The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 1) — Page cii
GENERAL INTRODUCTION Ishmael and no other people in the world so regard themselves. Better evidence than this there cannot be. According to the Bible, the Ishmaelites lived in Paran, and Paran, according to Arab geographers, is the territory extending from Mecca to the northern border of Arabia. Paran, therefore is part of Arabia as certainly as the Quraish, are the descendants of Ishmael. The divine glory which was to rise from Paran was, therefore, to rise from Arabia. That the Ishmaelites had settled in Arabia is proved by further evidence from the Bible. In Genesis (25:13-16) we have the names of the twelve sons of Ishmael as follows: 1. Nebajoth. 2. Kedar. 3. Adbeel. 4. Mibsam. 5. Mishma. 6. Dumah. 7. Massa. 8. Hadar. 9. Tema. 10. Jetur. 11. Naphish. 12. Kedemah. In accordance with ancient custom, we should expect their descendants to be named after their respective ancestors. The descendants of Jacob, for instance, would be named after their ancestor. Countries also have been named after their people. In the light of these customs a survey of the population of Arabia reveals that the names of the twelve sons of Ishmael are found spread in different parts of Arabia. The descendants of Ishmael fill the entire length and breadth of the country. The first son of Ishmael was Nebajoth. The territory peopled by his descendants, according to geographers is between 30 and 38 degrees North, and 36 to 38 degrees East. The Rev. Katripikari (Khuṭubāt-e-Aḥmadiyyah) admits this and says the descendants of Nebajoth occupied the territory between Palestine and Yanbū', the port for Medina. Kedar was the second son. His descendants also constitute part of the Arab population. The literal meaning of Kedar is "of camels," which points to their Arabian habitation. They are to be found in the territory between the Hijāz and Medina. Ptolemy and Pliny, in the course of their description of the people of the Hijāz, speak of the tribes Kedars and Gedors (the latter seems to be a corrupt form of Kedar). There are Arabs today who claim descent from Kedar. The third son was Adbeel. According to Josephus, the Adbeels also lived in this part of Arabia. The fourth was Mibsam. We cannot find any traces of this tribe in ordinary geography books. But it is possible that their name has become corrupted into some unrecognizable form. The fifth son was Mishma, and the Mishmas are to be found to this day in Arabia. The sixth was Dumah. A well-known spot in Arabia is still called Dumah, and Arab geographers have always traced this name to that of the sixth son of Ishmael. The seventh son was Massa, whose name is to be found intact in a Yemenite tribe. Their archaeological remains can also be identified. Katripikari mentions lxxvi