The Abrahamic Faiths: An Islamic Perspective for Social Studies Teachers
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The Abrahamic Faiths: An Islamic Perspective
Prophethood, Submission, and a Shared Moral Responsibility
By Faysal Burhan
Published 2025
In Islamic thought, Muslim means “one who submits to God.” In this foundational sense, the term extends beyond the historical community that follows the Prophet Muhammad. It describes the devotion of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and all the prophets whom God sent to guide humanity.
To describe these prophets as Muslims is to affirm their submission to God within the Islamic understanding of religious history. Muslims revere those prophets as much as they revere the Prophet Muhammad.
Abraham and the Heritage of Monotheism
Islam teaches that God sent guidance to every nation. In this universal history, Abraham and his descendants play a central role in transmitting monotheism: belief in one God and responsibility before Him.
Abraham is presented as a ḥanīf—an upright believer devoted to God—and as Khalīlullāh, the friend of God. His example brings together sincere faith, submission, and good conduct:
“Who can be better in religion than one who submits his whole self to Allah, does good, and follows the way of Abraham the true in Faith?”
—Qur’an 4:125
A Shared Human Origin
Muslims believe that all humanity descends from Adam and Eve and that divine guidance comes from one God. These beliefs provide a foundation for human dignity, mutual respect, and cooperation across national and religious boundaries.
The Qur’an presents human diversity as an invitation to understanding:
“O Mankind! We have created you male and female and made you nations and tribes so that you might come to know one another… Verily, the most honored among you, in the sight of Allah, is the most upright one.”
—Qur’an 49:13
In this perspective, human worth rests on moral responsibility before God rather than ancestry, race, or national identity.
The Continuity of Revelation
Islam understands the Qur’an as the culmination of a continuing tradition of divine guidance. Believers are therefore required to acknowledge all of God’s prophets, accepting some without rejecting others:
“Say: We believe in God and what has been revealed to us; what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and his descendants; and what was given to Moses, Jesus, and other prophets… We make no distinction between any of them.”
—Qur’an 2:136
This affirmation concerns belief in all the prophets; it does not require that their missions, circumstances, or religious laws were identical.
Commenting on this inclusive affirmation, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Garry Wills observed, “This is a very inclusive creed.” His discussion also highlights a point sometimes obscured by language: Allah is the Arabic word for God, used by Arabic-speaking Christians as well as Muslims. However, a shared reference to God does not erase the theological differences among religious traditions.
The Parable of the Missing Brick
The Prophet Muhammad illustrated his relationship to earlier prophets through the image of a beautiful building lacking a single brick. People admired the building but wondered why that final space remained unfilled. He identified himself as the missing brick and the seal of the prophets.
Recorded in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, this parable presents his mission as completing an existing prophetic structure (Hadith 3535).
Shaykh Salah Kuftaro emphasized the parable’s message of integration and continuity. Each prophetic mission belongs within a greater whole, united by its divine source and moral purpose.
The Qur’an expresses this unity:
“Indeed, this community of yours is one community, and I am your Lord, so worship Me.”
—Qur’an 21:92, translated meaning
A Shared Struggle Against Oppression
The late Grand Mufti of Syria, Shaykh Ahmad Kuftaro, described the prophets as a “Grand Caravan” united in service to God and humanity.
Their circumstances differed, but their missions confronted recurring forms of wrongdoing. Moses challenged Pharaoh’s tyranny and the oppression of the Israelites. Muhammad confronted idolatry, persecution, exploitation, and entrenched privilege in Arabian society.
Unity of Faith, Diversity of Laws
A common divine source does not imply that every community received identical laws and practices. The Qur’an acknowledges distinct religious paths while directing people toward moral action:
“To each of you We have ordained a code of law and a way of life.”
The same verse calls upon communities to compete in doing good and places the final judgment of their differences with God (Qur’an 5:48).
This offers a basis for cooperation that respects religious differences while encouraging shared work for justice, compassion, and human well-being.
Cooperation Through Respectful Speech
The Qur’an describes God as the Lord of all worlds. This universal perspective gives believers a responsibility that extends beyond their own communities.
Cooperation begins with how people speak to one another:
“Say to My servants that they should say only those things that are best, for Satan sows dissension among them.”
—Qur’an 17:53
Respectful dialogue requires honesty, restraint, and a willingness to understand. These qualities make it possible to address disagreements while working together to protect dignity, relieve suffering, and resist injustice.
A Call to Common Ground
The Qur’an invites the People of the Book to a common commitment:
“Say: O People of the Book! Come to a word common between us and you: that we worship none but God.”
—Qur’an 3:64, translated meaning
From this Islamic perspective, the Abrahamic heritage carries a continuing responsibility: to worship God sincerely, uphold justice, honor human dignity, and translate faith into acts of goodness.