“And We gave him good tidings of Isaac, a prophet among the righteous.”

“And We blessed him and Isaac.”

He thus made clear that these were two announcements: good tidings of the son to be sacrificed, and a second announcement concerning Isaac. This is plain.

(Second: He relates the account of the son to be sacrificed nowhere else in the Quran. In the other passages, He mentions only the good tidings of Isaac, as in Surah Hūd, where He Most High says:

“And his wife was standing, and she laughed. Then We gave her good tidings of Isaac, and after Isaac, Jacob.”

Had Isaac been the son to be sacrificed, this would have contradicted the promise concerning Jacob.

He Most High also says:

“He felt afraid of them. They said, ‘Do not fear,’ and gave him good tidings of a learned boy.”

“Then his wife came forward with a cry, struck her face, and said, ‘A barren old woman!’”

He Most High says in Surah al-Hijr:

“They said, ‘Do not be afraid. We bring you good tidings of a learned boy.’”

“He said, ‘Do you bring me good tidings when old age has overtaken me? What good tidings, then, do you bring?’”

“They said, ‘We bring you good tidings in truth, so do not be among those who despair.’”

He did not mention that this was the son to be sacrificed. Then, when He mentioned both announcements together—the good tidings of the son to be sacrificed, followed by the good tidings of Isaac—this provided evidence that Isaac was not the son to be sacrificed. This is further supported by His mention of His gift of Isaac and Jacob to Abraham—may Allah have mercy on him—in His words:

“And We granted him Isaac, and Jacob as an additional gift, and made each of them righteous.”

And His words:

“And We granted him Isaac and Jacob, and placed prophethood and Scripture among his descendants. We gave him his reward in this world, and in the Hereafter he will surely be among the righteous.”

Allah did not mention the son to be sacrificed.

The third point: He described the son to be sacrificed as a forbearing boy, whereas elsewhere, when mentioning the good tidings of Isaac, He spoke of a learned boy. There must be wisdom in this distinction,