His Birth was a mircale
Three angels came to Ibrahim [peace be upon him] and mentioned that he would have a son (Ishaq) with his wife Sarah. At that time Sara was around eighty-ninety years old and had no children yet. Allah says about this in the Qur’an: “And Our messengers [the angels] came to Abraham with glad tidings. They said, “Peace.” He said, “Peace,” and immediately he brought a roasted calf.
Seeing that their hands did not reach for them, he felt suspicious of them and became afraid of them. They said: “Fear not, we have been sent to the people of Lot.” And his wife stood by and laughed, whereupon We gave her the good news of the birth of Isaac and, after Isaac, of Jacob. She said, “Woe is me! Shall I bear a child now that I am an old woman and my husband is an old man? This is indeed a wonderful thing” (Surah Hud, 69-72)
In the verse it is indicated that Sarah also got Yakub [peace be upon him], but this does not mean that he is a son of hers. Jacob is the son of Ishaq[peace be upon them] and thus her grandson. Sara died at the age of about 127 in Palestine. The angels were sent to the people of Lot [peace be upon him], because the people of Lot [peace be upon him] would receive a punishment.
Ishaq (as) is the son of Abraham (as) from Sarah. The history books describe him as a tall, eloquent, and handsome man with dark eyes, wheaten skin, and snow-white hair and beard. Both in manners and appearance he resembled his father Abraham (as). (Hakim, al-Mustadrak, II, 607)
Verses about Ishaq
“And remember Our servants, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, they of power and vision. We have chosen them for an exclusive quality: the remembrance of the home of the Hereafter. And verily, they are among the chosen and the excellent for Us.” (Sad, 38:45-47)
After the death of his father, Ishaq (as) was appointed as a prophet to the people of Damascus and Palestine. Allah had made him an eminent person of exceptional character. The Quran says:
“And We gave him the glad tidings of Isaac, a prophet from among the righteous. And We blessed him and Isaac. But among their descendants is the benefactor and the manifestly unjust to himself.” (Al-Saffat, 37: 112-113)
In old age, Ishaq (as) began to lose his sight and eventually became completely blind. He had two sons, Yakub and Iys, also named Esau. They were twins.
Towards the end of his life, Ishaq (as) prayed for both of his sons, but in different ways. He asked for prophets from the lineage of Yakub(as), while he asked for kings to come from children of Esau.
Miracles of Ishaq(as)
It is narrated that his people once said to him:
“We won’t believe in you unless you can get animals to confirm you’re a prophet!”
So, Isaac (as) turned to some nearby animals and said, “Tell these people who I am!”
A fox replied, “You are a prophet of Allah!”
A gazelle exclaimed, “You are the son of Allah’s friend!”
And a goat said, “Whoever disbelieves in you will go to hell.”
And again, when they were in Jerusalem, the people asked Ishaq (as) to “…move this mountain if you want us to believe!”
The mountain suddenly shook and the people of Jerusalem accepted the call.
One day while inviting others, a man brought some cowhides and asked him to “…bring these back to life!”
Isaac filled the skin with sand and bathed. In no time they were all back on their feet.
Any sheep that Ishaq (as) touched with his hand would also give birth.
It is reported that Ishaq (as) died near Jerusalem at about the age of 160 and was buried next to his father, Abraham (as). (Ibn Asir, al-Kamil, I, 127)
Special pedigree
What was especially special about prophet Ishaq was that both his ancestor (prophet Ibrahim) and his descendants originated from some prophets. Thus, in addition to his father, his brother, Prophet Ismail, his son, Prophet Yakub, and his grandson, Prophet Yusuf, were also prophets. May Allah be pleased with them all!
