Which prophet is considered the ancestor of the Arabs?

Isma'il is considered the ancestor of the Arabs in Islamic tradition. He was the first son of Ibrahim (Abraham) and Hajar (Hagar), and Muslims regard him as a prophet and messenger of God.

Islamic accounts connect Isma'il especially with Makkah. Ibrahim brought Hajar and their infant son to the barren valley by God's command, where the spring of Zamzam appeared. Later tradition says Ibrahim and Isma'il raised or rebuilt the foundations of the Kaaba, making Isma'il central to Makkah's sacred history.

Arab genealogical traditions often trace the northern or “Arabized” Arabs through Isma'il's descendants, particularly through his son Qedar and the line of Adnan. Muhammad is traditionally linked to Isma'il through this ancestry. This does not mean every modern Arab has a historically demonstrable genealogical line to him; it is a religious and traditional origin account. Isma'il is also sometimes confused with Ishaq (Isaac), whose son Ya'qub became the ancestor of the Israelites.