: Allah Almighty gave good tidings to Abraham, peace be upon him, of a forbearing boy, and in another verse (of a knowledgeable boy). Is it one person or two people?

 

Yes, Allah Almighty gave good tidings to Abraham, peace be upon him, of a forbearing boy in a verse in His Book in Surat As-Saffat. The good tidings of the knowledgeable boy came in two places in the Holy Quran , in Surat Adh-Dhariyat and Surat Al-Hijr. What the majority of commentators have agreed upon - and it is correct - is that the forbearing boy is Ishmael, peace be upon him, and the knowledgeable boy is Isaac, peace be upon him. There are two pieces of evidence that prove the correctness of this statement: The first: The knowledgeable boy was brought by the good tidings to Abraham and his wife, Sarah, and Sarah’s son is Isaac. As for Ishmael, he is the son of Hagar, Abraham’s slave girl. The second evidence: The context of the verses, for the context of the verses is very clear. To indicate this statement. As for the good news of the forbearing boy , God Almighty said about Abraham, peace be upon him, that he called upon his Lord, saying: (My Lord, grant me from among the righteous. * So We gave him good tidings of a forbearing boy. * And when he reached with him the age of striving, he said, "O my son, indeed I have seen in a dream that I should sacrifice you, so see what you think." He said, "O my father, do as you are commanded. You will find me, if God wills, among the steadfast." * So when they both submitted and he laid him down upon his forehead, * And We called to him, "O Abraham, * You have fulfilled the vision. Indeed, We are Thus do We reward the doers of good. Indeed, this was the clear trial. And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice. And We left for him among later generations: “Peace be upon Abraham.” Thus do We reward the doers of good. Indeed, he was of Our believing servants. And We gave him good tidings of Isaac, a prophet among the righteous. And We blessed him and Isaac. And among their descendants were doers of good and wrongdoers to themselves. (Mubeen) Surah As-Saffat/100-113. These verses indicate that the forbearing boy was Ishmael, because he was the one whom Abraham was commanded to slaughter. It could not have been Isaac, because after God Almighty mentioned the story of the forbearing boy who was to be slaughtered , He gave Abraham the good news of Isaac, saying: (And We gave him good tidings of Isaac, a prophet among the righteous) This clearly indicates that the previous boy was not Isaac, and also: because Isaac was given the good news that he would be a prophet, so it could not have been ordered to slaughter him. Describing Ishmael as (the forbearing) is very appropriate, for forbearance is the mind and the perfection of opinion, which includes the perfection of patience. His answer, peace be upon him, when he was told of the command to slaughter him indicates the perfection of his mind and the perfection of his patience, (He said, "O my father, do as you are commanded. You will find me, if Allah wills, among the patient.") Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, said: "And Ishmael is described here as the forbearing, because it is appropriate for this situation." End quote.











As for the knowledgeable boy, God Almighty said: “Has there come to you the story of the honored guests of Abraham? When they entered upon him and said, ‘Peace.’ He said, ‘Peace, you are an unknown people.’ So he turned to his family and brought a fattened calf. And brought it near to them. He said, ‘Will you not eat?’ So he felt fear of them. They said, ‘Do not fear.’ And they gave him good tidings of a knowledgeable boy. Then his wife came with a bag and struck a Her face, and she said, “An old, barren woman.” They said, “Thus says your Lord. Indeed, it is He who is the Wise, the Knowing.” He said, “Then what is your affair, O messengers?” (Adh-Dhariyat: 24-30).
Allah the Almighty said: (Inform My servants that it is I who am the Forgiving, the Most Merciful, and that My punishment is the painful punishment. And inform them about the guests of Abraham, when they entered upon him and said, “Peace.” He said, “Indeed, we are fearful of you.” They said, “Do not fear. Indeed, we give you good tidings of a learned boy.” He said, “Have you given me good tidings even though old age has touched me? Then with what good tidings do you give me?”) Al-Hijr/49-4.
The verses of Surat Adh-Dhariyat indicate that this knowledgeable boy will be from his wife, and his wife is Sarah, and her son is Isaac.
Rather, this good news came in Surat Hud explicitly that he is Isaac.
Allah the Almighty said: (And Our messengers had already come to Abraham with good tidings. They said, “Peace.” He said, “Peace.” And it was not long before he brought a roasted calf. But when he saw that their hands did not reach it, he disliked them and felt fear of them. They said, “Do not fear. Indeed, we have been sent to the people of Lot, * And his wife was standing, so she laughed. So We gave her good tidings of Isaac and, after Isaac, Jacob. * She said, "Oh, woe to me! Shall I bear a child while I am an old woman and my husband is an old man? Indeed, this is a strange thing." They said, "Do you wonder at the decree of Allah? The mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you, O people of the House. Indeed, He is Praiseworthy and Glorious." So when fear had passed from Abraham and the good tidings had come to him, he began to argue with Us concerning the people of Lot. Indeed, Abraham was forbearing, compassionate, and frequently returning [to Allah]. (Hud 11:75-96)
The context of these verses is consistent with the context of the verses of Surat Adh-Dhariyat, which indicates that the one who was given glad tidings in the two Surahs is one person, namely Isaac, peace be upon him.
Mujahid, may Allah have mercy on him, was the only one who said: The knowledgeable boy is Ishmael, and none of the scholars agreed with him on this statement, rather they ruled that it was weak and rejected.
This is a group of the scholars’ statements, that the forbearing boy is Ishmael, and the knowledgeable boy is Isaac, peace be upon him.
Ibn Jarir al-Tabari (9/7626) said:
“(They said: Fear not, and give him good tidings of a knowledgeable boy) meaning: Isaac, and (knowledgeable) means knowledgeable when he grows up.
It was narrated from Mujahid regarding his statement: (of a knowledgeable boy) he said: Ishmael.
I (Ibn Jarir) said: He meant Isaac, because the glad tidings of a son were from Sarah, and Ishmael was for Hagar, not for Sarah.” End quote, abbreviated.
Ibn Kathir (4/299) said:
“(And they gave him good tidings of a learned boy) who is Isaac, peace be upon him, as mentioned previously in Surat Hud.” End quote.
Al-Qurtubi also chose that what is meant by “the learned boy” is Isaac, peace be upon him, and he said:
“(And give him good tidings of a learned boy) meaning a son who will be born to him from his wife Sarah...
” The meaning of (learned) is: he will be one of those who have knowledge of Allah and His religion after reaching puberty.
The majority of scholars are of the opinion that the one given good tidings is Isaac.
Mujahid alone said: he is Ishmael, and he is nothing, because Allah the Most High says: (And We gave him good tidings of Isaac).
This is a clear text.” End quote
. “Tafsir al-Qurtubi” (19/494).
Al-Qurtubi indicates that the verses of As-Saffat mentioned the good tidings of Isaac after mentioning the good tidings of the forbearing boy , who is the sacrificed one, Ishmael, peace be upon him.
He said in “Al-Bahr Al-Muhit” (10/139):
“(of a learned boy) meaning he will be learned, and in it is good tidings of his life so that he will be one of the scholars. And from Al-Hasan: learned is a prophet; and the majority of scholars are of the opinion that the one given good tidings is Isaac, son of Sarah. Mujahid said: “He is Ishmael.” End quote.
Al-Shawkani said in Fath al-Qadir (4/183):
“(Indeed, We give you good tidings of a learned boy) and the learned means the one with abundant knowledge… This boy is Isaac, as mentioned previously in Hud.” End quote.
He also said (7/46):
“(And give him good tidings of a learned boy) meaning: give him good tidings of a boy who will be born to him with abundant knowledge when he reaches the age of manhood, and the one given good tidings according to the majority is Isaac. Mujahid alone said: It is Ishmael, and this is rejected by His statement: (And We gave him good tidings of Isaac) [Saffat: 112] End quote.
Al-Tahir ibn Ashur said in “Al-Tahrir wa’l-Tanwir” (7/485):
“(Indeed, We give you good tidings of a knowledgeable boy) and the knowledgeable boy is Isaac, peace be upon him, meaning: knowledgeable of the Shari’ah, that he will be a prophet.”
He also said (12/140):
“(So We gave him good tidings of a forbearing boy) the boy who was given good tidings is the first son born to him, and he is Ishmael without a doubt.
And the forbearing is the one described as forbearing, and it is a name that combines originality of opinion, noble morals, and mercy towards creation.
This boy that Abraham was given good news of was his firstborn son, Ishmael. This is not the boy that the angels who were sent to Lot’s people gave him good news of, in the words of God Almighty: “They said, ‘Do not fear,’ and gave him good tidings of a learned boy.” (Adh-Dhariyat: 28). So he was described as (learned). This one was described as (forbearing).
Also: That was the good news of him in the presence of his mother Sarah, and she was made the one who brought the good news in the words of God Almighty: (So We gave her good tidings of Isaac, and after Isaac, Jacob. She said, "Oh, woe to me! Shall I bear a child while I am an old woman and this, my husband, is an old man?") Hud/72, so that was good news of honor, and the first was good news of the response to his prayer, so when Ishmael was born to him, Abraham's hope that he would have an heir from his loins was fulfilled. End of summary.
Al-Saadi said (p. 963):
"(Do not fear. Indeed, We give you good tidings of a learned boy) and he is Isaac, peace be upon him. This good news included that he is a male and not a female (learned) meaning: full of knowledge. And in the other verse: (And We gave him good tidings of Isaac) “With Isaac, a prophet among the righteous.” End quote.
He also said (p. 831):
“So We gave him good tidings of a forbearing boy.” This is undoubtedly Ishmael, for after him the good tidings of Isaac were mentioned, and because God Almighty said in His good tidings of Isaac:(So ​​We gave her good tidings of Isaac, and after Isaac, Jacob), which indicates that Isaac was not the one who was sacrificed , and God described Ishmael, peace be upon him, as being patient, which includes patience, good character, broad-mindedness, and forgiveness of those who have sinned. End quote.
Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen said in his interpretation of Surat Adh-Dhariyat:
“(And give him good tidings of a knowledgeable boy) good tidings are the news of what pleases him, i.e., tell him what pleases him, which is the knowledgeable boy. Abraham, peace be upon him, had reached a very old age before he had a child, so they gave him good tidings of this boy, and they gave him good tidings that he would be knowledgeable, i.e., he would be knowledgeable; because God Almighty made him one of the prophets, and the prophets are the most knowledgeable of creation about God Almighty and His names, attributes, rulings, and actions. This knowledgeable boy is not the forbearing boy, because in the Qur’an, Abraham was given good tidings of a knowledgeable boy in two verses of the Book of God, and he was given good tidings of a forbearing boy in one verse, and they are two boys. As for the forbearing boy, he is Ishmael, the father of the Arabs, and as for the knowledgeable boy, he is Isaac, the father of the Children of Israel. Therefore, you will find their story different. Whoever says that the forbearing boy is the knowledgeable boy is far from the truth. Rather, there is an explicit text in Surat As-Saffat that they are two different boys, because when God Almighty mentioned the story of the sacrifice in… Surat As-Saffat, after which he said: (And We gave him good tidings of Isaac, a prophet among the righteous.) So how can he give good tidings to someone who was ordered to be slaughtered, and he was with him and reached the age of striving with him? All of this indicates that the forbearing boy is not the same as the knowledgeable boy. End quote.
Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said after mentioning the verses of Surat al-Saffat, which contain the story of the sacrificed boy, who was the knowledgeable one: Then Allah the Almighty said: {And We gave him good tidings of Isaac, a prophet among the righteous} [al-Saffat: 112]. This is good tidings from Allah the Almighty to him as thanks for his patience in what he was commanded to do. This is very clear that the one given good tidings is not the first one, rather it is as the text says about him. End quote from Zaad al-Ma’ad (1/73).
He also said (1/74): “Allah the Almighty called the one being sacrificed Forbearing, because there is no one more forbearing than one who submits himself to being slaughtered in obedience to his Lord. When He mentioned Isaac, He called him All-Knowing, so Allah the Almighty said: {Has there come to you the story of the honoured guests of Abraham? When they entered upon him and said, ‘Peace.’ He said, Peace be upon you, people who are unknown. (Adh-Dhariyat 24-25) until he said: (They said, "Fear not, and give him good tidings of a learned boy." (Adh-Dhariyat 28). This is undoubtedly Isaac, because he is from his wife, and she is the one who was given the good news. As for Ishmael, he was from the concubine (i.e., the slave girl). Also, they were given the good news of him when they were old and had despaired of having a child. This is unlike Ishmael, who was born before that. End quote.

Thus it becomes clear that the forbearing boy that Abraham was given the good news of was Ishmael, and the learned boy was Isaac . May the blessings and peace of God be upon them and our Prophet.