Sārah
Sarah (Sārah) was the wife of the Prophet Ibrāhīm (AS) and is regarded in Islamic tradition as one of the righteous women associated with the prophetic household. She is honoured as the mother of the Prophet Isḥāq (AS) and the grandmother of Yaʿqūb (AS), through whom many prophets of Banī Isrāʾīl descended. Although her name is not explicitly mentioned in the Qurʾān, Islamic exegetical and historical sources identify her as the wife addressed by the angels who brought glad tidings of the birth of Isḥāq despite her old age.
The Qurʾān refers to Sarah in the account of the angelic visitors who came to Ibrāhīm (AS). When the angels conveyed the glad tidings of the birth of Isḥāq (AS), Sarah expressed astonishment because of her old age and barrenness. The Qurʾān states: “And his wife was standing, and she laughed; then We gave her glad tidings of Isḥāq, and after Isḥāq, Yaʿqūb” (Qurʾān 11:71). When she expressed surprise, the angels replied: “Do you marvel at the decree of Allah? The mercy of Allah and His blessings be upon you, O people of the house” (Qurʾān 11:73). Another account appears in Sūrah al-Dhāriyāt, where the angels informed Ibrāhīm (AS) of the birth of “a knowledgeable son” (Qurʾān 51:24–30). Muslim exegetes regarded these verses as evidence of Sarah’s honoured status within the prophetic household and as a manifestation of divine mercy and power. Islamic historical traditions describe Sarah as a woman of faith, patience, and devotion who accompanied Ibrāhīm (AS) through migration and hardship, including journeys to Palestine and Egypt. Her life remains closely connected with the Qurʾānic themes of prophetic trials, migration, and trust in Allah that characterize the narrative of Ibrāhīm (AS).
Sarah occupies an important position within Islamic sacred history because of her connection to the prophetic lineage. Through her son Isḥāq (AS) came Yaʿqūb and the later prophets of Banī Isrāʾīl, including Mūsā, Dāwūd, Sulaymān, and ʿĪsā (AS). Muslim scholars therefore regard Sarah as one of the noble women associated with the history of divine revelation and prophecy. The story of Sarah also illustrates central Qurʾānic themes concerning divine power and mercy. Her miraculous conception in old age is presented as a sign of Allah’s ability to accomplish what appears impossible according to ordinary human experience. The Qurʾānic narrative emphasizes faith in divine decree and confidence in Allah’s promise, themes that recur throughout the accounts of the prophets.
## References
1 Qurʾān 11:71–73; 51:24–30. 2 Abū Jaʿfar Muḥammad ibn Jarīr al-Ṭabarī, Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī, trans. Syed Muḥammad Ibrāhīm and Ḥabīb al-Raḥmān Ṣiddīqī (Karachi: Nafīs Academy, 1990), 1: 164-215. 3 Abū ʿUbayd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Saʿd al-Baṣrī, Ṭabaqāt Ibn Saʿd, trans. ʿAbdullāh al-ʿAmadī (Karachi: Dār al-Ishāʿat, 2003), 1: 56. 4 Qāḍī Muḥammad Sulaymān Salmān Manṣūrpūrī, Wa-mā arsalnāka illā raḥmatan li’l-ʿālamīn (Lahore: Progressive Books, 2022), 2: 102. 5 The Encyclopaedia of Islam, 2nd ed., ed. P. Bearman et al. (Leiden: Brill, 1960–2009), s.v. “Ibrāhīm.” 6 Jane Dammen McAuliffe, ed., Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān (Leiden: Brill, 2001–2006), s.v. “Ibrāhīm.” 7 Gordon Nickel, “Abraham,” in Oxford Bibliographies in Islamic Studies (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012). 8 Younus Y. Mirza, “Abraham as an Iconoclast: Understanding the Destruction of Images through Qurʾānic Exegesis,” Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations 16, no. 4 (2005): 413–428. https://doi.org/10.1080/09596410500250222.9 Marijn van Putten, “Hišām’s ʾIbrāhām: Evidence for a Canonical Quranic Reading Based on the Rasm,” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (2020). 10 Khalil Al-Kubaisi and Muhammad Alkhateeb, “The Personal Biography of Prophet Abraham in Qurʾān and Old Testament,” Jordan Journal of Islamic Studies 21, no. 2 (2024). 11 Roberto Tottoli, “Sarah,” in Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān, ed. Jane Dammen McAuliffe (Leiden: Brill, 2004).