Introduction to the Study of The Holy Quran — Page 60
60 call his name Ishmael because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. And again (Genesis 17:9-11): And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations. This is my covenant which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man-child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And (Genesis 17:14): And the uncircumcised man-child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. Further on (Genesis 17:16), we are told that Abraham’s wife Sarah also was promised a son. And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her; yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her. Of the progeny of Sarah (through Isaac) we are told (Genesis 17:19): and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. Of Ishmael (Genesis 17:20-22) we read: And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee (refers to Abraham’s prayer in Genesis 17:18––"O that Ishmael might live before thee): Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year. And he left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham. Again (Genesis 21:13): "And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed. " Again of Ishmael, God said to Hagar (Genesis 21:17-18): For God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand for I will make him a great nation, Again (Genesis 21:20, 21): And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt. From these quotations it is obvious that Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, Ishmael being the elder and Isaac the younger. God promised Abraham that He