Translated by Fatima Zabeth Beenesh from the Farsi book "Tarikh i-Anbiya az Adam ta Khatam" by Husain Imadzadeh
3418 after Habuth (the descend of Adam a.s from Heaven)
120 years of hazrat Ibrahim a.s was passed but God blessed him no child. According to the narrations, Sara gifted Hajira to the Ibrahim a.s who was presented to her by the king of Egypt. After a period of time the signs of pregnancy appeared in Hajira. She was not obeying like before and Sara began to dislike her and she swore to punish her by piercing her skin on three places.
When Hajira came to know about the punishment she left the service of Sara and took shelter in the desert. The God Almighty instructed her to be patient and tolerant and she returned back to her home. Sara and Ibrahim a.s pardoned her on the basis of fulfilling the covenant of Sara by piercing both the ears of Hajira and performing circumcision upon her (as it was customary at those times).
When ear rings were worn to her she became more beautiful and the habitual practise of wearing ear rings started among the people but Sara continued to detest her. The birth of Ismail a.s was occurred near the land of Lut a.s in Mutafikath according to some records of the chronicle Ibrahim a.s the father of Ismail a.s was 120 or 80 years old and this increased the pain of Sara. As Ibrahim a.s was loving and respecting her because of her beauty, wealth and her lineage of prophet hood and always obeying her and on the order of Sara he left Hajira and Ismail a.s in the desert without water and plants.
The life of Ismail a.s was mostly spent in the Mecca and among the tribe of Jarhum and the children of Jarhum were from Yaqtan bin Hud a.s. while travelling to Mecca Yaqtan came to know about the creation of the fountain of Zam Zam and with permission of Hajira his tribe settled down in that land and helped Hajira and Ismail a.s.
After reaching the adulthood he married a girl from that tribe and practised the customs and traditions of his father and invited the people towards the the house of God, Kaaba. He was the first person who rode on the horse and his language was Arabic and he lived for 137 years.
According to some people he was 33 years older than prophet Is’haq a.s some say he was 14 years older and some indicate he was 5 years older.His grave in Hijr Ismail in the south of the grave of Hajira in the masjid e Haram towards the rain pipe. He was died after 48 years of his father. He was the forefather of the prophet of Islam and he was the first slaughtered Zabih.
The marriage of Ismail (A.S.)
Ibrahim a.s after giving shelter to Ismail a.s and Hajira in Mecca went back to Sara and when Ismail a.s got young, the event of the great slaughter Zibh Azeem took place and then Ibrahim a.s was given the responsibility of building the house of Kaaba. He began to raise the foundation of the Kaaba along with the Ismail a.s and completed its building.
Meanwhile the tribe of Jahrum resided there near the fountain of Zam Zam. It is the Arab custom to inhabit where ever the water is available. Gradually the other tribes began to arrive there. Among them was the tribe of Hameer and Ismail a.s liked a lady for marriage from among the the Hameer tribe and prayed the God to be destined for him to marry her. As the lady was married the husband died and Ismail a.s later married her and started his marital life.
Ibrahim a.s once arrived to meet his son. Ismail a.s was away to Taif for bringing the food provisions. His wife saw an old man in murky dress, he was Ibrahim a.s and he enquired about his son Ismail a.s and admired about the excellence of his son and asked her to which tribe she belonged. She replied: I belong to the tribe of Hameer and Ibrahim a.s got all the information about the Ismail a.s and wrote a letter and gave it to the woman who was his daughter in law and returned back to the country of Syria to Sara.
When Ismail a.s returned back from his journey his wife gave him the letter of Ibrahim a.s. He asked her: Did you recognised the person? She replied: No I did not but he resembled you.
Ismail a.s expressed: He was my father Ibrahim a.s.
The wife said: What a great loss.
Ismail a.s asked her: what happened, did you committed any mistake before him?
The wife replied: No, Just I am afraid I did not served him properly.
Then she asked her husband: Shall I weave curtains for the Kaaba.
Ismail a.s agreed to make the Kaaba look more beautiful. She was owned a lot of wool, she sent it to her tribe and weaved curtains for Kaaba and the tradition remained till today.
Every year in the ‘festival of sacrifice’ عید قربان in the last practice of haj pilgrimage they hang the expensive and beautiful curtain on the house of God.
The day they hanged the curtains on Kaaba the tribals of Arab gifted Kaaba Gold and silver and from this money they constructed stone pillars and costly wooden roof for Kaaba.
The next year large number of sheep and goats were presented to Kaaba for which Ismail a.s was perplexed, what to do with them. He was addressed: sacrifice them and give food to the poor and needy people.
When Ibrahim a.s came to Mecca for performing haj, Ismail a.s complained him about the water scarcity. Ibrahim khalil a.s ordered to dig the well.
Jibril a.s showed them the main fountain of Zam Zam and they began to dig it. Ibrahim reached to the depth of the well and with the help of Jibril a.s Ibrahim a.s stroked with hammer on the four sides of the well and recited ‘Bismillah’ and the fountain Zam Zam started to gush forth and even today the pilgrims use the water of fountain Zam Zam.
Ismail a.s got a child by the Hameeri wife and after that he married four wives and by every wife God had bestowed him 4 sons. Altogether he had 17 sons. The entire tribes around Mecca are from the children of Ismail a.s.
Ismail a.s came to know about the death of his father Ibrahim a.s . He died when he was in Syria and joined to the blessings of God in Heaven. In his last days between the periods of haj Ismail a.s was having no links with his father. Then the Jibril a.s descended and said: Ismail I pay you condolence you should be patient upon the death of your father. You should not utter such words which may displease your God. Ibrahim a.s was one of slaves among the slaves of God and the benevolant God had blessed him shelter near his graciousness and he had gone.
And in this matter he informed him: You will join him.
In the age of 138 Ismail a.s died and near the hajr e Ismail he was buried. Some mentioned he was 180 years old.
His younger son was very much attached to him and he wished him to be his successor in prophecy. Jibril a.s related him: The Almighty God wanted the prophecy to be remain in your children and Ismail a.s became happy.
At the time of his death he called his son and all the assignments of the prophecy اماناتِ نبوت which were in the case صندوق he emitted it to his son. It was consists of his last will, the secrets of Knowledge, The great name of God اسِمِ اَعظم.
Ismail a.s was buried in the chamber of his house. Because of the services of Ibrahim a.s and Ismail a.s their names remembered throughout all the times and they became immortals. Hence almost after centuries may be 6000 years the people of the world true heartedly thanks the services of Ibrahim a.s and Ismail a.s and perform circumambulations طواف around the Kaaba and send blessing to their holy souls.
Yes, they are immortals who lived with a virtues name.
The good memories keep alive the person’s name behind him