34. We were told by Muhammed bin Musa bin Mutawakkil, that he said: We were told by Abdullah bin Ja’far al-Himyari, from Ahmad bin Muhammed bin Isa, from Hasan bin Mahbub, from Dawud bin Kathir al-Riqqi, that he said:

I said to Abu Abdillah, peace be upon him: Which of the two of them was older, Isma’eel or Ishaq? And which of the two of them was the one to be slaughtered? He said: Isma’eel was older than Ishaq by five years, and the one to be slaughtered was Isma’eel. Mecca was the home of Isma’eel, and Ibrahim only intended to slaughter Isma’eel during the days of the season in Mina. He said: There were five years between Allah’s giving of glad tidings to Ibrahim about Isma’eel and between His giving of glad tidings about Ishaq. Do you not hear the saying of Ibrahim, peace be upon him, as he says: «My Lord, bestow upon me (one who is) from the righteous» (37:100)? He only asked Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, to grant him a child from the righteous. Moreover, He said in the chapter of al-Ssaffaat: «We then gave him glad tidings of a forbearing child» (37:101) meaning Isma’eel (who was) from Hajar. He said: He then sacrificed, for the sake of Isma’eel, a great sheep. Abu Abdillah, peace be upon him, said: He then said: «And We gave him glad tidings of Ishaq, a Prophet from the righteous, and We blessed upon him and upon Ishaq.» (37:112-113) By that He meant Isma’eel before the glad tiding about Ishaq. Hence, the one who claims that Ishaq is older than Isma’eel and that the one to be slaughtered was Ishaq, has certainly denied what Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, has sent down in the Qur’an with regards to their news.