—the Friend of the Most Merciful—when He said, “Indeed, We give you glad tidings of a learned son” (15:53). In another verse He says, “So We gave him glad tidings of a forbearing son” (37:101). The child announced in the first verse is different from the one announced in the second: the words “Indeed, We give you glad tidings of a learned son” refer to Isaac, whereas “So We gave him glad tidings of a forbearing son” refers to Ishmael, peace be upon them both.

Isaac is the forefather of the Children of Israel, for his son is Jacob, and Jacob is Israel, from whose descendants came Moses, Jesus, and most of the prophets mentioned in the Quran. By contrast, the verse found in Sūrah al-Ṣāffāt—“So We gave him glad tidings of a forbearing son”—concerns Ishmael, the ancestor of the Arabs. No messenger arose from Ishmael’s progeny except one, yet that single messenger brought the final revelation, was sent to all humankind from the moment of his mission until the Day of Resurrection, whereas every other prophet was dispatched only to his own people. That messenger from the line of Ishmael is Muḥammad—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him.

Likewise, the Exalted said about Abraham’s wife: “His wife was standing, and she laughed, so We gave her glad tidings of Isaac, and after Isaac, Jacob” (11:71). Here too the glad tidings are given, this time to a woman.

In short, glad tidings pertain both to matters of the Hereafter and to matters of this world. A person, therefore, should remain optimistic, anticipating good, and should not view the world—