Hagar The Mother of The Arabs

Even if we were to assume that Abraham (may Allah be pleased with him) , the father of the ARABS was some European looking man, we do know that Hagar( may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon her), the mother of the ARABS came from a people who were jet black skinned and had very kinky hair.
Ibn Hishaam reports in his book Seera Al Nabawiyyah or here

”The people of the village (in Egypt in which Hagar alayha As Salaam was from) was inhabited by jet black skinned people with kinky hair…

Ibn Luhya’h said that Hagar alayha As Salaam was the MOTHER OF THE ARABS”

قال ابن هشام في كتابه السير النبوية

…قال ابن هشام : حدثنا عبد الله بن وهب عن عبد الله بن لهيعة ، عن عمر مولى غفرة أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم ، قال : الله الله في أهل الذمة ، أهل المدرة السوداء السحم الجعاد ،

قال ابن لهيعة : أم إسماعيل : هاجر ، من أم العرب
What does ASHAM mean?
According to the scholars, it is like the blackness of a crow!
Ibn Saydahu said in his book Al Muhkam wal Muheet Chapter 3 page 215

Al Saham wal Suhaam Wal Suhmah : is black and every black is Asham and the two Suhamans are Shadeed Al Udmah

المحكم والمحيط الأعظم – ج 3 ص 215

السّحَمُ والسُّحامُ والسُّحْمَةُ: السوَاد وكل أسود أسْحَمُ…والإسْحِمانُ، الشَّديد الأدمة

Ibn Mandhor, whom narrates in Lisaan Al Arab, also explains:

AsSahm wal Suhaam wal Sahmah is black and Al Layth said that As Sahmah is black, like the blackness of the crow and in the narration of the cursed ( when a wife is accused of adultery), ‘ If the baby comes out Asham in complexion , and Asham is jet black and in the narration of Abu Dhar and with him was a female sahamah in complexion which means a jet black woman”

في لسان العرب

السَّحَمُ والسُّحام والسُّحْمَةُ السواد وقال الليث السّحْمَةُ سواد كلون الغراب الأَسْحَمِ وكل أَسود أَسْحَمُ وفي حديث الملاعنة إِن جاءت به أَسْحَمَ أَحْتَمَ هو الأَسود وفي حديث أَبي ذرّ وعنده امرأَة سَحْماء أَي سوداء وقد سمي بها النساء

Read more about asham here

What is also interesting is that Moses ( May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), is also described using the same adjective ”Asham”
In Musnad Ahmed Ibn Hanbal , Chapter 50 page 488 Authenticated by Sheikh Arnoot

The Messenger of Allah may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him said, And the description of Moses may peace be upon him : ” And I saw Moses intensely black skinned”

مسند أحمد بن حنبل ج 50 ص 488

قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم في وصفه لموسى عليه السلام: “و رأيت موسى أسحم آدم”. رواه أحمد وغيره وصححه الأرناؤوط

Read more about Moses here

We actually don’t need to assume whether Abraham would’ve looked like a European or not because scholars have stated that the the descendants of Shem were just as dark as the descendants of Haam and Japeth’s descendants looked very different to Shem and Haam’s descendants. Udmah is the key word to look for.
Tabaqaat Ibn Saa’d Chapter 1 page 27 Seera Al Nabaweyah

And Allah, glory be to him, made in them ( SHEM ) Prophets and books and BEAUTY, and UDMAH ( dark brown to jet black) and bayaadh( light brown skinned) complexions and the Children of HAAM descended in the southern surroundings and Dabour and it is said for that is the end of Daroom, and ALLAH made them UDMAH ( dark brown to jet black) and a few of them bayaadh( light brown skinned) in complexion…..

….وجعل الله سبحانه فيهم النبوة والكتاب والجمال والأدمة والبياض، ونزل بنو حام مجرى الجنوب والدّبور، وجعل الله فيهم أدمة وبياضاً قليلاً

”And Japeth Al Safwaan descended in the central areas and in the North and they were very white skinned and very white skinned with some redness (rosy cheeked)”

ونزل بنو يافث الصفوان مجرى الصبا والشمال”، فكان فيهم الحمرة والشقرة

Read more about udmah here

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