For other uses, see Abraham (name) and Abram (disambiguation).
"Avram" redirects here. For other uses, see Avram (disambiguation).
Abraham is a man featured in the Book of Genesis and an important figure in several monotheistic religions. Jewish, Christian and Muslim traditions regard him as the founding patriarch of the Israelites, Ishmaelites and Edomite peoples. He is widely regarded as the patriarch of Judaism and Islam and monotheism. Abraham means "Father of Nations" - "Av" is Hebrew for "Father", and "Raham" is the Arabic for "Nations or Multitude". Also considered to mean "High Father", coming from the Aramaic words "Aba Rama"
Abraham's father was Terah, the grandfather was Nahor. Abraham's brothers were named Nahor and Haran.[2] According to Genesis, Abraham was brought by God from Mesopotamia to the land of Canaan. There Abraham entered into a covenant: in exchange for sole recognition of YAHWEH as supreme universal deity and authority, Abraham will be blessed with innumerable progeny. According to Jewish tradition (based on the Anno Mundi era), Abraham lived AM 1948–2123 (1812 BCE to 1637 BCE). Christian traditional dates are about 2000 BCE to 1825 BCE.
Judaism, Christianity and Islam are sometimes referred to as the "Abrahamic religions", because of the progenitor role Abraham plays in their holy books. In the Jewish tradition, he is called Avraham Avinu or "Abraham, our Father". God promised Abraham that through his offspring, all the nations of the world will come to be blessed (Genesis 12:3), interpreted in Christian tradition as a reference particularly to Christ. Jews, Christians, and Muslims consider him father of the people of Israel through his son Isaac (cf. Exodus 6:3, Exodus 32:13). For Muslims, he is a prophet of Islam and the ancestor of Muhammad through his other son Ishmael - born to him by his wife's servant, Hagar. Abraham is also a progenitor of the Semitic tribes of the Negev who trace their descent from their common ancestor Sheba (Genesis 10:28
wed site credit:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham