RECORD OF THE BIRTH OF THE LORD ESMA’IL, U. W. B., ETC., AND HIS SOJOURN IN THE SANCTUARY—MAY ALLAH ENNOBLE IT.

When the Lord and Gracious Bestower of abundant benefits had given to Ebrahim—u. w. b., etc.—plenty of cattle, fields, houses and property of all kinds, he besought the Almighty, that after vouchsafing him His boundless grace and His unlimited favour, by conferring upon him all the blessings of this, and the promises of the next world, He would grant him a son, who might become the heir of the prophetic dignity and apostolic office, and that by inviting the inhabitants of the world to accept the law and to follow the straight path, he might become the cause of their guidance. Sarah also, who was by divine predesti­nation destitute of the qualities required for child-bearing, did not know how Ebrahim’s desire for a son might be gratified, until at last she gave him Hâjar, with the hope that the latter might bear him a son.* Hâjar was very beautiful and young; and as soon as she had been honoured by the society and intimacy of Ebrahim, her pure nature became immediately impregnated with the cause, which was to give birth to the Lord Esma’il, who was accordingly born as soon as the time of her pregnancy had elapsed,* and proved to be an infant the like of which in amenity and beauty had never been seen before; nor had Dame Nature ever cherished such a child in her lap. He was called Ashmuil in Hebrew, but his name was, after being much used, turned into Esma’il. Ebrahim loved him much, and kept him nearly always in his arms or on his back. Sarah became on account of this circumstance so jealous of Hâjar that she swore she would cut off three of Hâjar’s limbs. When the latter became aware of this intention, she girded her loins for flight and absconded. Ebrahim then interceded for her with Sarah, whom he requested to pierce her ears, and to cut off a piece from her concealed member, so that the oath might not be broken. Sarah agreed to this proposal, and after Hâjar had been produced, she acted according to Ebrahim’s advice, and for this reason the piercing of the ears of females and circumcision have become a law. After Hâjar had thus been punished Sarah was still dissatisfied, and jealous of her and of Esma’il to such a degree that she requested Ebrahim to convey both of them to a deserted place, without any houses or cultivated fields, and to abandon them there, solitary and alone. Ebrahim was under many obligations to Sarah, and could not refuse her; he was, moreover, ordered by the inscrutable Lord to comply with the wish of Sarah. He therefore mounted a steed, fleet as lightning, seated Hâjar and Esma’il on a quadruped, and travelled by the direction and in the company of Jebrâil towards Mekkah. When they had, after completing the journey, arrived in the locality of Zemzem, Jebrâil said to Ebrahim that it was the command of Allah to leave the mother with her infant in that place. Ebrahim accordingly obeyed the injunction of Jebrâil, and abandoned them in the shade of a tree which the Almighty and Absolute Master had produced by His power in an arid spot, and had caused to become green. At that time the tribe of A’mâlekites was dwelling outside the sanctuary, because in the identical locality of that noble place there were no habitations. In fine, Ebrahim stayed during three days and nights with them. The spot was extremely dry and rocky, without any buildings; the exsiccated, hot atmosphere was a result of its soil, and the aridity thereof was caused by mines of sulphurous red earth, so that it would be said that the burned territory had assumed the colour of red rubies. When Ebrahim was about to depart, Hâjar began to implore him, saying: ‘I am a weak woman, my child is an infant, and the desert is frightful. To whom dost thou leave us? Wilt thou abandon me? Where art thou going?’ Ebrahim was touched by these words, and said: ‘I commit you to the divine favour, which is pledged for your preservation, and by His grace you will both be saved.’ Then Hâjar said: ‘I resign myself to the will of God, and I trust in Him.’

Ebrahim departed from the place, and when he arrived at the heights of Mekkah he cast a glance towards Hâjar and Esma’il, but knowing them to be uncomfortable with­out bread or water in the boundless desert, he exclaimed: ‘O Lord, I have caused my seed to dwell in an uncultivated valley near Thy holy house,’ meaning in the locality of the house, because at that time the house of the Ka’bah did not yet exist. Ebrahim lamented much, his eyes were full of water, and he turned his face towards Syria with a depressed mind. When Hâjar and Esma’il had spent all their food and drink, thirst pressed them sorely; the mother had no milk to suckle the child, and became impatient when she contemplated the helpless state of her infant; therefore she ascended Mount Safa to see whether she could discover some inhabited place. Thus she stood on the mountain for some time, but perceived no help. She came down, gathered up her skirts, and walking with all possible speed, passed the Vâdi, and went up Mount Marva, where she also stopped, but found no trace of water or cultivation. This she repeated seven times, in the same way as pilgrims do at present. Every time, however, she had a look at her darling, to see whether some wild beast was approaching him. At last she heard a voice from the direction of Mount Safa, but could perceive nothing. The next time a voice struck her ears from the region of Marva, towards which she proceeded, but could see nothing. After that she heard in the place where Esma’il was the roaring of savage beasts, but when she arrived near him she saw that a delicious fountain of water had sprung up by his side. Besides this, however, also another tradition exists concerning the origin of the water Zemzem.*

It is related that when the mother with her son drank of that water they were delivered of the pangs of thirst and hunger. Hâjar wished to obtain more water and to fill her leather bottle, but Jebrâil replied that there was no need of filling it, because this water would always remain there. It is related that Hâjar took out the gravel and the mud from the fountain to make the water more abundant, and she heaped both these substances up around the well:

Distich:

Where a trace of His foot is, there with our eyes We take up the dust until water flows out.

On this occasion she heard a voice over her head, telling her not to fear the decrease of the water, because the abun­dance of the Almighty Donor had produced this fountain for the benefit of her son, and it would never disappear. She was then informed that God—w. n. b. e.—would ennoble her pious son with the dignity of a prophet, and graciously allow him to build in this country, in company with his father, the Friend of the Merciful One, a house, which people from all parts of the world would visit and circumambulate as pilgrims, and likewise drink of this water. Hâjar was delighted at this news, and it is related of his lordship, the refuge and seal of prophets [i.e. Muhammad], that he said: ‘The mercy of Allah be upon the mother of Esma’il; if she had left it, the Zemzem would be a spring,’ meaning thereby that instead of being a well it would be a rivulet.