Imam al-Waqidi (may Allah have mercy on him) says: There was disagreement among us as to which of Sayyiduna Isma'il and Sayyiduna Ishaq (peace be upon them both) Sayyiduna Ibrahim (peace be upon him) intended to slaughter, and where he intended to slaughter him, at Mina or at Bayt al-Maqdis. So I wrote down all the reports of hadith I heard on this matter. It is narrated from Ata' bin Yasar (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: I asked Sayyiduna Khawwat bin Jubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) about the Dhabih of Allah, which of the two he was. He said: "He was Isma'il (peace be upon him). When Isma'il (peace be upon him) was seven years old, Ibrahim (peace be upon him) saw in a dream, at his residence in Sham, that he was slaughtering Isma'il. So he rode to him on al-Buraq and found him with his mother. He took him by the hand and set off to carry out what he had been commanded. Satan came to him in the form of a man whom he knew and said: 'O Ibrahim, where are you heading?' Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said: 'I am going about some business of mine.' He said: 'Do you intend to slaughter Isma'il?' Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said: 'Have you ever seen a father who slaughters his son?' He said: 'Yes, you (are about to do so).' Ibrahim (peace be upon him) asked: 'Why is that?' He said: 'You claim that Allah has commanded you to do it.' Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said: 'If Allah has truly commanded me to do it, then I have obeyed Allah and hoped for His reward.' So he (Satan) left him, and Iblis came to Hajar (peace be upon her) and asked: 'Where has Ibrahim taken your son?' She replied: 'He has gone about some business of his.' He said: 'He intends to slaughter him.' She said: 'Have you ever seen a father slaughter his son?' He said: 'He claims that Allah has commanded him to do it.' So Hajar (peace be upon her) said: 'If he has obeyed Allah, then he has done very well.' Then that Satan reached Isma'il (peace be upon him) and said: 'O Isma'il, where is your father taking you?' He said: 'For some business of his.' He said: 'He is taking you so that he may slaughter you.' Isma'il (peace be upon him) said: 'Have you ever seen a father slaughter his son?' He said: 'Yes, he (your father) is about to do so.' He asked: 'Why is that?' He said: 'He claims that Allah has commanded him to do it.' Isma'il (peace be upon him) said: 'Then if he has obeyed his Lord, he has done very well.'" Khawwat bin Jubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) says: "Then Ibrahim (peace be upon him) went out with him until he reached the place in Mina where he had been commanded, then he reached the place where the sacrificial camels are slaughtered today, and said: 'O my son, Allah has commanded me to slaughter you.' Isma'il (peace be upon him) said: 'Then obey your Lord, for in obedience to your Lord lies all good.' Then Isma'il (peace be upon him) asked: 'Have you informed my mother of this?' He said: 'No.' Isma'il (peace be upon him) said: 'You did right; I feared she would grieve. But when you bring the knife near my throat, turn your face away from me, for that way it will be more possible for you to be patient, and you will not see me (writhing).' So Ibrahim (peace be upon him) did so, and began drawing the knife across his throat. But when he drew it, it was as if he were drawing it across copper, which the knife could not cut. He sharpened it on a stone two or three times, but despite all that it could not cut. Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said: 'Surely this matter is from Allah.' Then he raised his head and found a mountain goat (ram) standing before him. Ibrahim (peace be upon him) said: 'Get up, my son, your ransom has come down.' So he slaughtered it right there."

Imam al-Waqidi (may Allah have mercy on him) relates that it is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Salam (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "The Dhabih is indeed Isma'il (peace be upon him)." Mention of Sayyiduna Ishaq bin Ibrahim, the Intimate Friend of Allah (peace be upon them both):