Short answer
Yes. Ishmael bore the covenant's sign with Abraham, and God (﷾) blesses him by name as Abraham's seed, which means his offspring. Genesis confirms God's (﷾) covenant, His binding promise, with Isaac, but it never takes Ishmael's blessing away. Hagar was given to Abraham to be his wife, and Ishmael was his firstborn son. God (﷾) promises to make him a great nation, the father of twelve princes. On the day God (﷾) gave Abraham circumcision as the sign of the covenant, Ishmael was circumcised with him. The Law of Moses forbids a father to pass over his firstborn because the mother is the less loved wife. The Bible also ties the covenant to obedience, not to descent alone. Islam's answer is that the promise to Ishmael reached its fullness in Muhammad (ﷺ), his descendant, the last prophet, sent after Jesus.
Full explanation
The verses Christians rely on
Christians point to two verses. In Genesis 17, God (﷾) says He will establish His covenant with Isaac. In Genesis 21, God (﷾) tells Abraham that his seed shall be called in Isaac. Paul, a Christian missionary of the first century, quotes Sarah's demand to cast out the slave woman (the "bondwoman") and her son. He quotes her reason too: the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman. On this reading Ishmael is blessed, but the covenant runs through Isaac alone. The rest of Genesis answers each point.
“And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.”
“And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.”
“Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.”
Ishmael is Abraham's son and seed
Genesis does not treat Ishmael as an outsider. Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham "to be his wife", and Abraham himself named the boy she bore him. Later Sarah asked for Hagar and Ishmael to be sent away. God (﷾) answered that He would make a nation of Ishmael too, "because he is thy seed". God (﷾) says this in the very next breath after "in Isaac shall thy seed be called". So even while the line through Isaac is named, Genesis still calls Ishmael Abraham's seed and blesses him.
“And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.”
“And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.”
“And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.”
“And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.”
The promises made to Ishmael
God's (﷾) blessing on Ishmael is spoken more than once. Before he was born, the angel promised Hagar that her seed would be too many to count. Then Abraham prayed for Ishmael. God (﷾) answered that He had blessed him, would multiply him exceedingly, and would make him a great nation with twelve princes. In the wilderness God (﷾) repeated the promise of a great nation. Genesis later lists the twelve princes by name, each with his towns and nation.
“And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.”
“And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.”
“Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.”
“These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.”
The covenant was made before Isaac was born
God's (﷾) promise to make Abraham a great nation came before he had any child. Then, in Genesis 17, Ishmael was thirteen and Isaac was not yet born. God (﷾) made His covenant with Abraham and his seed, and promised that he would be a father of many nations. He also gave the land to his seed after him. The token of that covenant was circumcision. Abraham and Ishmael were circumcised on the same day. Abraham's servants were circumcised too, but Genesis calls Ishmael "his son" that day. He received the sign as Abraham's son, before Isaac was born.
“And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”
“As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.”
“And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”
“This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.”
“He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.”
“And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son.”
The law of the firstborn
The Law of Moses, the first five books of the Bible, deals with a case like this one. A man may have two wives, one loved and one not, and the firstborn may be the son of the less loved wife. The father may not put the younger son in his place. The firstborn keeps the double portion. Ishmael was Abraham's firstborn, and Hagar was his wife. The Torah's own rule is that a firstborn's right does not depend on which wife the father loves more. It gives no ground for treating Ishmael as less than a son.
“If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated: Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn: But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.”
“And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.”
The covenant is kept by obedience
The Bible does not make the covenant a matter of descent alone. The promise to Abraham is itself tied to obedience. God (﷾) says He chose Abraham so that his children and household would keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment. This is so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He had promised. God (﷾) also swears that all nations will be blessed in Abraham's seed "because thou hast obeyed my voice". The Law of Moses applies the same rule to Israel. Deuteronomy warns Israel that if they will not obey, the curses will overtake them and they will be plucked off the land. The Bible's history bears it out. Israel was carried off to Assyria, and the Bible says this happened because the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord. The Qur'an says the same to Abraham himself. When he asked that leaders come from his offspring, God (﷾) answered that His promise does not reach the wrongdoers. That rule holds for Ishmael's line as much as Isaac's: the promise passes to those who obey.
“For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.”
“And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”
“But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:”
“And it shall come to pass, that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you; so the Lord will rejoice over you to destroy you, and to bring you to nought; and ye shall be plucked from off the land whither thou goest to possess it.”
“In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.”
“For so it was, that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, which had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and had feared other gods,”
“And remember that Abraham was tried by his Lord with certain commands, which he fulfilled: He said: "I will make thee an Imam to the Nations." He pleaded: "And also (Imams) from my offspring!" He answered: "But My Promise is not within the reach of evil-doers."”
Ishmael's sons became nations early
The Bible places the sons of Ishmael in the land from Havilah to Shur, east of Egypt, toward Assyria. By Joseph's time, caravans of Ishmaelites were already carrying spices from Gilead down to Egypt. Ishmael was fourteen years older than Isaac. And Isaac was sixty before his own sons were born. So the tribes of Ishmael were settled long before the twelve tribes of Israel grew.
“And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur, that is before Egypt, as thou goest toward Assyria: and he died in the presence of all his brethren.”
“And they sat down to eat bread: and they lifted up their eyes and looked, and, behold, a company of Ishmeelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery and balm and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt.”
“These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.”
“And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.”
“And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.”
“And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau’s heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.”
| Son | Ishmael | Isaac |
|---|---|---|
| His mother | Hagar, given to Abraham “to be his wife” | Sarah |
| Born | First: Abraham's firstborn | Fourteen years later |
| God's (﷾) promise | Blessed, multiplied, a great nation with twelve princes | God's (﷾) covenant established with him |
| The day the covenant was given | Circumcised with Abraham, the covenant's sign, at thirteen | Not yet born |
| The nations | The tribes of Ishmael, among them Kedar and Nebajoth | The twelve tribes of Israel |
| The last prophet from the line | Muhammad (ﷺ), the last prophet of all | Jesus, the last prophet sent to Israel |
Genesis calls Ishmael Abraham's seed, and never takes his blessing away.
The promise fulfilled
The Qur'an honours Ishmael as a messenger and a prophet, true to his promise. It records that Abraham and Ishmael raised the House in Mecca, the Kaaba. They prayed for a people submitting to God (﷾) from their offspring, and for a messenger from among them. Jesus was the last prophet sent to Israel. Less than six hundred years after him came Muhammad (ﷺ), a descendant of Ishmael. Arab genealogists trace his line back to Ishmael's sons, some through Kedar and some through Nebajoth, both named in Genesis. With him, God's (﷾) blessing on both branches of Abraham's family was fulfilled.
“Also mention in the Book (the story of) Isma'il: He was (strictly) true to what he promised, and he was a messenger (and) a prophet.”
“"Our Lord! make of us Muslims, bowing to Thy (Will), and of our progeny a people Muslim, bowing to Thy (will); and show us our place for the celebration of (due) rites; and turn unto us (in Mercy); for Thou art the Oft-Returning, Most Merciful.”
“"Our Lord! send amongst them a Messenger of their own, who shall rehearse Thy Signs to them and instruct them in scripture and wisdom, and sanctify them: For Thou art the Exalted in Might, the Wise."”
“And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,”
Verse by verse
Genesis 17:19-21 — Torah, Bereshit, chapter 17, verses 19-21
“And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.”
Cited for
God says, "my covenant will I establish with Isaac". Ishmael receives a blessing, but not the covenant.
The response
The same passage blesses Ishmael in the same breath and promises him twelve princes and a great nation. The covenant of Genesis 17 is made with Abraham "and thy seed after thee", and God (﷾) calls Ishmael Abraham's seed. On that same day Ishmael received the covenant's sign. A covenant confirmed with Isaac does not undo the blessing already spoken over his older brother.
Where it lands — Genesis confirms the covenant with Isaac without removing Ishmael from Abraham's seed or from God's (﷾) blessing.
Galatians 4:30 — Epistle to the Galatians, chapter 4, verse 30
“Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.”
Cited for
Scripture says to cast out the bondwoman and her son. The son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman.
The response
Those words are Sarah's, from Genesis 21:10, and Paul himself says he is reading the story as an allegory. God (﷾) did tell Abraham to let Hagar and the boy go. But in the same breath He promised to make Ishmael a nation "because he is thy seed". Genesis 21:12 names the line through Isaac, and verse 13 still calls Ishmael Abraham's seed and promises him a nation. Being sent away is not being cut off from the blessing.
Where it lands — God (﷾) agreed that Ishmael should leave, but in the same answer He blessed him as Abraham's seed. Paul's allegory does not take that blessing away.
Perspectives
Christian
God blessed Ishmael and made him a nation. But the covenant was established with Isaac. Paul teaches that the son of the bondwoman does not inherit with the son of the free woman.
In Genesis 17 God says He will establish His covenant with Isaac, while promising Ishmael blessing and twelve princes.
Rebuttal
True, the covenant is confirmed with Isaac. But the same passage blesses Ishmael and promises him twelve princes. That same day Ishmael received the covenant's sign, so Genesis does not shut him out.
Genesis 21:12 says Abraham's seed shall be called in Isaac.
Rebuttal
True. But in the next verse God (﷾) adds that Ishmael too will become a nation, "because he is thy seed". Naming the line through Isaac does not cut Ishmael out of the blessing.
Paul reads the two mothers, Hagar and Sarah, as two covenants. He says the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the free woman.
Rebuttal
Paul calls his reading an allegory, and the words he quotes are Sarah's (Genesis 21:10). Then God (﷾) answered, calling Ishmael Abraham's seed and promising him a nation. Being sent away is not being cut off from God's (﷾) blessing, which Genesis gave Ishmael by name before Isaac was born.
Jewish: the covenant passes through Isaac
Jewish tradition holds that God blessed Ishmael and made him a great nation. But He established His covenant with Isaac and his seed.
God said: I will establish My covenant with Isaac. And for Ishmael, I have blessed him. And in Isaac shall your seed be called.
Rebuttal
In the same chapter, Ishmael is circumcised with Abraham on the day God (﷾) gave circumcision as the sign of His covenant. And Genesis calls him Abraham's seed. The covenant was never descent alone: God (﷾) tied it to keeping His way. The Qur'an says His promise does not reach the wrongdoers among Abraham's offspring. And it fulfils the blessing on Ishmael in the last prophet, who came from his line.
The Islamic perspective
Ishmael is Abraham's firstborn and his seed, and he bore the covenant's sign. God (﷾) blessed him by name. The blessing came true when the last prophet, Muhammad (ﷺ), came from his line.
Hagar was given to Abraham as his wife, and Genesis calls Ishmael Abraham's seed.
God (﷾) promised to bless Ishmael, multiply him exceedingly, and make him a great nation with twelve princes.
God (﷾) gave circumcision as the sign of the covenant with Abraham's seed. Ishmael was circumcised with Abraham on that very day.
The Law of Moses protects the firstborn son of a less loved wife.
Genesis ties the promise to Abraham to his obedience, and to his household keeping the way of the Lord. Deuteronomy warns Israel that disobedience brings the curses, and removal from the land.
So the covenant is not a matter of descent alone. And the Qur'an says God's (﷾) promise does not reach the wrongdoers among Abraham's offspring.
The promise to Ishmael was fulfilled in Muhammad (ﷺ), his descendant, the last messenger of God (﷾).