Hajar
Definition
Hajar — Hagar — was the wife of Ibrahim and mother of Ismail, whose trust in Allah when left alone with her infant in the barren valley of Makkah exemplifies what tawakkul (complete reliance on God) looks like in practice. When Ibrahim turned to leave, she called after him: 'Did Allah command you to do this?' He said yes. She replied: 'Then He will not abandon us.' She then ran between the hills of Safa and Marwa seven times in desperate search for water, and Zamzam burst from the earth beneath her infant's feet. Ibn Kathir notes that her seven runs between Safa and Marwa became a permanent rite of Hajj — the actions of a woman in extremis immortalized as an obligation for every pilgrim who comes after her.
As understood in the classical tradition of Ibn Kathir and the scholars of his school.
How the scholars use Hajar.
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"The beliefs entertained about the hidden chamber of Samarra are but delusions in the mind and hallucinations in the spirit, with no truth, existence, or evidence to support them. Now when Ismail was born to Hagar, peace be upon her, Sarah became intensely jealous and asked Abraham to remove Hagar from her presence. So he left with Hagar and her child, traveling until he placed them where Mecca stands today."
— Ibn Kathir, Volume 1 — From Creation to Mūsā
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"He replied, Yes. She then said, Then he will not abandon us. Sheikh Abu Muhammad ibn Abi Zayd mentioned that Sarah vowed to harm three parts of Hagar's body. Ibrahim instructed her to pierce Hagar's ears and circumcise her, fulfilling the vow. Al-Suhayli noted that Hagar was the first woman to be circumcised, to have her ears pierced and to lengthen her garment hem."
— Ibn Kathir, The Story of Ibrahim
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"bring me, and you brought me. He called the least of his servants and said, You have not brought me a human being but rather a devil. Take her out and give her to Hagar. So she came while Abraham was standing in prayer. When he sensed her presence he turned and said, What is it? She replied, God has thwarted the plot of the oppressor and made Hagar serve me. It was narrated by Hisham. Then Al-Bazaar said, No one knows it with a chain from Muhammad from Abu Huraira except Hisham. Others narrated it as a mawquf hadith. Imam Ahmed narrated that Abu Huraira reported, The messenger of God, peace be upon him, said, Abraham did"
— Ibn Kathir, The Story of Ibrahim
Appears in
1 book in the library
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