to your family.” So he divorced her and married another woman from among them. Abraham then stayed away for as long as Allah willed; afterward he visited once more but did not find Ishmael. He entered upon Ishmael’s wife and asked after him.

She said, “He has gone out to seek provision for us.”

He asked, “How are you all?” and he enquired about their living conditions. She replied, “We are well and in plenty,” and she praised Allah.

He said, “What is your food?”

She answered, “Meat.”

“And what is your drink?”

“Water,” she said.

He prayed, “O Allah, bless them in meat and water.”

The Prophet ﷺ commented, “In those days they had no grain; had they possessed it, Abraham would have invoked blessing for it as well.” Because of this, no one subsists (1) on those two things alone outside of Makkah without them disagreeing with him (2).

In another narration: Abraham came and said, “Where is Ishmael?”

His wife replied, “He has gone hunting.” Then she said, “Will you not come in so that you may eat and drink?”

He asked, “What is your food and drink?”

She said, “Our food is meat and our drink is water.”

He prayed, “O Allah, bless them in their food and drink.”

Abu al-Qāsim ﷺ said, “That is the blessing of Abraham’s supplication.”

Abraham added, “When your husband returns, convey my greetings to him and tell him to keep the threshold of his door firm.”

When Ishmael came he asked, “Has anyone visited you?”

She answered, “Yes. A dignified old man came”—and she praised him—“he asked about you and I informed him. He asked about our livelihood, and I told him we are well.”

He asked, “Did he leave any instruction?”

She replied, “Yes. He sends you his greetings and orders you to make firm the threshold of your door.”

Ishmael said, “That was my father, and you are the threshold; he has commanded me to keep you.”

Afterward Abraham stayed away for as long as Allah willed, then returned while Ishmael was shaping (3) arrow-shafts beneath a large tree near Zamzam. When Ishmael saw him he rose to welcome him, and they treated each other as a father does with his son and a son with his father (4).

Abraham said, “O Ishmael, Allah has ordered me to do something.”

He replied, “Then carry out what your Lord has commanded.”

Abraham asked, “Will you help me?”

Ishmael answered, “I will help you.”

He said, “Allah has ordered me to build a House here,” and he pointed to a rise that stood higher than its surroundings. At that point