Ishmael

Expulsion of Ishmael and His Mother, by Gustave Doré.

Ishmael (Hebrew: יִשְׁמָעֵאל, Standard Yišmaʿel Tiberian Yišmāʿêl; Arabic: إسماعيل, Ismā'īl; translates as "God will hear" {Strong's Dictionary}) was Abraham's eldest son, born by his wife's handmaiden Hagar. Though being born of Hagar, according to the Mesopotamian law, he was credited to Sarah (Gn. 16:2) According to the Genesis account, he died at the age of 137 (Gn. 25:17).

Judaism has generally viewed Ishmael as wicked though repentant. Islamic tradition however has a very positive view of Ishmael ascribing a larger role to Ishmael in comparison to the Bible and viewing him as a prophet, and the son of sacrifice(according to certain early theologians whose ideas prevailed later). The Bahá'í writings consider him a lesser prophet.

Both Jewish and Islamic traditions consider Ishamel as the ancestor of Arab people.

Etymology and meaning

The word Yishm'e'l existed in various ancient Semitic cultures. It literally meaning "God has hearkened", suggesting that "a child so named was regarded as the fulfillment of a divine promise."

Ishmael in the Bible

Birth and childhood

In the Hebrew Bible Ishmael's life is described in the Book of Genesis beginning in chapter 16. Abraham's wife Sarah, being barren, gives Abraham her slave, Hagar, as a second wife and surrogate mother. However, when Hagar became pregnant, she despised Sarah, who retalitated by abusing her. Hagar fled from Sarah into the wilderness, where an angel appeared to her and commanded her to return and submit to Sarah. The angel also prohecied concerning the birth of Ishmael:

• "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 in due course Ishmael was born.

Little is said of Ishmael's childhood, but when he was 13 years old, Abraham received God's news that Sarah—at the age of 90—would bear him a son of her own. Finding the idea preposterous, Abraham wished only that Ishmael be blessed:

Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!" (Gen. 17:17-18)

But God responded:

"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 17:19-21)

Abraham initiated the tradition of circumcision immediately afterward, with himself and Ishmael being the first to undergo the rite.

Ishmael in exile

Sarah indeed became pregnant with Abraham's son, Isaac. Then at a festival in honor of Isaac's weaning, Ishmael behaved in a way that Sarah found threatening to Isaac. She demanded that Abraham expel both Ishmael and his mother. (Genesis 21:8-10) Abraham resisted Sarah's demand but God commanded him to listen to Sarah, promising that Ishmael would be protected:

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)

Ishmael, now a teenager, was thus forced to leave his home and go with Hagar into the wilderness near Beersheba. Soon, their supplies ran out, and Ishmael grew weak to the point of death. Unable to bear watching her son die of thirst, Hagar left him under a bush and walked "a bow shot away." The boy's pathetic cry's, however, were heard by God. Then a voice from heaven said to his mother: "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." Suddenly, a spring of fresh water appeared before Hagar's eyes, and thus both she and her son were saved. (Genesis 21:15-19)

Ishmael and Hagar settled in the area known as Paran. Ishmael became an expert in archery. Later, his mother found an Egyptian woman to be his wife.

Later life

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

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 also had a daughter named Mahalath or Bashemath (Gen 36:3). Esau married her with a sincere desire to obey and please his parents (Gen 28:9). His father Isaac had specifically forbidden his brother Jacob from marrying Canaanite women.

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

Ishmael in Jewish tradition

Judaism has generally viewed Ishmael as wicked though repentant. In some Rabbinic traditions, Ishmael is said to had two wives named : Aisha and Fatima, the names of Muhammad's wife and daughter.

Ishmael is also mentioned in the Book of Jasher, which states (chapter 25) that the sons of Ishmael were "twelve princes according to their nations. The families of Ishmael afterward spread forth, and Ishmael took his children and all the property that he had gained, together with the souls of his household and all belonging to him, and they went to dwell where they should find a place. And they went and dwelt near the wilderness of Paran, and their dwelling was from Havilah to Shur. And Ishmael and his sons dwelt in the land, and they had children born to them, and they were fruitful and increased abundantly."

Ishmael in New Testament

According to the Genesis account, at the instigation of Sarah, Ishmael and his mother were expelled in order to make sure that Isaac would be Abraham's heir. In the book of Galatians, Paul uses the incident "to symbolize the relationship between Judaism, the older but now rejected tradition, and Christianity. (Gal 4:21-31)

Ishmael in Islam

Template:Cleanup In Islam, Ishmael is known as the first-born son of Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic) from Hagar, and as an appointed prophet of God.

The name of the son who was supposed to be sacrificed is not mentioned in the Qur'an and in early Islam, there was a fierce controversy over the identity of the son. However the belief that it was Ishmael prevailed later. In Islamic beliefs, Abraham had prayed to God for a son ('Isma' in Arabic means 'to listen' ie answer prayer, and 'ell' is derived from the Hebrew word 'elle', meaning God). God delivered this child to Abraham, and later tested Abraham's faith by asking him to sacrifice his only son at the time. However, just as Abraham was to kill his only son, God halted him, praised him for his loyalty, and commanded him to sacrifice a ram instead. This leads to the Muslim practice of sacrificing domesticated animals such as sheep, goats or cows, on the celebration to mark this event known as Eid ul-Adha.

According to The Oxford Companion To The Bible, "Because Ishmael was circumcised (Gen. 17:25), so are most Muslims. And, analogous to Paul's reversal of the figures of Isaac and Ishmael (Gal. 4:24-26), Muslim tradition makes Ishmael rather than Isaac the son Abraham was commanded to sacrifice."

Ishmael in the Qur'an

Ishmael is a highly regarded person in the Qur'an. Ishmael enjoined upon his people worship and almsgiving, and was acceptable in the sight of his Lord (19:55). The Qur'an 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 ). Meccans, and most Arabs at the time of Muhammad, believed that Isma'il settled in Mecca, was their ancestor, and built with Abraham the Ka'ba which they revered from old times.
The story of the Prophet Abraham & his wives Sarah and 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, after many years, Sarah miraculously gives birth to Isaac. After some time upon God's command, Abraham sends Hajar and Ishmael to the desert with God's promise of protection. 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. The full story is mentioned in Bukhari^{[citation needed]}.

Other references to Ishmael in the Qur'an

The Qur'an 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 Qur'an states that he was inspired in the same manner as prophets like Noah, Abraham, 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

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Islamic tradition holds that Ishmael and Hagar were sent to the deserts of Arabia on the orders of God. The Bible claims that Sarah, after the birth of Isaac, sent Hagar and Ishmael away. He and his mother settled in Mecca 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 only 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 Abd-ul-Muttalib, son of Hashim, son of Abdu Manaf, son of Qusay, son of Kilab, son of Hakeem, son of Kaab, son of Luayy, son of Ghalib, son of Fihr, son of Malik, son of Qays, son of Kinanah, son of Khuzaymah, son of Mudrikah, son of Ilyas, son of Mudhar, son of Nizar, son of Maad, son of Adnan, son of Udd, son of Muqawwam, son of Nakhour, son of Tahir, son of Yarub, son of Yashyub, son of Nabit, son of Ismail (ishmael), son of Ibrahim, the Friend of God, son of Tarikh, son of Nakhour, son of Sarukh, son of Rau, son of Falih, son of Hud, son of Salih, son of Arphakhshad, son of Sham, son of Nuh, son of Lamekh, son of Matushalakh, son of Akhanukh, - who, as is believed, was the prophet Idris, the first prophet, and the first who wrote with the reed, - son of Aded, son of Mahlaleel, son of Kaynan, son of Anoush, son of Shays, son of Adam, to whom may God be gracious!

The Qur'an, however, does not have any geneologies. It was well-known among the Arabs that Quraysh were the descendants of Ishmael. Believing in one supreme God, circumcision, and other traditions such as pilgrimage common among Arabs as far as Yemen all point to the same conclusion. The story of the sacrifice is also more valuable when the Quranic version, in opposion to the biblical, affirms that Abraham was willing to offer his only son at a very old age and that this son was old enough at that time to speak and understand. The birth of Is-Haq was looked at as an extra blessing subsequent and a reward to the obedience of Abraham.

Notes

The Tribe of G.T.S claims The Tribe of Ishmael their Descendants

See also

• Isaac
• Abraham
• List of names referring to El

External links

• Genealogy from Adam to the Twelve Tribes
• Hadhrat Ismail (Alayhis salaam)
• The Story of Isma'el (Ishmael). The same page is also available at Prophet Isma'il (Ishmael)
• Islamic QA: Ishmael, with additional information on Islam.
• Ishmael in Islam
• The Jewish Encyclopedia: Ishmael, with additional legendary Jewish and Islamic material.
• 'The 12 Tribes of Ishmael'
• Biographical Study on Ishmael

Template:Sons of Ishmael Template:Sons of Ishmael2

Prophets of Islam in the Qur'an
Adam	Idris	Nuh	Hud	Saleh	Ibrahim	Lut	Ismail	Is'haq	Yaqub	Yusuf	Ayub
آدم	ادريس	نوح	هود	صالح	إبراهيم	لوط	اسماعيل	اسحاق	يعقوب	يوسف	أيوب
Adam	Enoch	Noah	Eber	Shelah	Abraham	Lot	Ishmael	Isaac	Jacob	Joseph	Job
Shoaib	Musa	Harun	Dhul-Kifl	Daud	Sulayman	Ilyas	Al-Yasa	Yunus	Zakariya	Yahya	Isa	Muhammad
شعيب	موسى	هارون	ذو الكفل	داود	سليمان	إلياس	اليسع	يونس	زكريا	يحيى	عيسى	محمد
Jethro	Moses	Aaron	Ezekiel	David	Solomon	Elijah	Elisha	Jonah	Zechariah	John	Jesus	Paraclete

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