AbstractsPhilosophy & Theology

The question of the important role played by Abraham in the Qur'an has rais d many controversies between the Orientalists. For some of them, such as Snouck-Hurgronje, Abraham holds in the Our'an a quasi-political role which gives some independance and some authenticity to Mohammed's Mission. For others, such as youakim Mubarak, Muhammad followed Abraham because he saw him as the perfect religious pattern, responding to his own ideal. As for us, our opinion is that Abraham is, the "universal Father of all the Believers" (Qùr'an II. 118). He is consequently a personage with a universalist character. We wonder then that Muhammad, who made of Islam an abrahamic religion, was not looking for an answer to his own oecumenical vocation; moreover, did not he try, through Islam to structure a religion with universal character? Our study consists of two parts. In the first one, we expose the principal thesis and the textual criticism about Abraham's role in the Qur'an. In the second part, we expose the different aspects which attract us to see in Islam a universal religion. And, while in our introduction, after a short analysis of the subject, we present Abraham such as he appears in the Qur'an, our conclusion calls for both judeo-christian religions to reconsider positively the messianic elements contained in the Mohammed's Message, in view of a final and oecumenical dialogue.