Did God's Covenant With Abraham Include Ishmael?

Many Christians believe that God's covenant with Abraham (pbuh) excludes his son Ishmael (pbuh). The importance of this is that Ishmael (pbuh) is the ancestor of the Arabs, and the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). They believe that the covenant was made only with his son Isaac (pbuh) and his descendants, the Jews. They often argue that Ishmael was an illegitimate son, thus excluding him from the covenant. Let us review the available evidence in order to test this assertion:

Was Ishmael (pbuh) an illegitimate son to Abraham (pbuh)? Well, in order for a child to be illegitimate, his parents must not have been husband a wife at the time he was conceived. So, where Abraham and Hagar (pbut) married at the time they conceived Ishmael (pbuh)? Let us see what the Bible says:

Genesis 16:3 "And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. "

According to the Bible, Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham as a wife (pbut). The next verse proves that they were married before they conceived Ishmael (pbuh):

Genesis 16:4 "And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. "

So according to the Bible, Ishmael (pbuh) is a legitimate son of Abraham (pbuh). Now with this in mind, let us move on. In the next chapter of Genesis, we find promise from God to Abraham (pbuh):

Genesis 17:7 "And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. (8) And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."

The above verse tells us that God's covenant is with the seed of Abraham (pbuh). Is Ishmael (pbuh) the seed of Abraham (pbuh)? Let's go back to the book of Genesis to find out:

Genesis 21:13 "And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed. "

God's covenant is to be given through circumcision, as we come to understand in Genesis 17:10-13:

Genesis 17:10 "This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. (11) And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. (12) And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. (13) He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. "

Immediately after, Abraham (pbuh) quickly circumcises himself and his son Ishmael (pbuh). This establishes God's covenant with Ishmael, father to the Arabs. The Interpreter's Bible (p. 16) states the following:

"This was His own sign and seal that Israel was a chosen people. Through it a man's life was linked with great fellowship whose dignity was its high consciousness that it must fulfill the purpose of God."

Circumcision is practiced by Muslims throughout the world to this day.

To summarize, the Bible tells us that Ishmael (pbuh) was indeed a legitimate child to Abraham and Hagar (pbut). Also, we find out that the covenant was between God, and Abraham (pbuh) and his seed. Genesis 23:13 clearly shows that Ishmael (pbuh) is considered Abrahams (pbuh) seed. Finally, the book of Genesis tells us that the covenant is given through circumcision, and Abraham (pbuh) quickly circumcised himself and his son Ishmael (pbuh), thus establishing the covenant with Ishmael (pbuh).

We know from above that Ishmael (pbuh) was Abraham's (pbuh) seed. Some may claim that being his "seed" is not equal to being his "son". Well, let us see what the Bible says:

Genesis 17:23 "And Abraham took Ishmael his son"

Genesis 25:8 "Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people. (9) And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;"

The Above verse shows that Ishmael (pbuh) was his son till the day Abraham (pbuh) died. Also, the status of Hagar has no affect on the inheritance of Ishmael (pbut) according to the law.

Deuteronomy 21:15 "If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: (16) Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn: (17) But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

Before Isaac (pbuh) was born, God repeats his promise to Abraham (pbuh) to bless the entire earth through his progeny.

Genesis 17:4 "As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations."

Genesis 21:13 "And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed."

It is important to note that verses such as those in Genesis 17:21 and Genesis 21:21 do not exclude Ishmael, they just merely concentrate on Isaac (pbuh) since he'd already done the same to Ishmael (pbuh) before the birth of Isaac (pbuh). If one says "I love my children", then says "I love my younger son," that does not mean that he doesn't love is elder son.