Ishmael

In the biblical Book of Genesis, Ishmael (Hebrew: יִשְׁמָעֵאל, romanized: Yišmāʿēʾl, lit. '"God hears"'; Ancient Greek: Ἰσμαήλ, romanized: Ismaḗl; Arabic: إِسْمَاعِيل, romanized: ʾIsmāʿīl; Latin: Ismael) is the first son of Abraham. His mother was Hagar, the handmaiden of Abraham's wife Sarah. He died at the age of 137.

Within Islam, Ishmael is regarded as a prophet and the ancestor of the Ishmaelites (Hagarenes or Adnanites) and patriarch of Qaydār.

The name "Yishma'el" existed in various ancient Semitic cultures, including early Babylonian and Minæan. In the Amorite language, it is attested as yaśmaʿ-ʾel. It is a theophoric name translated literally as "God (El) has hearkened", suggesting that "a child so named was regarded as the fulfillment of a divine promise".

The Genesis narrative sees the account of Ishmael's life through the chapters 16, 17, 21 and 25.

The birth of Ishmael was planned by Abraham's first wife, who at that time was known as Sarai. She and her husband Abram (Abraham) sought a way to have children in order to fulfill the Abrahamic covenant that was established in Genesis 15. Sarai was 75 years old and had yet to bear a child. She had the idea to offer her Egyptian handmaiden Hagar to her husband so that they could have a child by her. Abraham slept with Hagar and she begat a child.

Hagar and Sarah began to show contempt for each other, they responded by treating each other harshly. Abraham then told Hagar to flee her home and go into the desert region between Abraham's settlement and Shur. Genesis 16:7–16 describes the naming of Ishmael and God's promise to Hagar concerning Ishmael and his descendants. This occurred at the well of Beer-lahai-roi, where Hagar encountered the Angel of the Lord, who said to her "Behold, you are with child / And shall bear a son; / You shall call him Ishmael, / For the Lord has paid heed to your suffering." The Angel commanded Hagar, "Return to your mistress [Sarai] and submit to her."

Abraham was blessed so that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. God would make of Ishmael a great nation because he was of the seed of Abraham. However, God told Hagar that her son would be living in conflict with his relatives. When Ishmael was born, Abraham was 86 years old.

When he was 13 years old, Ishmael was circumcised at the same time as all other males in Abraham's household, becoming a part of the covenant in a mass circumcision. His father Abram, given the new name "Abraham", then 99, was circumcised along with the others.