Ibrahim (Abraham) — peace be upon him

Ibrahim was a prophet and messenger whom Allah took as a close friend.

Ibrahim was a prophet and messenger whom Allah took as a close friend.

He is described as a grateful, upright hanif. His identity centres on undivided worship, with many later prophets in his descent and Quranic instruction to follow his way.

The Quran identifies Ibrahim as a hanif in submission rather than restricting him to later Jewish or Christian identities. It distinguishes his monotheistic allegiance from later communal claims and places faithful obedience above ancestry alone.

He follows Noah and is father of Ishmael and Isaac; the Quran gives no BCE date.

His account includes migration to a blessed land and descendants placed in Makkah’s uncultivated valley, representing different settings of his life.

His mission called people from idols to worship Allah alone.

The Quran records courteous discussion with his father, questioning ancestral worship and reasoning through created signs. Family ties coexist with firmness of belief.

The Quran names his father Azar and sons Ishmael and Isaac, with Jacob announced after Isaac.

Bukhari records Sarah and Ishmael’s mother, known as Hajar. Prophetic descent does not mean every descendant has the same moral standing.

He gratefully recalls receiving Ishmael and Isaac in old age and prays for descendants’ worship, forgiveness and safety. The Quran does not make all descendants automatically righteous; it distinguishes wrongdoing in the covenant and within the lineage.

His distinctions include divine friendship, fulfilled tests and appointment as an imam.

The Quran describes rescue from fire, the sacrifice trial and raising the House’s foundations with Ishmael. The sacrifice passage does not name the son; Ishmael is the widespread Muslim identification.

His connection with the House includes purification for worshippers as well as building. Al-Hajj records the proclamation of pilgrimage, linking the sanctuary with worship, purity and later generations’ gathering.

The Quran explicitly mentions Ibrahim’s scrolls.

His prayers concern submission, rites, descendants and a future messenger. His life is connected with prayer and pilgrimage, while the complete text of his scrolls is not supplied.

The Quran mentions receiving children in old age, but no total lifespan or death year.

His continuing legacy concerns prophetic descendants, monotheism and the House. A later tomb tradition is distinct from direct Quranic information.

Principal Quranic references are grouped by biographical topic.

Identity and prophethood — An-Nisa 4:125; An-Nahl 16:120–123; Maryam 19:41; Ali Imran 3:65–68.

Era and setting — Al-Anbiya 21:71–73; As-Saffat 37:83; Ibrahim 14:37.

Mission and teaching — Al-Anam 6:74–83; Maryam 19:42–48; Al-Anbiya 21:51–67.

Family and descent — Al-Anam 6:74; Hud 11:69–73; Ibrahim 14:39; Al-Baqarah 2:133; Ibrahim 14:39–41; Al-Baqarah 2:124; As-Saffat 37:113.

Distinctions and signs — Al-Baqarah 2:124–129; Al-Anbiya 21:68–70; As-Saffat 37:102–111; Al-Baqarah 2:125–129; Al-Hajj 22:26–29.

Revelation, scripture and teaching — Al-Ala 87:18–19; An-Najm 53:36–37; Al-Baqarah 2:128–129.

Lifespan and final period — Ibrahim 14:39; As-Saffat 37:112–113.

Related hadith summaries with collection references.

The narration covers Ishmael’s mother, Zamzam and building the House. — Sahih al-Bukhari 3364.

The narration names Sarah and Hajar in a journey of Ibrahim’s household. — Sahih al-Bukhari 3358.