Thread by @MR_9ce_Guy

The story of Prophet Isma’il (Ishmael)

May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him.

He was the first son of Prophet Ibrahim (A.S) and his mother was Hajar.

His life started out as a test for his father from Allah.

After Isma’il was born, Allah wanted to test Ibrahim, so he asked him to take his new born to a deserted land.

Ibrahim being a very obedient servant didn’t argue and he set out to carry out Allah’s wishes.

Remember Ibrahim has been craving for a child for years and now his first child came and Allah wants to test him and see if he’ll be obedient or he’ll follow his heart desires.

One day, Ibrahim woke up and asked his wife Hajar to get her son and prepare for a long journey.

In a few days Ibrahim started out with his wife Hajar and their son Ismail. Ismail was still nursing and not yet weaned.

Ibrahim walked through cultivated land, desert, and mountains until he reached the desert of the Arabian Peninsula and came to an uncultivated valley having no fruit, no trees, no food, no water.

The valley had no sign of life at all.

After Ibrahim had helped his wife and child to dismount, he left them with a small amount of food and water which was hardly enough for 2 days.

He turned around and walked away. His wife hurried after him asking:

"Where are you going to, leaving us in this barren valley?"

Ibrahim did not answer her, but continued walking. She repeated her questions trice, but he remained silent.

Finally she understood that he was not acting on his own initiative. she realized that Allah had commanded him to do this.

Then she asked:
"Did Allah command you to do this?"

He replied: "Yes."

Then his wife said: "We are not going to be lost, since Allah Who has commanded you is with us."

Ibrahim kept walking till he’s sure they can’t see him, then he stopped 😭 and prayed to Allah.

His prayers still follows till date, here’s what he said, From the Quran.

“O our Lord! I have settled some of my descendants in a valley having no cultivation, near Your Sacred House–O our Lord! So that they may keep the prayer established, therefore incline some hearts of men towards them, and provide them fruits to eat–perhaps they may be thankful.”

“O our Lord! You know what we hide and what we disclose; and nothing is hidden from Allah, neither in the earth nor in the heavens.”

Quran chapter 14 (Suratul Ibrahim) verses 37 & 38

Ibn Abbas one of the companion of the Prophet (S.A.W) narrated what happed after Prophet Ibrahim left Hajar and her son. He said:....

"Ismail’s mother went on suckling Ismail and drinking from the water (she had) When the water in the water skin had been used up, she became thirsty and her child also became thirsty, She started looking at him (Ismail ) tossing in agony....

She left him there, and found that the mountain of As-Safa was the nearest mountain to her on that land.

she went on it and started looking at the valley keenly so that she might see somebody, but she could not see anybody.

Then she descended from As-Safa and when she reached the valley, she ran in the valley like a person in distress and trouble till she crossed the valley and reached the mountain of Al Marwa.

There she stood and started looking expecting to see somebody, but she could not see anybody. She repeated that running between Safa And Marwa seven times."

This is the origin of Safa and Marwa that’s included in your hajj to do list.

The prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "This is the source of the tradition of the Sa'y (rituals of the hajj, pilgrimage) the going of people between them (As-Safa and Al-Marwa)...”

When she reached Al Marwa (for the last time) she heard a voice and she asked herself to be quiet and listened attentively.

She heard the voice again and said: "O whoever you maybe! You have made me hear your voice; have you got something to help me?"

And behold! She saw an angel at the place of Zam zam, digging the earth with his heel (or his wing) till water flowed from that place.

She started to make something like a basin around it, using her hand , and started filling her water skin with water with her hands...

..and the water was flowing out water she had scooped some of it."

The Prophet (pbuh) added: "May Allah bestow mercy on Ismail’s mother! Had she let the zam-zam flow without trying to control it, or had she not scooped from that water to fill her water skin,...

....Zam zam would have been a stream flowing on the surface of the earth."

The Prophet (pbuh) continued:

"Then she drank the water and suckled her child. The angel said to her: "Don't be afraid of being neglected, for this is the House of Allah which will be built by this boy and his father, and Allah never neglects His people."

"She lived in that way till some people from the tribe of Jurhum or a family from Jurhum passed by her and her child, as they were coming through the way of Kada...

..they landed in the lower part of Mecca where they saw a bird that had the habit of flying around water and not leaving it. they said: "this bird must be flying around water, though we know that there is no water in this valley."

They sent one or two messengers who discovered the source of water and returned to inform them of the water. So they all came towards the water.

They found Ismail’s mother sitting near the water.

They asked her: "Do you allow us to stay with you?"

She replied: "Yes, but you will have no right to possess the water."

She said that cause she knows the Arabs they can claim it and stop others from drinking.

They agreed to that. Hajar was pleased with the whole situation, and later on they sent for their families who came and settled with them so that some families became permanent residents there.

Her child (Ismail) grew up and learned Arabic from them and (his virtues) caused them to love and admire him as he grew up and when he reached the age of puberty they made him marry a woman from amongst them.

After Ismail’s mother had died, Ibrahim visited his son but he was directed to Ismail’s house, there he met his wife.

When he asked Ismail’s wife about him, she replied: "He has gone in search of livelihood."

Then he asked her about their way of living and their condition,

She replied, "We are living in misery; we are living in hardship and destitution," complaining to him.

He said: "When your husband returns, convey my salutations to him and tell him to change the gate of his house."

When Ishmael came, he seemed to have felt something unusual.

So he asked his wife: "Has anyone visited you?"

she replied, "Yes, an old man of such and such description came and asked me about you and I informed him and he asked about our state of living and I told him that we were living in a hardship and poverty."

On hearing that Ismail said: "Did he advise you anything?"

She said: "Yes he told me to convey his salutation to you and to tell you to change the gate of your house."

Ismail said: "It was my father and he has ordered me to divorce you. Go back to your family." So, Ismail divorced her and married another woman from among them (Jurhum).

Pause a minute here, why do you think Ibrahim made his son divorce her??

The answer is simple! A wife is the gate of your household, and gates are meant to guide and protect you,

A good wife protects your honor and your secrets and advice you on what’s good and help you in every way.

Once more Ibrahim thought of visiting the family he had left at Mecca and he told his wife (Sarah) of his decision.

On reaching Mecca 🕋 he found Ismail behind the Zam-zam well, mending his arrows.

He said: 'O Ismail, your Lord has ordered me to build a house for Him.'

Ismail said: 'Obey the order of your Lord.'

Ibrahim said: 'Allah has also ordered me that you should help me therein.'

Ismail said: 'Then I will do so.'

The started building the house (Ka’aba), When the building became high and the old Ibrahim could no longer lift the stones to such a high position, he stood over the stone of Al Maqam.

This Maqam is that spot close to the Ka’aba today with the footprint of Ibrahim (A.S).

Ismail continued while Ibrahim stood on the Maqam and kept passing the building materials to his son.

As they built they kept saying:

"O our Lord! Accept this service of us, verily You are the All Hearer, the All Knower.""

The building of the Ka’aba happened after Allah has tested Ibrahim by asking him to sacrifice his son Ismail.

They built the holy ka’aba, they were the first engineers to construct it, before it was destroyed and rebuilt to what we have today!!

Let’s read the summary of the life of Ismail and his Father Ibrahim (May Allah be pleased with them) from the Quran.

“So they tried to execute their evil scheme upon him – We therefore degraded them. (Allah saved him, by commanding the fire to turn cool).”

And he said, “Indeed I shall go to my Lord Who will guide me.”

“My Lord! Give me a meritorious child.”

“We therefore gave him the glad tidings of an intelligent son.”

“And when he (his son) was old enough to walk with him, he said: "O my son! I have seen in a dream that I am slaughtering you (offer you in sacrifice to Allah), so look what do you think!Ý" He said: "O my father! Do that which you are commanded InshAllah (if Allah wills),...

...you shall find me of the patient."

“Then (remember) when they both submitted to Allah’s command, and Ibrahim lay his son facing downwards. (The knife did not hurt Ismail)”

“And We called out to him, “O Ibrahim!”

“You have indeed made the dream come true”; and this is how We reward the virtuous.”

“Indeed this was a clear test”

“And We rescued him in exchange of a great sacrifice.”

The sacrifice of Ibrahim and Ismail – peace be upon them – is commemorated every year on 10, 11 and 12 Zil Haj (I.e During Eid Kabir)

“And We kept his praise among the latter generations”

Till today when you pray in your final tashahud you praise Ibrahim (A.S).

“Peace be upon Ibrahim”

“This is how We reward the virtuous.”

“He is indeed one of Our high ranking, firmly believing bondmen”

Their Story from the Quran Chapter 37 verses 99 to 111.

Ismail (A.S) is so truthful and always keeps his promise, such that one day a man told him that he should meet him somewhere, Ismail told him ok I will wait for you there.

When it was time, the man didn’t show up, Ismail waited for him there till the next day

“And remember Ismail in the Book; he was indeed true to his promise and was a Noble Messenger, a Prophet.”

Chapter 18 verse 54

This is the story of Prophet Ismail Son of Prophet Ibrahim, brother of Prophet Ishaq.

From his linage the greatest creation of Allah emerged
(Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W)).

Note: there was no Prophet that came out of the linage of Prophet Ismail, that even the people from the linage of his brother (Ishaq) started to mock his people.

Allah blessed the linage of Ismail with best Prophet.

May Allah increase us in knowledge, and grant us knowledge that would be useful to us.