Ishmael—peace be upon him—was a messenger to the people of that region and to the neighboring tribes of Jurhum, the Amalekites, and the Yemenites. When death drew near, he entrusted authority to his brother Isaac and married his daughter Nasmah to his nephew Esau ibn Isaac. From Esau were born the Romans, known as Banū al-Aṣfar (“the Yellow Ones”) on account of a yellowish hue found in Esau himself. According to one report, the Greeks likewise descend from him, and among his progeny are the Ashbān as well—though Ibn Jarīr (1) refrained from a definitive judgment on the matter.

The Prophet of Allah Ishmael was laid to rest in al-Ḥijr beside his mother Hagar. He was one hundred and thirty-seven years old when he passed away (2).

It is related from ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz that he said: Ishmael—peace be upon him—complained to his Lord about the hardship of Mecca, whereupon Allah revealed to him, “I shall open for you a gate of Paradise at the spot where you will be buried; its breeze will waft over you until the Day of Resurrection” (3).

All the Arabs of the Ḥijāz trace their lineage to his two sons, Nābit and Qaydār. We shall, God willing, speak in due course about the living groups of the Arabs—their main lines, branches, tribes, and clans—from the time of Ishmael—peace be upon him—down to the era of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. That discussion will follow our completion of the accounts of the prophets of the Children of Israel up to Jesus son of Mary, the seal of their prophets and the confirmer of their tidings. We shall then review what transpired in the period of the Children of Israel, next what occurred during the Days of Ignorance, and finally conclude with the biography of our Prophet, the Messenger of Allah, addressing the Arabs, the non-Arabs, and all branches of humanity. If Allah wills—and in Him we place our trust and upon Him we rely—there is no power and no might except with Allah, the Most High, the Almighty, the All-Wise.

The Account of Isaac son of Abraham—the noble son of the noble—upon them both be prayer and peace

We have already mentioned that he was born when his father was one hundred years old, fourteen years after his brother Ishmael. His mother Sarah was ninety years old when she received the glad tidings of him.

Allah, Exalted is He, says: “And We gave him the good news of Isaac, a prophet among the righteous. And We blessed him and Isaac, and among their descendants are those who do good and those who clearly wrong themselves” (al-Ṣāffāt 37:112-113).