Basic
Ismail
Surah: Maryam (54)
Ismail the True to Promise — "He Was True to His Promise" — Loyalty as a Quranic Value
إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ صَادِقَ ٱلۡوَعۡدِ وَكَانَ رَسُولٗا نَّبِيًّا
— مريم الآية 54
Quranic context: Maryam 54-55
Verse: "And mention in the Book, Ismail. Indeed, he was true to his promise, and he was a Messenger and a Prophet."
The True Promise: Ismail promised a man he would wait for him at a certain place and waited a day and night — or three days by another narration — until the man arrived and found him still there. Also: his promise to Allah to endure the slaughter with patience: "You will find me, if Allah wills, among the patient."
Lesson:
Verse: "And mention in the Book, Ismail. Indeed, he was true to his promise, and he was a Messenger and a Prophet."
The True Promise: Ismail promised a man he would wait for him at a certain place and waited a day and night — or three days by another narration — until the man arrived and found him still there. Also: his promise to Allah to endure the slaughter with patience: "You will find me, if Allah wills, among the patient."
Lesson:
- Among the prophets' qualities: truthfulness in promises — mentioned before "messenger" and "prophet" in the verse
- Fulfilling a promise even at personal cost — he did not leave when the wait grew long
- Ismail alone in the Quran bears the title "true to his promise" — a unique Quranic designation
Source: Ibn Kathir (5/232); Al-Tabari (16/81); Al-Qurtubi (11/115)
Test Yourself
What unique title does Ismail hold in the Quran, and what does the order of qualities in the verse signify?
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