إسماعيل
Also known as: Ishmael, Dhbih Allah (The One Slaughtered for Allah)
Nation / People
The Arab tribes of the Hijaz (western Arabia), particularly the Jurham and later Qahtanite tribes
Period
Son of Ibrahim, approximately 4,000 years ago
Lifespan
137 years according to some narrations
Burial Place
Inside the Hijr Ismail, an area adjacent to the Ka'bah in Makkah
Complete obedience to Allah, even at the cost of one's life. His example, alongside his father's, is the highest model of submission, which is the literal meaning of "Islam".
هاجر
Hajar (Hagar)
Mother
إبراهيم
Ibrahim
Father
إسماعيل
Ismail (Ishmael)
Prophet (peace be upon him)
Family members named in the Quran and authentic Sunnah.
Father
إبراهيم
Ibrahim (Abraham)
Named in the Quran as his father (as-Saffat 37:100-113).
Mother
هاجر
Hajar (Hagar)
Named in the authentic Sunnah – the Bukhari narrations about Zamzam and the sa'y between Safa and Marwa preserve her story in full.
Wives
A woman of the Jurhum tribe
Ismail married among the Jurhum, the Arab tribe that had settled around Zamzam. Her personal name is not preserved in the authentic Sunnah. Classical Ansab literature (Ibn Ishaq, Ibn al-Kalbi, Ibn Hisham) gives further genealogical detail.
Sons
قيدار
Qaydar (Kedar)
From Qaydar (Kedar) descends the North Arab (Adnani) line, and through Adnan the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Classical Ansab (Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Hisham) preserves this genealogy in detail, corroborated by Genesis 25:13-16.
Eleven other sons
Traditional sources (based on Genesis 25:13-16, which classical Muslim historians preserved) name Nabt (Nebaioth), Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Duma, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedmah. These names come via Isra'iliyyat and Ansab literature, not the Qur'an or authentic Sunnah.
The firstborn son of Ibrahim, from whom the Arab lineage and ultimately the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ descended. His story is commemorated every year by Muslims worldwide during the celebration of Eid al-Adha and through the rites of Hajj (the Sa'i between Safa and Marwa, and the slaughter of animals).