Knowra Hagar Hagar Hagar is an Egyptian servant of Sarah and the mother of Ishmael in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran. Her stories concern enslavement, exile, divine encounter, and the origins of Ishmael’s line.
Hagar in Genesis 16 : A Genesis episode in which Hagar conceives Ishmael, flees Sarah’s mistreatment, and encounters an angel in the wilderness. This is Hagar’s first biblical appearance and introduces her wilderness encounter.
Hagarism : Hagarism is a modern scholarly theory that interprets early Islam through accounts of the Hagarene movement. The theory uses Hagar’s name and Ishmael’s lineage to frame early Islamic history.
Abraham : Abraham is a patriarch in the Hebrew Bible and a prophet in Islam, regarded as an ancestor of Israel and Ishmael. As Hagar’s enslaver and Ishmael’s father, Abraham anchors her household story.
Isaac and Ishmael : Isaac and Ishmael are Abraham’s sons by Sarah and Hagar, respectively, with distinct roles in scriptural traditions. Their contrasting lines shape the family conflict surrounding Hagar.
Hagar in Genesis 21 : A Genesis episode in which Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael into the wilderness, where God saves them from thirst. This later episode recounts Hagar’s expulsion and survival with Ishmael.
Womanist theology : Womanist theology interprets religious traditions from the experiences and perspectives of Black women. Some womanist readings reclaim Hagar as an enslaved woman subjected to reproductive and domestic violence.
Isaac : Isaac is Abraham and Sarah’s son and a patriarch in Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions. Isaac’s birth precedes the conflict that leads to Hagar’s expulsion.
Sarah and Hagar : Sarah and Hagar are women in Genesis whose unequal positions in Abraham’s household lead to conflict over children and inheritance. Their relationship exposes the power imbalance underlying Hagar’s treatment.
Hajar in Islam : Hajar is the Islamic name for Hagar, honored as the mother of Ishmael and associated with the origins of Zamzam and the Hajj. Islamic tradition develops Hagar’s wilderness story through Hajar’s search for water.
Surrogacy in the Bible : Biblical surrogacy is the practice of a woman bearing a child for another household, often through an enslaved servant. Hagar bears Abraham’s child within a household arrangement shaped by Sarah’s infertility.
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