Every family has an album. Some pages are happy, some are hard, and some people in it did not always get on. The oldest album shared by Jews, Christians and Muslims begins with one household: Abraham, his wife Sarah and their son Isaac; Hagar and her son Ishmael.
The family's story was not simple. But when Abraham died, his two sons came home. Isaac and Ishmael stood together at the cave of Machpelah and buried their father side by side. Three faiths remember that moment. Today, more than half the world traces its faith back to that one tent.
“And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre”
Genesis 25:9 · JPS 1917
One short verse in the Hebrew Bible. Whatever had divided the household, the brothers stood together at their father's grave. A generation later, Esau and Jacob, once estranged, did the same for their father Isaac (Genesis 35:29).
One table today
Mixed families are not new, and they are not rare. The 2021 Census for England and Wales asked each person their religion, so it can show how households mix. About 3.4 million households had someone with a religion living alongside someone with none. Another 285,000 had at least two different religions under one roof. Together that is roughly one household in seven.
Behind those numbers are ordinary scenes: a Christian grandmother teaching a Muslim grandchild her Christmas cake, a Jewish father and a non-religious mother lighting Hanukkah candles, cousins of three faiths sharing one birthday table. Families do not erase their differences. They lay another place.
What each faith says
Judaism
“And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her: 'What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.'”
Genesis 21:17 · JPS 1917
For Jews, Abraham and Sarah are the first parents of the people of Israel, through Isaac and Jacob. Sarah laughed when she was told she would have a child in old age, and named him Isaac, "he laughs". The Torah also tells of Hagar weeping in the desert, and God hearing. Ishmael's name means "God hears", and he too is blessed: "I will make him a great nation" (Genesis 17:20).
Christianity
“For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace, to the end that the promise may be sure to all the offspring, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.”
Romans 4:16 · World English Bible (British Edition), public domain
Christians read Abraham as the great example of trust: he set out "not knowing where he went" (Hebrews 11:8). Paul calls him "the father of us all", the parent of everyone who shares his faith. The New Testament album continues with Mary, who sang "My soul magnifies the Lord", and with John the Baptist, born to the elderly Elizabeth and Zechariah.
Islam
“Praise be to Allah Who hath given me, in my old age, Ishmael and Isaac! Lo! my Lord is indeed the Hearer of Prayer.”
Qur'an 14:39 · Pickthall (1930)
In the Qur'an, Abraham thanks God for giving him Ishmael and Isaac in old age (14:39). Muslims are told to believe in what was given to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Jesus and all the prophets, making no division between them (2:136). Every year at Hajj, pilgrims walk seven times between two hills, remembering Hagar searching for water for her baby.
The album is full: Noah, Moses, John the Baptist (Yahya) and Jesus (Isa). Mary is the only woman named in the Qur'an, and a whole chapter carries her name.
Without religion
Millions of British households include someone of no religion. Many non-religious parents still teach their children the family's festivals, stories and recipes, as heritage, not belief. You do not need to share a faith to share a table.
Sikhi
Sikhs are not part of the Abrahamic family, but the Guru Granth Sahib keeps its own mixed album. Alongside the Gurus' hymns it holds verses by Hindu and Muslim saints, such as Kabir and Sheikh Farid. One scripture, many voices, read as one.
Hindu traditions
A much-loved Sanskrit saying calls the whole world one family: vasudhaiva kutumbakam. Hindu homes in Britain often welcome friends to Diwali whatever their faith, and many Hindu families have relatives who married into other traditions.
Beyond the Abrahamic faiths
The Bahá'í faith honours Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad as messengers of one God, each in turn. For Bahá'ís, the family album keeps adding pages.
Same and different
The faces are shared; the captions differ. Jews trace the covenant through Isaac. Muslims honour Ishmael, ancestor of the Arabs, and Isaac alike as prophets. Christians see Abraham's promise fulfilled in Jesus, whom they worship as the Son of God; Muslims honour Jesus as a prophet and Messiah but not as divine; Jews do not see him as the Messiah. Noah, Moses, Mary and John appear in all three albums, told differently. Like any family, the three remember the same people in their own words. On this site we tell these lives in words only. We never picture a prophet or Mary.
A moment to reflect
- Is there someone in your family you see differently from your cousins? What do you still share?
- Isaac and Ishmael buried their father together. What brings families back together after they have drifted?
- Why might it matter that Ishmael's name means "God hears"?
- If your household mixes faiths, or none, what does your table look like at festival time?
Watch
Watch
A Muslim telling
Do it together
Ask the oldest person in your family to name three people who shaped what the family believes or values. Write a caption for each, in their own words.
Give groups cards with names: Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Isaac, Ishmael, Moses, Mary, John, Jesus. Sort them into the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Qur'an, using a three-circle diagram. Discuss why so many sit in the middle. Words only, no pictures.
At your next festival meal, lay one extra place and invite a neighbour of another faith or none. Ask them to bring a dish and a story.
Go deeper
- Genesis 25 (Sefaria, JPS 1917) · scripture
- Romans 4 (Bible Gateway, WEB) · scripture
- Qur'an 14:35–41, Abraham's prayer (Quran.com) · scripture
- Multi-religion households, Census 2021 (ONS table TS075) · data
- Abraham: the story in three faiths · on this site
Sources (11)
- Genesis 25:9, 35:29, 21:17, 17:20, 21:6 text: Sefaria, JPS 1917
- Ishmael named because 'the LORD hath heard' (Genesis 16:11); Isaac and laughter (Genesis 21:6): Sefaria, JPS 1917
- Romans 4:16, Hebrews 11:8, Luke 1:46 text: World English Bible (British Edition) via bible-api.com
- Qur'an 14:39 and 2:136: Quran.com (Pickthall (1930) where quoted)
- Sa'i at Hajj remembers Hagar's search for water: BBC Religions, Hajj
- Mary the only woman named in the Qur'an; sura 19 Maryam: Wikipedia, Mary in Islam
- Census 2021 England and Wales: 24,783,199 households; 3,390,395 same religion and no religion; 284,984 at least two different religions: ONS Census 2021 TS075 Multi religion households, via Nomis API (NM_2097_1), retrieved 8 Nov 2026
- Guru Granth Sahib includes compositions of Bhagats such as Kabir and Sheikh Farid: Wikipedia, Guru Granth Sahib
- Vasudhaiva kutumbakam (Maha Upanishad): Wikipedia, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam
- Bahá'í progressive revelation: Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad as Manifestations of God: Bahai.org, Manifestations of God
- More than half the world Christian or Muslim: Pew Research Center, Global Religious Landscape 2025 (as used in the abrahamic clip)