Abraham made sacrifices to God and prayed to him in faith (Genesis 15 and 16). In time, God gave Abraham a son, Ishmael (Ismail). Abraham did not wait for God to give him a son through his wife, Sarah (Saara). Instead, Sarah told Abraham he should have a son through her servant Hagar (Hajar). This caused great problems, as we shall see later. The angel of the Lord told Hagar special things about her son, Ishmael:
The angel of the LORD also said to her: “You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” Genesis 16.11-12