Jacob and Esau
Isaac, the son of Abraham, married Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel, son of Nahor. Rebekah later gave birth to twin sons, Esau, also known as Al Eis, and Jacob, also known as Yaqub.
As the two brothers grew older, tension developed between them. Esau became unhappy because Jacob was favored by their father. The passage also states that Allah had favored Jacob with prophethood. Esau's anger eventually became so serious that he threatened to kill his brother, causing Jacob to fear for his life and leave his homeland.
The Birth and Early Story of Jacob and Esau
According to the People of the Book, Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah. They said that she was unable to have children, so Isaac prayed to Allah, and she later became pregnant with twins.
The first child was Esau, whom the Arabs called Al Eis. He became the father of Rum. The second child was Jacob, whose name was said to mean Israel, referring to the people of Israel.
The People of the Book also relate that when Isaac became old and his eyesight had weakened, he wanted some cooked game. He asked Esau, who was a hunter, to go hunting and bring him food. In return, Esau asked his father to bless and pray for him.
Rebekah overheard this conversation. She instructed Jacob to slaughter two of the best goats from the flock and prepare them in the way his father liked. She then dressed Jacob in Esau's clothes and placed goat skin on his arms and neck because Esau was hairy while Jacob was not.
Jacob approached his father carrying the food. Isaac asked who he was, and Jacob replied that he was his son. After Isaac ate the food, he prayed for his son to be blessed, to prevail over his brother and other people, and for Allah to provide for him and his children.
After Jacob left, Esau returned from hunting with the food his father had requested. Isaac asked him what he had brought, and Esau replied that it was the food he liked. Isaac then asked whether Esau had already come earlier and asked him to pray for him. Esau replied that he had not. At that point, Esau realized that Jacob had gone before him and received the blessing. He was deeply distressed.
Jacob Leaves His Home
According to the People of the Book, Esau later threatened to kill Jacob after their father died. Their account also says that Esau asked Isaac to pray that Allah would make the land good for his descendants and increase their food and crops.
When Rebekah learned about Esau's threat, she told Jacob to leave and go to her brother Laban in the land of Haran. She advised him to remain there until Esau's anger had passed and to marry one of Laban's daughters.
Rebekah also told Isaac about her plan and asked him to advise Jacob and pray for him. Isaac did so, and Jacob left his family.
Jacob's Promise
One night, while Jacob was travelling, he stopped to rest. He placed a stone beneath his head and fell asleep.
He then had a dream of a ladder stretching from heaven to earth, with angels going up and down it. In the dream, the Lord addressed him and promised to bless him and his descendants and to give him and those who came after him the land.
When Jacob awoke, he was happy because of what he had seen. He made a promise to Allah that if he returned safely to his family, he would build a place of worship there for Allah and give one tenth of his property for His sake.
He poured oil over the stone so that he would recognize the place later. He called the place Ayle's House, also known as Bethel, meaning House of Allah. The passage states that this would later become the location of Jerusalem.
Jacob and His Wives
When Jacob reached Haran, he came to his maternal uncle Laban. Laban had two daughters, Leah and Rachel. Rachel was the younger of the two and was described as the more beautiful.
Laban agreed to give Rachel in marriage to Jacob on the condition that Jacob work for him by looking after his sheep for seven years.
After those seven years, Laban prepared a wedding feast. However, instead of giving Rachel to Jacob, he gave him Leah, his elder daughter. When morning came, Jacob realized what had happened and complained that he had been promised Rachel.
Laban explained that it was their tradition to marry the elder daughter before the younger one. He then told Jacob that if he wanted Rachel as well, he could work for another seven years.
Jacob agreed and worked for another seven years. He then married Rachel too. The passage explains that, according to the custom described in the Torah, a man could marry two sisters during that period.
Laban also gave a female servant to each daughter. Leah's servant was Zilpah, while Rachel's servant was Bilha.
The Children of Jacob
Leah was given children by Allah. Her first son was Rueben, followed by Simon, Levi, and Judah.
Rachel was jealous because she was unable to have children. She gave her servant Bilha to Jacob, and Bilha gave birth to a son named Naphtali.
Leah became upset that Rachel's servant had given birth to a son, so she also gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob. Zilpah gave birth to two sons, Gad and Asher.
Leah later became pregnant again. She gave birth to Issachar and then to Zebulun. After this, she had a daughter named Dinah.
The passage states that Leah had seven children from Jacob.
Rachel then prayed to Allah for a son. Allah answered her prayer, and she gave birth to a son who was described as great, honorable, and beautiful. She named him Joseph, or Yusuf.
All of this took place while Jacob was living in Haran and working for Laban. The passage states that he spent twenty years tending his uncle's sheep.
Jacob Leaves Laban
After many years, Jacob asked Laban to allow him to return to his family.
Laban told Jacob that he had been blessed because of him and offered to give him whatever payment he wanted. Jacob asked that he receive the spotted and speckled goats born that year and the black lambs.
According to the account from the People of the Book, Laban's sons removed the goats and sheep with those markings so that none would remain near Jacob.
The passage says that Jacob then took fresh branches from poplar, almond, and plane trees. He peeled streaks into them and placed them where the goats could see them while breeding. The young that were later born were described as striped, spotted, or speckled.
For the sheep, Jacob placed the rods among them and turned them towards the black sheep. Their lambs were then born black.
The account presents this as a miraculous or supernatural event. Jacob's wealth increased greatly, including goats, sheep, other animals, and servants. Laban and his sons became unhappy and changed their attitude towards him.
Jacob Returns to His Homeland
Allah then inspired Jacob to return to the land of his father and his people and promised to stand by him.
Jacob informed his family, and they agreed to follow him. He did not tell Laban that he was leaving. Instead, he departed without saying goodbye.
As they left, Rachel secretly took her father's idols.
When Laban discovered that Jacob had gone, he and his people followed them. When he caught up with Jacob, he complained that Jacob had left without telling him. Laban said that if he had known, he would have sent them away with a celebration and said goodbye to his daughters and grandchildren.
Laban also accused them of taking his idols.
Jacob denied knowing anything about the idols because he did not know that Rachel had taken them. Laban searched the tents of his daughters and servants but could not find them.
Rachel had hidden the idols in the saddle of her camel and remained sitting on it. She told her father that she could not get up because she was menstruating, so Laban did not discover what she had done.
Afterwards, Jacob and Laban made a covenant at a place called Galeed. Jacob agreed not to mistreat Laban's daughters or marry other women. They also agreed that neither of them would cross the hill into the other's territory.
They prepared food together, ate with their people, said goodbye to one another, and each returned towards his own country.
Jacob Prepares to Meet Esau
As Jacob approached the land of Seir, angels greeted him.
Jacob sent messengers ahead to greet Esau and ask for his forgiveness. He humbled himself before his brother.
The messengers returned and told Jacob that Esau was coming towards him with four hundred men.
Jacob became afraid and turned to Allah in prayer. He prostrated himself and asked Allah to fulfill His promise and protect him from the harm of his brother.
Jacob then prepared a large gift for Esau. It included two hundred female goats, twenty male goats, two hundred female sheep, twenty rams, thirty milking camels, forty cows, two bulls, twenty female donkeys, and ten male donkeys.
He divided the animals into separate groups and sent each group ahead with space between them. He instructed his servants that when Esau asked who the animals belonged to, they should say that they belonged to Jacob and were a gift for his master Esau. They were also to tell him that Jacob was following behind them.
Jacob remained behind with his two wives, his servants, and his children for two nights. He then continued travelling at night and resting during the day.
Jacob Becomes Israel
At dawn on the second day, an angel appeared in the form of a man. Jacob began wrestling with him.
They wrestled until the angel injured Jacob's thigh, leaving him lame.
As the day began to break, the angel asked Jacob his name. He replied, Jacob.
The angel then told him that from that day onwards he would be called Israel.
Jacob asked the angel who he was and what his name was, but the angel disappeared. Jacob then understood that he had been wrestling with one of the angels.
The passage also connects Jacob's injury to a practice among the Children of Israel, stating that they did not eat the thigh muscle attached to the hip socket.
Jacob and Esau Reunite
Jacob eventually saw Esau approaching.
According to the account, Jacob prostrated himself seven times before his brother, which was a form of greeting that was permitted among them at that time. The passage compares this to the prostration of the angels as a greeting to Adam.
When Esau saw Jacob, he ran towards him, embraced him, kissed him, and wept.
Esau then noticed the women and children travelling with Jacob and asked who they were. Jacob replied that they were the people Allah had given him.
Leah, Rachel, their servants, and the children then approached Esau and prostrated before him.
Jacob asked Esau to accept the gifts he had sent and continued insisting until Esau accepted them.
Esau then went ahead, while Jacob and his family followed with their animals, servants, and belongings towards the mountains of Seir.
Jacob Builds Ayl
When Jacob reached Succoth, also called Sahur, he built a house for himself and shelters for his animals.
He later travelled past Jerusalem and reached the village of Shechem. He camped outside the village and bought a piece of land from Shechem, the son of Hamor.
There he built an altar and called it Ayl, following what Allah had commanded him.
The passage states that this altar was built in the place where Jerusalem stands today and that Solomon, the son of David, later rebuilt it. It also connects the location with the stone that Jacob had previously anointed with oil.
The Story of Dinah
The People of the Book relate a story concerning Dinah, the daughter of Jacob and Leah.
According to their account, Shechem, the son of Hamor, took Dinah by force and then wanted to marry her. Dinah's brothers told the men of the city that they would only agree to such marriages if all the men were circumcised.
The men accepted the condition and were circumcised.
On the third day, when they were suffering from the pain of the circumcision, Jacob's sons attacked them and killed them. They also killed Shechem and his father because of what had been done to Dinah and because of their worship of idols.
The account says that Jacob's sons then took their possessions as spoils.
Rachel's Death
Rachel later became pregnant and gave birth to another son, Benjamin.
She experienced severe difficulty during the birth and died afterwards.
Jacob buried her in Ephrath, also called Afrath. The passage states that Rachel's tomb remained there.
The Twelve Sons of Jacob
Jacob eventually had twelve sons.
From Leah came Rueben, Simon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
From Rachel came Joseph, also known as Yusuf, and Benjamin.
From Rachel's servant Bilha came Dan and Naphtali.
From Leah's servant Zilpah came Gad and Asher.
These twelve sons became the sons of Jacob and formed the twelve tribes associated with the Children of Israel. The final statement about the tribes is implied by the account's identification of Jacob's twelve sons, while the passage itself specifically lists the twelve children.
The Death of Isaac
Jacob later returned to his father Isaac and settled with him in Hebron, in the land of Canaan, where Abraham had previously lived.
Isaac eventually became ill and died at the age of one hundred and eighty years.
His sons Jacob and Esau buried him with Abraham, Al Khalil, in the cave that Abraham had purchased.
The passage also states that Abraham died at the age of one hundred and seventy five years