Ibrahim's First Wife

Dr. Abdel Hamdi Eliwa

She was the only woman of Ibrahim’s people to believe in Allah. She afterwards became his wife. She stood by her husband all the time when calling his people to Allah. When Ibrahim realized that no other than his wife and his nephew, Lut was going too believe in his call, he decided to immigrate to a city caller Ur and another called Haran and the departed for Palestine with them. After Palestine, Ibrahim arrived in Egypt.

His wife, Sara was barren the pharaoh in Egypt during her stay in Egypt presented her a slave girl to serve her. Ibrahmim was getting old and he had no son by her. Sara past the age of childbearing as well. Sara thought about how she and Ibrahim were lonely, for she was barren. She thought that Ibrahim should take her slave girl, Hajar as a wife. Sara let her husband Ibrahim marry Hajar, the Haja gave birth to Ismail Ibrahims first son.

One day Ibrahim received a group of strange guest. He chose a fat calf and gave orders for it to be slaughtered.

Ibrahim then invited his guests to eat and he let his wife serve them a gesture of welcome and hospitality. He received them with a salutation of peace; and then immediately placed before them a sumptuous mean of roasted calf. The strangers were embarrassed. They were angels and did not eat. The angels gave Sara glad tidings of Ishaq. She could hardly believe the news. The news seemed to her too good to be true. She came forward, clamored and struck her forehead with her hands, indicative of her amusement and incredulity as a “a barren old woman.” Allah Almighty says:

There came Our messengers to Abraham with glad tidings. They said, "Peace!" He answered, "Peace!" and hastened to entertain them with a roasted calf. But when he saw their hands went not towards the (meal), he felt some mistrust of them, and conceived a fear of them. They said: "Fear not: We have been sent against the people of Lut." And his wife was standing (there), and she laughed: But we gave her glad tidings of Isaac, and after him, of Jacob. She said: "Alas for me! shall I bear a child, seeing I am an old woman, and my husband here is an old man? That would indeed be a wonderful thing!" hey said: "Dost thou wonder at Allah's decree? The grace of Allah and His blessings on you, o ye people of the house! for He is indeed worthy of all praise, full of all glory!" (Hud: 69-73)