Al-Qur'an Surah Maryam Verse 54

Mufti Taqi Usmani

And mention in the Book (the story of) Ismā‘īl. He was indeed true to his promise, and was a messenger, a prophet.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

And mention in the Book ˹O Prophet, the story of˺ Ishmael. He was truly a man of his word, and was a messenger and a prophet.

Ruwwad Translation Center

And mention in the Book [the story of] Ishmael. He was true to his promise, and was a messenger and a prophet.

A. J. Arberry

And mention in the Book Ishmael; he was true to his promise, and he was a Messenger, a Prophet.

Abdul Haleem

Mention too, in the Quran, the story of Ishmael. He was true to his promise, a messenger and a prophet.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And mention thou in the Book lsma'i; verily he was true in promise, and was apostle, prophet.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

Also mention in the Book (the story of) Isma'il; He was (strictly) true to what he promised, and he was a messenger (and) a prophet.

Abul Ala Maududi

And recite in the Book the account of Ishmael. He was ever true to his promise, and was a Messenger, a Prophet.

Ahmed Ali

Commemorate Ishmael in the Book. He was true of his promise, and a messenger, a prophet.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And remember Ismail in the Book; he was indeed true to his promise and was a Noble Messenger, a Prophet.

Ali Quli Qarai

And mention in the Book Ishmael. Indeed, he was true to his promise, and an apostle and prophet.

Ali Ünal

Also make mention of Ishmael in the Book. He was one always true to his promise, and was a Messenger, a Prophet.

Amatul Rahman Omar

Give an account of Ismâîl in this Book. He (too) was strictly true to his promise. And he was a Messenger, a Prophet.

English Literal

And remember/mention in The Book Ishmael , that he truly was truthful (in) the promise, and was a messenger, a prophet.

Faridul Haque

And remember Ismail in the Book; he was indeed true to his promise and was a Noble Messenger, a Prophet.

Hamid S. Aziz

And We granted him out of Our Mercy, his brother Aaron also a prophet.

Hilali & Khan

And mention in the Book (the Quran) Isma'il (Ishmael). Verily! He was true to what he promised, and he was a Messenger, (and) a Prophet.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And We gave him out of Our mercy his brother Aaron, a prophet.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

And mention Ismail in the Book; surely he was truthful in (his) promise, and he was an apostle, a prophet.

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And make mention in the Scripture of Ishmael. Lo! he was a keeper of his promise, and he was a messenger (of Allah), a prophet.

Muhammad Sarwar

Mention in the Book (the Quran) the story of Ishmael; he was true to his promise, a Messengers and a Prophet.

Qaribullah & Darwish

And mention in the Book, Ishmael; he too was true to his promise, a Messenger and a Prophet.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And mention in the Book, Isma`il. Verily, he was true to what he promised, and he was a Messenger, (and) a Prophet.

Wahiduddin Khan

Tell also of Ishmael in the Book. He was true to his promise and was a messenger and a prophet.

Talal Itani

And mention in the Scripture Ishmael. He was true to his promise, and was a messenger, a prophet.

Tafsir jalalayn

And mention in the Book Ishmael. Indeed he was true to his promise -- he never promised anything which he did not fulfil; he [once] waited for three days for someone whom he had promised [to meet]; or [it is said that he waited] an entire year until that person [finally] returned to the place in which he [Ishamel] was [supposed to have met the former]; and he was a messenger, to [the tribe of] Jurhum, a prophet [likewise].

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Mentioning Ismail

وَاذْكُرْ فِي الْكِتَابِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ إِنَّهُ كَانَ صَادِقَ الْوَعْدِ

And mention in the Book, Ismail. Verily, he was true to what he promised,

Here Allah has commended Ismail, the son of Ibrahim, the Friend of Allah. He (Ismail) is the father of all of the Arabs of the Hijaz because he was true to what he promised.

Ibn Jurayj said,

"He did not make any promise to his Lord, except that he fulfilled it."

He never obligated himself to do any act of worship with a vow, except that he fulfilled it and carried it out, giving it its full due.

Some said,
صَادِقَ الْوَعْدِ
((he was) true to what he promised),

"This was said about him because he said to his father,
سَتَجِدُنِي إِن شَاء اللَّهُ مِنَ الصَّابِرِينَ
(If Allah wills you will find me of the patient), (37;102). So he was truthful in that."

Being true to one's promise is one of the praiseworthy characteristics, just as breaking one's promise is of the detested characteristics.

Allah, the Exalted, says,

يأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لاأَ تَفْعَلُونَ

كَبُرَ مَقْتاً عِندَ اللَّهِ أَن تَقُولُواْ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ

O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do! Most hateful it is with Allah that you say that which you do not do. (61;2-3)

The Messenger of Allah said,

ايَةُ الْمُنَافِقِ ثَلَثٌ

إِذَا حَدَّثَ كَذَبَ

وَإِذَا وَعَدَ أَخْلَفَ

وَإِذَا ايْتُمِنَ خَان

The sign of the hypocrite is three things.

When he speaks, he lies;

when he promises, he breaks his promise; and

when he is entrusted with something, he is disloyal to his trust.

Thus, if these are the characteristics of the hypocrites, then behaving contrary to these is a characteristic of the true believer. For this reason, Allah commended His servant and Messenger Ismail, for he was true to his promise.

Likewise, the Messenger of Allah was true to his promise. He did not promise anyone anything, except that he fulfilled his promise to that person. He also commended Abu Al-`As bin Ar-Rabi, the husband of his daughter Zaynab, by saying,

حَدَّثَنِي فَصَدَقَنِي وَوَعَدَنِي فَوَفَى لِي

He spoke to me and he told me the truth, and he promised me and he fulfilled his promise to me.

When the Prophet died, the Khalifah (his successor), Abu Bakr As-Siddiq said,

"Whoever received any promise from the Messenger of Allah or was owed any debt by him, then let him come to me and I will fulfill it on his behalf."

So Jabir bin Abdullah came and related that the Messenger of Allah said,

لَوْ قَدْ جَاءَ مَالُ الْبَحْرَينِ أَعْطَيْتُكَ هَكَذَا وَهَكَذَا وَهَكَذَا

If the wealth of Bahrain comes (to me), then I would give you such and such and such.

This meant that he would fill his hands with wealth.

Therefore, when the wealth of Bahrain came (to them), Abu Bakr commanded Jabir to come and fill his hands from that wealth. Then, he commanded him to do so again, until he collected five hundred Dirhams.

Then, Abu Bakr gave him its double along with it. (i.e. one thousand extra Dirhams).

Concerning Allah's statement,

وَكَانَ رَسُولاً نَّبِيًّا



and he was a Messenger, (and) a Prophet.

In this is a proof of Ismail's favored status over his brother, Ishaq.

Ishaq was only described as being a Prophet, but Ismail was described with both Prophethood and Messengership.

It is confirmed in Sahih Muslim that the Messenger of Allah said,

إِنَّ اللهَ اصْطَفَى مِنْ وَلَدِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِسْمَاعِيل

Verily, Allah chose Ismail from the sons of Ibrahim...

Then, Imam Muslim mentions the rest of the Hadith in its entirety.

However, this statement proves the correctness of what we have said.

Allah said,

وَكَانَ يَأْمُرُ أَهْلَهُ بِالصَّلَةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ

وَكَانَ عِندَ رَبِّهِ مَرْضِيًّا