Ishaq — Glad Tidings in Old Age
Promised to aged, barren parents by honoured guests — laughed over by his mother, blessed with Yaqub’s line — a prophet among the righteous.
Also searched as: ishaq as ka waqia • hazrat ishaq story • isaac islam prophet
Emblematic verse
وَبَشَّرْنَاهُ بِإِسْحَاقَ نَبِيًّا مِنَ الصَّالِحِينَ
Transliteration
Wa bashsharnahu bi-Ishaqa nabiyyan minas-salihin.
Story
The full story
Honoured guests — angels in human form — came to Ibrahim, greeting with peace; he soon brought a roasted calf, but their hands did not reach it, and fear entered him (11:69–70, 51:24–27). They calmed him: fear not — we are sent to Lut’s people — and gave glad tidings of a knowledgeable boy (15:51–53, 51:28).
His wife Sarah, standing by, laughed in astonishment and struck her face: a barren old woman bearing a child — this is indeed strange (11:71–72, 51:29). They answered: thus decreed your Lord — He is the Wise, All-Knowing (51:30). She was given glad tidings of Ishaq, and beyond Ishaq, Yaqub (11:71).
Ishaq grew as a prophet among the righteous, blessed with his father Ibrahim (37:112–113). The Quran pairs him with Ismail, Yaqub and the tribes as inheritors of revelation — commanded to be believed in without distinction (2:136, 4:163).
Through Ishaq came Yaqub, Yusuf, and the Israelite prophets — the second branch of Ibrahim’s answered prayer, parallel to Ismail’s Arabian line. Two sons, two nations, one creed.
Narrated strictly from the Quran (Quran 11:69–73, 37:112–113 and 51:24–30) without invented details.
Timeline
The story in order
- 1The guests: angels decline the calf; fear turns to tidings.
- 2The laugh: Sarah’s astonishment at a child in old age.
- 3The decree: thus your Lord willed — the Wise, All-Knowing.
- 4The line: Ishaq to Yaqub to Yusuf and the Israelite prophets.
- 5The pairing: believed in alongside Ismail without distinction.
Reflect
Lessons
- ✦Divine decree laughs at biology — barrenness is no barrier.
- ✦Honoured guests bring destiny disguised as dinner visits.
- ✦Two branches, one creed: Ismail’s Arabs and Ishaq’s Israelites.
References: Quran 11:69–73, 37:112–113 and 51:24–30
Narrated from the Quran without invented details; consult scholars for rulings.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Who was Prophet Ishaq?
Promised to aged, barren parents by honoured guests — laughed over by his mother, blessed with Yaqub’s line — a prophet among the righteous.
What are the lessons from Ishaq’s story?
1. Divine decree laughs at biology — barrenness is no barrier. 2. Honoured guests bring destiny disguised as dinner visits. 3. Two branches, one creed: Ismail’s Arabs and Ishaq’s Israelites.
Where is this story in the Quran?
References: Quran 11:69–73, 37:112–113 and 51:24–30. Read the verses with translation; consult scholars for deeper rulings.
Prophets