Abd al-Muttalib: Difference between revisions

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'''ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib b. Hāshim b. ʿAbd Manāf''', (Arabic: {{iarabic|عبدالمطلب بن هاشم بن عبد مناف}} ) (b. 175 before Hijra/500 - d. 45 before Hijra/579) 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 [['Am al-Fil|the Companions of the Elephant]] (the offensive of Abraha) occurred during his rule in Mecca.

'Abd al-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 Banu Najjar Khazraj clan. This family became the companions of the Holy Prophet (s) after he migrated to [[Medina]]. All Shi’a Imams (a) and all Talibi’s (Banu 'Ali, Banu Ja’far, Banu 'Aqil) descend from [[Abu_Talib|Abu Talib b. 'Abd al-Muttalib]]. [[Banu 'Abbas]], including their 37 [[Abbasid caliphs]] ([[132]]/656 - [[750]]/1258) descend from 'Abbas b. 'Abd al-Muttalib. The 17 Abbasid caliphs of Egypt ([[659]]/1261 - 923/1518) descend from the 35th Abbasid caliph in Iraq, [[al-Zahir Billah]] ([[622]]/1225 - 623/1226).

'Abd al-Muttalib’s name was Shayba 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, 'Abd al-Muttalib, Hafir [[Zamzam Well|Zamzam]], Ibrahim Thani, and Fayyad.

'Abd al-Muttalib’s father, Hashim, married with Salma daughter of 'Amr b. Zayd from the Banu Najjar 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, 'Abd al-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 Radman and the positions he had inherited from his father passed down to 'Abd al-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.

Ya’qubi says:

'Abd al-Muttalib was an unparalleled noble of Quraysh in those days, for God had granted him magnanimity He had granted no one else before, and quenched his thirst from the Zamzam well (in Mecca) and Dhu l-Harm (in Ta'if). Quraysh appointed him as referee for [issues relating 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:

==The Companions of the Elephant==

According to religious and regional narrations, Abraha’s offensive against Mecca, famously known as [['Am al-Fil|the Companions of the Elephant]], was contemporary to 'Abd al-Muttalib. Abraha marched from Yemen to Mecca with an army of elephants to destroy the [[Ka'ba]]. Abraha’s army pillaged the camels of Quraysh, for which a meeting between 'Abd al-Muttalib and Abraha was organized, where 'Abd al-Muttalib only requested his camels be freed. Abraha said, “I thought you have come to negotiate about the Ka'ba.” 'Abd al-Muttalib replied, “I am the master of the camels, and that house (i.e. the Ka'ba) 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 Abraha’s men survived and fled the following day, when a giant flock of birds attacked his army.

According to historical documents of Mecca, prior to Qusai b. Kilab’s conquest, who was 'Abd al-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. 'Umar b. Harith, the final Jurhum ruler went inside the Ka'ba and hid all the jewelry and valuable presents that had been gifted to the Ka'ba, in the [[Zamzam Well]] and filled the well with soil to hide it.

According to reports 'Abd al-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 Ka'ba. God Almighty blessed him with ten sons. He randomly selected one of his sons, and Abdullah's name came out, but he sacrificed a hundred camels instead.

'Ali Davani believes this story is not true and was composed by the [[Umayyad]]s, arguing based on the weak chain of narrators that includes unknown or weak persons, and the fact that child sacrificing was a pagan tradition while 'Abd al-Muttalib was a monotheist. He believes that the Umayyads fabricated this story in order to decrease Imam 'Ali's (a) position through damaging his ancestral nobility.

According to some reports 'Abd al-Muttalib adhered to the religion of Hanif and was not an idol worshiper. Mas’udi, 9th-10th century (third century AH) historian, talks of disputes about the religion 'Abd al-Muttalib professed and explains that one belief is that neither he nor any of the Holy Prophet's (s) ancestors were idol worshipers. [[Al-Shaykh al-Saduq]] narrates from [[Imam al-Sadiq (a)]] that the Holy Prophet (s) said to [[Imam 'Ali (a)]], "'Abd al-Muttalib never gambled and never worshiped idols and... and he always said, "I adhere to the religion of my father, Ibrahim.""

In his book, ''[[Al-Khisal]]'', al-Shaykh al-Saduq narrates from Imam al-Sadiq (a) that the Holy Prophet (s) said to Imam 'Ali (a), "'Abd al-Muttalib established five traditions during the [[Jahiliyya|Jahiliyya Era]] (or The Age of Ignorance) that God [also] obligated in Islam: He disallowed sons from marrying their father's wives and God has said in the Qur'an:

'Abd al-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 Ka'ba, 'Abd al-Muttalib set this to seven and God applied these seven circumambulations to Islam as well.

Ya'qubi wrote: He established traditions that the Prophet acted upon, and verses were revealed for it, and they were:

Loyalty to pledges, a hundred camels for blood money, illegalized marriage with maharim, refraining from entering a house from its roof, amputation of a thief's hand, disapproved of killing daughters, [[Mubahala]], prohibition of wine, prohibition of adultery and appointing a punishment for it, lottery, prohibition of circumambulating the Ka'ba naked, respect for guests, supplying [[Hajj]] expenses with legitimate money, respect for [[Haram months]], avoid ostentation and hypocrisy.

[[Umm Ayman]] has been quoted saying that the Prophet (s) followed the corpse of 'Abd al-Muttalib in his funeral and cried, until they buried him next to his grandfather, Qusai b. Kilab, in al-Hajun neighborhood.

'Abd al-Muttalib had ten sons: Harith, 'Abd Allah, Zubayr, [[Abu Talib]], [[Hamza_b._'Abd_al-Muttalib|Hamza]], Muqawwim (Miqwam), 'Abbas, Dirar (Darar), Quthum, Abu Lahab (who was also called 'Abd al-'Uzza), Ghaydaq.

He had six daughters: 'Atika, [[Safiyya bt. 'Abd al-Muttalib|Safiyya]], Umama, Barra, Arwa, and Umm Hakim who was Bayda'.

==External Links==

* The material for writing this article was mainly taken from [http://fa.wikishia.net/view/%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B7%D9%84%D8%A8 عبدالمطلب] in Farsi wikishia.