Islamic Timeline of RevelationOpen in flowchart →
Prophet / MessengerPhase 1 · Adam to IsaMain personality

Prophet Ismail (AS)

إسماعيل

Son of Ibrahim (traditional; disputed) date disputed

Ibrahim's firstborn son through Hajar, raised in Makkah, co-builder of the Ka'bah and ancestor of the Arabs of the Hijaz and of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. The Quran praises him as true to his promise, a messenger and a prophet.

Biography

Ismail was born to Ibrahim and Hajar. As an infant he was settled with his mother in the valley of Makkah (14:37). Sahih Bukhari 3364 narrates Hajar's search for water between Safa and Marwah and the spring of Zamzam brought forth by the angel, followed by the settlement of the tribe of Jurhum, from whom Ismail learned Arabic and among whom he married.

When he was old enough to work with his father, Ibrahim told him of the dream of sacrifice, and he replied 'O my father, do as you are commanded; you will find me, if Allah wills, among the patient' (37:102). Allah ransomed him with a great sacrifice (37:107), commemorated at Eid al-Adha. (The majority view identifies the son as Ismail; a minority said Ishaq.)

With his father he raised the foundations of the Ka'bah, praying 'Our Lord, accept from us' and asking for a messenger from among their descendants (2:127-129). The Quran calls him 'true to his promise, a messenger and a prophet' who enjoined prayer and zakat on his family (19:54-55). The Prophet ﷺ said Allah chose Kinanah from the descendants of Ismail and Quraysh from Kinanah (Sahih Muslim 2276).

Through his descendants (the 'Adnani Arabs) the line leads to Muhammad ﷺ, and through them the Hanif tradition was preserved in Makkah before its corruption.

Sources & explanation

۞ Qur'an

2:125 2:127 2:128 2:129 2:133 2:136 14:37 19:54 19:55 21:85 37:101 37:102 37:107 38:48 6:86 4:163

Links open quran.com.

📜 Hadith verified on sunnah.com

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 3364 Sahih

    Ibrahim left Hajar and the infant Isma'il in the valley of Makkah; the spring of Zamzam; the Jurhum tribe settled; Ibrahim and Isma'il later built the Ka'bah.

  • Sahih Muslim 2276 Sahih

    Allah chose Kinanah from the descendants of Isma'il, Quraysh from Kinanah, Banu Hashim from Quraysh, and chose the Prophet ﷺ from Banu Hashim.

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 2899 Sahih

    'Practise archery, O children of Isma'il, for your father was an archer.'

💬 Explanation Unverified

Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's perspective

Methodological note (not a direct quote): Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's widely known approach is to build narratives primarily on the Quran and Sahih Hadith, to set aside Israiliyat (Judeo-Christian lore absorbed into later tafsir) and weak or fabricated narrations, and to avoid sectarian framing. Applied to this node: The narrative is drawn from the Quran and the Ibn Abbas narration in Sahih Bukhari 3364; the identity of the sacrificed son is presented as the majority scholarly view.

Further references

  • Quran 2:127-129
  • Quran 14:37
  • Quran 19:54-55
  • Quran 37:101-107
  • Sahih Bukhari 3364
  • Sahih Muslim 2276

Connections

Comes from

Leads to

Linked with