The Secret of Prophet Abraham’s Prayer for His Descendants

One of the prominent traditions of Prophet Abraham is praying for his children and descendants.

The Qur’an’s message is a reminder to the noble Prophet and the Islamic community of the instructive work of Prophet Abraham, as it states: “And when he raised…”(54); meaning, remember the time when…

Of course, if the apparent meaning of the verse was merely narrating the actual event without calling for reflection, nothing more than a “temporal” issue would be derived from it.

The instructive way of God’s close friend (Abraham) is a guide for supplicants on when, where, in what language, and with what content to pray, so that future generations, especially the spiritual children of that noble figure, may follow his example. One of the best times for prayer is when a person succeeds in engaging in or completing divine tasks. Abraham and Ishmael were able to make the best and most use of the suitable opportunity of renovating and rebuilding the Kaaba for prayer and supplication.

From the expression “And when he raised…”(55), it is clear that the prayers of that noble figure were during his engagement in the best form of worship, namely the reconstruction of the Kaaba, and prayer in such a state is likely to be answered. If a narration also indicates this meaning, it confirms the content of the Qur’an, rather than establishing a new point.

Several sensitive prayers have been reported from God’s close friend (Abraham), with the important headings being “Our Lord” (rabbanā). The contents of the supplications are apparently of three types: one type specific to that noble figure and the sacrificed one (Ishmael), such as: “Accept from us” and “Show us our rites”; another type shared between them and their descendants, such as requesting the status of submission and the position of complete obedience; and the third type specific to the descendants, such as: “And send among them a messenger from themselves”(56).

The secret behind Prophet Abraham asking the Almighty God for righteous offspring and praying for them at crucial moments is his awareness of the story of Prophet Noah’s son, who disregarded his life-giving teachings despite enduring nine and a half centuries of prophetic hardship. If Noah had had a righteous son like Abraham’s children, his teachings might have become universal, and the connection between the Abrahamic line of prophets and that lineage would have been more evident. The reason why, roughly in the middle of prophetic history, Noah’s lineage is cut off or not remembered, and after that, Abrahamic prophets appear, is precisely this. Therefore, Abraham, the friend of the Merciful, who desired the permanence of his good name: “And grant me a goodly mention among later generations”(57), may have prayed in this way to prevent his children from suffering the fate of Noah’s son. As in the first part of the prayer quoted in the verse under discussion, he and his son Ishmael prayed for themselves, and in the second part, they prayed for their descendants.

Note: The meaning of offspring (dhurrīya) is not limited to the offspring of Abraham and Ishmael; that is, individuals who are descendants of Abraham through Ishmael. Rather, it refers to the absolute offspring of each of these two great figures, although Ishmael’s offspring are also Abraham’s offspring. However, not everyone who is Abraham’s offspring is necessarily Ishmael’s offspring, as they might be from Isaac’s lineage. The expression “our offspring” (dhurrīyatinā) is not exclusively referring to Abraham’s offspring through Ishmael, so it is not limited to the Arab people. If there is a hadith specifically about the People of the Household (Ahl al-Bayt) or the Banī Hāshim, it may be referring to their greater benefit from this prayer, not that the main content of the prayer is exclusive to them, as will be clarified in the discussion of narrations.