Abd al-Muttalib: Difference between revisions

'''ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib b. Ḥāshim b. ʿAbd Manāf''' (127-45 before Hijrah, 500-579 Gregorian) is the paternal grandfather of Prophet Muhammad (s), and the chief of the Quraysh tribe. He was also one of the nobles of Mecca. Born in Yasrib, he migrated to Mecca when he was seven and became a nobility. The astonishing event of the Companions of the Elephant (the offensive of Abrahah) occurred during his rule in Mecca.

‘Abdul-Muttalib is from the Quraysh tribe and is the offspring of Hashim, thus related to the Banu Hashim. He descends from Prophet Ibrahim (a). His mother, Salam daughter of ‘Amr, is from the Bani Najar Khazraj clan. This family became the companions of the Prophet (s) after he migrated to Medina. All Shi’a Imams (a) and all Talibi’s (Bani ‘Ali, Bani Ja’far, Bani ‘Aqil) descend from Abu Talib b. ‘‘Abdul-Muttalib. Bani ‘Abbas, including their 37 Abbasid caliphs (132-656 Lunar) descend from ‘Abbas b. ‘‘Abdul-Muttalib. The 17 Abbasid caliphs of Egypt (659-923 Lunar) descend from the 35th Abbasid caliph in Iraq, al-Zahir Billah (622-623 Lunar).

‘‘Abdul-Muttalib’s name was Shibah and his epithet was Abu al-Harith. It is said that he was addressed with other names and epithets as well, such as: Amir, Sayyid al-Batha`, Saqi al-Hajij, Saqi al-Ghayth, Ghayth al-Wara fi al-‘Aam al-Judub, Abu al-Sadat al-‘Ashra, ‘‘Abdul-Muttalib, Hafir Zamzam, Ibrahim Thani, and Fayyad.

In regards to the epithet ‘Abdul-Muttalib which is most popular, it is said that a couple of years after the death of Hashim, Muttalib (paternal uncle of ‘Abdul-Muttalib) took him from Yasrib to Mecca. When people saw Muttalib entering the city with ‘Abdul-Muttalib they thought he was Muttalib’s slave, bought from Yasrib. He therefore became known as ‘Abdul-Muttalib and this name stuck.

‘Abdul-Muttalib’s father, Hashim, married with Salma daughter of ‘Amr b. Zayd from the Bani Najar clan, in one of his trips to Yasrib. Before the birth of his son, he traveled to Gaza in what is nowadays Palestine, died and was buried there. Based on various historians, ‘Abdul-Muttalib lived with his mother in Medina for seven years or more, before he went to Mecca with his uncle, Muttalib.

Muttalib inherited his brother’s positions and was appointed as chieftain. Some time later, he died in Yemen, in a land called Ridman and the positions he had inherited from his father passed down to ‘Abdul-Muttalib, who was his nephew. Muttalib became a noble in Mecca as a result of his magnanimity, good management and strategies. He became famous and his superiority became clear. Quraysh acknowledged his nobility as well.

==Personality of ‘Abdul-Muttalib==

‘Abdul-Muttalib was the nobles of Quraysh in those days, for God had given him magnanimity that He had given to no one else before, and relieved his thirst from the Zamzam well (in Mecca) and Dhul-Haram (in Taif). Quraysh appointed him as referee for [issues relaing to] their wealth. He fed the people in times of famine and hunger, so much that he had even fed the birds of the mountains. In this regard Abu Talib says:

‘Abdul-Muttalib did not worship idols, and believed in the Oneness of God. He was loyal to his pledges and started various traditions, some of which have been mentioned in the Qur’an.

Ya’qubi cites himself in a narration that quotes the Prophet (s), “May God associate my grandfather, ‘Abdul-Muttalib, with the awe and looks of the Prophets.”

According to religious and regional narrations, Abrahah’s offensive against Mecca, famously known as the Companions of the Elephant, was contemporary to ‘Abdul-Muttalib. Abrahah marched from Yemen to Mecca with an army of elephants to destroy the Kaaba. Abrahah’s army pillaged the camels of Quraysh, for which a meeting between ‘Abdul-Muttalib and Abrahah was organized, where ‘Abdul-Muttalib only requested his camels be freed. Abrahah said, “I thought you have come to negotiate about the Kaaba.” ‘Abdul-Muttalib replied, “I am the master of the camels, and that house (i.e. the Kaaba) has a master for itself.” He went back to Mecca and told the people to go to the mountains and take their belongings with them. Only a couple of Abrahah’s men survived and fled the following day, when a giant mass of birds attacked his army.

According to historical documents of Mecca, prior to Qasi b. Kilab’s conquest, who was ‘Abdul-Muttalib’s grandfather, the Jurhum tribe ruled over Mecca. The oppressiveness of their tribesmen evoked a rise against them by other tribes. In the end, the Khuza’a tribe defeated them. ‘Omar b. Harith, the final Jurhum ruler went inside the Kaaba and hid all the jewelry and valuable presents that had been gifted to the Kaaba, in the Zamzam well and filled the well with soil to hide it.

Years later, ‘Abdul-Muttalib attempted to find the well. It is said that he found the place of the well in a dream and was given the mission to excavate it. ‘Abdul-Muttalib excavated Zamzam, found the jewelry, and spent it for the Kaaba. Zamzam once again springed with water.

According to reports ‘Abdul-Muttalib faced disagreement and obstruction by the Quraysh when he decided to excavate the well. He made a pledge that if God gives him ten sons he would sacrifice one of them next to the Kaaba. God almighty blessed him with ten sons. He randomly selected one of his sons, and Abdullah's name came out, but instead he sacrificed a hundred camels.

‘Ali Davani believes this story is not true and was composed by the Ammawids, arguing based on the weak chain of narrators that includes unknown or weak persons, and the fact that child sacrificing was a pagan tradition but ‘Abdul-Muttalib was a monotheist. He believes that the Ammawids fabricated this strory in order to decrease Imam 'Ali's (a) ancestral value.

According to some reports ‘Abdul-Muttalib adhered to the religion of Hanif and was not an Idol worshipper. Mas’udi, third lunar century historian, talks of dispute about the religion ‘Abdul-Muttalib followed and explains that one beleif is that neither he nor any of the Prophet's (s) ancestors were Idol worshippers. Sheikh Saduq narrates from Imam Sadiq that the Noble Prophet (s) said to Imam Ali (a), "‘Abdul-Muttalib never gambled and never worshipped idols and... and he always said, "I adhere to the religion of my father, Ibrahim.""

==Traditions Established by ‘Abdul-Muttalib==

In his book, Khisal, Sheikh Saduq narrates from Imam Sadiq (a) that the Noble Prophet (s) said to Imam Ali (a), "‘Abdul-Muttalib established five traditions during the Jahiliyya Era that God [also] obligated in Islam: He disallowed sons from marrying their father's wives and God has said in the Qur'an: وَ لا تَنْکِحُوا ما نَکَحَ آباؤُکُمْ مِنَ النِّساءِ (Do not marry any of the women whom your fathers had married, excluding what is already past. That is indeed an indecency, an outrage and an evil course.)

‘Abdul-Muttalib set the blood money for killing a man at one hundred camels, and God also applied this in Islam. The Quraysh did not know how many times they must circumambulate the Kaaba, ‘Abdul-Muttalib set this to seven and God applied these seven circumambulations to Islam as well.

Loyalty to pledges, a hundred camels for blood money, illegalized marriage with a non-foreign man or woman, refraining from entering a house from its roof, amputation of a theif's hand, disapproved of killing daughters, Mubahalah, prohibition of Alcohol, prohibition of adultery and appointing a punishment for it, lottery, prohibition of circumambulating the Kaaba naked, respect for guests, supplying Hajj expenses with legitimate money, respect for Haram months, rejecting ostentation and hypocrisy.  

It is mostly believed that the Noble Prophet (s) was eight years old when ‘Abdul-Muttalib passed away at the age of eighty two, or one hundred and eight, or one hundred and fourty.

It is said that before his death ‘Abdul-Muttalib summoned his daughters, "Cry for me and read the elegies you want to read about me, so I can hear what you want to read for me after death before I die." His daughters did so, they mourned and each read their elegies.

Umm Ayman has been quoted saying that the Prophet (s) followed the corpse of ‘Abdul-Muttalib in his funeral and cried, until they burried him next to his grandfather, Qasi b. Kilab, in Juhoon.

‘Abdul-Muttalib had ten sons: Harith, 'Abdullah, Zubayr, Abu Talib, Hamza, Maqwam, 'Abbas, Dhirar, Qithm, Abu Lahab (who was also.called 'Abd ul-'Izzi), Ghidaq.