Ishmael in Islam
Sources for this narrative include the Quran and tafsir (i.e., Quranic exegesis); Muhammad's ahadith; historiographic collections by al-Tabari and other Muslim scholars; and Israʼiliyyat, which collectively refers to information and religious literature sourced primarily from the Jews for details about early prophets and messengers.
Hagar is distressed and searches for water, running back and forth seven times between the hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah.
[5] When she returns to Ishmael, she finds either him or an angel scratching the ground with their heel or finger, whereupon water begins flowing and Hagar collects some or dams it up.
The versions used in this summary, as well as others, can be found in al-Tabari's history[6] and are recounted in Reuven Firestone's Journeys in Holy Lands.
The multiple versions suggest that the dhabih was originally an oral story that had been circulating before being written as it is in the Qur'an and in additional commentaries.
"[7]: 92–93 Each version is indeed a "unique work of art," differing from another in various ways to present certain ideas, such as the importance of Ishmael over Isaac because he was the first child.
Some versions tell of the devil trying to stop God's command from being obeyed by visiting Hagar, Ishmael, and Abraham.
Every time the devil says Abraham is going to sacrifice Ishmael, each person answers that if God commanded it, they should obey.
Often, Ishmael is portrayed as telling Abraham some combination of instructions to bring his shirt back to Hagar, bind him tightly, sharpen the knife, and place him face down, all so that there will be no wavering in the resolve to obey God.
Every Eid al-Adha once a year Muslims around the world slaughter an animal to commemorate Abraham's sacrifice and to remind themselves of self-abnegation in the way of God.
As noted above, in some versions, Ishmael makes sure in different ways that neither he nor his father hesitate in their obedience to God.
[10] While most contemporary Muslims hold the view that Ishmael was the son who was nearly sacrificed, there has been significant disagreement among early scholars and historiographers.
At some point, often believed to be after Hagar's death, Ishmael married a woman from the Jurhum, the tribe who settled in the area around Zamzam.
When Ishmael returns home and his wife told him that, he knows it is from his father and taking the advice, divorced the woman.
These narratives differ in when these events occurred, if and how there was supernatural involvement, the inclusion or omission of the Black Stone, and whether Ishmael assisted his father.
Behold, he was always true to his promise, and was an apostle [of God], a prophet, who used to enjoin upon his people prayer and charity, and found favour in his Sustainer's sight.
[20] As Islam became established, the figure Ishmael and those descended from him, the Ishmaelites, became connected, and often equated, with the term Arab in early Jewish and Christian literature.
