Top 10 Amazing Facts about Ishmael

Top 10 Amazing Facts about Ishmael

Ishmael was the first son of Abraham born by his handmaiden Egyptian slave Hagar. In Islamic tradition, he was the ancestor of the prophet Muhammad.

The three major religions Christianity, Islam, and Judaism consider him to be the ancestor of the Ishmaelites.

Ishmael was the first child of Abraham’s household to undergo the rite of circumcision. He was banished along with his mother to the wilderness on the birth of his brother Isaac

Abandoned in the desert Ishmael almost died but he was rescued by God. He later returned to join Isaac in burying Abraham and allowing his daughter to marry Isaac’s son Esau. Here are the top 10 amazing facts about Ishmael.

1. His birth was planned by his stepmother

The angel appearing to Hagar and Ishmael in the desert painting by Giuseppe Ghezzi —Wikimedia

According to records of genesis, this was planned by Abraham’s 1^st wife, Sarah. The couple were old and had no child, it is then that Sarah suggested offering her handmaiden Hagar to Abraham so that they could bear a child by her.

When Ishmael was born, Hagar began to show contempt for Sarah who retaliated by treating her harshly. Hagar then fled to the wilderness but an angel appeared to her and commanded her to return and submit to Sarah.

Hagar returned and the angel promised her that her descendants will be too numerous to count as God will bless her son.

2. He was exiled into the wilderness

Repudiation of Hagar artist unknown — Wikimedia

When Sarah had Isaac, she held a feast to celebrate the weaning of the baby, Ishmael behaved in a way that Sarah found threatening to her son Isaac. She demanded Abraham send Hagar and her son away but Abraham resisted the demands.

It was God that commanded Abraham to comply with the request of Sarah. The matter distressed Abraham deeply as it concerned his beloved son but God reassured him.

Ishmael was a teenager when he was forced to leave his home and go with his mother into the wilderness. The journey was long and taxing and they soon run out of supplies and he almost died in the wilderness.

God came to their rescue and a spring of fresh water was presented to the mother and her child.

Ismael and Hagar settled in an area known as Paran, the northeastern part of the Sinai Peninsula. He became an expert in archery and married an Egyptian woman.

3. He was almost sacrificed by his father

Jacob_Franquart_-_The_angel_restraints_Abraham_from_sacrificing his son art by Jacob Franquart—Wikimedia

In Islamic tradition, it’s believed Abraham was told to sacrifice his son Ishmael. Abraham dreamt that God had ordered him to sacrifice his son, and Abraham knew the dream was from God.

He informed Ishmael of commands and the child consented to follow the wishes of God without a doubt.

According to Islamic traditions, when Abraham wanted to slay Ishmael, he told his father to tie his feet and hands tightly so that he doesn’t move while dying, as he did not want to reduce the rewards of God.

When Abraham tried to slay his son, the knife didn’t harm Ishmael and a ram was provided instead which Abraham sacrificed instead of the boy.

5. He was a sent messenger in Islam

Ishmael is considered a prophet in Islam and is listed in the Quran with other prophets on many occasions. Ishmael in Islam is praised as patient, righteous, and good in the Quran. The prophet Muhammad is considered a descendant of Ismael.

He is mentioned at least 12 times in the Quran and throughout the hadith of Islamic literature. He also appears frequently in Persian miniature arts.

6. He took part in the building of the Ka’aba

The Kaaba is an ancient building in the center of the grand mosque in mecca. It’s believed in Islamic tradition that he assisted his father Abraham in the construction of the holy Kaaba.

In the bible narrations from the book of Genesis, Abraham erected a shrine for worship when he was commanded to go to the southern dessert with Hagar and Ishmael. It’s believed the stone shrine Abraham was asked to build is the one present as the black stone in Mecca.

After completing the construction of the Kaaba Ishmael who had helped his father with the process was left as custodian of the holy shrine and his descendants took over that role for centuries.

7. He was viewed as wicked youth

Hagar in the Wilderness painting by Jean— Baptiste Camille Corot —Wikimedia

In the Jewish and Christian tradition, Ishmael is viewed as wicked during his younger years, though he is believed to have been repentant in later life.

His behavior toward his half-brother Isaac is told as more than merely mocking, but directly threatening Isaac’s life.

In one tradition, Ishmael lured Isaac to the fields where he casts arrows at him. It was this dangerous behavior that made Sarah insist on Ishmael and his mother be sent away.

Simein Yohai, an ancient rabbi stated that Ishmael refused to accept that Isaac would be the chief heir of Abraham, and demanded to receive two two-thirds inheritance.

Another legend of rabbinical tales gives an account of how Abraham visited Ishmael in Paran, in his father’s old age, the prodigal son came to live with his father again in Canaan.

8. He has been known as the ancestral father of Arabs

He is viewed as the father of the Arab tribe. His descendants are believed to be the Ishmaelites.

In the Abrahamic religions, Ishmaelites are named after Ishmael. According to records from genesis, Ishmael had one daughter and 12 sons. In the Islamic tradition, the 12 sons give rise to the 12 tribes of Ishmael, Arab tribes from which the sons of Isaac and which the early Muslims descended, this belief is presented in both Islam and Judaism.

 9. He made peace with Isaac and buried his father

When Abraham died, Isaac and Ishmael, his estranged sons reunited to bury their father in the cave of Machpelah, the field Abraham purchased from the Hittites and Sarah was buried.

The burial place is venerated today in Hebron, at Haram al Khali [holy place of a friend], under the mosque.

10. His descendants were known to be wealthy merchants

In biblical traditions, the descendants of Ishmael were known as a clan of traveling merchants. Its demonstrated in the story of Jacobs’s son Joseph, a group of traveling Ishmaelites who bought Joseph from his brothers a slave and sold him in Egypt. They were portrayed as being quite wealthy.