ISHMAEL (ISMAIL)
Ishmael (Ismail) was the elder son of Abraham born to Hager (Hajirah). Sarah, the first wife of Prophet Abraham had no child of her own. She became jealous of Hager. But God had his own designs for Sarah. God instructed Abraham to take his wife Hager and his son Ishmael to Hejaz, deep south in the desert of Arabia where the city of Mecca is now situated. It was a desolate place at that time.
The Miracle of Zam Zam
The place where God had instructed Abraham to leave his wife and child was without any vegetation or habitation. Ishmael was thirsty and the mother had run out of water. She ran several times between two hills trying to look for help, water or vegetation. She was unsuccessful in her quest. However as the child cried, kicking the ground with his heels, a spring of fresh water gushed out. This spring runs with unlimited fresh water to this day and is treated as holy water by pilgrims to Mecca. The act of Hager became so significant in her effort to save the life of her child who would be a prophet that God deemed this an essential part of the Pilgrimage (Hajj) ritual for all times to come.
The Founding of the City of Mecca
A wandering tribe of the land known as Banu Jarham arrived in the desolate territory to find Ishmael and his mother encamped with the fresh water spring which never existed there before. They were fascinated when they heard the story of the spring. They knew that there had been no such spring at that site before. They paid reverence to the holy family and erected their tents by the spring. This temporary sojourn became a permanent settlement and later came to be known as Mecca.
The Trial of Abraham by God
Ishmael was only nine when his father Abraham saw in a dream that he sacrificed his only son to please God. On seeing the same dream on three consecutive nights, he told Ishmael about it. Ishmael replied that it must be a test from God to test their wills and he was willing to be sacrificed for God. Abraham took his son Ishmael to Mina, laid him on the ground and tied his arms and legs with a cord. As he placed his knife on the throat of his son, the Archange! Gabriel appeared and announced that the test of their ultimate submission to God was complete. Just then, by the Grace of God, a healthy lamb appeared there to be sacrificed in place of Ishmael. Abraham was given the happy tiding that God was pleased with them and their position would be elevated. Abraham was also given the happy news of another Isaac. son,
This act of the great prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael became an essential part of pilgrimage (Hajj) for all times and is celebrated a day before the annual Eid al-Adha.
The Building of Ka’ba
Abraham and his son Ishmael, following divine instructions, built the Ka’ba in Mecca as a House of worship for God. On completion of the holy structure, both of them prayed to God for acceptance of their service. They called upon the people to come for pilgrimage (Hajj). Since then, the tradition of the two prophets has continued to be performed through the centuries. The black stone (Hajre Aswad) was placed in one corner of the building by Prophet Abraham. According to some traditions, this stone had descended from the heaven!
For the Muslim pilgrim, one of the center points of the rituals of Hajj is to go round the Ka’ba seven times and to kiss Hajre Aswad. This is done in remembrance of the act of devotion by the patriarch of our prophets. It is one of the essential obligations of the faithful to go to Mecca and perform the ritual Hajj at least once during their lifetime.
Ishmael had many sons and daughters who migrated to
several parts of the Arabian Peninsula and they imparted the teachings of Abraham wherever they settled. However Mecca. remained the central place of congregation throughout the ages and Ka’ba continued to be the most revered house of worship. Ishmael is also known as Abul Arab, the patriarch of the
Arabs.
The last of the messengers of God, the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, was born in the clan of Quraish who descended from Ishmael and were amongst the most powerful people of Arabia.
References: The Qur’an: Sura Baqarah, An’am, Maryam. Anbiya’, Sa’ffat and Jinn.
Aal-e-Qutub Aal-e-Syed Abdullah Shah Ghazi 