That which thou hast heard concerning Abraham, the Friend of the
All-Merciful, is the truth, and no doubt is there about it. The Voice of God
commanded Him to offer up Ishmael as a sacrifice, so that His steadfastness in
the Faith of God and His detachment from all else but Him may be demonstrated
unto men. The purpose of God, moreover, was to sacrifice him as a ransom for
the sins and iniquities of all the peoples of the earth. This same honor,
Jesus, the Son of Mary, besought the one true God, exalted be His name and
glory, to confer upon Him. For the same reason was Husayn offered up as a
sacrifice by Muhammad, the Apostle of God.
- Baha’u’llah (‘Gleanings from
the Writings of Baha’u’llah’)
