Ishmael - Ishmael in Islam, Bahá'í view

Biblical character, the son of Abraham by Hagar, his wife's maid. He was expelled into the desert with his mother from Abraham's household after the birth of Isaac. He is purported to have fathered 12 princes, and is considered the ancestor of the Bedouin tribes of the Palestinian deserts (the Ishmaelites). Mohammed considered Ishmael and Abraham as ancestors of the Arabs, and as associated with the construction of the Kaba at Mecca.

"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." (Genesis 17)

These twelve rulers, the twelve sons of Ishmael, were named Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah (See Genesis 25)

Ishmael also had a daughter named Mahalath or Bashemath (Gen 36:3). Jerome says that in his time they called the districts of Arabia by the names of the tribes.

Sons of Ishmael in order of birth (Genesis)
Nebaioth	Kedar	Adbeel	Mibsam	Mishma	Dumah	Massa	Hadad	Tema	Jetur	Naphish	Kedemah

Ishmael in Islam

In Islam, Ishmael is known as the first-born son of Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic) from his second wife Hagar, and an appointed prophet of God. He did not, however, sacrifice him, as it is commonly believed in Islam that it was a test of faith by Allah, and he replaced his son with a goat, which is why Muslims every year sacrifice goats (or other animals such as cows or camels).

Ishmael in the Qu'ran

Ishmael is a highly regarded person in the Qu'ran. The Qu'ran mentions Ishmael with other people like Elisha, Jonah and Lot, who are considered righteous, good or chosen (6:86 and 38:48)

Abraham and Ishmael are said to have built the foundations of the Ka'aba ('They were raising the foundations of the House', 2:127 ).
The story of the Prophet Abraham, his wife Sarah and his concubine Hagar (Hajar in Arabic) plays an important role in Islamic tradition.

When his son had grown enough to walk alongside him, Abraham dreamt that God ordered him to sacrifice his son with his own hand. The oldest extant biography of Muhammad, compiled by Mohammed Ibn Ishak, and edited by Abu Mohammed Abd el Malik Ibn Hisham, opens:

This book contains the life of the Apostle of God: Muhammad was the son of Abd Allah, son of Abdu-l-Mottaleb, son of Hashim, son of Abd Menaf, son of Kussei, son of Kilab, son of Murra, son of Kaab, son of Luei, son of Ghalib, son of Fihr, son of Malik, son of Nadhr, son of Kinana, son of Khuzeima, son of Mudrika, son of Alya, son of Mudhar, son of Nizar, son of Maad, son of Adrian, son of Udd, son of Mukawwam, son of Nahor, son of Teira, son of Yarob, son of Yashyob, son of Nabit, son of Ishmael, son of Abraham, the Friend of God, son of Tara, son of Nahor, son of Sarukh, son of Rau, son of Falih, son of Eiber, son of Shalih, son of Arphakhsad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamek, son of Metushalakh, son of Khanukh, - who, as is believed, was the prophet Idris, the first prophet, and the first who wrote with the reed, - son of Yared, son of Mahaleel, son of Kainanan, son of Yanish, son of Sheth, son of Adam, to whom may God be gracious!

Prophets of Islam in the Qur'an

Adam

Idris

Nuh

Hud

Saleh

Ibrahim

Lut

Ismail

Is'haq

Yaqub

Yusuf

Ayub

آدم

ادريس

نوح

هود

صالح

ابراهيم

لوط

اسماعيل

اسحاق

يعقوب

يوسف

أيوب

Adam

Enoch

Noah

Eber

Shelah

Abraham

Lot

Ishmael

Isaac

Jacob

Joseph

Job

Shoaib

Musa

Harun

Dhul-Kifl

Daud

Sulayman

Ilyas

Al-Yasa

Yunus

Zakariya

Yahya

Isa

Muhammad

شعيب

موسى

هارون

ذو الكفل

داود

سليمان

إلياس

اليسع

يونس

زكريا

يحيى

عيسى

محمد

Jethro

Moses

Aaron

Ezekiel

David

Solomon

Elijah

Elisha

Jonah

Zecharias

John

Jesus

v • d • e

Bahá'í view

The Qur'ánic account that it was Ishmael, and not Isaac, who was to be sacrificed by Abraham is mentioned in the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, Founder of the Bahá'í Faith. D = Daughter (Book of Jasher)

Ribah or Meribah (from Egypt)	Nebaioth | Bosmath (D)
Malchuth (from the land of Canaan)	Mishma | Kedemah/Kedma

Offspring of Ishmael (Book of Jasher)

Sons of Nebaioth, the first born of Ishmael

Mend

Send

Mayon

Sons of Kedar

Alyon

Kezem

Chamad

Eli

Sons of Adbeel

Chamad

Jabin

Sons of Mibsam

Obadiah

Ebedmelech

Yeush

Sons of Mishma

Shamua

Zecaryon

Obed

Sons of Dumah

Kezed

Eli

Machmad

Amed

Sons of Masa

Melon

Mula

Ebidadon

Sons of Chadad

Azur

Minzar

Ebedmelech

Sons of Tema

Seir

Sadon

Yakol

Sons of Yetur

Merith

Yaish

Alyo

Pachoth

Sons of Naphish

Ebed-Tamed

Abiyasaph

Mir

Sons of Kedma

Kedma

Calip

Tachti

Omir