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Advent of Prophet Isma'il and Desertion by his Father:
The Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon him) was the eldest son of Prophet
Ibrahim (peace he upon him) by his second wife Hajira. As he had no
off-spring from his first wife Sarah, he entered into matrimonial allegiance
with Hajira, a devoted lady. He did so with the consent of his first wife.
The Prophet Ibrahim (peace he upon him) prayed to his Lord to bless him with
a son. The Prophet Isma'il (peace he upon him) was born to him in response
to his prayers. The Holy Qur'an makes mention of it in these words:
"Ibrahim said: My Lord! Grant me of the doers of good deeds. So We gave him
the good news of a boy possessing forbearance." (37: 100, 101)
Shortly after his birth, in obedience to a Divine behest, he was left by his
father Ibrahim (peace be upon him) along with his mother at the place where
stands Ka'bah. It was a barren and waterless place with no trace of life in
any form. The great Patriarch, Ibrahim (peace be upon him) left them to
their fate with a heavy heart and prayed:
"O' Lord! I have made some of my off-spring settle in this barren valley
near the Sacred House so that they may keep up prayer." (14: 37)
The scene of departing Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) from his family
was highly pathetic. It is narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Abbàs that the
Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: The Prophet
Ibrahim (peace be upon him) brought with him his wife Hajira and his son
Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon him) whom she suckled. They placed the child
close by the spot where Ka'bah now stands. In those days Mecca was
uninhabited and without water. The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him)
placed beside them a bag full of dates and a skin full of water. When
Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) returned, the mother of Prophet Isma'il
(peace be upon him) ran after him and said: Ibrahim! Where are you going?
Why have you left me in the wilderness where none is to take pity on us.
Nothing is available here to eat and drink. She repeated this several times
but Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) did not hearken to her voice. Then
she asked him. Have God Commanded you to do so? He replied in affirmative.
She said: Then God will cause no harm to me. Thereupon she returned back.
When Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) got out of sight, he faced towards
Ka'bah and prayed: 0' Lord! Grant that the hearts of some men may be
affected with kindness towards them and bestow upon them all sorts of fruit
so that they may be thankful. After this the mother of Prophet Isma'il
(peace be upon him) began to suckle her child and to drink water out of the
skin until it was emptied. Soon after her son felt thirsty. She could not
bear to see him in such plight. Hajira ran seven times from the hill of Safa
to Marwa in quest of water. As she was about to commence the eighth trip,
her attention was drawn to the crying child who in the agony of thirst was
kicking the ground. Lo! the water gushed forth miraculously from the earth
in the form of fountain to save Prophet: Isma'il (peace be upon him) from
the tortures of thirst. Then she drank the water and suckled her child. May
God bless the mother of Prophet Isma'il! Had she left the Zam Zam as it was
or had she not filled her skin with water, the Zam Zam would always have
remained an overflowing mountain. (Bukhari)
Trial of Sincerity:
The origin of the custom of true believers running between Safa and Marwa at
the time of Hajj is deep connected with Hajira, the mother of Prophet
Isma'il (peace be upon him). Similarly the rite of sacrifice also owes its
origin to the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and his obedient son. He
had received a Divine Command to sacrifice his beloved son. Both of them
stood the test with credit. The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) decided
to fulfil the vision on one hand whereas the Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon
him) was ready with alacrity to lay down his life to win the favour and
pleasure of Allah. While they were proceeding towards Mina for the
performance of the solemn duty, Satan tried to dissuade them from their firm
resolve but to no effect. The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) passed the
sharp knife over the throat of his son but an angel turned the knife upside
down and a heavenly message forbade the act. The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be
upon him) was desired to sacrifice in lieu of his son, a ram. So he
slaughtered a well-fed ram presented by Allah. When the Prophet Isma'il
(peace be upon him) grew up, he married a girl of the tribe but soon
divorced her at the request of his father to whom she proved to be
discourteous. After this he married a daughter of the Jurhum Chief.
Re-construction of the House of Allah:
Ka'bah is the veritable heart of Islam towards which all the prayers of the
Muslims flow to vivify their souls. It was built by the Prophet Adam (peace
be upon him), the father of the human race. When it was damaged by flood, it
was reconstructed on the same foundations by the Prophet Ibrahim (peace he
upon him) with the help of his son Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon him), the
ancestors of the Arabs. The Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) directed his
son to bring a good stone to mark the corner of foundation. He brought one
of which the angel Gabriel gave him information. It was the sacred Black
stone-Hajar al-Aswad. When the Prophet Ibrahim and Isma'il (peace be upon
them) raised the foundations of the House of Allah they prayed:
"Our Lord! Accept from us; surely You are the Hearing, the Knowing. Our
Lord! Make us both submissive to You and raise from our off-spring a nation
submitting to You and show us ways of devotion and turn to us mercifully.
You are the oft-Returning to mercy, the Most Merciful." (1:127, 128)
"Our Lord! And raise up in them an Apostle from among them who shall recite
to them Your communications and teach them the Book and the Wisdom and
purify them. Surely You are the Mighty, the Wise." (2: 129).
Mecca is Habitated:
The Prophet Isma'il (peace be upon him) and his mother settled down in the
vicinity of the Ka'bah. His progeny multiplied and ramified into numerous
tribes. One of these is known as the Quraysh from which the Ishmaelite Arabs
sprang up. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) belonged to this family.
They habitated the city of Mecca which became the centre of Islam. |
