Did Ibrahim Obey Allah’s Command to Leave His Wife and Son Ismael in a Barren Valley?
هل امتثل إبراهيم عليه السلام أمر الله بترك زوجته وابنه إسماعيل في وادٍ غير ذي زرع؟
Ibrahim did not argue with Allah’s command nor did he complain. He took them where he was commanded to and prayed to Allah Almighty to send people there who could feed them and look after them. He had faith that Allah would not abandon them. “Our Lord! I have settled some of my offspring in a barren valley, near Your Sacred House, our Lord, so that they may establish prayer. So make the hearts of believing people incline towards them and provide them with fruits, so perhaps they will be thankful” (Surah Ibrahim 14:37). The mother of Ismael said, “O Ibrahim, who are you leaving us to?” and he kept not answering her, so she said, “Did Allah command you to do this?” He said, “Yes.” She said, “Then He will not leave us.”
لم يجادل إبراهيم ولم يعترض على أمر الله، فأخذ زوجته هاجر وابنه إسماعيل حيث أمره الله تعالى، ودعا الله تعالى أن يرسل ناسا يطعمونهما ويعتنون بهما. وكان يقينه بأن الله لن يتركهما كبيرا، قال الله تعالى: رَّبَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنتُ مِن ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ عِندَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ تَهْوِي إِلَيْهِمْ وَارْزُقْهُم مِّنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَشْكُرُونَ ﴿٣٧﴾ (سورة إبراهيم: 37). قالت أم إسماعيل: يا إبراهيم، لمن تتركنا؟ وجعل لا يرد عليها، فقالت: آلله أمرك بهذا؟ قال: نعم. قالت: إذًا لا يضيعنا الله.
1. Obedience Without Explanation | طاعةٌ لا تسأل عن العلة
The report gives no reason for the command and records no question from Ibrahim. This episode is an example of prophetic submission, obedience that does not wait to understand the wisdom behind a command before carrying it out, trusting that the wisdom belongs to Allah alone.
لا تذكر الرواية علة الأمر، ولا تذكر أن إبراهيم عليه السلام سأل عنها. وفي هذه الحادثة مثالٌ على تسليم الأنبياء: طاعةٌ لا تنتظر فهم الحكمة قبل التنفيذ، ثقةً بأن الحكمة لله وحده.
2. Hajar’s Question and Her Own Declaration of Faith | سؤال هاجر وإعلانها التوكل
Hajar asked Ibrahim again and again, and he did not answer. When she asked whether Allah had commanded this and he said yes, she replied, “Then He will not leave us,” a declaration of tawakkul (trust in Allah) placed directly beside Ibrahim’s own in the same account, mother and father united in the same certainty even while physically parting.
سألت هاجر إبراهيم عليه السلام مرارًا فلم يجبها، فلما سألته: آلله أمرك بهذا؟ قال: نعم، فقالت: “إذًا لا يضيعنا الله”. وهو إعلانُ توكل يقف في الرواية نفسها إلى جانب توكل إبراهيم، فالأم والأب على يقين واحد مع افتراقهما.
3. A Prayer for a Barren Valley’s Future | دعاءٌ لمستقبل وادٍ غير ذي زرع
Ibrahim’s supplication in Surah Ibrahim 14:37 asked for two specific things: that people’s hearts incline toward his family, and that they be provided with fruits, despite leaving them in a valley with no water, no crops, and no inhabitants. Both requests describe exactly what the valley of Makkah became: a city that draws pilgrims from every nation and a marketplace supplied with produce from across the region, the prayer fulfilled. The House at the heart of that valley was raised by Ibrahim and Ismael, as told in who built the Kaaba in Makkah.
سأل إبراهيم عليه السلام ربه في دعائه أمرين: (فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ تَهْوِي إِلَيْهِمْ وَارْزُقْهُم مِّنَ الثَّمَرَاتِ) (إبراهيم 14: 37)، مع أنه تركهما في وادٍ لا ماء فيه ولا زرع ولا ساكن. وكلا الأمرين وصفٌ دقيق لما صار إليه وادي مكة: بلدٌ يقصده الحجاج من كل أمة، وسوقٌ تُجلب إليه الثمرات من كل ناحية، فتحقق الدعاء. وقد رفع إبراهيم وإسماعيل عليهما السلام البيت الذي في قلب هذا الوادي، كما بيّنا في الجواب عمّن بنى الكعبة.
4. What Happened After Ibrahim Left | ما جرى بعد رحيل إبراهيم
A narration from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) in Sahih al-Bukhari (3364) describes what followed: when their water ran out, Hajar ran seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwah searching desperately for help, until an angel caused water to flow at Zamzam, covered in Who Was the Prophet That the Zamzam Water Gushed at His Feet? Her running between the two hills became a rite of Hajj still performed by millions of pilgrims today, a permanent memorial to a mother’s trust in Allah during the very trial Ibrahim’s obedience had placed her in.
وتصف رواية ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما في صحيح البخاري (3364) ما جرى بعد ذلك: لما نفد الماء سعت هاجر بين الصفا والمروة سبع مرات تلتمس الغوث، حتى أظهر المَلَك الماء في موضع زمزم، كما بيّنا في الجواب عن النبي الذي نبع ماء زمزم عند قدميه. فصار سعيها بين الصفا والمروة شعيرةً من شعائر الحج يؤديها ملايين الحجاج إلى اليوم، وذكرى باقية لتوكل أمٍّ على الله في المحنة التي نزلت بها حين أطاع إبراهيم ربه.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Did Ibrahim obey Allah’s command to leave Hajar and Ismael?
Yes, he obeyed without argument or complaint, trusting Allah would not abandon them.
How did Hajar respond when Ibrahim left them?
After learning the command came from Allah, she said, “Then He will not leave us,” expressing full trust in Allah.
What did Ibrahim pray for when he left them?
That people’s hearts would incline toward his family and that they would be provided with fruits, recorded in Surah Ibrahim 14:37.
What happened to Hajar and Ismael after Ibrahim left?
When their water ran out, an angel caused the Zamzam spring to flow, and Hajar’s search between Safa and Marwah became a rite of Hajj.