Ibrahim and Ismail

إبراهيم وإسماعيل

Here the Tarikh and the Quran walk together more tightly: the fire, the hijrah, Hajar, Zamzam, the House, the knife that was not needed. Tabari also carries the dispute of the early ones — which son was the dhabih. The stronger reading among the scholars of this ummah is Ismail. He reports both sides because that is his method.

وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَاهِيمُ الْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ الْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ

And when Ibrahim and Ismail were raising the foundations of the House.

Quran 2:127

Hajar ran between Safa and Marwah seven times, and Zamzam was opened under Ismail’s heel. The Prophet ﷺ later said: may Allah have mercy on the mother of Ismail; had she left it, it would have been a flowing spring.

The Tarikh, in parallel with Bukhari’s long report of Ibn Abbas on Zamzam

This is one of the places where Tabari and Sahih al-Bukhari meet. Prefer the sahih wording when they differ.

How to weigh this

On the dhabih: Tabari transmits. Ibn Kathir and the majority of this ummah take Ismail. Nur follows the majority and still shows that Tabari recorded the other view. That is honesty, not confusion.