The story in short
- Arabic name
- إسحاق
- English name
- Isaac
- Named in the Quran
- 17 times
- Sent to
- The people of the land of Sham (greater Syria), after Ibrahim
- Main surahs
- Hud, Adh-Dhariyat, As-Saffat
- In the list of 25
- 9 of 25
In short: angels came to Ibrahim as guests on their way to the people of Lut, and gave him and his wife Sarah the glad tidings of a son, Ishaq, "and after Ishaq, Yaqub" (11:71). Sarah was amazed, being old and childless. Ishaq became "a prophet from among the righteous" (37:112), and from him came Yaqub and the prophets of the Children of Israel.
The story of Ishaq
The guests and the glad tidings
Messengers came to Ibrahim and greeted him with peace. He quickly brought them a roasted calf, but they did not eat, and he felt afraid of them. They said: "Fear not. We have been sent to the people of Lut." His wife was standing there and laughed, and they gave her the good news of Ishaq, and after Ishaq, Yaqub (11:69-71). She 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 an amazing thing!" They answered: "Are you amazed at the decree of Allah? May the mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you, people of the house" (11:72-73). In Surah Adh-Dhariyat the son is described as "a learned boy" (51:28).
A prophet among the righteous
"And We gave him good tidings of Ishaq, a prophet from among the righteous. And We blessed him and Ishaq" (37:112-113). Allah says of Ibrahim: "And We gave him Ishaq and Yaqub in addition, and all of them We made righteous. And We made them leaders guiding by Our command" (21:72-73). Ishaq is named with his father and his son as men "of strength and vision" (38:45). When Yaqub was dying, his sons promised to worship "your God and the God of your fathers, Ibrahim and Ismail and Ishaq, one God" (2:133).
Key verses
وَٱمْرَأَتُهُۥ قَآئِمَةٌۭ فَضَحِكَتْ فَبَشَّرْنَٰهَا بِإِسْحَٰقَ وَمِن وَرَآءِ إِسْحَٰقَ يَعْقُوبَ ﴿٧١﴾ قَالَتْ يَٰوَيْلَتَىٰٓ ءَأَلِدُ وَأَنَا۠ عَجُوزٌۭ وَهَٰذَا بَعْلِى شَيْخًا ۖ إِنَّ هَٰذَا لَشَىْءٌ عَجِيبٌۭ ﴿٧٢﴾ قَالُوٓا۟ أَتَعْجَبِينَ مِنْ أَمْرِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ رَحْمَتُ ٱللَّهِ وَبَرَكَٰتُهُۥ عَلَيْكُمْ أَهْلَ ٱلْبَيْتِ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ حَمِيدٌۭ مَّجِيدٌۭ ﴿٧٣﴾
Wamra atuhoo qaaa'imatun fadahikat fabashsharnaahaa bi Ishaaqa wa minw waraaa'i Ishaaqa Ya'qoob Qaalat yaa wailataaa 'aalidu wa ana 'ajoozunw wa haaza ba'lee shaikhan inna haazaa lashai'un 'ajeeb Qaalooo ata'jabeena min amril laahi rahmatul laahi wa barakaatuho 'alaikum Ahlal Bayt; innahoo Hameedum Majeed
(71) And his Wife was standing, and she smiled. Then We gave her good tidings of Isaac and after Isaac, Jacob. (72) She 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 an amazing thing!" (73) They said, "Are you amazed at the decree of Allah? May the mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you, people of the house. Indeed, He is Praiseworthy and Honorable."
Quran 11:71-73 · Sahih International · Read in Surah Hud
وَبَشَّرْنَٰهُ بِإِسْحَٰقَ نَبِيًّۭا مِّنَ ٱلصَّٰلِحِينَ ﴿١١٢﴾ وَبَٰرَكْنَا عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَىٰٓ إِسْحَٰقَ ۚ وَمِن ذُرِّيَّتِهِمَا مُحْسِنٌۭ وَظَالِمٌۭ لِّنَفْسِهِۦ مُبِينٌۭ ﴿١١٣﴾
Wa bashsharnaahu bi Ishaaqa Nabiyayam minas saaliheen Wa baaraknaa 'alaihi wa 'alaaa Ishaaq; wa min zurriyya tihimaa muhsinunw wa zaalimul linafshihee mubeen
(112) And We gave him good tidings of Isaac, a prophet from among the righteous. (113) And We blessed him and Isaac. But among their descendants is the doer of good and the clearly unjust to himself.
Quran 37:112-113 · Sahih International · Read in Surah As-Saffat
Lessons from the story
- Nothing is too hard for Allah. A child was promised to a couple in old age.
- Hospitality to guests is part of the way of Ibrahim's household.
- Righteousness is passed on: Ibrahim, Ishaq and Yaqub kept one faith across generations.
Where it is in the Quran
The main passages about Ishaq, with links to read and listen to each surah:
- Surah Hud 11:69-73
- Surah Adh-Dhariyat 51:24-30
- Surah As-Saffat 37:112-113
- Surah Maryam 19:49-50
- Surah Al-Anbiya 21:72-73
What is authentic, and what is not
The Quran says little about Ishaq's own life. Details of his marriage, his twin sons and his old age found in some books come from earlier scriptures and Isra'iliyyat, and are not confirmed by the Quran or sahih hadith. His mother's name, Sarah, is in Sahih al-Bukhari.
We follow Ibn Kathir's Qasas al-Anbiya only where it rests on the Quran and sound hadith. Isra'iliyyat are reports taken from earlier scriptures and storytellers. Scholars allow mentioning them only when they do not contradict the Quran and Sunnah, and they are never treated as certain.
Questions
Who was Ishaq's mother?
Sarah, Ibrahim's first wife. She was old and had been childless when the angels brought the glad tidings (11:71-72).
Was Ishaq a prophet?
Yes. Allah calls him "a prophet from among the righteous" (37:112).
Who are Ishaq's descendants?
His son Yaqub, who is also called Israil, and through him the Children of Israel and their many prophets.
How many times is Ishaq mentioned in the Quran?
17 times.
Sources
- Sahih al-Bukhari 2217, which names Sarah as Ibrahim's wife.
- Ibn Kathir, Qasas al-Anbiya, chapter on Ishaq, and his tafsir of 11:69-73.
- Quran: Arabic from the Tanzil Uthmani text, English by Sahih International. In quotations within the text, the prophets' names are given in their Arabic form (Musa for Moses, Ibrahim for Abraham).
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.