: He argues that Ishmael was born to Abram , whereas Isaac was born to Abraham . Since God changed Abram's name to Abraham specifically for the covenant of promise, Suleman asserts that Ishmael belongs to the "old" identity and Isaac to the "new".
: Ishmael was born when Abraham (then Abram) was 86; Isaac was born 14 years later when he was 100.
: In mainstream theology, the distinction is usually made between legitimacy in the covenant rather than biological paternity.
: Suleman points to Genesis 22:2 , where God tells Abraham, "Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac". He argues that if Ishmael were recognized as Abraham’s son by God, this phrasing would be inaccurate.
: The teaching aligns with the broader theological view that Ishmael was a "son of the flesh" (born of human effort through Hagar), while Isaac was the "son of the promise" (born through divine intervention). Broader Biblical Context
