Narrated Ibn `Abbas:The first lady to use a girdle was the mother of Ishmael. She used a girdle so that she might hide her tracks from Sarah. Abraham brought her and her son Ishmael while she was suckling him, to a place near the Ka`ba under a tree on the spot of Zamzam, at the highest place in the mosque. During those days there was nobody in Mecca, nor was there any water So he made them sit over there and placed near them a leather bag containing some dates, and a small water-skin containing some water, and set out homeward. Ishmael's mother followed him saying, "O Abraham! Where are you going, leaving us in this valley where there is no person whose company we may enjoy, nor is there anything (to enjoy)?" She repeated that to him many times, but he did not look back at her Then she asked him, "Has Allah ordered you to do so?" He said, "Yes." She said, "Then He will not neglect us," and returned while Abraham proceeded onwards, and on reaching the Thaniya where they could not see him, he faced the Ka`ba, and raising both hands, invoked Allah saying the following prayers: 'O our Lord! I have made some of my offspring dwell in a valley without cultivation, by Your Sacred House (Ka`ba at Mecca) in order, O our Lord, that they may offer prayer perfectly. So fill some hearts among men with love towards them, and (O Allah) provide them with fruits, so that they may give thanks.' (14.37) Ishmael's mother went on suckling Ishmael and drinking from the water (she had). When the water in the water-skin had all been used up, she became thirsty and her child also became thirsty. She started looking at him (i.e. Ishmael) tossing in agony; She left him, for she could not endure looking at him, and found that the mountain of Safa was the nearest mountain to her on that land. She stood on it and started looking at the valley keenly so that she might see somebody, but she could not see anybody. Then she descended from Safa and when she reached the valley, she tucked up her robe and ran in the valley like a person in distress and trouble, till she crossed the valley and reached the Marwa mountain where she stood and started looking, expecting to see somebody, but she could not see anybody. She repeated that (running between Safa and Marwa) seven times." The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "This is the source of the tradition of the walking of people between them (i.e. Safa and Marwa). When she reached the Marwa (for the last time) she heard a voice and she asked herself to be quiet and listened attentively. She heard the voice again and said, 'O, (whoever you may be)! You have made me hear your voice; have you got something to help me?" And behold! She saw an angel at the place of Zamzam, digging the earth with his heel (or his wing), till water flowed from that place. She started to make something like a basin around it, using her hand in this way, and started filling her water-skin with water with her hands, and the water was flowing out after she had scooped some of it." The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "May Allah bestow Mercy on Ishmael's mother! Had she let the Zamzam (flow without trying to control it) (or had she not scooped from that water) (to fill her water-skin), Zamzam would have been a stream flowing on the surface of the earth." The Prophet (ﷺ) further added, "Then she drank (water) and suckled her child. The angel said to her, 'Don't be afraid of being neglected, for this is the House of Allah which will be built by this boy and his father, and Allah never neglects His people.' The House (i.e. Ka`ba) at that time was on a high place resembling a hillock, and when torrents came, they flowed to its right and left. She lived in that way till some people from the tribe of Jurhum or a family from Jurhum passed by her and her child, as they (i.e. the Jurhum people) were coming through the way of Kada'. They landed in the lower part of Mecca where they saw a bird that had the habit of flying around water and not leaving it. They said, 'This bird must be flying around water, though we know that there is no water in this valley.' They sent one or two messengers who discovered the source of water, and returned to inform them of the water. So, they all came (towards the water)." The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "Ishmael's mother was sitting near the water. They asked her, 'Do you allow us to stay with you?" She replied, 'Yes, but you will have no right to possess the water.' They agreed to that." The Prophet (ﷺ) further said, "Ishmael's mother was pleased with the whole situation as she used to love to enjoy the company of the people. So, they settled there, and later on they sent for their families who came and settled with them so that some families became permanent residents there. The child (i.e. Ishmael) grew up and learnt Arabic from them and (his virtues) caused them to love and admire him as he grew up, and when he reached the age of puberty they made him marry a woman from amongst them. After Ishmael's mother had died, Abraham came after Ishmael's marriage in order to see his family that he had left before, but he did not find Ishmael there. When he asked Ishmael's wife about him, she replied, 'He has gone in search of our livelihood.' Then he asked her about their way of living and their condition, and she replied, 'We are living in misery; we are living in hardship and destitution,' complaining to him. He said, 'When your husband returns, convey my salutation to him and tell him to change the threshold of the gate (of his house).' When Ishmael came, he seemed to have felt something unusual, so he asked his wife, 'Has anyone visited you?' She replied, 'Yes, an old man of so-and-so description came and asked me about you and I informed him, and he asked about our state of living, and I told him that we were living in a hardship and poverty.' On that Ishmael said, 'Did he advise you anything?' She replied, 'Yes, he told me to convey his salutation to you and to tell you to change the threshold of your gate.' Ishmael said, 'It was my father, and he has ordered me to divorce you. Go back to your family.' So, Ishmael divorced her and married another woman from amongst them (i.e. Jurhum). Then Abraham stayed away from them for a period as long as Allah wished and called on them again but did not find Ishmael. So he came to Ishmael's wife and asked her about Ishmael. She said, 'He has gone in search of our livelihood.' Abraham asked her, 'How are you getting on?' asking her about their sustenance and living. She replied, 'We are prosperous and well-off (i.e. we have everything in abundance).' Then she thanked Allah' Abraham said, 'What kind of food do you eat?' She said. 'Meat.' He said, 'What do you drink?' She said, 'Water." He said, "O Allah! Bless their meat and water." The Prophet added, "At that time they did not have grain, and if they had grain, he would have also invoked Allah to bless it." The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "If somebody has only these two things as his sustenance, his health and disposition will be badly affected, unless he lives in Mecca." The Prophet (ﷺ) added," Then Abraham said Ishmael's wife, "When your husband comes, give my regards to him and tell him that he should keep firm the threshold of his gate.' When Ishmael came back, he asked his wife, 'Did anyone call on you?' She replied, 'Yes, a good-looking old man came to me,' so she praised him and added. 'He asked about you, and I informed him, and he asked about our livelihood and I told him that we were in a good condition.' Ishmael asked her, 'Did he give you any piece of advice?' She said, 'Yes, he told me to give his regards to you and ordered that you should keep firm the threshold of your gate.' On that Ishmael said, 'It was my father, and you are the threshold (of the gate). He has ordered me to keep you with me.' Then Abraham stayed away from them for a period as long as Allah wished, and called on them afterwards. He saw Ishmael under a tree near Zamzam, sharpening his arrows. When he saw Abraham, he rose up to welcome him (and they greeted each other as a father does with his son or a son does with his father). Abraham said, 'O Ishmael! Allah has given me an order.' Ishmael said, 'Do what your Lord has ordered you to do.' Abraham asked, 'Will you help me?' Ishmael said, 'I will help you.' Abraham said, Allah has ordered me to build a house here,' pointing to a hillock higher than the land surrounding it." The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "Then they raised the foundations of the House (i.e. the Ka`ba). Ishmael brought the stones and Abraham was building, and when the walls became high, Ishmael brought this stone and put it for Abraham who stood over it and carried on building, while Ishmael was handing him the stones, and both of them were saying, 'O our Lord! Accept (this service) from us, Verily, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.' The Prophet (ﷺ) added, "Then both of them went on building and going round the Ka`ba saying: O our Lord ! Accept (this service) from us, Verily, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing." (2.127)
Reference
Sahih al-Bukhari 3364
In-book reference
Book 60, Hadith 38
USC-MSA web (English)
Vol. 4, Book 55, Hadith 583
Translation by Dr. M. Muhsin Khan · Language: EN
Sahih
It is related that Ibn 'Abbas said, "The first woman to use a girdle was the mother of Isma'il. She used a girdle to hide her tracks from Sara. Then Ibrahim brought her and her son, Isma'il, whom she was nursing and put her near the House by a tall tree above Zamzam in the upper part of the mosque. At that time no one lived in Makka and there was no water there. He put them there and left with her a bag with some dates in it and a waterskin with some water in it. Then Ibrahim returned the way he had come. Isma'il's mother followed him and said, 'O Ibrahim! Where are you going, leaving us in this valley in which there are no people or anything else?' She said that to him several times but he did not turn to her. She said to him, 'Has Allah commanded you to do this?' He answered, 'Yes.' She said, 'Then He will not let us come to harm,' and went back. Ibrahim went on until he reached ath-Thaniyya where they could not see him. He turned to face the House and then made a supplication with these words. He raised his hands and said, 'O our Lord, I have settled some of my offspring in an uncultivated valley . . .to . . .so that hopefully they may will thankful.' (14:37-39) Isma'il's mother began to suckle him and drink from the water until the water in the skin had run out. She was thirsty and her son was thirsty. She looked at him twisting about" - or he said, "rolling on the ground" - "and then walked away, not wanting to look at him. Safa was the nearest hill to her and she climbed up it and then looked around the valley to see if there was anyone there. She could not see anyone and descended from Safa until she reached the valley. Then she lifted the edge of her skirt and ran as an overwrought person runs until she had crossed the valley. Then she came to Marwa and stood on it and looked to see whether there was anyone there. She could not see anyone. She did that seven times." Ibn 'Abbas said that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "That is why people run between them." "Then, on Marwa, when she looked she heard a voice and said, 'Listen!' trying to hear. Then she listened and heard and said, 'I have heard if You possess any relief.' Suddenly there was an angel at the site of Zamzam. He struck the ground with his heel - or his wing - until water appeared. She made a container with her hands, like this, and began to scoop up the water into her waterskin and it bubbled up each time she scooped." Ibn 'Abbas said that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "May Allah have mercy on the mother of Isma'il. If she had left Zamzam" - or he said, "If she had not scooped up the water" - "Zamzam would have begun as a running stream." He said, "She drank and suckled her son and the angel said to her, 'Do not be afraid of perishing. This boy and his father will build a house here for Allah. Allah will not let its people perish. The house was higher than the land around it, like on a hill to which floods come and then go to the right and left of it. She remained like that until a group of the Jurhum, or people from a clan of Jurhum, coming by way of Kada' alighted at the bottom of Makka and saw birds circling round and said, 'These birds are circling around water. We are familiar with this valley and there is no water in it.' They sent one or two scouts and when they found the water, they returned and told them. They advanced and found Isma'il's mother at the water. They said, 'Will you give us permission to alight here with you?' She said, 'Yes, but you have no right to the water.' They said, 'Yes.'" Ibn 'Abbas said that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "This happened to Isma'il's mother because she desired human companionship. They alighted and sent for their families and settled there with them so that they became people with houses. The boy grew up and learned Arabic from them. As a youth, he was the dearest and most admired of them. When he came of age, he married a woman from among them. Isma'il's mother died and Ibrahim came after Isma'il had married to look for something he had left behind. He did not find Isma'il at home. He asked his wife about him and she said, 'He has gone out to look for food for us.' Then he asked about their life and circumstances. She said, 'We are in a very bad way. We are suffering constriction and hardship,' and she complained to him. He said, 'When your husband comes, greet him from me and tell him to change his door lintel.' When Isma'il came, it was as if he sensed something and he said, 'Did someone come?' She said, 'Yes, such-and-such an old man came and he asked about you and I told him. He asked me about our life and I told him that we were suffering difficulty and hardship.' He said, 'Did he give you any advice?' She said, 'Yes. He told me to give you greetings and to say: "Change the lintel of your door."' He said, 'That was my father and he has commanded that I separate from you. Go back to your family.' So he divorced her and married another woman from them. Ibrahim remained away from them as long as Allah wished and then he visited them again and did not find him at home. He visited his wife and asked about him and she said, 'He has gone out looking for food for us.' He said, 'How are you?' and he asked her about their life and circumstances. She said, 'We are well,' and she praised Allah Almighty. He said, 'What is your food?' She said, 'Meat.' He said, 'What is your drink?' She said, 'Water.' He said, 'O Allah, bless them in their meat and water.'" The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "At that time they did not have grain. If they had had it, he would have prayed for them in respect of it as well." He said, "This is why no one except the people of Makka can manage with these two alone when they do not agree with other people.'" "He said, 'When your husband comes, give him the greeting and tell him to strengthen the lintel of his door.' When Isma'il came, he said, 'Did someone come to you?' She said, 'Yes, an old man of handsome appearance came to us,' and she praised him. 'He asked me about you and I told him and he asked me how our life was and I told him that we were well.' He said, 'Did he give you any advice?' She said, 'Yes, he gave you the greeting and told you to strengthen the lintel of your door.' He said, 'That was my father. You are the lintel. He told me to keep you.' Then he remained away from them for as long as Allah wished. Then he came after that one day while Isma'il was sharpening his arrows under a large tree near Zamzam. When he saw him, he went to him and did as a father does with a son and a son with a father. He said, 'Isma'il, Allah has given me a command.' He said, 'Do what Allah has commanded you.' He said, 'Will you help me.'.He said, 'I will help you.' He said, 'Allah has commanded me to build a house here,' and he pointed at a mound which was higher than the surrounding land. In that place he laid the foundations of the House. Isma'il began to bring stones and Ibrahim laid them until the structure reached a certain height. Then he brought a stone and placed it for him and he stood on it, building, while Isma'il passed up the stones to him. They were saying, 'Our Lord! Accept this from us: for You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.'" (2:127) He said, "They went on building until they had gone around the House saying, 'Our Lord! Accept this from us: for You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing.'"
Reference
Sahih al-Bukhari 3364
In-book reference
Book 60, Hadith 38
USC-MSA web (English)
Vol. 4, Book 55, Hadith 583
Translation by Aisha Bewley · Language: EN
Sahih
