The Biblical
story of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar is well known. God promises Abraham he will
be a great nation, but his wife Sarah, because of her advanced age, is
doubtful. She gives Hagar, one of her servants, to Abraham, thinking that’s where
the great nation will come from. Hagar promptly gets pregnant and later gives
birth to Ishmael. Then Sarah gets pregnant, and has Isaac. Abraham eventually
faces rivalry in the camp, until Sarah convinces him to expel Hagar and her
son, forcing them into the desert to (presumably) die.
But they don’t. God
hears her cries as they’re dying, and sends an angel to rescue them and point
to water. The Jewish people will descend through Isaac, and the Arab people
through Ishmael. The rivalry in the camp becomes the rivalry lasting to the
present day.
This is the
story from the Book of Genesis in the Bible, but the Quran contains a similar
account. Poet and writer Mohja
Kahf uses both accounts to weave Hagar
Poems, her new collection published this year.
To continue
reading, please see my post today at Tweetspeak
Poetry.
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