The 25 Prophets: (7) ISMAIL (AS) (ISHMAEL)

ISMAIL (AS) (ISHMAEL)

As we have seen in the previous chapter that Ibrahim (AS) lived in Palestine with his wife Sarah and their woman slave Hagar. He was working as a trader and at the same time preaching the worship of the one God. Sarah was barren and did not bear any children, and Ibrahim (AS) had grown old in age and wanted very much to have a child. This used to upset Sarah very much to see her husband in that state, she therefore suggested to him that he married Hagar hoping that she might bear a child for him. She said this wholeheartedly with her own consent. Ibrahim (AS) therefore married Hagar when he was eighty-six years old and she gave birth to a boy who was called Ismail.

Ibrahim (AS) became a very happy man and he wanted very much to share this happiness with his wife Sarah. Instead Sarah became very jealous to see that it was Hagar who gave her husband a child, she never wanted to see both of them in front of her and wanted that Hagar be removed. She therefore told her husband to banish Hagar and her baby.

Here came the Lord's command to Ibrahim (AS) to remove both of them and take them far away. He therefore took them and went out towards the desert. He travelled in the valleys and desert and went far away, until he reached a place where there was nothing at all, no life, no water not even a tree to be seen. This place as mentioned in the Quraan is a valley of Bakka or known as Mecca, which is the site of the famous Holy Kaaba.

Ibrahim (AS) put down his wife H agar and their baby Ismail here. As he was departing with the intention of leaving them there, Hagar held onto him pleading, saying: "How can you leave us alone in this valley where there is no life at all, or is this in order from your Lord?" Ibrahim did not pay attention to Hagar's pleas but went on leaving the two behind with only a little food and water. Hagar understood that this was the wish of their Lord, she then said: "God will not leave us alone."

Ibrahim (AS) left them there, feeling very sorry but went without looking back. He said: "0 our Lord! I have made some of my offspring to dwell in a valley without cultivation, by your sacred house; in order, 0 our Lord, that they may establish regular prayer. So fill the hearts of some among men with love towards them, and feed them with fruits so that they may give thanks."

Years later, Sarah gave birth to a son, about whom we shall talk later. So, Ibrahim (AS) had two sons and both of his sons became Prophets.

The Start of Zamzam Spring

Hagar and her baby remained at that place helpless, eating and drinking what she had, until the food and water finished. The baby then became hungry and thirsty and started to cry. Hagar put her child on the ground and started pacing up and down between two small rocks known as Safaa and Marwaa in the hope that she would see a caravan approaching. She did these seven times up and down without success. This is what now people do during Hajj and Umrah known as Saaiy as a remembrance of this event.

She then sat down with her baby helpless not knowing what to do, leaving it to her Lord. As the baby was crying and kicking his little feet on the ground, with God's miracle, water started gushing out under his feet. Hagar was astonished and very happy to see the water coming from underneath her baby's feet. She thanked her Lord and drank from it and fed her baby.

At first the water was not much so Hagar was trying to collect it and as she was doing this she was saying "Zam Zam" meaning gather, gather. This spring which has been blessed by God exists until today near the Holy Kaaba. It is the one known as Zamzam, and the water coming from it is called Zamzam water. The availability of water here made the caravans passing through stop.

Muhammad (SAW) said: "God bless Ismail's mother, had she not gathered the water in one place, then the Zamzam spring would have been bigger than what it is now and would have overflowed into a river." But with the excitement of wanting to save her child from thirst, she made a hole into which the water flowed, and remained in one place.

Ismail (AS) is Offered in Sacrifice

Ibrahim (AS) never forgot his son Ismail. He visited him quite often. When Ismail was a young lad, his father dreamt (saw a vision) that he was slaughtering him. Normally Prophet's dreams are true and are commands from their Lord who gives them a sort of a test to check their faith. Imagine a man in his nineties, all his life he had wanted a child, God blesses him with a child, and he is then ordered to abandon him at a place where there is no life, alone with only his mother. The child grows up to become a nice youth; he then gets an order from his Lord to slaughter this child. Is this not a big test to him? God Almighty Knows best.

Therefore Ibrahim (AS) came to his son Ismail and said to him: "0 my son! I see in vision that I offer you in sacrifice, now see what is your view!"

The son said: "0 my father! Do as you are commanded, you will find me, if God so wills, one practising patience and constancy!"

Here Ismail said to his father: "Let me lie facing down so that you do not see my face when you come to slaughter me."

So when they had both submitted to their wills (to God), and he had laid him prostrate on his forehead (for sacrifice), God called out to him: "0 Ibrahim! You have already fulfilled the vision!"

And this is how those who do right are rewarded. It was obviously a trial. Then God sent to him a sheep to sacrifice instead of his son. The vision, it is believed had occurred in the valley of Mina six miles north of Mecca, where a commemoration sacrifice is annually celebrated as a rite of the Hajj, in memory of this Sacrifice of Ibrahim and Ismail (AS).

The sacrifice was demanded of both Ibrahim and Ismail (AS). It was a trial of the will of the father and the son. By way of trial the father had the command conveyed to him in a vision. To make sure that it was not an idle dream, and, if it was a real order, to make sure that his son consented, he consulted the son. The son readily consented, and offered to stand true to his promise if his self-sacrifice was really required.

Ismail (AS) and the People of Jurham

Birds flew over the area where there was water but people were not aware of it as yet. One day Jurham and his people stopped on their way with their caravan near to this place, and while they were there they noticed birds flying over the area not far away. They said: "These birds are a sign that there is water in that place, but as far as we know this place is arid." They therefore sent someone to investigate. The person went to where the water was and came back to them with the good news.

They then went to the place and to their surprise found an oasis. There was an old woman and a youth that were living there; they asked permission from them if they could put up camp. Hagar gave them permission for them to stay as respectable guests not to take the place as theirs (by force). They put up camp and stayed there for a while. They then decided to live there so they brought their families. Ismail (AS) was a clever young man who liked to mix with people, so he mixed with the Jurham's and learnt their language (Arabic), he later married one of them.

As we saw earlier Ibrahim (AS) was always visiting his son. This time when he came to his house he did not find him, but found a woman. He asked about him from this woman and she told him that he had gone to work. The woman without knowing who the old man was, started to complain to him about their life. Ibrahim (AS), however, knew that she must be his son's wife and felt that the woman was not satisfied with the life and what they had. When he came to depart, he asked her to tell her husband to change the threshold of his house.

When Ismail (AS) returned home he asked his wife if anyone had called in, and she said: "Oh yes! An old man came here asking for you and said to tell you to change the threshold of your house or something, and then left."

Ismail (AS) said to her: "That was my father and the message he left for me is to divorce you."

Ismail (AS) therefore divorced her and married another woman. After a while Ibrahim (AS) came again to visit him, this time again he did not find him but found another woman. When he asked her about his son she told him that he had gone to work. The woman without knowing who the old man was, talked very highly of her husband and she never stopped for a moment to thank God for what they had. Ibrahim (AS) left and asked her to tell her husband to hold on to the threshold of his house. When Ismail (AS) returned home, the wife without being asked, straight away told her husband about this nice old man who had paid her a visit and left a message for him to hold on to the threshold of his house. Ismail (AS) said to his wife: "That was my father, and the message he left means that I must never part with you." So they lived very happily and had many children.

Hagar, Ismail's mother died before her husband Ibrahim (AS) and was buried in Mecca. After that, Sarah died, at the age of one hundred and twenty seven years.

The Construction of Holy Kaaba

Ibrahim (AS) stayed away from his son for a long time and again came to pay him a visit. Only on this occasion it was not just a visit to see his son, this time he came with an important task from his Lord. He had been ordered to build the first shrine for people to worship in, which was to be the Holy Kaaba. He told his son: "I have been commanded by my Lord to build a shrine here." And pointed to a place which was a little elevated; the place was actually directed to him by the Angels.

It is said that he dug at the place and found a foundation of a building that was constructed by Shiyth (AS) earlier, but it is also said that the Angels had laid the foundation that he found there. It is known that during Muhammad (SAW) that the Quraishy wanted to rebuild the Kaaba after it had fallen down. When they were digging to increase the foundation, they found a layer of green stones laid together in a honeycomb. They tried to remove the stones, but a very strong blinding light came from underneath, so they decided to leave them.

Ibrahim (AS) and his son started the construction, laying stone by stone until they completed it. At some stage during the construction works, Ibrahim (AS) could not reach the height to lay the stones, so asked his son to get him a stone that he could stand on. Ismail (AS) found a black stone and brought it to his father. This is the black stone that has been laid in one corner of the Holy Kaaba known as Hajar L-Aswad. There is also another narrative that relates that the Angel Jibril brought this stone from Heavens to Ibrahim (AS). It is also said that it was white when it was first put up but became black because of people's sins, as they constantly kissed it.

After they completed the construction, Ibrahim (AS) was commanded by The Lord to call the people to perform the Hajj. He was told: "And proclaim the Pilgrimage among men they will come to you on foot and (mounted) on every kind of camel, lean on account of journeys through deep and distant mountain highways; that they may witness the benefits (provided) for them."

Ibrahim (AS) said: "0 my Lord! How can the people far away hear my voice?"

The Lord said: "You call and will pass the message."

Therefore Ibrahim (AS) stood on top of the Kaaba and called.

Reference: The Twenty five Prophets (The Parable of the Apostles Mentioned in the Holy Quraan)", by Nassir ibn Issa ibn Said Al-Kindy. (p 50-56)