they beleive us to be misguided in our law.

[Herimoisige]

I dont really have a clear answer to your question, but I did notice something in your post that may be a hinderence to dawah - to say the claim that Ibrahim was the first jew is refuted by Quran is adversarial and not entirely true

As-salamu alaikum wa rahmatu Allahi wa barakatuh

First of all, thank you for replying. I thought I was going to get no reply.

The idea that Ibrahim (pbuh) was a Jew is refuted in the Qur'an:


Or do ye say that Abraham, Isma'il Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes were Jews or Christians? Say: Do ye know better than God? Ah! who is more unjust than those who conceal the testimony they have from God? but God is not unmindful of what ye do! (2:140)


Ye People of the Book! Why dispute ye about Abraham, when the Law and the Gospel Were not revealed Till after him? Have ye no understanding?
Ah! Ye are those who fell to disputing (Even) in matters of which ye had some knowledge! but why dispute ye in matters of which ye have no knowledge? It is God Who knows, and ye who know not!
Abraham was not a Jew nor yet a Christian; but he was true in Faith, and bowed his will to God's (Which is Islam), and he joined not gods with God. (3:65-67)

The Qur'an lays the criteria for being a Jew. It is the following of the Torah - which obviously came after Ibrahim, Isaac, Jacob (pbut) and his twelve sons.

Though this is not the first thing I had in mind for dawah.

I am more interested in the connection between Abraham and Muhammad (pbut). Would it be wrong to say that God elevated Abraham and Muhammad (pbut) above the rest because they were born in societies that didn't know the Truth and sought God?