The Abrahamic Movement in Iraq
Words by Sunni scholar Abu Musa al-Iraqi, with the participation of teacher Tom Wegner
Research: The Virtue of Ashura in Judaism and Islam
Moses, peace be upon him, and Ashura occupy an important place as a link in the Abrahamic continuum. This research highlights love, righteousness and justice between Muslims and Jews while maintaining the distinctiveness of Islamic belief.
Ashura and the Abrahamic roots of Judaism and Islam
The discussion between Islam and Judaism begins from a point deeper than similarities between particular rituals: the shared Abrahamic inheritance.
Abrahamic roots: Abraham as the meeting point
Abraham, peace be upon him, holds a central place in the Qur’an. Islam presents him as a leader in faith and a worshipper devoted to God, prior to the later religious labels that came after him. The connection of Abraham to Judaism and Islam underscores that he historically precedes these designations and that the essence of his call was monotheism and sincere worship of God.
The Qur’an says:
“And when Abraham said to his father and his people: Indeed, I am free of what you worship, except the One who created me; surely He will guide me.”
(Az-Zukhruf 43:26–27)
Abraham: a shared spiritual fatherhood
From Abraham came a chain of prophecy in which Muslims and Jews meet through central figures including Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, David and Solomon, peace be upon them.
In Islam, faith in Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, cannot be separated from faith in Moses, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, peace be upon them.
God Almighty says:
“Say: We believe in God and what was revealed to us, and what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes, and what was given to Moses and Jesus, and what was given to the prophets from their Lord; we make no distinction between any of them.”
(Al-Baqarah 2:136)
This is where Ashura becomes significant: Moses, with whom this day is associated in the Prophetic tradition, is part of the Abrahamic chain of prophets.
From Abraham to Moses: continuity of the message
The story of Moses can be viewed as a continuation of the Abrahamic covenant in faith in God and resistance to injustice.
The Qur’an links the Children of Israel with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and then places Moses within the continuing chain of prophecy:
“And We granted him Isaac and Jacob, and each We made a prophet.”
(Maryam 19:49)
And it says:
“And We granted him Isaac and Jacob, and placed prophethood and scripture among his descendants.”
(Al-‘Ankabut 29:27)
Ashura therefore becomes part of a larger story: the Abrahamic story of faith in God, prophecy, justice and resistance to tyranny.
Ashura: the memory of Moses at the heart of Islam
When the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, arrived in Medina and found Jews fasting on Ashura, he asked about the reason. He was told that it was the day on which God saved Moses and his people from Pharaoh. He said:
“We have a greater claim to Moses than you.”
He then fasted the day and instructed others to fast it.
This carries an important meaning for Abrahamic dialogue: Muhammad did not treat Moses as a “prophet of the other,” but as one of God’s prophets in whom Muslims believe and whose virtue they honor.
Regarding the merit of fasting Ashura, Abu Qatadah reported that the Messenger of God said:
“Fasting the day of Ashura, I hope from God, expiates the year that came before it.”
(Reported by Muslim)
Ibn Abbas also reported that the Prophet was especially careful to fast Ashura because of its virtue over other days. This memory is tied to the Abrahamic continuity of faith and prophetic lineage.
It opens a path to recovering the idea of Abrahamic brotherhood in its religious and ethical dimensions.
Abrahamic brotherhood does not erase difference
Returning to Abrahamic roots does not mean saying that Islam and Judaism are one religion in all their details. It means recognizing a shared prophetic inheritance that can provide a basis for acquaintance and dialogue.
God Almighty says:
“O humanity, We created you from a male and a female and made you peoples and tribes so that you may know one another.”
(Al-Hujurat 49:13)
Engagement with the other begins with mutual knowledge, not accusations, generalization or hatred.
Love and righteousness: the practical expression of Abrahamic roots
If the Abrahamic origin creates a space of shared belief in prophets for Muslims and Jews, the Qur’an also sets an ethical basis for dealing with the People of the Book.
God Almighty says:
“God does not forbid you from being righteous and just toward those who did not fight you because of religion and did not expel you from your homes.”
(Al-Mumtahanah 60:8)
The verse does not mention justice alone; it also speaks of righteousness and good conduct.
The message can therefore be stated as follows: returning to Abrahamic roots is not a return to the conflicts of the past, but to the values associated with Abraham and Moses—monotheism, justice, mercy and resistance to oppression.
Ashura: from a religious occasion to a bridge for dialogue
Ashura can bring together three circles of memory:
First: Abraham. A symbol of monotheism and the shared Abrahamic root.
Second: Moses, peace be upon him. A symbol of prophecy, freedom and the rescue of the oppressed from Pharaoh.
Third: Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. He affirmed continued faith in earlier prophets and said of Moses: “We have a greater claim to Moses than you.”
Contemporary Islamic discourse can therefore present Ashura as an occasion for affirming monotheism, human brotherhood, respect for the prophets, righteousness toward others, justice and peace.
Ashura is not merely an occasion connected with fasting. It can also be a window through which Muslims and Jews rediscover shared Abrahamic roots. From Abraham begins the path; with Moses appears the story of deliverance from Pharaoh; and in the life of Muhammad appears the recognition of Moses and his prophethood, together with principles of righteousness and justice in relations with Jews.
In the modern age, remembering Ashura can therefore become a call to love humanity and respect the Jewish person as a human being and as one of the People of the Book, while preserving the distinctiveness of Islamic belief and rejecting injustice and aggression regardless of who commits them.
Love of good, righteousness and justice in Islam
A more precise Islamic ethical formulation is that Islam calls for loving what is good for people, together with righteousness, justice and excellence in conduct, and does not make religious difference an automatic cause for hostility.
The Prophet said:
“None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.”
(Agreed upon)
This meaning can be extended ethically in human relations: a Muslim should wish for others peace, goodness, guidance and dignity, and should not wrong them because of their religion.
The Prophet also said:
“Whoever kills a person under covenant will not smell the fragrance of Paradise.”
(Reported by al-Bukhari)
This is a severe warning against attacking a non-Muslim who is protected by covenant and security.
Abrahamic peace brings us together. Peace for the Middle East. Peace for all humanity.
The Abrahamic Movement in Iraq — Abu Musa al-Iraqi