The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 92
Seal of the Prophets - Volume I 92 A Rebuttal to Various Allegations Levelled Against Ishmael as and Hagar as At this point it is imperative to mention that various Christian historians raise the allegation that there is no historical evidence that Ishmael as settled in Arabia. Therefore, the fact that the Holy Prophet sa was a descendant of the children of Ishmael as also lacks authenticity. Moreover, they claim that the child, whom Abraham as wished to slaughter, as the Bible contends, was in fact Isaac as and not Ishmael as. The brief confutation of both these allegations has been provided below. The rebuttal to the first allegation is as follows: 1. It is categorically proven in light of the unanimous narrations of the Arabs that Ishmael as settled in Arabia and that the Quraish of Makkah are his descendants. There is not even a single narration found before the time of the Holy Prophet sa or in subsequent eras, that confutes this fact. 1 Moreover, the greatest testimony about the history of a nation is its own authentic narrations. Therefore, in the existence of the above mentioned testimony, no fair-minded individual can doubt the fact that Ishmael as settled in Arabia and that the Quraish are the descendants of his blessed progeny. 2. The Holy Qur’ān, which is accepted by both friend and foe for its historical credibility, also considers the Quraish as being descendants of the children of Ishmael as. 2 3. The Bible admits that due to the displeasure of Sarah as , Ishmael as and Hagar as were exiled from their homeland. 3 If Ḥijāz is not the country of their settlement then where is it that his descendants 1 * Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī, Kitābu Aḥādīthil-Anbiyā’, Bābu Qaulillāhi Ta‘ālā Wadhkur fil-Kitābi Ismā‘īla, Ḥadīth No. 3373 * Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitābul-Faḍā’il, Bābu Faḍli Nasbin-Nabī sa , Ḥadīth No. 5938 * Tārīkhuṭ-Ṭabarī, By Abū Ja‘far Muḥammad bin Al-Jarīr Ṭabarī, Dhikru Khabri Wuldi Ismā‘īl bin Ibrāhīm, Volume 1, p. 193, Dārul-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Second Edition (2002) * As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Malik bin Hishām, p. 25, Siyāqatin-Nasabi min Waladi Ismā‘īla ‘Alaihis-Salām, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001) * Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Dhikru Ismā‘īla ‘Alaihis-Salām, Volume 1, p. 22, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Sharḥul-‘Allāmaiz-Zarqānī ‘alal-Mawāhibil-Ladunniyyah, Al-Maqṣadul-Awwal, Volume 1, pp. 130- 131, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996) * Tārīkhul- Khamīs, By Ḥusain bin Muḥammad bin Ḥasan Dayār Bakrī, Aulādu Ibrāhīm, Volume 1, p. 130, Muwassasatu Sha‘bān, Beirut 2 Al-Ḥajj (22:79) 3 Genesis (21:14)