Given the importance of ancestry in Arab society, the Prophet Muhammad’s family tree was extensively documented. He was born into a family that, via Ismaeel, could trace its lineage back to the Prophet Ibraheem (Abraham). Abu Muttalib bin Hashim bin Abdu Munaf bin Kilab bin Murrah bin Ka’b bin Luayy bin Ghalib bin Fihr bin Malik bin Nadir bin Kinana bin Khuzaymah bin Mudrika bin Ilyas bin Mudhr bin Nizar bin Ma’d bin Adnan is the lineage of the Prophet. Although all academics concur that Adnan was descended from Isma’eel (asl), there is considerable disagreement regarding how many generations separated the two and the names of each descendant.
Amina, the daughter of Wahb bin Abdu Munaf bin Zuhra bin Kilab, was the mother of the Prophet. Kilab also shows up as the Prophet’s paternal ancestor. His true name was either Urwa or Hakim, but due of his love of dog hunting, he was known as Kilab (‘Kilab’ in Arabic).
The tribe of the Prophet The Prophet was a member of the most revered tribe in Arabia, the Quraysh. In reality, Fihr bin Malik or Nadir bin Kinana went by “Quraysh'” as their last name. His descendants were thereafter referred to as Quraysh. On the peninsula, the Quraysh were held in high regard. Qusayy, one of the tribe’s members, was particularly important in building the tribe’s grandeur. His mother settled among the Azra tribe near Syria after his father passed away, and his real name was Zayd.
That’s where Qusayy was mentioned. When he was young, he went back to Makkah and took over as the Kabab’s trustee. He was free to open the Kabab’s door for whoever he wanted, anytime he wanted, due to his esteemed position. He instituted the practice of entertaining pilgrims who traveled to Makkah by cooking them a lot of food and providing them with drinks prepared with honey, dates, or raisins. Additionally, Qusayy constructed a home north of the Kabab that he called Dar Al-Nadwah. Many of the tribe’s formal events were conducted there. Marriages were held on the grounds of Dar Al-Nadwah, which also served as the location of the tribal parliament. The Quraysh’s banner and bow were given to Qusayy.
The battle standard could only be fastened by him. He was a smart and generous man, and his tribesmen obeyed him without question. Under his direction, they settled in Makkah and developed into a cohesive community from a dispersed group of individuals.
Family tree In honor of his great-grandfather, Hashim, the Prophet’s family is known as Hashmi. Hashim took up the role of host to the pilgrims, a responsibility that was later passed on to his brother Muttalib. This power was regained by Hashim’s descendants after Muttalib’s passing and continued until the arrival of Islam.
Hashim gained the title of Sayyed Bathaa (chief of Bathaa) and was highly regarded. Because he would mash bread pieces in meat and soup and serve them to others, he was known as Hashim, which means “one who mashes something.”
Hashim organized commercial trips for the Quraysh, who were merchants by trade, to Syria every summer and Yemen every winter. The government in both of these countries granted him security for them. Allâh reminds the Quraysh of their obligation to Him for these significant trading excursions in Surab Quraysh (a “chapter” of the Qurân is termed a “Surah”).
On his way to Syria, Hashim once stopped in Yathrib (later known as Madinah), where he wed Salma bint Amr, a woman from the Banu Adiy bin Najjar tribe. After making a brief stop there, he departed for Syria. He died in Gaza, a well-known Palestinian city. Salma was expecting a child when he left. Her son was born with white streaks in his hair. For this reason, she gave him the name Shayba, which translates to “one with gray hair.” Shayba’s birth was unknown to Hashim’s family in Makkah. But when Muttalib learned of his deceased brother’s son eight years later, he made the decision to take Shayba to Makkah.
When he brought Shayba into Makkah, the people mistakenly believed that the small boy was Muttalib’s slave and called Shayba Abdul Muttalib, which translates to “Muttalib’s slave?” Shayba so adopted the name Abdul Muttalib.
As the Quraysh’s chief and the leader of their trading caravans, Abdul Muttalib was a highly attractive young man who rose to prominence in the clan. He was known as “the Generous” because of his charity. He distributed his leftovers to the poor, as well as to birds and animals. He was referred to be the “feeder of men on earth and of beasts and birds on the mountaintops” because of this.
Abdul Muttalib also had the distinction of rediscovering Zamzam’s holy well. When Ismaeel was kicking at the dry sand and his mother, Hajar (Hagar), was looking for water, this well had poured forth. Since the Jurhum tribe had covered the well during their exile from Makkah, its location had been forgotten. Abdul Muttalib once dreamed that he was shown the location of the well. The water of Zamzam started to flow again as he dug beside the Ka’bab.
The Kabah was also assaulted by the Abyssinian conqueror Abraha and his troops during Abdul Muttalib’s reign; these are known in the Qurân as the “Companions of the Elephant.” In order to redirect Arab pilgrims to his church in Yemen, Abraham moved forward with an army of 60,000 soldiers with the goal of demolishing the Kabab.
Abraha arrived at the Muhassir Valley, which is situated between Mina and Muzdalifah, prepared to attack Makkah. The elephant that had frightened Makkah as a whole abruptly stopped moving as he proceeded with it. Regarding the sixty thousand warriors, Allâh sent flocks of birds to stone the invaders in order to protect His Sacred House of worship. Astonished, the troops slumped to the ground, their bodies looking like ‘mashed corn.’ In addition to Allah’s supernatural intervention in support of the Ka bab, this Makkan historical event demonstrated Abdul Muttalib’s moral fortitude. Unwavering in his belief that Allâh would defend His holy home, the Ka ‘bah, he defied Abraha’s might to defend his own property.
The Prophet’s father, Abdullah, was a dashing young man who was the son of Abdul Muttalib. Because of the rediscovery of Zamzam, he was referred to as Dhabib’ (the sacrificial). The Quraysh looked on passively while Abdul Muttalib dug next to the Kabab in an attempt to find the ancient well. As soon as he started to come to damp soil, they demanded to be included in his discovery and created a lot of noise. Abdul Muttalib promised Allah that if he were permitted to reveal the well, he would offer one of his ten sons as a sacrifice. Abdul Muttalib eventually found the ancient well by carrying on with his excavation.
He then selected Abdullah by drawing lots to decide which son he would sacrifice. The Quraysh, especially Abdullah’s siblings and maternal uncles, rejected the sacrifice, even though Abdul Muttalib had brought Abdullah to the Ka’bah and was ready to offer him as a sacrifice. The Prophet 3 is referred to as the descendent of the “two sacrificed ones” (Isma’eel and his own father, Abdullah) since it was ultimately decided that one hundred camels should be sacrificed in his stead. In a similar vein, he is called the descendant of the “two elders held for ransom,” as his father was ransomed for a hundred camels and Isma’eel 2 for a ram.
Wahb’s daughter Amina was Abdullah’s wife. Wahb was a Banu Zahra chief. Amina became pregnant shortly after the marriage, but before she could give birth, Abdullah’s father sent him on a business trip to Syria or Yathrib. On the way back, he tragically died in Yathrib and was buried in Nabgha Dhabyani’s home.