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Who were Ishaq and Yaqub?
The Story of Ishaq & Yaqub is the seventh book in Stories of the Prophets (Qisas al-Anbiya) by Imam Ibn Kathīr, the 14th-century scholar behind the history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah and a commentary on the Qurʾan. It answers who Ishaq (Isaac) and Yaqub (Jacob), peace be upon them, were, how the Qurʾan praises them, and how the line of prophets passed from Ibrahim through Ishaq to Yaqub, who is Israel, to whom the Children of Israel are attributed.
The book opens with the birth of Ishaq to Ibrahim at the age of 100, fourteen years after his brother Ismail, when his mother Sarah was 90. Ibn Kathīr quotes Surah As-Saffat, where Allah gives good tidings of Isaac, 'a prophet from among the righteous,' and the hadith of Abu Hurairah that the noble, son of the noble, son of the noble, son of the noble, is Yusuf, son of Yaqub, son of Ishaq, son of Ibrahim. He then relates what the People of the Book say: Ishaq's marriage to Rebekah, daughter of Bethuel, the twins Esau and Yaqub, and how each parent favoured one son.
Throughout, Ibn Kathīr says where each report comes from. The verses and the hadith of Abu Hurairah are given first; the accounts of Rebekah, Esau, and the twins are marked as what the People of the Book relate, so the listener always knows what weight a detail carries. It is book seven of the collection, following The Story of Ismail, and runs about 1.5 hours.
Is there an English audiobook of The Story of Ishaq & Yaqub?
Yes. Joyful Muslims publishes the complete Story of Ishaq & Yaqub as an English audiobook (about 1.5 hours), translated from the Arabic, with a word-synced bilingual transcript. It is the story of Prophet Ishaq, peace be upon him, from Ibn Kathīr's Qisas al-Anbiya, drawn from the Qurʾan and authentic traditions.
Is it free to listen?
The whole library is open to everyone. Every member gets five hours of listening free each month; Joyful+ removes the time limit.
What does it cover?
It covers the birth of Ishaq to Ibrahim and Sarah, the verses and hadith that praise him, his marriage to Rebekah and the birth of the twins Esau and Yaqub, and the story of Yaqub, who is Israel. About 1.5 hours.
Last updated 2026-09-11
Inside the book.
Chapters
Word-synced with the narrator.
The first three minutes are transcribed here. In the app, the Living Manuscript scrolls through the entire book in rhythm with the audio — Arabic alongside English.
Living Manuscript
Listen to the full book in the app for the complete Living Manuscript.
The full, word-synced transcript in Arabic and English is in the app.
