The Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon him) was the eldest son of Prophet
Ibrahim(peace he upon him) by his second wifeHajira. As he had no
off-spring from his first wifeSarah, he entered into matrimonial
allegiance with Hajira, a devoted lady. He did so with the consent of
his first wife. The Prophet Ibrahim (peace he upon him) prayed to his
Lord to bless him with a son. TheProphet Isma'il(peace he upon him)
was born to him in response to his prayers. The Holy Quran makes
mention of it in these words:
"Ibrahim said: My Lord! Grant me of the doers of good deeds. So We
gave him the good news of a boy possessing forbearance." ( Surah 37:
Verses 100-101)
Shortly after his birth, in obedience to a Divine behest, he was left
by his father Ibrahim (peace be upon him) along with his mother at the
place where stands Ka'bah. It was abarren and waterless placewith no
trace of life in any form. The great Patriarch, Ibrahim (peace be upon
him) left them to their fate with a heavy heart and prayed:
"O' Lord! I have made some of my off-spring settle in this barren
valley near the Sacred House so that they may keep up prayer." ( Surah
14: Verse 37)
The scene of departing Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) from his
family was highly pathetic. It is narrated on the authority of Ibn
'Abbàs that the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon
him) said:
"The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) brought with him his wife
Hajira and his son Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon him) whom she
suckled. They placed the child close by the spot where Ka'bah now
stands. In those days Mecca wasuninhabited and without water. The
Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) placed beside them a bag full of
dates and a skin full of water.
When Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) returned, the mother of
Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon him) ran after him and said: Ibrahim!
Where are you going? Why have you left me in the wilderness where none
is to take pity on us. Nothing is available here to eat and drink. She
repeated this several times but Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him)
did not hearken to her voice.
Then she asked him. Have God Commanded you to do so? He replied in
affirmative. She said: Then God will cause no harm to me. Thereupon
she returned back. When Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) got out of
sight, he faced towards Ka'bah and prayed: O' Lord! Grant that the
hearts of some men may be affected with kindness towards them and
bestow upon them all sorts offruitso that they may bethankful.
After this the mother of Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon him) began to
suckle her child and to drink water out of the skin until it was
emptied. Soon after her son felt thirsty. She could not bear to see
him in such plight. Hajira ranseven times from the hill of Safa to
Marwainquest of water. As she was about to commence the eighth trip,
her attention was drawn to the crying child who in the agony of thirst
was kicking the ground.
Lo! the water gushed forth miraculously from the earth in the form of
fountain to save Prophet: Isma'il (peace be upon him) from the
tortures of thirst. Then she drank the water and suckled her child.
May God bless the mother of Prophet Isma'il! Had she left theZam Zamas
it was or had she not filled her skin with water, theZam Zamwould
always have remained an overflowing mountain. (Bukhari)"
Trial of Sincerity
The origin of the custom of true believers running betweenSafa and
Marwa at the time of Hajjis deep connected with Hajira, the mother
ofProphet Isma'il(peace be upon him). Similarly therite of
sacrificealso owes its origin to the Prophet Ibrahim(peace be upon
him) and his obedient son.
He had received aDivine Commandtosacrifice his beloved son. Both of
them stood the test with credit. The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon
him) decided to fulfill the vision on one hand whereas the Prophet
Isma'il (peace be upon him) was ready with alacrity to lay down his
life to win the favor and pleasure of Allah.
While they were proceeding towardsMinafor theperformance of the solemn
duty, Satan tried to dissuade them from their firm resolve but to no
effect. The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) passed the sharp knife
over the throat of his son but an angel turned theknife upside downand
aheavenly message forbadethe act.
The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) was desired to sacrifice in
lieu of his son, aram. So heslaughtered a well-fed rampresented by
Allah. When the Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon him) grew up, he
married a girl of the tribe but soon divorced her at the request of
his father to whom she proved to be discourteous. After this he
married a daughter of the Jurhum Chief.
Re-construction of the House of Allah
Ka'bahis theveritable heart of Islamtowards which all the prayers of
the Muslims flow to vivify their souls. It was built by the Prophet
Adam(peace be upon him), the father of the human race. When it was
damaged by flood, it was reconstructed on the same foundations by the
Prophet Ibrahim(peace he upon him) with the help of his sonProphet
Isma'il(peace be upon him), the ancestors of the Arabs.
The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) directed his son to bring a
good stone to mark the corner of foundation. He brought one of which
theangel Gabrielgave him information. It was the sacredBlack stone -
"Hajar al-Aswad". When the Prophet Ibrahim and Isma'il (peace be upon
them) raised the foundations of the House of Allah they prayed:
"Our Lord! Accept from us; surely You are the Hearing, the Knowing.
Our Lord! Make us both submissive to You and raise from our off-spring
a nation submitting to You and show us ways of devotion and turn to us
mercifully. You are the oft-Returning to mercy, the Most Merciful." (
Surah 1: Verses 127-128)
"Our Lord! And raise up in them an Apostle from among them who shall
recite to them Your communications and teach them the Book and the
Wisdom and purify them. Surely You are the Mighty, the Wise." ( Surah
2: Verse 129).
Makkah is Habituated
The Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon him) and his mother settled down in
the vicinity of the Ka'bah. His progeny multiplied and ramified into
numerous tribes. One of these is known as theQuraishfrom which
theIshmaelite Arabssprang up. The Holy Prophet(peace be upon him)
belonged to this family. They habituated the city of Makkah which
became thecenter of Islam.
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