Isma'il: Difference between revisions

'''Ismā'īl''' (إسماعيل‎ Ishmael) was the son of [[Ibrahim|Abraham]] from the [[Egypt|Egyptian]] concubine [[Hagar]]. He is recognized in [[Islam]] as an important prophet and patriarch. The Bible describes him as a "wild donkey of a man" whose hand will be "against everyone" and "he will live in hostility toward all his brothers".<ref>"''He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.''" - [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+16%3A12&version=NIV Genesis 16:12 (New International Version)]</ref> Islamic traditions consider Isma'il to be the ancestor of Arab people,<ref>Fredrick E. Greenspahn, Encyclopedia of Religion, "Ishmael", p.4551–4552</ref> excluding Arabs who are descendants of Ya'rub. Arabs who are from Isma'il-descendant tribes are occasionally referred to as "Arabized-Arabs" to highlight their ancestry. The Prophet [[Muhammad]] was of these Arabs. However, there is no evidence that Isma'il was the ancestor of the Arabs. It is conjecture based upon writings some 2000 years after his death.