Difference between revisions of "Hagar" - New World Encyclopedia

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Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael away

Hagar (Arabic هاجر;, Hajar; Hebrew הָגָר; "Stranger") was an Egyptian-born handmaiden of Abraham's wife Sarah in the Bible. She became Abraham's second wife and the mother of Ishmael. Her history is narrated in the Book of Genesis.

According to the account in Genesis, since Sarah could not have children with Abraham, she offered her slave Hagar to Abraham as his concubine. However, the two women soon became enemies, and after the birth of Sarah's own son Isaac, Abraham sent Hagar into exile at Sarah's direction and God's command (Gen. 21:12).

Hagar is the first biblical woman after Eve to whom God spoke directly. She is a figure of particular importance in the Islamic tradition, both as the mother of Ishmael, with whom she settled near Mecca, and as the ancestor of the prophet Muhammad.

The expulsion of Hagar is a key text in interfaith relations between Judaism and Islam, symbolizing for Palestinians their expulsion from the land during Israel's war of independence in 1948. Jews, who believe that Sarah was justified out of fear for the life of her son Isaac, can take from the story that God approves of forceful measures to defend Israel from Palestinian encroachments. As a step towards peace, perhaps both sides can ask how Sarah and Hagar could have related with each other differently to keep peace and harmony within the family of Abraham.

Hagar in the Bible

The story of Hagar is found in Genesis 16 and 21, where Hagar is identified as an Egyptian slave belonging to Sarah. Being barren for many years, Sarah gives Hagar to her husband Abraham as a second wife, saying "perhaps I can build a family through her" (16:2). After Hagar becomes pregnant, however, she openly despises Sarah. When her mistress abuses her in retaliation, Hagar flees to the wilderness.

In the wilderness, Hagar meets an angel of Yahweh. She is the first biblical woman to encounter such a being. The angel commands her to return and submit to Sarah. He also prophesies that she will give birth to a son named Ishmael, who "will live in enmity with all his brothers." Later, however, God declares to Abraham that Sarah herself will bear him a son. God agrees to bless Hagar's son as well, though it is with Sarah's son that He will establish a special covenant (17:20-21).

Hagar and Ishmael in the wilderness

Sarah miraculously conceives and gives birth to Isaac. When the child is weaned, Sarah observes Ishmael, who is 14 years old, "mocking" him in a way that she finds threatening. She demands that Abraham expel Hagar and Ishmael. Abraham protests, but God commands him to grant Sarah's demand: "Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring (21:12-13)"

Abraham provides Hagar and Ishmael with bread and water and sends them back into the wilderness.

Wandering in the desert near Beersheba, Hagar soon runs out of water and despairs. She leaves Ishmael nearby and sinks into a depression, saying "I cannot watch the boy die." God, however, hears the boy crying and speaks to Hagar: "Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation."

Suddenly, a spring of fresh water appears. Hagar and Ishmael are rescued. Mother and son settle in the area, and Hagar eventually finds a wife for Ishmael in Egypt. Within two generations, Hagar's progeny have grown to become a trading clan traveling between Egypt and Canaan. It is thus a caravan of Ishmaelites who buy the boy Joseph from his scheming brothers and sell him to one of Pharaoh's officials (Gen. 37:28).

Hagar's male grandchildren are listed the Book of Chronicles (1:29-30): Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. Hagar's granddaughter Mahalath married Isaac's son Esau and thus become one of the ancestors of the Edomites, according to biblical tradition (Gen. 28:9).

New Testament

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul presents a midrash on the story of Hagar to explain the enmity between Jews and Christians. He equates the Christians with Isaac, the offspring of Sarah, while equating the Jews with the offspring of Hagar. Comparing the persecution of Christians by the Jews to the mistreatment of Isaac by his older brother Ishmael, he suggests that Jews do not share in the inheritance of Christians:

Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. But what does the Scripture say? "Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son" (Gal. 4:28-29).

Jewish exegesis

Jewish interpretations, as collected in the Midrash Rabbah, focus mainly on what can be surmised or inferred about the plain historical sense of the story; there is no effort to derive any larger theological meaning from it.

The rabbis note several good qualities in Hagar. For example, while Samson's father was struck with fear when he saw the angel of God (Judges 13:22), Hagar was not frightened by the approach of this awesome messenger. Her fidelity is also praised even after Abraham sent her away; she kept her marriage vow to him. One tradition explains that after the death of Sarah, Isaac brought Hagar back to Abraham's house, where she lived with him until his death (Gen. R. 60). Hagar was among the gifts Pharaoh gave to Sarah after when she and her husband had been sojourning in Egypt and were about to return to Canaan. One rabbi speculated that Hagar might be a daughter of Pharaoh himself (Gen. R. 45).

Nevertheless, believing as they do that Sarah was justified in expelling Hagar, the rabbis also find fault with Hagar and point out reasons that justified her expulsion. Hagar reportedly gossiped viciously about Sarah (Gen. R. 45). It is suggested that Hagar's faith was weak, and that she relapsed into idolatry in the wilderness. Also, the fact that she chose an Egyptian woman as her son's wife is seen as evidence that her belief in the true God was not sincere (Gen. R. 53). Finally, there is the notion that her son not only mocked Isaac, but sought to kill him.^[1]

Modern critical views

Liberation theology and feminist traditions find identity with Hagar as an example of the silently victimized woman. The conflict between Sarah and Hagar is sometimes used as a classic example of conflicts between women under patriarchal systems.

The expulsion of Hagar is a key text in interfaith relations between Judaism and Islam. Palestinians identify Hagar's expulsion at the hand of Sarah with their plight as a people unjustly subjugated by Israel. Jews, who take the Bible's view that Sarah was justified in expelling her out of fear for the life of her son Isaac (the second time, when God approved it), therefore defend the need for forceful measures to protect Israel from Palestinian encroachments. Taking the story as symbolic of the present-day conflict, in the interests of peace both sides can ask how Sarah and Hagar could have related with each other differently to keep peace and harmony within the family of Abraham.

Hagar in Islam

Hagar is quite important in Islam as the mother of Ishmael and all the Arab peoples, from which descended Muhammad. In the Qur'an, part of the story of Hagar and Ishmael takes place in Mecca. The hadith of Abu Huraira follows a similar line to the rabbinical tradition that Hagar (Hajar) became Sarah's slave as a gift from the king with whom Sarah stayed temporarily as Abraham's "sister."

The tyrant then gave Hajar as a girl-servant to Sarah. Sarah came back (to Ibrahim) while he was praying. Ibrahim, gesturing with his hand, asked, "What has happened?" She replied, "Allah has spoiled the evil plot of the infidel and gave me Hajar for service." Abu Huraira then addressed his listeners saying, "That (Hajar) was your mother, O you Arabs, the descendants of Ishmael, Hajar's son" (Sahih Bukhari 4.577-578; Sahih Bukhari 7.21).

Ibrahim, by God's command, accepted Sarah's request to send Hajar and Ishmael away. Under the guidance of God, they entered the land of Mecca. The baby was overcome with weakness; it seemed that he was passing the last moments of life. Hajar ran seven times back and forth in the scorching heat between the two hills of Safa and Marwa, trying to spot any water in the area, until, completely disappointed and with tear-filled eyes, she returned to her baby. During the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, Muslims remember the agony of Hagar in her search for water by a ritual of walking (sa`i, Arabic: سَعِي) between these two hills.

Allah then sent the Angel Jibril (Gabriel) who struck the ground and from that spot, a clear spring gushed out and began to flow under Ishmael's feet. The spring supposedly still exists today and is called the Zamzam Well.

Little by little, birds came to use the water of the spring. The tribe of Jorhom, who dwelt in the area, discovered the spring because of the birds flying overhead and the tribe then settled beside it. They asked her permission to use the spring and she agreed. From time to time, Ibrahim would go to see Hagar and his child. Visiting them made him happy and reinvigorated him.

In Islamic belief, it was Hajar's son Ishmael, not Isaac, whom Ibrahim offered to God as a sacrifice. Ishmael is seen as a fully legitimate son of Abraham who inherited equally from his father the legacy of prophethood and the religion of Allah. From Ishmael descended the Prophet Muhammad. The prophet is traced to Adnan, believed to be a descendant of Ishmael through his son Kedar.

Hagar in contemporary Israel

The dismissal of Hagar, by Pieter Pietersz Lastman

The story of Hagar's expulsion to the desert has acquired some political connotations in modern Israel, being taken up as a symbol of the expulsion of Palestinians during the 1948 Israeli War of Independence.

It was also the subject of a famous debate on the floor of the Knesset between two female parliamentarians—Shulamit Aloni, founder of Meretz (Civil Rights Movement) and Geulah Cohen of Tehiya (National Awakening Party)—who argued about which interpretation of Hagar's story should be given in Israeli schools.

The Israeli "Women in Black" movement has unofficially renamed Jerusalem's Paris Square as "Hagar Square." The name commemorates the late Hagar Rublev, a prominent Israeli feminist and peace activist.

Notes

↑ Jewish Encyclopedia, .Hagar. Retrieved June 6, 2007.

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

Fischbein, Jessie. Infertility in the Bible: How The Matriarchs Changed Their Fate; How You Can Too. Devora Publishing, 2005. ISBN 978-1932687347.
Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. Reading the Women of the Bible: A New Interpretation of Their Stories. Schocken, 2002. ISBN 978-0805241211.
Murphy, Claire R. Daughters of the Desert: Stories of Remarkable Women from Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Traditions. SkyLight Paths, 2003. ISBN 1893361721.
Trible, Phyllis (ed.). Hagar, Sarah, And Their Children: Jewish, Christian, And Muslim Perspectives. Westminster John Knox Press, 2006. ISBN 978-0664229825.

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[1] Jewish Encyclopedia, .Hagar. Retrieved June 6, 2007.

[1]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Claimed}} {{started}}{{Contracted}}
+{{Ebcompleted}}{{Copyedited}}{{Paid}}{{Approved}}{{submitted}}{{Images OK}}{{2Copyedited}}
+[[Image:Hagar-wilderness.jpg|thumb|250px|Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael away]]
+'''Hagar''' ([[Arabic language|Arabic]] '''هاجر;''', '''Hajar;''' [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] '''הָגָר'''; "Stranger") was an [[Egypt]]ian-born [[handmaiden]] of Abraham's wife [[Sarah]] in the Bible. She became Abraham's second wife and the mother of [[Ishmael]]. Her history is narrated in the [[Book of Genesis]].
+According to the account in Genesis, since Sarah could not have children with Abraham, she offered her slave Hagar to Abraham as his [[concubine]]. However, the two women soon became enemies, and after the birth of Sarah's own son [[Isaac]], Abraham sent Hagar into exile at Sarah's direction and God's command (Gen. 21:12).
+Hagar is the first biblical woman after [[Eve]] to whom God spoke directly. She is a figure of particular importance in the [[Islam]]ic tradition, both as the mother of [[Ishmael]], with whom she settled near [[Mecca]], and as the ancestor of the prophet [[Muhammad]].
+{{toc}}
+The expulsion of Hagar is a key text in [[interfaith]] relations between Judaism and Islam, symbolizing for [[Palestinians]] their expulsion from the land during [[Israel]]'s war of independence in 1948. Jews, who believe that Sarah was justified out of fear for the life of her son Isaac, can take from the story that God approves of forceful measures to defend Israel from Palestinian encroachments. As a step towards peace, perhaps both sides can ask how Sarah and Hagar could have related with each other differently to keep peace and harmony within the family of Abraham.
+==Hagar in the Bible==
+The story of Hagar is found in Genesis 16 and 21, where Hagar is identified as an Egyptian [[slave]] belonging to [[Sarah]]. Being barren for many years, Sarah gives Hagar to her husband [[Abraham]] as a second wife, saying "perhaps I can build a family through her" (16:2). After Hagar becomes pregnant, however, she openly despises Sarah. When her mistress abuses her in retaliation, Hagar flees to the wilderness.
+In the wilderness, Hagar meets an [[angels|angel]] of [[Yahweh]]. She is the first biblical woman to encounter such a being. The angel commands her to return and submit to Sarah. He also prophesies that she will give birth to a son named [[Ishmael]], who "will live in enmity with all his brothers." Later, however, God declares to Abraham that Sarah herself will bear him a son. God agrees to bless Hagar's son as well, though it is with Sarah's son that He will establish a special covenant (17:20-21).
+[[Image:Hagar-Ishmael.jpg|thumb|250px|Hagar and Ishmael in the wilderness]]
+Sarah miraculously conceives and gives birth to [[Isaac]]. When the child is weaned, Sarah observes Ishmael, who is 14 years old, "mocking" him in a way that she finds threatening. She demands that Abraham expel Hagar and Ishmael. Abraham protests, but God commands him to grant Sarah's demand: "Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring (21:12-13)"
+Abraham provides Hagar and Ishmael with bread and water and sends them back into the wilderness.
+Wandering in the desert near [[Beersheba]], Hagar soon runs out of water and despairs. She leaves Ishmael nearby and sinks into a depression, saying "I cannot watch the boy die." God, however, hears the boy crying and speaks to Hagar: "Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation."
+Suddenly, a spring of fresh water appears. Hagar and Ishmael are rescued. Mother and son settle in the area, and Hagar eventually finds a wife for Ishmael in Egypt. Within two generations, Hagar's progeny have grown to become a trading clan traveling between [[Egypt]] and [[Canaan]]. It is thus a [[caravan]] of [[Ishmaelites]] who buy the boy [[Joseph]] from his scheming brothers and sell him to one of [[Pharaoh]]'s officials (Gen. 37:28).
+Hagar's male grandchildren are listed the [[Book of Chronicles]] (1:29-30): Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. Hagar's granddaughter Mahalath married Isaac's son [[Esau]] and thus become one of the ancestors of the [[Edomites]], according to biblical tradition (Gen. 28:9).
+===New Testament===
+In his letter to the [[Galatians]], [[Paul]] presents a [[midrash]] on the story of Hagar to explain the enmity between Jews and [[Christians]]. He equates the Christians with [[Isaac]], the offspring of [[Sarah]], while equating the [[Jews]] with the offspring of Hagar. Comparing the persecution of Christians by the Jews to the mistreatment of Isaac by his older brother [[Ishmael]], he suggests that Jews do not share in the inheritance of Christians:
+<blockquote>Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. But what does the Scripture say? "Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son" (Gal. 4:28-29).</blockquote>
+===Jewish exegesis===
+Jewish interpretations, as collected in the [[Midrash Rabbah]], focus mainly on what can be surmised or inferred about the plain historical sense of the story; there is no effort to derive any larger theological meaning from it.
+The rabbis note several good qualities in Hagar. For example, while [[Samson]]'s father was struck with fear when he saw the [[angel of God]] (Judges 13:22), Hagar was not frightened by the approach of this awesome messenger. Her fidelity is also praised even after Abraham sent her away; she kept her marriage vow to him. One tradition explains that after the death of Sarah, Isaac brought Hagar back to Abraham's house, where she lived with him until his death (Gen. R. 60). Hagar was among the gifts Pharaoh gave to [[Sarah]] after when she and her husband had been sojourning in [[Egypt]] and were about to return to [[Canaan]]. One rabbi speculated that Hagar might be a daughter of [[Pharaoh]] himself (Gen. R. 45).
+Nevertheless, believing as they do that Sarah was justified in expelling Hagar, the rabbis also find fault with Hagar and point out reasons that justified her expulsion. Hagar reportedly gossiped viciously about Sarah (Gen. R. 45). It is suggested that Hagar's faith was weak, and that she relapsed into [[idolatry]] in the wilderness. Also, the fact that she chose an Egyptian woman as her son's wife is seen as evidence that her belief in the true God was not sincere (Gen. R. 53). Finally, there is the notion that her son not only mocked Isaac, but sought to kill him.<ref>Jewish Encyclopedia, [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=53&letter=H&search=hagar .Hagar.] Retrieved June 6, 2007.</ref>
+===Modern critical views===
+[[Liberation theology]] and [[feminist]] traditions find identity with Hagar as an example of the silently victimized woman. The conflict between Sarah and Hagar is sometimes used as a classic example of conflicts between women under [[patriarchy|patriarchal]] systems.
+The expulsion of Hagar is a key text in [[interfaith]] relations between Judaism and Islam. [[Palestinians]] identify Hagar's expulsion at the hand of Sarah with their plight as a people unjustly subjugated by [[Israel]]. Jews, who take the Bible's view that Sarah was justified in expelling her out of fear for the life of her son Isaac (the second time, when God approved it), therefore defend the need for forceful measures to protect Israel from Palestinian encroachments. Taking the story as symbolic of the present-day conflict, in the interests of peace both sides can ask how Sarah and Hagar could have related with each other differently to keep peace and harmony within the family of Abraham.
+==Hagar in Islam==
+Hagar is quite important in [[Islam]] as the mother of Ishmael and all the [[Arab]] peoples, from which descended [[Muhammad]]. In the [[Qur'an]], part of the story of Hagar and Ishmael takes place in [[Mecca]]. The ''[[hadith]]'' of Abu Huraira follows a similar line to the rabbinical tradition that Hagar (Hajar) became Sarah's slave as a gift from the king with whom Sarah stayed temporarily as Abraham's "sister."
+<blockquote>The tyrant then gave Hajar as a girl-servant to Sarah. Sarah came back (to Ibrahim) while he was praying. Ibrahim, gesturing with his hand, asked, "What has happened?" She replied, "[[Allah]] has spoiled the evil plot of the infidel and gave me Hajar for service." Abu Huraira then addressed his listeners saying, "That (Hajar) was your mother, O you [[Arabs]], the descendants of [[Ishmael]], Hajar's son" (Sahih Bukhari 4.577-578; Sahih Bukhari 7.21).</blockquote>
+[[Ibrahim]], by God's command, accepted Sarah's request to send Hajar and Ishmael away. Under the guidance of God, they entered the land of [[Mecca]]. The baby was overcome with weakness; it seemed that he was passing the last moments of life. Hajar ran seven times back and forth in the scorching heat between the two hills of [[Al-Safa and Al-Marwah|Safa and Marwa]], trying to spot any water in the area, until, completely disappointed and with tear-filled eyes, she returned to her baby. During the [[hajj]], the pilgrimage to Mecca, Muslims remember the agony of Hagar in her search for water by a ritual of walking (''sa`i,'' Arabic: '''سَعِي''') between these two hills.
+Allah then sent the Angel Jibril ([[Gabriel]]) who struck the ground and from that spot, a clear [[spring]] gushed out and began to flow under Ishmael's feet. The spring supposedly still exists today and is called the [[Zamzam Well]].
+Little by little, [[bird]]s came to use the water of the spring. The tribe of Jorhom, who dwelt in the area, discovered the spring because of the birds flying overhead and the tribe then settled beside it. They asked her permission to use the spring and she agreed. From time to time, Ibrahim would go to see Hagar and his child. Visiting them made him happy and reinvigorated him.
+In Islamic belief, it was Hajar's son [[Ishmael]], not Isaac, whom Ibrahim offered to God as a sacrifice. Ishmael is seen as a fully legitimate son of Abraham who inherited equally from his father the legacy of [[prophet]]hood and the religion of Allah. From Ishmael descended the Prophet [[Muhammad]]. The prophet is traced to Adnan, believed to be a descendant of Ishmael through his son Kedar.
+==Hagar in contemporary Israel==
 [[Image:Pieter Pietersz. Lastman 001.jpg|thumb|350px|right|The dismissal of Hagar, by Pieter Pietersz Lastman]]
-'''Hagar''' ([[Arabic language|Arabic]] '''هاجر;''' '''Hajar'''; [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] '''הָגָר''' "Stranger", [[Standard Hebrew]] '''Hagar''', [[Tiberian Hebrew]] '''{{unicode|Hāḡār}}''') is an [[Egypt]]ian-born [[handmaiden]] of [[Sarah]], wife of [[Abraham]]. Her history is narrated in the [[Book of Genesis]] in the [[Torah]] ([[Hebrew Bible]]).
+The story of Hagar's expulsion to the desert has acquired some political connotations in modern Israel, being taken up as a symbol of the expulsion of [[Palestinians]] during the 1948 [[Israeli War of Independence]].
-==Hagar in the Hebrew Bible==
-The story of Hagar is found in Genesis 16 and 21. The narrative states that Hagar was an Egyptian servant belonging to [[Sarah]], who, being barren, gave Hagar to her husband [[Abraham]] as a [[concubine]], so that he might still have children. Because Sarah treated her poorly, Hagar fled from the dwelling of Abraham, but an angel of the Lord, finding her in the wilderness, commanded her to return. She obeyed this voice and submitted to Sarah, and was delivered of a son, whom she named [[Ishmael]].
+It was also the subject of a famous debate on the floor of the [[Knesset]] between two female parliamentarians&mdash;Shulamit Aloni, founder of [[Meretz]] (Civil Rights Movement) and Geulah Cohen of Tehiya (National Awakening Party)&mdash;who argued about which interpretation of Hagar's story should be given in Israeli schools.
-Fourteen years after this, Sarah gave birth to [[Isaac]]. When the child was weaned, Sarah observed Ishmael, who was then seventeen years of age, teasing Isaac; consequently, she urged Abraham to expel Hagar and her son. This proposal upset Abraham; but God commanded him to comply with Sarah's request. Rising early in the morning, therefore, Abraham took bread and a bottle of water and sent away Hagar and Ishmael.
-Hagar intended to return to Egypt, but lost her way, and wandered in the desert of [[Beersheba]]. The water in her bottle failing, she left Ishmael under one of the trees in the wilderness to cry a small distance away from him. God ended up rescuing them by showing Hagar a well. She eventually settled in [[Desert of Paran]].
+The Israeli "Women in Black" movement has unofficially renamed Jerusalem's Paris Square as "Hagar Square." The name commemorates the late [[Hagar Rublev]], a prominent Israeli feminist and peace activist.
-==Hagar in Jewish mysticism==
-According to Rabbinic lore ([[midrash]]) Hagar was a "stranger" whose real name was Keturah as stipulated in the [[Talmud]]. By this a pun on Hagar with Hageir meaning "the stranger" is implied, both being spelled the same way in plain Hebrew.
+==Notes==
-Hagar is sometimes identified in [[Jewish mysticism]] with the [[succubus|succubi]] [[Lilith]] and [[Naamah (demon)|Naˤmā]].
+<references/>
-==Hagar in the New Testament==
-Hagar, according to Paul, may symbolize the synagogue, which produces only slaves - the offspring always following the condition of the mother (Galatians 4:24)
+==References==
-==Inhumane Treatment==
+*Fischbein, Jessie. ''Infertility in the Bible: How The Matriarchs Changed Their Fate; How You Can Too''. Devora Publishing, 2005. ISBN 978-1932687347.
-Many readers may feel sorry for Hagar and her infant son when reading the story in Genesis. How could Abraham accept sending them to an unknown and waterless place? Was it a homicide? The later issues between Jews and Arabs cannot be projected back to such an early time (when all were one family). Ishmael was Abraham's son as much as Isaac. Both attended the burial of their father according to Genesis - no one fought the other. Later struggles may have projected the (pre-exilic) troubles with the Arab nomads to the time of Abraham and his sons. Ammon, Esau, Moab, and Canaan are just few examples when later issues gave birth to supposedly old stories.
+*Frymer-Kensky, Tikva. ''Reading the Women of the Bible: A New Interpretation of Their Stories''. Schocken, 2002. ISBN 978-0805241211.
-==Hagar and Arabic Origins==
+*Murphy, Claire R.'' Daughters of the Desert: Stories of Remarkable Women from Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Traditions''. SkyLight Paths, 2003. ISBN 1893361721.
-The [[Arabs]] origins and genealogy is traced back to [[Noah]]'s son [[Shem]]. The [[Quran]] mentions a powerful ancient Arabic kingdom of a tribe called "[['Ad]]", existed in old-days [[Oman]] and the [[Rub' al Khali|empty quarter]] in present-day [[Saudi Arabia]] that returns to the days of the Islamic messenger Hud (Arabic: هود[[Hud]]) believed to be (Hebrew:[[Eber]]).The Quran also mentions another tribe called [[Thamud]]. The ancient Arabs inhabited all the Arabian Peninsula to the borders of [[Iraq]] and [[Syria]].Other ancient Arabic tribes include: Tasm, Gadeth, 'Aemlak, Umayem, Jorhom, Hador, Wabar, Gasem, 'Abel, and Hadramawt. Those are believed to be all extinct nowadays and there are very scarce details of their history, however, some remains of their very old kingdoms in [[Hadramawt]] and [[Sheba]] (the lands of present day [[Yemen]],Oman,[[Eritrea]] and [[Ethiopia]]) still exists. Recent archaeological discoveries revealed the capital city of ‘Ad (E'rum) buried under the sand in the empty qurter of saudi arabia . Their tribes used to navigate the lands in continuous nomadic activities and it was the tribe of "Jorhom the second" from Yemen that first located Hagar and settled around her and Ishmael.
+*Trible, Phyllis (ed.). ''Hagar, Sarah, And Their Children: Jewish, Christian, And Muslim Perspectives''. Westminster John Knox Press, 2006. ISBN 978-0664229825.
-Hagar (Hajar) founded the community that once lived in the same place that is now called [[Mecca]] (Makkah). Ishmael - as the son of Abraham - was from [[Aram]], however, through mixing breeds with Arab tribes an Arabic bread called "The Arabized Arabs/Adnani Arabs or the [[Ishmaelites]]" of north Arabia were established and are traced to [[Adnan]], believed to be a descendant of Ishmael through his son [[Kedar]]. Those are different from another breed of Arabs existed in south Arabia, "The Arabian Arabs/Qahtani Arabs" traced to [[Joktan]] (Arabic: قحطان [[Qahtan]],Standard Hebrew: יָקְטָן Yoqtan "little",Tiberian Hebrew Yoqṭān), the second of the two sons of [[Eber]] (Arabic: هود [[Hud]], Standard Hebrew ʿÉver, Tiberian Hebrew ʿĒḇer,עֵבֶר) who is mentioned in the [[Hebrew Bible]] (Gen. 10:25; 1 Chr. 1:19) as a great-grandson of [[Noah]]'s son [[Shem]] and the ancestor of Hazarmaveth ([[Hadramawt]]) and [[Sheba]], and also an old messenger (Hud) in [[Islam]].
-The community that was developed in Mecca in the days of Hagar was influenced by the religion of [[Abraham]] as it is believed that Abraham frequently visited Hagar and her son. However, as time went by the religion was lost through many misconceptions and they started to worship Idols as intermediariies with the God of Abraham. This community would serve as the earliest foundation of [[Islam]], believed to be a restoration to the religion of Abraham - pure monotheism.  According to Islamic traditions, [[Ishmael]] was a fully legitimate son of Abraham and inherited equally from his father the legacy of prophethood and religion of God (Arabic:[[Allah]]). From Ishmael descended the Prophet [[Muhammad]], 600 years after the end of the last Israelite mission of Prophets with the "messenger" Jesus. Muhammad is traced to [[Adnan]], believed to be a descendant of Ishmael through his son [[Kedar]].
-==Hagar in Islamic traditions==
-Narrated Abu Huraira:
-"....Abraham and Sarah (his wife) were going (on a journey) they passed by (the territory of) a tyrant. Someone said to the tyrant, "This man (i.e. Abraham) is accompanied by a very charming lady." So, he sent for Abraham and asked him about Sarah saying, "Who is this lady?" Abraham said, "She is my sister." Abraham went to Sarah and said, "O Sarah! There are no believers on the surface of the earth except you and I. This man asked me about you and I have told him that you are my sister, so don't contradict my statement." The tyrant then called Sarah and when she went to him, he tried to take hold of her with his hand, but (his hand got stiff and) he was confounded. He asked Sarah. "Pray to Allah for me, and I shall not harm you." So Sarah asked Allah to cure him and he got cured. He tried to take hold of her for the second time, but (his hand got as stiff as or stiffer than before and) was more confounded. He again requested Sarah, "Pray to Allah for me, and I will not harm you." Sarah asked Allah again and he became alright. He then called one of his guards (who had brought her) and said, "You have not brought me a human being but have brought me a devil." The tyrant then gave Hajar as a girl-servant to Sarah. Sarah came back (to Abraham) while he was praying. Abraham, gesturing with his hand, asked, "What has happened?" She replied, "Allah has spoiled the evil plot of the infidel (or immoral person) and gave me Hajar for service." (Abu Huraira then addressed his listeners saying, "That (Hajar) was your mother, O Bani Ma-is-Sama (i.e. '''the Arabs, the descendants of Ishmael, Hajar's son''')." (Sahih Bukhari 4.578, also Sahih Bukhari 4.577 and Sahih Bukhari 7.21)
-Some sources refers to Hagar as being an '''Ethiopian'''.
-The infant Ishmael (Arabic:[[Ismā'īl]]) filled Abraham (Arabic:[[Ibrahim]]) with joy.  Sara, however, may have got jealous.  She may have regretted making Hajar wife to Abraham, so she asked her husband to send her with the infant away.
-Abraham, by God's command, accepted Sara's request.  He took Hagar and Ishmael with him and began journeying until, under the guidance of God, they entered the land of [[Mecca]].  Ibrahim brought Hajar to a high hill called al-Marwa, made her and her baby sit under a tree, placed a bag of dates and some water near her, and set out homeward. Hajar ran after him and said: "Are you going to leave us in this desert where there is no one to keep us company?" She repeated this many times but he would not look back at her. She asked: "Has Allah ordered you to do so?" He said yes. "Then He will not neglect us." She said. He left them there and returned to Sara knowing that God would take care of them. The Quran narrates Abraham had prayed to God saying, "Lord, I have settled some of my offspring in a barren valley near your sacred house, so that they could be steadfast in prayer.  Lord, fill the hearts of the people with love for them and produce fruits for their sustenance, so that they may give thanks".
-Hagar, that helpless woman with her suckling baby, was left alone in that waterless and bare desert far from any city or town.  But Hagar had learned the way of trust in and reliance on God from Abraham, so with faith in God, she followed the path of patience and tolerance. She lived on the provisions that she had until they were used up and hunger and thirst overcame her. Her milk dried up, leaving her baby hungry and thirsty.
-Hoping to find water to save her baby's life, Hagar began to search in the desert but found nothing. Hopelessly, she returned to Ishmael and found him crying.  Seeing her baby in this condition broke her heart. She, too, began weeping; she didn't know what to do.
-The baby was overcome with weakness; it seemed that he was passing the last moments of life. Hagar ran seven times back and forth in the scorching heat between the two hills of [[Al-Safa and Al-Marwah|Safa and Marwa]], trying to mount a higher ground to spot any water in the area, until, completely disappointed and with tear-filled eyes, she returned to her baby. The agony of Hagar in her search for water is remembered by [[Muslims]] by imposing an act of ritual walking (''sa`i'', Arabic: '''سَعِي''') that would signify her journey between the two hills in their [[pilgrimage]] at [[Mecca]].
-Standing beside her baby, weeping and wailing, Hagar was watching that heartbreaking scene.
-God then sent the Angel [[Gabriel]], who scraped the ground.  From that spot, a clear spring gushed out from the ground and began to flow under Ishmael's feet.  Hagar was delighted. But she was also anxious about the water flowing away. Hence, she confined the pool of water with sand and stones, remarking at the same time: ''Zam Zam'' ("Stop, Stop"). She then sat on the ground next to her baby, wet his lips and poured some of the water into his parched mouth, refreshing him.  The danger to his life was over.  Hagar also drank some water, recovered her strength, and praised God.(Other versions of the story say Ishmael scraped the ground with his heel and the ZamZam appeared.)
-Little by little, birds came to use the water of the spring.  The tribe of Jorhom, who dwelt in the area, discovered the spring because of the birds flying overhead and the tribe then settled beside it.  They asked her permission to use the spring and she agreed.Hagar became acquainted with them, and her fear and loneliness were removed.In this way, the prayer of Abraham was answered. From time to time, Abraham would go to see Hagar and his child.  Visiting them made him happy and reinvigorated him.
-The spring that burst forth when Gabriel struck the ground on the orders of God still exists today and is called the [[Zamzam Well زمزم]].
-==Hagar in popular culture==
-The Scottish artist [[James Eckford Lauder]] (1811-1869) painted a large canvas of ''Hagar''.
-"All Aunt Hagar's children" is a book by [[Edward P. Jones]], containing several stories, all featuring Afro American characters. The book clearly addresses matters concerning slavery and oppression in general.
-A character named Hagar is prominently featured in [[Toni Morrison]]'s novel ''[[Song of Solomon]]'', which features numerous [[Bible|Biblical]] themes and allusions.
-[[W. C. Handy]]'s song "Aunt Hagar's Blues" immortalizes Hagar as the "mother" of the [[African American]]s:
-:Just hear Aunt Hagar's children harmonizin' to that old mournful tune!
-:It's like choir from on high broke loose!
-:If the devil brought it, the good Lord sent it right down to me,
-:Let the congregation join while I sing those lovin' Aunt Hagar's Blues!
-William Shakespeare - Merchant of Venice
-Act II Scene 4 line 40
-:Shylock.  What says that fool of Hagar’s offspring, ha?
-The [[comic strip]] [[Viking]] ''[[Hagar the Horrible]]'' simply uses the name.  ''Hagar'' is not a Viking name.  In [[North Germanic languages|Scandinavian]] [[translations]], he is called ''Hårek'' or ''Hagbard''.
-The novel "The Stone Angel" by Margaret Laurence has a protagonist named Hagar whose life story loosely imitates that of the biblical Hagar.
-==Hagar in contemporary Israel==
-The story of Hagar's expulsion to the desert has acquired some political connotations in modern Israel, being taken up as a symbol of the [[Nakba|massive expulsion and exodus]] of [[Palestinians]] during  the 1948 [[Israeli War of Independence]], being depicted as such by some Israeli writers and artists.
-It was also the subject of a famous debate on the floor of the [[Knesset]] between two women parliamentarians - Shulamit Aloni, founder of [[Meretz]] (Civil Rights Movement) and Geulah Cohen of Tehiya (National Awakening Party) - who argued about the right interpretation which the Bible in general and Hagar's story in particular should be given in curriculum of Israeli schools.
-Since the 1970's the custom has arisen of giving the name "Hagar" to newborn female babies. The giving of this name is often taken as a controversial political act,  marking the parents as being left-leaning and supporters of reconciliation with the Palestinians and Arab World, and is frowned upon by many, including nationalists and the religious.
-The Israeli [[Women in Black]] movement has unofficially renamed Jerusalem's Paris Square, where the movement has been holding anti-occupation vigils every Friday since 1988, as "Hagar Square". The name commorates the late [[Hagar Rublev]], a prominent Israeli feminist and peace activist, who was among the founders of these Friday vigils.
-==A figure for contemporary times==
-Contemporary readings often discuss the tension between women that is induced by linking women's status to the male heirs they produce. Hagar is often used as example of the silently victimized, since her only recorded statement is a plea for death. Later [[Liberation]] and [[Womanist]] traditions find identity with Hagar for these reasons. The conflict between Sarah and Hagar is often shown as a classic example of conflicts between women under patriarchal systems.
-==See also==
-* [[Hagarism: The Making of the Islamic World]], a book discussing the origins of Islam.
-[[Category:Major Torah figures]]
-[[Category:Arab]]
-[[Category:Converts to Judaism]]
-[[Category:Slaves]]
 [[category:philosophy and religion]]
+[[Category:religion]]
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