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Ishmael in the Quran

Ishmael is mentioned over ten times in the Quran, often alongside other prophets of ancient times. He is mentioned together with Elisha and Dhul-Kifl as one of "the patiently enduring and righteous, whom God caused to enter into his mercy." It is also said of Lut, Elisha, Jonah and Ishmael, that God gave each one " favouring each over other people ˹of their time˺". These references to Ishmael are, in each case, part of a larger context in which other holy prophets are mentioned. In other chapters of the Quran, however, which date from the Medina period, Ishmael is mentioned closely with his father Abraham: Ishmael stands alongside Abraham in their attempt to raised the foundation of the Kaaba in Mecca as a place of monotheistic pilgrimage and Abraham thanks God for granting him Ishmael and Isaac in his old age. Ishmael is further mentioned alongside other prophets who had been given revelations and Jacob 's sons promised to follow the faith of their forefathers, "Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac", when testifying their faith. In the Quranic narrative of the near-sacrifice of Abraham's son, the son is not named and, although the general interpretation is that it was Ishmael, Tabari maintained that it was Isaac, consistent with the Hebrew scriptures. Most modern commentators, however, regard the son's identification as least important in a narrative given for its moral lesson.