In the biblical Book of Genesis, Ishmael was the first son of Abraham. His mother was Hagar, the handmaiden of Abraham's wife Sarah. He died at the age of 137. Within Islam, Ishmael is regarded as a prophet and the ancestor of the Ishmaelites (Hagarenes or Adnanites) and patriarch of Qaydār.
Etymology The name "Yishma'el" existed in various ancient cultures in the Middle East, including early Babylonian and Minæan. In the Amorite language, it is attested as yaśmaʿ-ʾel. It is a theophoric name translated literally as "God (El) has hearkened", suggesting that "a child so named was regarded as the fulfillment of a divine promise".
Genesis narrative
The Genesis narrative sees the account of Ishmael's life through Chapters 16, 17, 21, and 25.
Birth The birth of Ishmael was planned by Abraham's first wife, who at that time was known as Sarai. She and her husband Abram (Abraham) sought a way to have children in order to fulfill the Abrahamic covenant that was established in Genesis 15. Sarai was 75 years old and had yet to bear a child. She had the idea to offer her Egyptian handmaiden Hagar to her husband so that they could have a child by her. Abraham slept with Hagar and she became pregnant. Hagar began to show contempt for Sarai so Sarai blamed Abraham for it. Abraham told Sarai to handle the matter as she saw fit, after which Sarai mistreated Hagar.
Hagar fled to the desert, where she met an angel on the road to Shur. Genesis 16:7–16 describes the naming of Ishmael and God's promise to Hagar concerning Ishmael and his descendants. This occurred at the well of Beer-lahai-roi, and the angel of the LORD said to her, "Behold, you are with child / And shall bear a son; / You shall call him Ishmael, / For the Lord has paid heed to your suffering." The Angel commanded Hagar, "Return to your mistress [Sarai] and submit to her." She returned as directed, and when the baby was born, Abraham gave him the name Ishmael, as the angel had directed. Abraham was blessed so that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. God would make of Ishmael a great nation because he was of the seed of Abraham. However, God told Hagar that her son would be living in conflict with his relatives. When Ishmael was born, Abraham was 86 years old.
Inheritance, rights and the first circumcision
When he was 13 years old, Ishmael was circumcised at the same time as all other males in Abraham's household, becoming a part of the covenant in a mass circumcision. His father Abram, given the new name "Abraham", then 99, was circumcised along with the others. At the time of the covenant, God informed Abraham that his wife Sarah (Sarai) would give birth to a son, whom he was instructed to name Isaac. God told Abraham that He would establish his covenant through Isaac, and when Abraham inquired as to Ishmael's role, God answered that Ishmael has been blessed and that he "will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget and I will make him a great nation." God also mentioned that "He will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be over (against) everyone, And everyone's hand will be against him; And he will live in the presence of his brethren." A year later, Ishmael's half-brother Isaac was born to Abraham by his wife Sarah when she was 90 years old, after she had ceased showing any signs of fertility. On the day of feasting during which Abraham celebrated the weaning of Isaac, Ishmael was "mocking" or "playing with" Isaac, and Sarah asked Abraham to expel Ishmael and his mother, saying: "Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac." Her demand was painful for Abraham, who loved Ishmael. Abraham agreed only after God told him that "in Isaac your seed shall be called" and that God would "make a nation of the son of the bondwoman" Ishmael, since he was a descendant of Abraham, God having previously told Abraham "I will establish My covenant with [Isaac]", while also making promises concerning the Ishmaelite nation.
At the age of 17, Ishmael was freed along with his mother. The Lord's covenant made clear Ishmael was not to inherit Abraham's house and that Isaac would be the seed of the covenant: "Take your son, your only son, whom you love and go to the region of Moriah." Abraham gave Ishmael and his mother a supply of bread and water and sent them away. Hagar entered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba where the two soon ran out of water and Hagar, not wanting to witness the death of her son, set the boy some distance away from herself, and wept. "And God heard the voice of the lad" and sent his angel to tell Hagar, "Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation." And God "opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water", from which she drew to save Ishmael's life and her own. "And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer."
Descendants
After roaming the wilderness for some time, Ishmael and his mother settled in the Desert of Paran, where he became an expert in archery. Eventually, his mother found him a wife from the land of Egypt. They had twelve sons, each of whom became a tribal chief in one of the regions from Havilah to Shur (from Assyria to the border of Egypt). His sons were:
Nebaioth (נְבָיוֹת Nəḇāyōṯ) Kedar (קֵדָר Qēḏār), father of the Qedarites, a northern Arab tribe that controlled the area between the Persian Gulf and the Sinai Peninsula. According to tradition, he is the ancestor of the Quraysh tribe, and thus, ancestor of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Adbeel (אַדְבְּאֵל ʾAḏbəʾēl) Mibsam (מִבְשָֽׂם Mīḇsām) Mishma (מִשְׁמָע Mīšmāʿ) Dumah (דוּמָה Ḏūmā) Massa (מַשָּֽׂא Massāʾ) Hadad (חֲדַד Ḥăḏaḏ) Tema (תֵימָא Ṯēmāʾ) Jetur (יְטוּר Yəṭūr) Naphish (נָפִישׁ Nāfīš) Kedemah (קֵדְמָה Qēḏəmā) Ishmael also had one known daughter, Mahalath or Basemath, the third wife of Esau.
Later life When Abraham died, Ishmael returned to join Isaac for the burial of their father's body. Ishmael died at the age of 137.
Family tree
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