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= Ishmael_ =
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Introduction
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In the biblical Book of Genesis, Ishmael (; ; ; ) is the first son of
Abraham. His mother was Hagar, the handmaiden of Abraham's wife Sarah.
He died at the age of 137. Traditionally, he is seen as the ancestor
of the Arabs.
Within Islam, Ishmael is regarded as a prophet and the ancestor of the
Ishmaelites (Hagarenes or Adnanites) and patriarch of Qaydār.
Etymology
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The name "Yishma'el" existed in various ancient Semitic cultures,
including early Babylonian and Minæan. In the Amorite language, it is
attested as 'yaśmaʿ-ʾel'. It is a theophoric name translated literally
as "God (El) has hearkened", suggesting that "a child so named was
regarded as the fulfillment of a divine promise".
Genesis narrative
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The Genesis narrative sees the account of Ishmael's life through the .
Birth
=======
The birth of Ishmael was planned by the Patriarch Abraham's first
wife, who at that time was known as Sarai. She and her husband Abram
(Abraham) sought a way to have children in order to fulfill the
Abrahamic covenant that was established in . Sarai was 75 years old
and had yet to bear a child. She had the idea to offer her Egyptian
handmaiden Hagar to her husband so that they could have a child by
her. Abraham slept with Hagar and she begat a child.
Hagar and Sarah began to show contempt for each other, they responded
by treating each other harshly. Abraham then told Hagar to flee her
home and go into the desert region between Abraham's settlement and
Shur. describes the naming of Ishmael and God's promise to Hagar
concerning Ishmael and his descendants. This occurred at the well of
Beer-lahai-roi, where Hagar encountered the Angel of the Lord, who
said to her "Behold, you are with child / And shall bear a son; / You
shall call him Ishmael, / For the Lord has paid heed to your
suffering." The Angel commanded Hagar, "Return to your mistress
[Sarai] and submit to her."
Abraham was blessed so that his descendants would be as numerous as
the stars in the sky. God would make of Ishmael a great nation because
he was of the seed of Abraham. However, God told Hagar that her son
would be living in conflict with his relatives. When Ishmael was born,
Abraham was 86 years old.
Inheritance, rights and the first circumcision
================================================
When he was 13 years old, Ishmael was circumcised at the same time as
all other males in Abraham's household, becoming a part of the
covenant in a mass circumcision. His father Abram, given the new name
"Abraham", then 99, was circumcised along with the others.
At the time of the covenant, God informed Abraham that his wife Sarah
would give birth to a son, whom he was instructed to name Isaac. God
told Abraham that He would establish his covenant through Isaac, and
when Abraham inquired as to Ishmael's role, God answered that Ishmael
has been blessed and that he "will make him fruitful, and will
multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget and I will
make him a great nation." God also mentioned that "He will be a wild
donkey of a man, His hand will be over (against) everyone, And
everyone's hand will be against him; And he will live in the presence
of his brethren."
A year later, Ishmael's half-brother Isaac was born to Abraham by his
wife Sarah when she was 90 years old, after she had ceased showing any
signs of fertility.
On the day of feasting during which Abraham celebrated the weaning of
Isaac, Ishmael was "mocking" or "playing with" Isaac (the Hebrew word
, is ambiguous) and Sarah asked Abraham to expel Ishmael and his
mother, saying: "Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that
slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son
Isaac." Her demand was painful for Abraham, who loved Ishmael.
Abraham agreed only after God told him that "in Isaac your seed shall
be called" and that God would "make a nation of the son of the
bondwoman" Ishmael, since he was a descendant of Abraham (), God
having previously told Abraham "I will establish My covenant with
[Isaac]", while also making promises concerning the Ishmaelite nation
().
At the age of 14, Ishmael was freed along with his mother. The Lord's
covenant made clear Ishmael was not to inherit Abraham's house and
that Isaac would be the seed of the covenant: "Take your son, your
only son, whom you love and go to the region of Moriah." (Genesis )
Abraham gave Ishmael and his mother a supply of bread and water and
sent them away. Hagar entered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba where
the two soon ran out of water and Hagar, not wanting to witness the
death of her son, set the boy some distance away from herself, and
wept. "And God heard the voice of the lad" and sent his angel to tell
Hagar, "Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will
make him a great nation." And God "opened her eyes, and she saw a well
of water", from which she drew to save Ishmael's life and her own.
"And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness,
and became an archer." ()
Descendants
=============
After roaming the wilderness for some time, Ishmael and his mother
settled in the Desert of Paran, where he became an expert in archery.
Eventually, his mother found him a wife from the land of Egypt. They
had twelve sons each of whom became a tribal chief in one of the
regions from Havilah to Shur (from Assyria to the border of Egypt).
His sons:
#Nebaioth ( 'Nəḇāyōṯ')
#Kedar ( 'Qēḏār'), father of the Qedarites, a northern Arab tribe that
controlled the area between the Persian Gulf and the Sinai Peninsula.
According to tradition, he is the ancestor of the Quraysh tribe, and
thus, ancestor of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
#Adbeel ( 'ʾAḏbəʾēl')
#Mibsam ( 'Mīḇsām')
#Mishma ( 'Mīšmāʿ')
#Dumah ( 'Ḏūmā')
#Massa ( 'Massāʾ')
#Hadad ( 'Ḥăḏaḏ')
#Tema ( 'Ṯēmāʾ')
#Jetur ( 'Yəṭūr')
#Naphish ( 'Nāfīš')
#Kedemah ( 'Qēḏəmā')
Ishmael also had one known daughter, Mahalath or Basemath, the third
wife of Esau.
Abraham's corpse was not buried until Ishmael was sent news and after
his arrival at the burial. Ishmael died at the age of 137.
In various traditions
======================================================================
Historians and academics in the field of source criticism believe that
the stories of Ishmael belong to the three strata of J, or Yahwist
source, the P, or Priestly source, and the E, or Elohist source (See
Documentary hypothesis). For example, the narration in is of J type
and the narration in is of E type. Genesis 25 would have been added
during the Persian Period by the Priestly source, who attributed the
known Ishmaelite (Shumu'ilu) Tribes as the names of the sons of
Ishmael, although the narrative and name of Ishmael himself preceded
this.Noble, John Travis. 2013. "Let Ishmael Live Before You!" Finding
a
Place for Hagar's Son in the Priestly Tradition. Doctoral
dissertation,
Harvard University.
Jewish and Islamic traditions consider Ishmael to be the ancestor of
Arabs.
*Both Judaism and Islam see him as the ancestor of Arabian peoples.
*Ishmael is recognized by Muslims as the ancestor of several prominent
Arabiantribes and as the forefather of Muhammad. 'A-Z of Prophets in
Islam and Judaism', Wheeler, 'Ishmael' Muslims also believe that
Muhammad was the descendant of Ishmael that would establish a great
nation, as promised by God in the Old Testament.*
*Ishmael was considered the ancestor of the Northern Arabs and
Muhammad was linked to him through the lineage of the patriarch Adnan.
Ishmael may also have been the ancestor of the Southern Arabs through
his descendant Qahtan.
*"Zayd ibn Amr" was another Pre-Islamic figure who refused idolatry
and preached monotheism, claiming it was the original belief of their
[Arabs] father Ishmael. *The Beginning and the End by Ibn Kathir -
Vol. 3, p. 323 The History by Ibn Khaldun, Vol, 2, p. 4
*The tribes of Central West Arabia called themselves the "people of
Abraham and the offspring of Ishmael". The Signs of Prophethood,
Section 18, page 215.
*Gibb, Hamilton A.R. and Kramers, J.H. (1965). 'Shorter Encyclopedia
of Islam'. Ithaca: Cornell University Press. pp. 191-98.
*
*
Judaism
=========
In later Jewish texts, Ishmael is portrayed as someone who was
inclined towards many things Abraham considered wicked. Rabbinic
sources say that Ishmael prayed to idols when he believed to be alone,
although there is no indication of this behavior from the biblical
narrative. According to the Book of Genesis, in the Hebrew Bible,
Isaac rather than Ishmael was the true heir of the Abrahamic tradition
and covenant, while at the same time being blessed by God with a great
nation.
In some traditions Ishmael is said to have had two wives, one of them
named Aisha. This name corresponds to the Muslim tradition for the
name of Muhammad's wife. This is understood as a metaphoric
representation of the Muslim world (first Arabs and then Turks) with
Ishmael.
Rabbinical commentators in the Midrash Genesis Rabbah also say that
Ishmael's mother Hagar was the Pharaoh's daughter, making Ishmael the
Pharaoh's grandson. This could be why Genesis 17:20 refers to Ishmael
as the father of 12 mighty princes. According to Genesis 21:21, Hagar
married Ishmael to an Egyptian woman, and if Rabbinical commentators
are correct that Hagar was the Pharaoh's daughter, his marriage to a
woman she selected could explain how and why his sons became princes.
According to other Jewish commentators, Ishmael's mother Hagar is
identified with Keturah, the woman Abraham sought out and married
after Sarah's death. It is suggested that Keturah was Hagar's personal
name, and that "Hagar" was a descriptive label meaning "stranger".
This interpretation is discussed in the Midrash and is supported by
Rashi, Gur Aryeh, Keli Yakar, and Obadiah of Bertinoro. Rashi (Rabbi
Shlomo Itzhaki) argues that "Keturah" was a name given to Hagar
because her deeds were as beautiful as incense (Hebrew, 'ketoret'),
and that she remained chaste (literally "tied her opening", with the
verb 'tied' in Aramaic being 'k-t-r') from the time she was separated
from Abraham.
It is also said that Sarah was motivated by Ishmael's sexually
frivolous ways because of the reference to his "making merry" (Gen.
21:9), a translation of the Hebrew word "Mitzachek". This was
developed into a reference to idolatry, sexual immorality or even
murder; some rabbinic sources claim that Sarah worried that Ishmael
would negatively influence Isaac, or that he would demand Isaac's
inheritance on the grounds of being the firstborn. Regarding the word
"Mitzachek" (again in Gen. 21:9) The Jewish Study Bible by Oxford
University Press says this word in this particular context is
associated with "Playing is another pun on Isaac's name (cf. 17.17;
18.12; 19.14; 26.8). Ishmael was 'Isaacing', or 'taking Isaac's
place'." Others take a more positive view, emphasizing Hagar's piety,
noting that she was "the one who had sat by the well and besought him
who is the life of the worlds, saying 'look upon my misery'".
In Rabbinic literature, the name of Ishmael is an allusion to God's
promise to hear
[
https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8251-ishmael] the
complaints of Israel whenever it suffered at the hands of Ishmael
(Gen. R. xlv. 11). Abraham endeavored to bring up Ishmael in
righteousness; to train him in the laws of hospitality Abraham gave
him the calf to prepare (Gen. R. xlviii. 14; comp. Gen. xviii. 7). But
according to divine prediction Ishmael remained a savage. The
ambiguous expression
[
https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8251-ishmael] in Gen.
xxi. 9 (see Hagar) is interpreted by some rabbis as meaning that
Ishmael had been idolatrous; by others, that he had turned his bow
against Isaac. According to the interpretation of Simeon b. Yoḥai,
Ishmael mocked those who maintained that Isaac would be Abraham's
chief heir, and said that as he (Ishmael) was the first-born son he
would receive two-thirds of the inheritance (Tosef., Sotah, v. 12, vi.
6; Pirḳe R. El. xxx.; Gen. R. liii. 15). Upon seeing the danger to
Isaac, Sarah, who had till then been attached to Ishmael (Josephus,
"Ant." i. 12, § 3), insisted that Abraham cast out Ishmael. Abraham
was obliged to put him on Hagar's shoulders, because he fell sick
under the spell of the evil eye cast upon him by Sarah (Gen. R. liii.
17).
Ishmael, left under a shrub by his despairing mother, prayed to God to
take his soul and not permit him to suffer the torments of a slow
death (comp. Targ. pseudo-Jonathan to Gen. xxi. 15). God then
commanded the angel to show Hagar the well which was created on Friday
in the week of Creation, in the twilight (comp. Ab. v. 6), and which
afterward accompanied the Israelites in the wilderness (Pirḳe R. El.
xxx.). But this was protested against by the angels, who said: "Why
should Ishmael have water, since his descendants will destroy the
Israelites by thirst?" (comp. Yer. Ta'an. iv. 8; Lam. R. ii. 2). God
replied: "But now he is innocent, and I judge him according to what he
is now" (Pirḳe R. El. l.c.; Gen. R. l.c.; et al.). Ishmael married a
Moabitess named 'Adishah or 'Aishah (variants "'Ashiyah" and "'Aifah,"
Arabic names; Targ. pseudo-Jonathan to Gen. xxi. 21; Pirḳe R. El.
l.c.); or, according to "Sefer ha-Yashar" (Wayera), an Egyptian named
Meribah or Merisah. He had four sons and one daughter. Ishmael
meanwhile grew so skilful in archery that he became the master of all
the bowmen (Targ. pseudo-Jonathan to Gen. xxi. 20; Gen.R. liii. 20).
Afterward Abraham went to see Ishmael, and, according to his promise
to Sarah, stopped at his son's tent without alighting from his camel.
Ishmael was not within; his wife refused Abraham food, and beat her
children and cursed her husband within Abraham's hearing. Abraham
thereupon asked her to tell Ishmael when he returned that an old man
had asked that he change the peg of the tent. Ishmael understood that
it was his father, took the hint, and drove away his wife. He then
married another woman, named Faṭimah (Peḳimah; Targ. pseudo-Jonathan
l.c.), who, when three years later Abraham came again to see his son,
received him kindly; therefore Abraham asked her to tell Ishmael that
the peg was good.
Ishmael then went to Canaan and settled with his father (Pirḳe R. El.
l.c.; "Sefer ha-Yashar," l.c.). This statement agrees with that of
Baba Batra (16a)--that Ishmael became a penitent during the lifetime
of Abraham. He who sees Ishmael in a dream will have his prayer
answered by God (Ber. 56a).
Samaritanism
==============
In Samaritan Torah version, Ishmael was described in Book of Genesis
16 as a 'fertile of man' instead of a 'wild ass of a man' as suggested
in Masoretic Pentateuch which commonly used as standard version of
Hebrew Bible in Jewish community.
Christianity
==============
In the Epistle to the Galatians (4:21-31), Paul uses the incident to
symbolize the two covenants the old but fulfilled and new covenant
which is universal by promise through Jesus Christ. In Galatians
4:28-31, Hagar is associated with the Sinai covenant, while Sarah is
associated with the covenant of grace into which her son Isaac enters.
Pre-Islamic Arabia
====================
Some Pre-Islamic poetry mentions Ishmael, his father Abraham, and a
sacrifice story, such as the Pre-Islamic poet "Umayyah Ibn Abi
As-Salt", who said in one of his poems: ([The sacrifice] of his
first-born of whose separation he [Abraham] could not bear neither
could he see him surrounded in foes).
Also, some of the tribes of Central West Arabia called themselves the
"people of Abraham and the offspring of Ishmael", as evidenced by a
common opening of speeches and harangues of reconciliation between
rival tribes in that area.
Islam
=======
Ishmael (Arabic: إسماعيل 'Ismāʿīl') is recognized as an important
prophet of Islam. Like Christians and Jews, Muslims believe that
Ishmael was the firstborn of Abraham, born to him from his wife's
maidservant Hagar. Ishmael is recognized by Muslims as the ancestor of
several northern prominent Arab tribes and the forefather of Adnan,
the ancestor of Muhammad. Muslims also believe that Muhammad was the
descendant of Ishmael who would establish a great nation.
In the Quran
==============
Ishmael is mentioned over ten times in the Quran, often alongside
other prophets of ancient times. He is mentioned together with Elisha
and Dhul-Kifl as one of "the patiently enduring and righteous, whom
God caused to enter into his mercy." It is also said of Lut, Elisha,
Jonah and Ishmael, that God gave each one " favouring each over other
people ˹of their time˺". These references to Ishmael are, in each
case, part of a larger context in which other holy prophets are
mentioned. In other chapters of the Quran, however, which date from
the Medina period, Ishmael is mentioned closely with his father
Abraham: Ishmael stands alongside Abraham in their attempt to raised
the foundation of the Kaaba in Mecca as a place of monotheistic
pilgrimage and Abraham thanks God for granting him Ishmael and Isaac
in his old age. Ishmael is further mentioned alongside other prophets
who had been given revelations and Jacob's sons promised to follow the
faith of their forefathers, "Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac", when
testifying their faith. In the Quranic narrative of the near-sacrifice
of Abraham's son, the son is not named and, although the general
interpretation is that it was Ishmael, Tabari maintained that it was
Isaac, consistent with the Hebrew scriptures. Most modern
commentators, however, regard the son's identification as least
important in a narrative given for its moral lesson.
Ishmael in Muslim literature
==============================
The commentaries on the Quran and the numerous collections of 'Stories
of the Prophets' flesh out the Islamic perspective of Ishmael and
detail what they describe as his integral part in setting up the
Kaaba. According to Muslim tradition, Ishmael was buried at the Hijr
near the Kaaba, inside the Sacred Mosque.
In Islamic belief, Abraham prayed to God for a son and God heard his
prayer. Muslim exegesis states that Sarah asked Abraham to marry her
Egyptian handmaiden Hagar because she herself was barren. Hagar soon
bore Ishmael, who was the first son of Abraham. God then instructed
Abraham to take Hagar and Ishmael to the desert and leave them there.
He did so, taking them to the location of the Kaaba's foundations
(which now was in ruins) and as he turned away from Hagar and started
to walk away she called out to him and asked "Why are you leaving us
here?", to which Abraham didn't reply the first two times she asked.
She then changed her question and asked "Did God command you to do
this?" to which Abraham stopped, turned around, looked back and
replied "Yes." She responded, "Then God will provide for us." Abraham
then continued on his journey back to Sarah. In the desert, the baby
Ishmael cried with thirst. His mother placed him in the shade under a
bush and went on a frantic search for water, which resulted in her
running seven times between the Safa and Marwah hills trying to find a
source of water or a passing caravan she could trade with for water.
Hagar, not finding any sources of water and fearing the death of her
baby, sat down and cried asking for God's help. God sent angel Gabriel
to her informing her to lift up her baby and when she did, she noticed
that his feet had scratched the ground allowing a spring of water to
bubble up to the surface. Hagar quickly shifted the ground to form a
well around the spring to contain the water, forming the Zamzam well.
Hagar refilled the bottle with water and gave her baby a drink. This
spring became known to caravans that traveled through Arabia and Hagar
negotiated deals with them for supplies in exchange for the water.
From her actions, the city of Mecca (originally Becca or Baca in
Hebrew) grew, and attracted settlers who stayed and provided
protection for her and Ishmael as well as being sources of various
goods brought in and exchanged with visiting caravans. To commemorate
the blessing of the Zamzam well God gave to Hagar and Ishmael, Muslims
run between the Safa and Marwah hills retracing Hagar's steps during
the rites of Hajj.
Abraham returned and visited Ishmael at various times throughout his
life. At one time, according to a tradition of Muhammad, Abraham had
arrived when his son was out and Abraham visited with Ishmael's wife.
Abraham decided to leave before seeing his son, but based upon the
complaints Ishmael's wife made in response to his questions, he gave
her a message to give to her husband when he returned home, which was
"change his threshold." When Ishmael arrived that night, he asked if
they had had any visitors, and was informed by his wife of the man who
had visited and what he said. Ishmael understood his father and
explained to his wife that the visitor was his father and he had been
instructed to divorce his wife and find a better one, which Ishmael
did. Some time after this, Abraham returned to visit Ishmael and again
Ishmael was out. Abraham talked with Ishmael's new wife and found her
answers indicated faith in God and contentment with her husband.
Abraham again had to leave before he saw his son, but left him the
message to "keep his threshold." When Ishmael returned that night, he
again asked if there had been any visitors and was informed of
Abraham's visit. Ishmael told his wife who it was that had come to
visit and that he approved of her and their marriage.
On one of his visits to Mecca, Abraham is said to have asked his son
to help him raised the foundation of the Kaaba. Islamic traditions
hold that the Kaaba was first built by Adam and that Abraham and
Ishmael rebuilt the Kaaba on the old foundations. As Ishmael grew up
in Arabia, he is said to have become fluent in Arabic. In the
genealogical trees that the early scholars drew, Ishmael was
considered the ancestor of the Northern Arabs and Muhammad was linked
to him through the lineage of Adnan.
Bahá'í Faith
==============
The scriptures of the Baháʼí Faith state that it was Ishmael, and not
Isaac, who was the son Abraham almost sacrificed. But they also state
that the name is unimportant as either could be used: the importance
is that both were symbols of sacrifice. According to Shoghi Effendi,
there has also been another Ishmael, a prophet of Israel, commonly
known as Samuel."Concerning the appearance of two Davids; there is a
Tablet from 'Abdu'l-Bahá in which He says that just as there have been
two Ishmaels, one the son of Abraham, and the other one of the
Prophets of Israel, there have appeared two Davids, one the author of
the Psalms and father of Solomon, and the other before Moses."
(Shoghi Effendi, 'Dawn of a New Day', pp. 86-87)
See also
======================================================================
* Abraham
* Biblical narratives and the Qur'an
* Isaac
* Legends and the Qur'an
* List of names referring to El
* Prophets of Islam
* Stories of The Prophets
* Ishmael (Moby-Dick)
Sources
======================================================================
;Books and journals
*
*
*
*
;Encyclopedias
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
======================================================================
* [
http://www.johnpratt.com/items/docs/adam_gen/intro.html Genealogy
from Adam to the Twelve Tribes]
* [
http://www.islam101.com/history/people/prophets/Ismael.htm Ishmael
in Islam]
*
[
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=277&letter=I&search=Ishmael
Ishmael] - 'The Jewish Encyclopedia'
*
[
https://web.archive.org/web/20070104064710/http://www.anchorite.org/blog/2006/07/31/biographical-study-on-ishmael/
Biographical Study on Ishmael] (archived 4 January 2007)
*
* [
http://bahai9.com/wiki/Ishmael Ishmael in Baha'i Faith]
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=========
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