Lesson 8 - Prophet Ismail/Isma’eel AS إسماعيل

Lineage: son of Ibraheem AS, son of Aazar, son of Nahoor whose lineage traces back to Sam, the eldest son of Nuh AS.

Ismael AS name is mentioned 12 times, in 12 verses, in 8 chapters. 95% of his story is found in the story of his father, Ibraheem AS. 

Evidences that Ismael AS is a Prophet

From Qur’an:

• Surah 19:54 - “Mention too, in the Quran, the story of Ishmael. He was true to his promise, a messenger and a prophet.” This is considered clear evidence. The word messenger and prophet has been used رَسُولًۭا نَّبِيًّۭا
• Surah 3:84 - “Say [Muhammad], ‘We [Muslims] believe in God and in what has been sent down to us and to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes. We believe in what has been given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets from their Lord. We do not make a distinction between any of the [prophets]. It is to Him that we devote ourselves.’ Ismael is listed amongst other prophets, and then this verse concludes by stating there are no distinction between them. 
• Surah 4:163- “We have sent revelation to you [Prophet] as We did to Noah and the prophets after him, to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, to Jesus, Job, Jonah, Aaron, and Solomon- to David We gave the book [of Psalms]” This is verse is clear in listing the prophets after Nuh AS and Ismael is mentioned. 

Where can you find his story in the Quran?

• Surah 2:125 - 129— see link
• Surah 14:37 - 39— see link
• Surah 19:54 - 55 - see link
• Surah 37:99 - 110 - see link

From Sunnah:

• We don’t have any hadith that mentions the topic of Ismael AS being a prophet. However, we do have a very detailed hadith on parts of his life. Please read here - Sahih al-Bukhari 3364 - Sahih grading. 

Ismail’s AS parents lineage 

• Ismail is the first son of Ibraheem AS. His father was born in Babylonia, near modern day Iraq and was a prophet and messenger. Most of Ismail’s AS story ties back to his father. 
• Ismail’s mum is called Hagar who is believed to be Egyptian. She was the handmaid or slave of Sarah (the first wife of Ibraheem AS). It is argued that she was a princess to a fallen King, but was enslaved by a tyrant King and eventually gifted as a slave to Sarah. She raised Ismail near Makkah and found the ZamZam well. 

Ismail’s AS mum 

• There was a corrupt King in Egypt who summoned Sarah (the wife of Ibraheem AS) to his palace. He attempted to touch her, but fell unconscious. After repeated attempts to approach Sarah, each resulting in his collapse, the King vowed to release her unharmed.  He kept his promise, granting Sarah gifts and his favourite slave girl, Hagar.
• There is an opinion that Hagar was a princess who became enslaved. There were two Kings of Egypt, one in the North and the other in the South. One King overpowered the other, killed off the royal bloodline, but spared the wives and daughters of the defeated King and turned them into his slaves. Hagar became one of the favourite slaves. 
• After the incident of the King trying to touch Sarah, he feared that she was a magician so he gave her his favourite slave. Hagar now belonged to Sarah. 
• After a period of 10 years, and not being able to conceive, Sarah gifted her slave to Ibraheem AS to marry as a second wife. 
• Hagar soon became pregnant and tension arose between the two wives. Hagar was no longer a slave, but a wife so she was free. 
• During one particular incident, Hagar attempted to run away when she was pregnant. Allah sent an Angel to tell her to go back to her husband and home, because she was pregnant with a boy and they will live far away in the future. Hagar went back.

Ibraheem AS lives Hagar and Ismail AS near Makkah

• After a few months, Allah commanded Ibraheem AS to take his second wife and her newborn child to Makkah. see  Sahih al-Bukhari 3362, 3363
• Ibraheem AS started to retreat, Hagar asked him where he was going and if Allah had commanded him to do this, he nodded and she said Allah would not neglect us. She had been left with some water and dates. 
• Ibraheem AS then made dua to Allah. Surah 14:37 - ‘Our Lord, I have established some of my offspring in an uncultivated valley, close to Your Sacred House, Lord, so that they may keep up the prayer. Make people’s hearts turn to them, and provide them with produce, so that they may be thankful.’
• Hagar ran out of provision and her baby started to cry. She found a hill and she climbed it, later known as al-Safar, she saw another hill later known as al-Marwa. She travelled between both hills seven times, a ritual now called Sa’i. Prophet SAW commanded people to do Sa’i during pilgrimage (both Umrah and Hajj). During Sa’i there is a part where men have to run, this is the part where she ran between the mountains to check on her son, because the mountain would dip and she couldn’t see her son (women do not run at this part).
• As she was returning to her son, she heard a voice from the vicinity where she left him. When she approached she saw Jibrael AS in human form with two wings instead of hands. She already knew who he was because she was the wife of a Prophet.
• Jibrael AS then used the tip of his wing to strike the ground, causing water to gush forth. After some time, a fountain of water came out with a lot of pressure. Concerned that it wouldn’t stay, she enclosed it with rocks. Zam Zam means "stay stay.”

• The Prophet Muhammad SAW later remarked that had Hagar not fortified the spring with rocks, it would have flowed as a river rather than a well.
• A tribe called Jurhum, migrating from Yemen in search of water, observed birds circling the area—a sign of water's presence. Upon encountering Hagar, they sought permission to settle, establishing the community in Makkah
• Every month Ibraheem AS used to visit his family in Makkah and Palestine - the journey between the two is one month. Allah arranged al-Buraaq - an animal from Paradise. The same animal used in the night journey in Al-isra wal-Miraj.
• Ismail AS settled there with his mother and Ibraheem would come every month to see them.
• Ismail AS was not an Arab but he lived amongst the Jurham tribe who were Arabs. 
• Sacrifice of Ismail AS
• Ibraheem AS saw in his dream that he was sacrificing his son. Dreams are a form of wahi (revelation) for Prophets. Ibraheem AS decided to implement this dream.  
• When Ismael was around 10-12 years, Ibraheem AS met with Hagar and told her about his dream. She was a firm believer.
• Ibraheem AS spoke with his son, who also accepted that this was the will of Allah. See verse 37:102 - When the boy was old enough to work with his father, Abraham said, ‘My son, I have seen myself sacrificing you in a dream. What do you think?’ He said, ‘Father, do as you are commanded and, God willing, you will find me steadfast.’

• Iblis, disguised in human form, approached Hagar and falsely claimed that Ibraheem AS  intended to kill her son. Hagar affirmed her trust in the command of Allah. 
• Iblis then approached Ismael and told him that his father was going to kill him. Ismael responded by affirming this was the command of Allah. Iblis could not believe that a mother and child would reply this way, so he decided to approach Ibraheem AS and tell him that his dream was from shaytan and not a revelation. 
• Ibraheem AS realised from his language that this was Iblis and pushed him away. Iblis tried to physically stop him, so Ibraheem AS took a stone and threw it at him. He went away and then returned so Ibraheem AS stoned him seven times in one place. This happened a few times and so Ibraheem AS stoned him 7 times again, until Iblis gave up.

• In Makkah, when completing Hajj, you stone the three pillars known as the three shayateens. You will stone on the 10th, 11th and 12th day. On the 10th, you would only stone one pillar, on the second and third day you would stone all three. You would need a total of 49 stones. Day one (7 stones), Day two (21 stones) day 3 (21 stones).
• Ibraheem AS attempted to sacrifice his son with a knife but it didn’t cut through his skin. He then heard a voice from either Allah or Jibrail AS that said you have fulfilled your commandment. Allah then sent a Ram from Habeel to sacrifice. (The two sons of Adam who gave a sacrifice, Habeel was a shepherd and gave the best from his flock).
• This event, occurring on the 10th of Dhul Hijah, later became commemorated as Eid al-Adha.
• Prophet Muhammed SAW is the son of the two sacrifices. His father Abdullah said if he had 10 sons he would sacrifice one, and Prophet Muhammed SAW was the10th son (and through the lots was spared) and he was a descendant of Ismail AS. This is an evidence that he was the son chosen for sacrifice and not Issac AS

Ismail AS marries

• Hagar passed away and was buried in Makkah. Ismail AS remained in his tribe and was raised there. Eventually, he decided to get married to a girl from the tribe, her name was Imarah bint Saad.
• Ibraheem AS could not attend the wedding as he was in Palestine. Later, he decided to pay his son a visit. Upon arriving at his house, he was informed that his son was not home, so he conversed with his wife. She expressed dissatisfaction, lacked gratitude and did not offer a drink to her guest. Ibraheem AS asked her to relay a message to her husband “tell him to change his doorstep.” 
• When Ismail AS returned and heard of the encounter, he revealed that the man was his father and he had advised him to divorce her. Consequently, they parted ways and she returned to her family.
• Ismail AS then remarried to As'saidah bint Mudhadh, whose father was the tribal leader. Ibraheem AS couldn't attend this wedding again, but he later visited his new daughter-in-law. She welcomed him with refreshments and offered him food. When Ibraheem AS inquired about her husband's whereabouts, she mentioned he was out hunting for their meal, inviting Ibraheem AS to wait if he wished. Though he couldn't wait, Ibraheem AS conversed with her, and she exhibited gratitude without complaint. ibraheem AS passed on a message to her husband to keep his doorstep. When Ismail AS returned and learned of the encounter, he assured his wife that the visitor was his father, expressing his contentment with her.
• Subsequently, Ibraheem AS saw his son and informed him of Allah's command to construct a house in the area, seeking his assistance. The house would be the building of the Ka’baa. see  Sahih al-Bukhari 3365
• Ismail and Ibraheem then built the Ka’baa. They then started teaching people to perform Hajj and Umrah but this was not spread wide - people in Palestine were not migrating to do Hajj. see verse 2:127 - “As Abraham and Ishmael built up the foundations of the House [they prayed], ‘Our Lord, accept [this] from us. You are the All Hearing, the All Knowing.”

Ismail AS family and death

• He fathered twelve sons and one daughter, including Nabet and Qedar. Several of his sons departed due to the harsh living conditions in Makkah—extreme heat and scarce vegetation—opting for a different area. Only Nabet and Qedar remained behind.
• Ismail was in charge of the Ka’bah and later died at the age of 137. His final resting place is somewhere in Makkah.
• From the lineage of either son emerged the Quraish tribe. Generations later, the Hashim tribe arose, encompassing figures such as Abdul Mutaleb, Abdullah, and ultimately, the Prophet Muhammad SAW. The Prophet traces his ancestry to Ibraheem AS through the bloodline of Ismail AS.