Answer · confidence: partial

Which old dated Arabic writings name Ibrahim or Ismail, and do any mention Mecca?

Research question: Which dated pre-Islamic or early Islamic Arabic inscriptions, poems, or papyri name Ibrahim (Abraham) or Isma'il (Ishmael), and do any place them at Mecca?

The verified facts show no dated pre-Islamic or early Islamic inscription, poem, or papyrus that places Ibrahim or Isma'il at Mecca ¹²³. The closest items are an undated transmitted report about sons of Ishmael who devised writing, which does not place them at Mecca ¹, and an undated poem by Jarir that praises Ibrahim as an ancestor without a Mecca link ³. The only inscriptional link is the Assyrian-period tribal name Mas'ai, which names a tribe rather than Ibrahim or Isma'il himself ⁴. The newest fact is from a 2014 publication, so it is about twelve years old as of October 2026 ⁴⁵.

Checked 2026-10-18. Only documented and supported facts are used.

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Sources

[1] supported

The only mention of Ishmael and Abraham in the document is a transmitted report by Makhul al-Hudhali, not a dated inscription, poem, or papyrus. It says the first people to devise writing were sons of Ishmael son of Abraham, and it does not place this at Mecca.

"أن أول من وضعوا الخط والكتابة هم نفيس ونضر وتيماء ودومة من أولاد إسماعيل بن إبراهيم"

تاريخ الأبجدية العربية

[2] supported

The document says the fortress of Marid in Dumat al-Jandal was the seat of government of the kingdom of Qaydar, son of Ismail, but it does not link Ismail or Ibrahim to Mecca.

"قلعة مارد في دومة الجندل كانت مقر حكم مملكة قيدار ابن إسماعيل عليه السلام"

عدنانيون

[3] supported

The poet Jarir ibn Atiyya al-Khatafi, a Tamimi, praises Ibrahim as his ancestor in a poem, which the document gives without a date and without placing Ibrahim at Mecca.

"أبونا خليل الله لا تنكرونه ... فأكرم بإبراهيم جدًّا ومفخرا"

عدنانيون

[4] supported

Scholars agree that the tribal name Mas'ai, mentioned in Assyrian inscriptions, refers to the tribe the Bible lists as a son of Ishmael. This is the only inscriptional link to Ishmael in the excerpt, and it names a tribe rather than Ibrahim or Isma'il himself.

"Scholars204 agree that the tribal name Mas’ai mentioned in Assyrian inscriptions refers to the same tribe mentioned in the Bible as a son of Ishmael:"

The Arabs of North Arabia in later Pre-Islamic Times:Qedar, Nebaioth, and Others (2014)

[5] supported

Ibn Khaldūn, a medieval Arabic historian, attributes the tribes of 'Adnan and Qahtan to Ishmaelite origins by quoting a saying attributed to the Prophet Muhammad. This is a later literary attribution, not a dated pre-Islamic inscription, and it does not place Ishmael at Mecca.

"Ibn Khaldūn attributes two of the above tribes (‘Adnan and Qahtan) to Ishmaelite origins and refers to what the Prophet Muhammad said to the Yemenis"

The Arabs of North Arabia in later Pre-Islamic Times:Qedar, Nebaioth, and Others (2014)