The Great Sacrifice

THE GREAT SACRIFICE The great sacrifice mentioned in the Quran (37:107) was a divine plan carried out through Ishmael in the Arabian desert so that a center of monotheism could be established in Makkah. W hen Ishmael grew up, Prophet Abraham had a dream in which he saw himself sacrificing his son Ishmael with his own hands. In accordance with this dream, Prophet Abraham prepared himself to carry out the sacrifice. However, it was a symbolic dream, signifying that the true meaning behind it was to devote his son to the mission of monotheism as per the divine plan, a mission that was destined to begin in the barren desert of Arabia. The incident of Prophet Abraham is mentioned in chapter 37 of the Quran. As per his dream, he laid his son Ishmael on the ground for sacrifice. At that moment, the angels informed him that his sacrifice had been accepted, and he was instructed to sacrifice a ram (dumba) instead of his son. Following this, he carried out the sacrifice accordingly. In this context, the Quran mentions: “And We ransomed him with a