▁of ▁the ▁Arab s . ▁His ▁book , ▁Jam har at ▁al - N as ab ▁(" The ▁Ab und ance ▁of ▁Kin ship "), ▁seems ▁to ▁posit ▁that ▁the ▁people ▁known ▁as ▁' A rab s ' ▁( of ▁his ▁time ) ▁were ▁all ▁descend ants ▁of ▁I sh ma el . ▁I bn ▁Kath ir ▁( 1 3 0 1 – 1 3 7 3 ) ▁writes , ▁" All ▁the ▁Arab s ▁of ▁the ▁Hij az ▁are ▁descend ants ▁of ▁Neb ai oth ▁and ▁Q ed ar ." ▁Med ieval ▁Jewish ▁sources ▁also ▁usually ▁identified ▁Q ed ar ▁with ▁Arab s ▁and ▁Muslim s . ▁According ▁to ▁author ▁and ▁scholar ▁Ir fan ▁Shah î d , ▁while ▁Western ▁sch ol ars ▁viewed ▁this ▁kind ▁of ▁" g ene alog ical ▁I sh ma el ism " ▁with ▁susp icion , ▁the ▁concept ▁can ▁be ▁supported , ▁Gene alog ical ▁I sh ma el ism ▁was ▁viewed ▁with ▁susp icion ▁as ▁a ▁late ▁Islam ic ▁fabric ation ▁because ▁of ▁the ▁confusion ▁in ▁Islam ic ▁times ▁which ▁made ▁it ▁such ▁a ▁cap a cious ▁term ▁as ▁to ▁include ▁the ▁inhabitants ▁of ▁the ▁south ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁the ▁north ▁of ▁the ▁Arab ian ▁Pen ins ula . ▁But ▁short ▁of ▁this ▁extra v ag ance , ▁the ▁concept ▁is ▁much ▁more ▁mod est ▁in ▁its ▁den ot ation , ▁and ▁in ▁the ▁so ber ▁sources ▁it ▁applies ▁only ▁to ▁certain ▁groups ▁among ▁the ▁Arab s ▁of ▁pre - I sl am ic ▁times