Page 48 - New English Book L

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dispute the just claim of Ishmael (pbuh) to birthright?

Now let us discuss this question of the birthright as
briefly as we can. We know that Abraham (pbuh) was a
nomad chief as well as an Apostle of God and that he used
to live in a tent and had large flocks of cattle and great
wealth. Now the nomad tribesmen do not inherit lands
and pastures, but the prince assigns to each of his sons
certain clans or tribes as his subjects and dependents. As
a rule the youngest inherits the hearth or the tent of his
parents, whereas the elder -unless unfit- succeeds him to
his throne. The great Mongol Conqueror Jenghiz Khan
was succeeded by Oghtai, his eldest son, who reigned in
Pekin as Kháqán, but his youngest son remained in his
father’s hearth at Qáráqorum in Mongolia. It was exactly
the same with Abraham’s two sons. Isaac (pbuh) , who was
the younger of the two, inherited the tent of his father and
became, like him, a nomad living in tents. But Ishmael
(pbuh) was sent to Hijaz to guard the House of Allah which
he, together with Abraham (pbuh) , had built (Quran, 2:127).

[1] Here he settled and became Prophet and
Prince among the Arab tribes who believed in
him. It was at Makkah, or Becca, that the Ka’ba
became the centre of the pilgrimage called al-
hajj. Ishmael (pbuh) founded the religion of one
true Allah and instituted the Circumcision. His
offspring soon increased and was multiplied like
the stars of the sky. From the days of Ishmael (pbuh)
to the advent of Muhammad (pbuh) , the Arabs of
Hijaz, Yemen and others have been independent
and masters of their own countries. The Roman
and Persian Empires were powerless to subdue
the people of Ishmael (pbuh) although idolatry was

[1] Quran, 2:127. “And remember Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of
the House (With this prayer): Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us: For Thou art
the All-Hearing, the All-knowing”.(Editors)