Ishmael is first mentioned in the Hebrew Bible's Book of Genesis as the eldest son of Abraham by Hagar, Sarah's female Egyptian maid-servant or slave. In the Qur'an, Ishmael is considered one of the prophets of Islam. In the Bahá'í Writings, Ishmael is considered a lesser prophet.

In the Hebrew Bible

In the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), Ishmael's life is described in the Book of Genesis chapters 16 and further. In Genesis 16 Sarah (Abraham's wife) gives him her maid-servant Hagar so that she can have a son of her own by using her maid-servant as a birth mother, since she believed that God had kept her from having children (16:2).

Hagar became pregnant and despised Sarah, who then out of anger expelled Hagar from Abraham's home in retaliation. Hagar fled from Sarah and ran into the wilderness, where an angel appeared to her.

The angel of the Lord told her to return, adding

• "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count."

The angel also said to her:

• You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery.
• He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers. (Genesis 16)

So Hagar returned to Abraham's house, and had a son whom she named Ishmael. Fourteen years after this, Abraham's wife Sarah, herself became pregnant with his son, Isaac.

When Ishmael was about 16 years old, he angered Sarah, and she asked Abraham to expel him and his mother.

• Isaac grew, and on the day he was weaned Abraham held a great feast. But Sarah saw that Ishmael was mocking Isaac, and she said to Abraham; "Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac." (Genesis 21:8-10)

While Abraham was very uneasy over the whole thing, he finally gave in to his wife's request when God told him that He would take care of Ishmael, due the fact that the child is Abraham's descendant.

• The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. But God said to him, "Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring [b] will be reckoned. I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring."

(Genesis 21:11-13)

Hagar, with her son, wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba, and when reduced to great distress, a voice from heaven said "What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation." (Genesis 21)

They lived in the wilderness of Paran, where Hagar's son became an expert in archery. His mother married him to an Egyptian woman.

God promised Abraham:

• Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year." (Genesis 17)

These twelve rulers, the twelve sons of Ishmael, were named Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah (Genesis 25)

Ishmael also had a daughter named Mahalath or Bashemath (Gen 36:3). Esau married her since he wanted to please his parents (Gen 28:9).

Descendants of Ishmael

Ishmael also appears with Isaac at the burial of Abraham at the cave at Machpelah (Genesis 25:9).

Each of Ishmael's sons was a tribal chief and settled everywhere from Havilah to Shur, i.e. from the Persian Gulf to the border of Egypt. From the twelve sons of Ishmael are derived the twelve tribes of the Arabians. Jerome says that in his time they called the districts of Arabia by the names of the tribes.

Ishmael in Islam

In Islam, Ishmael is known as the first-born son of Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic) from his second wife Hagar, and an appointed prophet of God. Islamic belief holds that Abraham married Hagar, the mother of Ishmael. As a result, Ishmael was the first son of Abraham. Islam asserts that he was the one nearly sacrificed, not Isaac, (or Iss'haq in Arabic.) Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son for God is celebrated by Muslims every year as Eid ul-Adha. He did not, however, sacrifice him, as it is commonly believed in Islam that it was a test of faith by Allah, and he replaced his son with a goat, which is why Muslims every year sacrifice goats (or other animals such as cows or camels).

Ishmael in the Qu'ran

Ishmael is a highly regarded person in the Qu'ran. Ishmael enjoined upon his people worship and almsgiving, and was acceptable in the sight of his Lord (19:55).  The Qu'ran mentions Ishmael with other people like Elisha, Jonah and Lot, who are considered righteous, good or chosen (6:86 and 38:48)

Abraham and Ishmael are said to have built the foundations of the Ka'aba ('They were raising the foundations of the House', 2:127 ).
The story of the Prophet Abraham, his wife Sarah and his concubine Hagar (Hajar in Arabic) plays an important role in Islamic tradition.

Abraham conceives a son with Hajar when Sarah is unable to bear children. Then Sarah miraculously gives birth to Isaac, after some time Abraham banishes Hajar and Ishmael to the desert. The Quran takes a special interest in Hajar and her son, through whom Arabs trace their connection to Abraham. Each year during the Hajj (the ritual pilgrimage) in Mecca, pilgrims reenact Hajar’s desperate search for water for her infant son, running seven times between two hills and drawing water from the well of Zam Zam, said to have sprung miraculously from the dry earth at the baby Ishmael’s feet^.

Other references to Ishmael in the Qu'ran

The Qu'ran stresses twice that it does not make distinction between the revelations by Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the tribes (i.e. the sons of Jacob), and that which Moses and Jesus revealed, and that which other prophets received from their Lord. (2:136 and 3:84)

Another reference where the name of Ishmael appears is where the Qu'ran states that he was inspired in the same manner as prophets like Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and Jesus and Job and Jonah and Aaron and Solomon. God also inspired David to write the Psalms (4:163).

Ishmael in Islamic tradition

Islamic tradition holds that Ishmael and Hagar were sent to the deserts of Arabia on the orders of God (Arabic: Allah). The Bible claims that Sarah, after the birth of Isaac, sent Hagar and Ishmael away. He and his mother settled in Mecca (or "Makkah") and were without water. The desperate running of his mother in pursuit of water for her infant son led to a miraculous spring appearing from the ground (from God) known as the Zamzam Well. Ishmael then helped his father, Abraham, build the House of God, or the Kaaba, in Mecca.

When his son had grown enough to walk alongside him, Abraham dreamt that God ordered him to sacrifice his son with his own hand^.

Abraham knew that the dream was, in fact, a revelation from God and not a satanic whisper; so, he prepared himself, with a heart overflowing with faith, to carry out the command of God. He went to see his son and told him, "I saw in a dream that I sacrificed you for the sake of God. Think about it and tell me your opinion on the matter."

His son replied without hesitation or anxiety, "O father, fulfill what God has commanded. By His will, you will find me among the patient."

Abraham's sacrifice is thought to have taken place in the desert of Mina, and for this reason, pilgrims offer their sacrifices there today. Abraham took a knife in his hand and, the son said, "Dear father, tie my hands and feet tightly with a piece of rope so that I don't move them as I am dying, because I am afraid that I would lessen my reward. Keep your clothes away from me so that my blood doesn't splatter on you; if my mother sees that, she may not be able to tolerate it. Sharpen the knife well and sever my head at once so that I can tolerate it better, because dying is difficult."

Abraham said, "Dear son, you are a good assistant in fulfilling the command of God." He put the knife to his son's throat and, with all his strength, tried to cut; but by God's will, the knife didn't cut and didn't harm his son. Abraham received a revelation from God: "O Abraham, truly you have done your duty, fulfilled the meaning of your dream and shown your submissiveness and devotion."

A sacrifice was then sent to God as the son's ransom. God sent the angel Gabriel with a sheep. Abraham sacrificed that sheep instead of his son. Abraham and his son returned from the altar; his son went to his mother and Abraham returned to his wife, Sarah. From that day, sacrifice in the land of Mena became a tradition. Later, when Islam was revealed, God prescribed, as a rite, that pilgrims offer a sacrifice of animals in that desert each year in commemoration of the nearly sacrifice.

Ishmael, who had become friendly with the Jorham tribe, married a chaste woman who was worthy in all aspects, and God gave them children from that pure woman.

Ishmael's mother, Hagar, died in that same land after a few years. He was deeply affected by the death of his devoted mother and became very distressed and sad. Abraham continued to go there to visit him; and this consoled Ishmael somewhat.

Descent from Ishmael

Muhammad is considered to be one of the many descendants of Ishmael. The oldest extant biography of Muhammad, compiled by Mohammed Ibn Ishak, and edited by Abu Mohammed Abd el Malik Ibn Hisham, opens:

This book contains the life of the Apostle of God: Muhammad was the son of Abd Allah, son of Abdu-l-Mottaleb, son of Hashim, son of Abd Menaf, son of Kussei, son of Kilab, son of Murra, son of Kaab, son of Luei, son of Ghalib, son of Fihr, son of Malik, son of Nadhr, son of Kinana, son of Khuzeima, son of Mudrika, son of Alya, son of Mudhar, son of Nizar, son of Maad, son of Adrian, son of Udd, son of Mukawwam, son of Nahor, son of Teira, son of Yarob, son of Yashyob, son of Nabit, son of Ishmael, son of Abraham, the Friend of God, son of Tara, son of Nahor, son of Sarukh, son of Rau, son of Falih, son of Eiber, son of Shalih, son of Arphakhsad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamek, son of Metushalakh, son of Khanukh, - who, as is believed, was the prophet Idris, the first prophet, and the first who wrote with the reed, - son of Yared, son of Mahaleel, son of Kainanan, son of Yanish, son of Sheth, son of Adam, to whom may God be gracious!

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