—nor was there any water there. He placed beside her a leather pouch filled with dates and a water-skin full of water, then Abraham turned and set off. The mother of Ishmael followed after him and cried out, “Abraham! Where are you going, leaving us in this valley where there is no human being and nothing at all?” She repeated the question several times, yet he did not so much as look back at her. So she asked, “Has Allah commanded you to do this?” He answered, “Yes.” She replied, “Then He will not abandon us.”

She returned, and Abraham went on his way. When he reached the rise beyond which they could no longer see him, he faced the House and offered this supplication:

“Our Lord, I have settled some of my offspring in a barren valley, close to Your Sacred House…” (Ibrahim 14:37) until he concluded with the words, “…so that they may give thanks.”

Ishmael’s mother nursed her son and drank from the water until the skin was emptied; she became thirsty, and so did her child. Watching him writhe in hunger and thirst, she could not bear the sight, so she set off. The hill of Safa was the nearest elevation to her; she climbed it, faced the valley, and searched to see whether she could spot anyone, but she saw no one. She descended from Safa, and when she reached the valley bed she lifted the hem of her robe