Ishmael in Islam writ, Ishmael. Behold, he was always true to his promise, and was an apostle [of God], a prophet, who used to enjoin upon his people prayer and charity, and found favour in his Sustainer's sight." As a descendant of Ishmael, Muhammad is justified as the Prophet and continues the line of prophets from pre-Islamic times. As Islam became established, the figure Ishmael and those descended from him, the Ishmaelites, became connected, and often equated, with the term "Arab" in early Jewish and Christian literature. Before Islam developed as a religion, Ishmael was depicted in many ways, but after its establishment,
In the Hands of the Prophets in Screened.com said the writers examined the politics of the Bajoran religion by "planting pious but open-minded Bajorans like Kira against the orthodox, intolerant, fundamentalist majority, as represented by Kai Winn, who was willing to bomb schools and attempt assassinations on her political rivals to stay in power." Zack Handlen in his review for "The A.V. Club" compared the actions in the episode to the "ideological battles [which] are fought over what's appropriate in the classroom" in the United States. "In the Hands of the Prophets" first aired in broadcast syndication on June 20, 1993. It received Nielsen ratings of