Which of Abraham’s two sons was the “forbearing boy,” and which was the “knowledgeable boy

The Forbearing Boy and the Knowledgeable Boy in the Qur’an

Which of Abraham’s two sons was the “forbearing boy,” and which was the “knowledgeable boy”?

Yes, Allah Almighty gave glad tidings to Abraham, peace be upon him, of a forbearing boy in Surat As-Saffat. The glad tidings of a knowledgeable boy came in two places in the Holy Qur’an: in Surat Adh-Dhariyat and Surat Al-Hijr.

What the majority of commentators agreed upon—and this is the correct view—is that:

• the forbearing boy is Ishmael, peace be upon him

• the knowledgeable boy is Isaac, peace be upon him

The Evidence for This View

There are two clear proofs for the correctness of this statement:

1. The Knowledgeable Boy Was the Son of Sarah

The knowledgeable boy was the one whose glad tidings came to Abraham and his wife Sarah, and Sarah’s son was Isaac. As for Ishmael, he was the son of Hagar, Abraham’s slave woman.

2. The Context of the Verses Clearly Distinguishes between the Two

The context of the Qur’anic verses makes the matter very plain.

First: The Forbearing Boy Was Ishmael

Allah Almighty says regarding Abraham, peace be upon him:

“My Lord, grant me [a child] from among the righteous."
"So We gave him good tidings of a forbearing boy."
"And when he reached with him [the age of] exertion, he said, ‘O my son, indeed I have seen in a dream that I [must] sacrifice you, so see what you think.’ He said, ‘O my father, do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah wills, of the steadfast.’”
Then after mentioning the story of the sacrifice, Allah says:
“And We gave him good tidings of Isaac, a prophet from among the righteous.”
(Surat As-Saffat 37:100–113)

These verses show that the forbearing boy was Ishmael, because he was the one whom Abraham was commanded to sacrifice. It could not have been Isaac, because after Allah mentioned the story of the forbearing boy, He then said:

“And We gave him good tidings of Isaac…”

This clearly proves that the earlier boy was not Isaac. Also, Isaac had already been given glad tidings that he would become a prophet, so it would not make sense for him to be the one intended for sacrifice.

The description of Ishmael as forbearing is highly fitting. His response:

“O my father, do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah wills, among the patient”

shows the perfection of his patience, sound judgment, and submission. Ibn Kathir said:

“And Ishmael is described here as the forbearing, because it is appropriate for this situation.”

Second: The Knowledgeable Boy Was Isaac

Allah Almighty says:

“And they gave him good tidings of a knowledgeable boy.”
(Adh-Dhariyat 51:28)

And He says:

“Do not fear. Indeed, we give you good tidings of a learned boy.”
(Al-Hijr 15:53)

The verses in Surat Adh-Dhariyat indicate that this knowledgeable boy would be from his wife, and his wife was Sarah. Sarah’s son was Isaac.

This is made completely explicit in Surat Hud, where Allah says:

“So We gave her good tidings of Isaac, and after Isaac, Jacob.”
(Hud 11:71)

The context of the verses in Surat Hud matches the context of the verses in Surat Adh-Dhariyat, showing that the child being referred to is the same person: Isaac, peace be upon him.

The Position of the Scholars

The overwhelming majority of scholars held that:

• the forbearing boy is Ishmael

• the knowledgeable boy is Isaac

Al-Tabari

Ibn Jarir al-Tabari said regarding:

“And they gave him good tidings of a knowledgeable boy”

that this means Isaac, because the glad tidings were given through Sarah, and Ishmael was from Hagar, not Sarah.

Ibn Kathir

Ibn Kathir said:

“And they gave him good tidings of a learned boy, who is Isaac, peace be upon him, as mentioned previously in Surat Hud.”

Al-Qurtubi

Al-Qurtubi also chose the view that the knowledgeable boy is Isaac, and stated that the majority of scholars held this opinion. He rejected the view that it referred to Ishmael, citing Allah’s clear statement:

“And We gave him good tidings of Isaac.”

Al-Shawkani, Ibn Ashur, Al-Sa’di, Ibn Uthaymeen, and Ibn al-Qayyim

All of them affirmed the same distinction:

• Ishmael was the forbearing boy

• Isaac was the knowledgeable boy

They also pointed out that the Qur’an itself distinguishes between the two descriptions:

• Ishmael was described as forbearing

• Isaac was described as knowledgeable

The Only Reported Contrary View

Mujahid, may Allah have mercy on him, was reported to have said that the knowledgeable boy was Ishmael, but this view was not accepted by the scholars. Rather, they regarded it as weak and rejected due to the explicit Qur’anic evidence.

Conclusion

It thus becomes clear that:

• the forbearing boy whom Abraham was given glad tidings of was Ishmael

• the knowledgeable boy was Isaac