Ibrahim is the pivot on which Islam claims priority rather than descent: the Quran says he was neither Jew nor Christian but a hanif, a Muslim, because those categories came after him. That single move reframes Islam as the original religion rather than the newest. He is also physically present in the hajj in a way no other figure is: the Kaaba is his building, the sa'y is Hajar's running, the stoning at Mina is his rejection of the tempter, and the Eid sacrifice is his ram. Muslims call him a father in a genealogical sense too, through Ismail. And the whole daily prayer closes by asking God to bless Muhammad's house as He blessed Ibrahim's — the only other family named.