إسماعيل
Ismāʿīl
Prophet
Son of Abraham and Hagar, a prophet and messenger who helped his father raise the Kaaba.
What it means
“Mention in the Book Ishmael; he was true to his promise, and was a messenger and a prophet” (19:54). Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of the House, praying: “Our Lord, accept it from us” (2:127). According to a report in Sahih al-Bukhari, Hagar ran between Safa and Marwa seeking water for her infant son, and Zamzam sprang up; the rite of sa‘i at Hajj recalls her.
What the sources say
The tradition that the Arabs descend from Ishmael is a matter of genealogy that the Quran does not state, and scholars differ over the details.