"The first person to run between al-Safa and al-Marwah, according to Ibn Abbas, was the mother of Ishmael. And the first Arab woman who voided ordure and dragged the edges of her garment over it was the mother of Ishmael. When she fled from Sarah, she let her garment trail behind her to wipe her footprints out. Abraham took her and Ishmael until he reached the montain of Faran, where the House was located, and he left them there. Then he set off to go back to Syria. One day, Abraham would come again to rebuid the House and it was called Al Bait Al 'Atiq or Ka'ba.
According to Mujahid and other scholars, when Allah pointed out to Abraham the place of the House and told him how to build the Sanctuary, he set out to do the job and Gabriel went with him. It is said that whenever he passed a town he would ask, "Is this the town which Allah's command meant, O Gabriel?" And Gabriel would say, "Pass it by." At last they reached Mecca, which at that time was nothing but acacia trees, mimosa, and thorn trees, and there was a people called the Amalekites outside Mecca and its surroundings. The House at that time was but a hill of red clay. Abraham said to Gabriel, "Was it here that I was ordered to leave them?" Gabriel said, "Yes." Abraham directed Hagar and Ishmael to go to al-Hijr, and settled them down there.
Hagar had a worn-out waterskin which contained some water, but it gave out and she became thirsty. Then her milk ceased and Ishmael became thirsty. So she looked for the lowest mountain in the area, it was al-Safa, and climbed it. Then she listened, hoping to hear a voice or to see a friendly person. But she did not hear anything, so she climbed down. When she reached the valley, she ran even though she did not want to run, as is sometimes the case with exhausted people. Then she looked for another low mountain and climbed al-Marwah to have another look around . Then she heard a faint voice. Being unsure that she had really heard it, she said "Hush! " to herself, until she was sure of it . Then she said, "You have made me hear Your voice , so give me water, for I am dying and so is the one with me."
Then, she saw an angel at the place of Zam-zam, digging the earth with his heel (or his wing) till water flowed from that place. According to Mujahid, it was Gabriel dug out Zamzam with his heel for Ishmael. Hagar hurried to fill her waterskin. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "May Allah have mercy on the mother of Ishmael! If she had not been in such a hurry, Zamzam would still be a free-flowing spring." The angel said to her, "Do not fear that the people of this town will go thirsty, for this is a spring made for God's guests to drink. The father of this boy will come, and they will build a House on this site."
A group of people from the tribe of Jurhum passed by on the way to Syria. Seeing birds over the mountain, they asked each other, "That kind of bird only circles over water, do you know of any water in this valley?" None of them did. Then they went to a high place and saw Hagar. So they came to Hagar and said, "If you wish, we will stay with you and keep you company for as long as the water belongs to you." She replied, "Yes." So they stayed with her while Ishmael grew up. When Hagar died, Ishmael married a Jurhumite woman.
Meanwhile, Abraham asked Sarah 's leave to go to visit Hagar, and Sarah permitted it, laying down the condition that he not settle down there. Hagar had already died when Abraham came to Ishmael's house. He said to Ishmael's wife, "Where is your master?" She said, "He is not here . He went hunting." Ishmael often left the Sanctuary to go hunting. Abraham said, "Do you have any hospitality? Do you have any food or drink? " She said, "I have nothing, and there is no one with me." Abraham said, "When your husband comes, call out greeting to him and tell him that he should change the threshold of his door." Then Abraham went. And when Ishmael came back, he found the smell of his father. So he said to his wife, "Did anyone come to you?" She said, "An old man of such-and-such description came to me" -as though she were making light of him. Ishmael said, "What did he say to you ?" She said, "He told me, 'Greet your husband with peace and tell him that he should change the threshold of his door ."' So he divorced her and married another.
Abraham stayed in Syria as long as Allah willed and then asked Sarah 's leave to go to Mecca again to visit Ishmael. Once again she permitted him on the condition that he not settle down. Abraham came to Ishmael's door and said to his wife, "Where is your master?" She answered, "He has gone hunting, but he will soon come back, God willing, so stay, and may God be merciful to you! " He asked her, "Do you have any hospitality?" She said, "Yes." He said, "Do you have bread or wheat or barley or dates? " She brought milk and meat, and he prayed for blessing for both of them. Had she brought bread or wheat or dates or barley, Mecca would have been the most plentifully supplied with those things of any place on Allah's earth. She said, "Stay so that I may wash your head." But he would not stay, so she brought him the standing place and put it at his right side. He set his foot on it and the trace of his foot remained on it. Then she washed the right side of his head, then turned the standing-place to his left and washed the left side. He said to her, "When your husband comes, greet him with peace and say to him, 'The threshold of your door has been put in order.'"
When Ishmael came he sensed the smell of his father, so he said to his wife, "Did anyone come to you?" She answered, "Yes, an old man, the handsomest and best- smelling in the world. He said to me such-and-such and I answered suchand-such, and I washed his head, and this is the place of his feet on the standing-place." He said, "What did he say to you?" She replied, "He said to me, 'When your husband comes, greet him with peace and say to him: The threshold of your door has been put in order.'" Ishmael said, "That was Abraham."
Allah said to Abraham, 'Build Me a House on earth!' Abraham felt uneasy, so He sent the Sakinah. The Sakinah is a gale-force wind with two heads, and one head followed the other until they reached Mecca and coiled up at the site of the House, the way a snake coils. Abraham was commanded to build where the Sakinah had rested. Abraham came and found Ishmael mending his arrows behind Zamzam and said to him, "O Ishmael! Your Lord has ordered me to build Him a House." Ishmael said to him, "Then obey your Lord and do what He ordered you to do." Then Abraham said, "He has commanded that you assist me " Ishmael answered, "Then I will do it." They began together, Abraham doing the building while Ishmael handed him the stones. When the building had become tall and old Abraham was too weak to lift the stones that high, Ishmael came upon a stone which was the standing-place of Abraham. He started to hand it over, while both of them were saying, as Allah said in Surah Al-Baqarah[2]:127, "And [mention] when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House and [with him] Ishmael, [saying], "Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed You are the Hearing, the Knowing."
When Abraham had finished it except for one stone, the cornerstone, Abraham said to Ishmael, "O my son! Find me a stone which I can put here as a sign to the people." He brought a stone, but Abraham did not like it and said, "Look for another one." Ishmael went to look, but when he came back a cornerstone had already been brought and Abraham had put it in place. He asked, "O my father! Who brought you this stone?" Abraham replied, "One who did not entrust me to you, O my son!"
When Abraham had finished building the House as Allah ordered, He, Subhanahu wa Ta'ala ordered him to proclaim the pilgrimage among mankind, saying to him, as in Surah Al-Haj[22]:27, "And proclaim to the people the Hajj [pilgrimage]; they will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every distant pass." He then said, "O Lord! Will my voice reach?"-(that is, who will listen to me?). Allah answered, "Proclaim! The reaching is My responsibility." So Abraham proclaimed, "O people! Pilgrimage to the ancient House is prescribed for you." And everything between heaven and earth heard him. And his voice reached even those yet unborn in the loins of men and the wombs of women. All who believed among those of past generations in Allah's knowledge that they would perform the pilgrimage between then and the Day of Resurrection answered Abraham.
Abraham faced to the South and called mankind to Allah and to pilgrimage to His House. And he was answered with "Here I am, my Lord, here I am." Then he faced to the East and called mankind to Allah and to pilgrimage to His House, and he was answered with "Here I am, my Lord, here I am." Then to the West he called mankind to Allah and to pilgrimage to His House, and he was answered with "Here I am, my Lord, here I am." Then to the North he called mankind to Allah and to pilgrimage to His House and was answered with "Here I am, my Lord, here I am."
Then he took Ishmael out and went with him on the day of Tarwiyah, and stayed at Mina with him and with the Muslims who were with him, and he prayed with them the prayers of midday, afternoon, sunset, and late evening. Then he spent the night with them until they arose, and he prayed the dawn prayer with them. In the morning he went out with them to 'Arafah, and he spoke to them there until sunset drew near. Then he joined the two prayers, midday and afternoon, and then he went and stood with. them at the thorn-bush which is the standing-place of 'Arafah, where the prayer-leader stood teaching him and demonstrating to him. When the sun had set, he urged on the prayer-leader and those who were with him until they came to al-Muzdalifah. There he joined the two prayers of sunset and late evening. Then he spent the night with him and those with him until, when the dawn broke, he prayed the morning prayer with them. Then he stood with them at Quzah of al-Muzdalifah. This is the standing-place where the prayerleader stands. When day came, he demonstrated and explained to them what to do, including the throwing of the great stone. He showed them the sacrifice-ground of Mina, then performed the sacrifice and shaved his head. From Mina he went into the crowd to show them how to perform the march around the Ka'bah. Then he took them back to Mina to show them how to throw the stones, until he had compelted the pilgrimage and proclaimed it to mankind.
Gabriel was the one who showed Abraham the ritual acts when he made the pilgrimage. Gabriel came to Abraham on the day of Tarwiyah and went with him to Mina, praying with him the midday, afternoon, sunset, late evening, and dawn prayers in Mina. Then in the morning he took Abraham to Arafat and set him down at the thorn bush where people stay, and prayed with him the midday and afternoon prayers together. He stood with Abraham until he had prayed the sunset prayer very quickly, then rushed him into a crowd and prayed with him the sunset and evening prayers together. Then they remained and together they prayed the dawn prayer very quickly, and then very slowly. After that he rushed Abraham to Mina, threw the stones, performed the sacrifice, shaved his head, and finally hurried to the House"
The Pilgrim summarized his story by saying, "Then Allah ordered our beloved Prophet (ﷺ) to follow the religion of Abraham, as one upright by nature. He was not an idolator."
(Part 1)"And [mention] when We made the House a place of return for the people and [a place of] security. And take, [O believers], from the standing place of Abraham a place of prayer. And We charged Abraham and Ishmael, [saying], "Purify My House for those who perform Tawaf and those who are staying [there] for worship and those who bow and prostrate [in prayer]." - [QS.2:125]
Reference :
- Ibn Kathir, Stories of The Prophet, Darussalam
- The History of at-Tabari, Volume II, Prophet and Patriarch, translated by William M. Brinner, State University of New York Press.
