. ▁Some ▁important ▁statements ▁to ▁this ▁effect ▁were ▁made ▁by ▁Muhammad ▁when ▁he ▁identified ▁some ▁Arab s ▁as ▁I sh ma el ites ▁and ▁others ▁as ▁not . ▁I sh ma el ism ▁in ▁this ▁more ▁limited ▁definition ▁holds ▁that ▁I sh ma el ▁was ▁both ▁an ▁important ▁religious ▁figure ▁and ▁e pon ym ous ▁ancest or ▁for ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁Arab s ▁of ▁western ▁Arab ia . ▁Prom in ence ▁is ▁given ▁in ▁Arab ▁gene alog ical ▁accounts ▁to ▁the ▁first ▁two ▁of ▁I sh ma el ' s ▁twelve ▁sons , ▁Neb ai oth ▁( , ▁N ab ī t ) ▁and ▁Q ed ar ▁( , ▁Q ay d ā r ), ▁who ▁are ▁also ▁prom in ently ▁featured ▁in ▁the ▁Gen esis ▁account . ▁It ▁is ▁likely ▁that ▁they ▁and ▁their ▁tribes ▁lived ▁in ▁north western ▁Arab ia ▁and ▁were ▁histor ically ▁the ▁most ▁important ▁of ▁the ▁twelve ▁I sh ma el ite ▁tribes . ▁ ▁It ▁is ▁believed ▁that ▁the ▁first ▁person ▁to ▁speak ▁Arab ic ▁clearly ▁was ▁I sh ma el ▁from ▁Greek ▁literature ▁sources : ▁" Is ma ’ il ▁grew ▁up ▁among ▁the ▁Jur hum ▁an ▁Arab ic ▁speaking ▁tribe , ▁learning ▁the ▁pure ▁Arab ic ▁tongue ▁from ▁them . ▁When ▁grown ▁up ▁he ▁success ively ▁married ▁two ▁ladies ▁from ▁the ▁Jur hum ▁tribe , ▁the ▁second ▁wife ▁being ▁the ▁daughter ▁of ▁M udad ▁ibn ▁‘ Am r , ▁leader ▁of ▁the ▁Jur hum ▁tribe ." ▁ ▁In ▁accounts ▁trac ing ▁the ▁ancest ry ▁of