Prophet Ishaq (Isaac, peace be upon him)

Ishaq (peace be upon him), the son of Ibrahim and his wife Sarah, was given by Allah as a miraculous gift. Sarah was elderly and had never conceived children throughout her long life. The angels who came to Ibrahim with tidings of the destruction of the people of Lut also brought glad tidings of a son: Sarah, in astonishment, said: "Woe to me! Shall I give birth while I am an old woman and this, my husband, is an old man? Indeed, this is a strange thing" (Surah Hud 11:72). But Allah's will transcends all human limitation. Ishaq was born as promised — a son from whom would spring the prophetic lineage of Banu Isra'il, the Children of Israel. The Quran records Allah's blessing (Surah As-Saffat 37:112–113): "And We gave him good tidings of Ishaq, a prophet from among the righteous. And We blessed him and Ishaq. But among their descendants are those who do good and those who clearly wrong themselves." This blessing encompassed the entire prophetic tradition of the Israelites — from Yaqub (Jacob) to Yusuf (Joseph), Musa, Harun, Dawud, Sulayman, and Isa. Ishaq continued the prophetic calling of his father Ibrahim, maintaining the message of tawhid in the land of Canaan (Palestine and Syria). He fathered Yaqub (Jacob), whose twelve sons became the progenitors of the twelve tribes of Israel. The Quran mentions Ibrahim's gratitude upon the births of both Ismail and Ishaq (Surah Ibrahim 14:39): "Praise to Allah, who has granted to me in old age Ismail and Ishaq. Indeed, my Lord is the Hearer of supplication." Ishaq represents a pivotal link in the chain of prophethood — the son through whom the entire Israelite prophetic tradition was born, a blessing that culminated in the mission of Isa ibn Maryam before the final prophet Muhammad ﷺ arose from the other son, Ismail. Together, the two sons of Ibrahim represent the two great branches of the Abrahamic prophetic mission.