Ismail (name)

Ismail (Arabic: إسماعيل‎, ʼIsmāʻīl) is an Arabic given name. It corresponds to the English name Ishmael.

Etymology and meaning

The literal translation of the name Ismail is heard by Allah or God has heard and it refers to the yearning of Ibrahim and his wife, Sarah, to have a child. Ismail's mother, Hagar was also a wife of the prophet Abraham. Muhammad, a descendant of Ismail who was sent the Qur'an by Allah, became the final messenger, and so the name Ismail is often interpreted to mean the fulfillment of a divine promise resulting from prayer being heard.

Given name

Esmail (Afghan leader)

Guantanamo detainee Anwar Khan identified an individual named Esmail as an anti-Taliban militia leader, prior to the ouster of the Taliban. According to Khan he and Esmail served under the command of Hazrat Ali, one of the militia commanders who nominated Hamid Karzai for the presidency of the interim Afghan administration.

References