Lesson 3: Events and Context of the Noble Birth
A Brief History of the Arabs and Quraysh
The Noble Birth of the Prophet Sallalahu Alyehi Wasallam
- Abdul Mutallib arranges the marriage of his son Abdullah to Amina bint Wahhab, a young notable woman of Quraysh. Abdullah was 18 years old at the time of this marriage.
- (Sidetrack)There was a group of people in Meccan society known as the Hunafa, Arabs who were monotheists and rejected the Pagan religion of the Arabs. They consigned themselves to worship Allah only. One of these Hunafa was Waraqah bin Nawful. He became a Christian and was the cousin of Khadijah. He used to read the books of the Christians and study Prophecies. He read about the coming of a Prophet whose name was Ahmad, his qualities and where he would be sent. He had told his sister all of these prophecies of the prophet to come. His sister was Khutaylah.
- As Abdul Mutallib was taking Abdullah towards his marriage. Abdullah was dressed in his finest and looking very handsome and he walked past Khutaylah. She ceases him and wants to tell him something. She says to him, marry me right now and if you do, I will give you the same ransom as was put over your head. (100 camels). He excuses himself and says I have to go with my father and rejects her offer. At his wedding, he spends one to three nights with his wedding to Amina.
- As he is walking back, he sees Khutaylah again. This time, she does not want to engage in conversation with him. He wonders why she isn't in the same mind. She says, the light which was on your face yesterday has gone away. I am in no need of you anymore. What she was talking about was, was the noor of the Prophet (SAW) which was in the loins of Abdullah and that had now transferred to Amina.
- The reason Khutaylah offered herself boldly was not because of any haram reason but because she had heard that a prophet was going to come and she saw this light on Abdullah's face and wanted to be the mother of this Prophet. (Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Hisham)
- Abdullah stayed three nights with her by the jumurat and then he goes off and leaves his beloved wife who was the best woman in her day and age. He goes on a journey to trade. While he's visiting Madinah where his father Abdul Mutaalib was born, he gets sick and they send word back to Abdul Muttalib.
- He sends his son Harith to Abdullah to see how he is doing. At that time Madina was known as Yathrib and it was known by its fever.
- In this fever, Abdullah, two months into the marriage, passes away. He dies without knowing that his wife was pregnant with Muhammad (SAW).
- Abdul Mutallib and Aminah are extremely grieved by this loss and Aminah recites this beautiful poetry on this occasion to express her lamentation.
- As time passes, the pregnancy of Aminah continues. The pregnancy was the easiest pregnancy and she didn't have to feel any discomfort that pregnant women usually feel.
- Nine months passes. In the month of Rabi ul Awwal, 570 A.D. on the 12th day and some say it was the second, eighth and ninth but the strongest is that it is the twelfth. On that day, after fajr, on a monday, Aminah is expected to deliver. She is attended to by the mother of Abdul Rehman ibn Awf, her name is Ash shifaa.
- Ash Shifaa is reported to have said that while delivering this child, she could see nothing but light and Aminah herself says a light came out of me and it lit up the east and the west and as far as such as I could see the palaces of Syria and land of Shaam. A child came forth and a voice was heard saying, put him in the refuge of the solitary one, Allah from every single person who would be jealous and name this child Muhammad. (SAW). There are other accounts as well that he was born circumcised with the umbilical cord cut and some accounts say that he was kneeling in humility.
- There are accounts that miraculous events happened across the world such as the galleries in the palace of Kisra, the leader of Persian empire, came crashing down, certain houses of worship got swallowed up into the earth, the sacred fire that the Zoroastrian used to idol worship that had been lit for thousands years became extinguished the night before his birth. These stories are not authentically established but we do not reject them as well and remains in the work of Seerah.
- This was the birth of our beloved messenger Muhammad Sallalahu Alyehi wasallam.
- Word is sent to Abdul Muttalib that his deceased son Abdullah has a son. This fills his heart with joy and he rushes to the house of Aminah. In some reports, it is said that he had visions and dreams about the greatness of this child. He decides to name him Muhammad.
- He goes to the Ka'bah and shows off the baby to the elders there. Express joy in Makkah.
- He was asked why he named him Muhammad because it wasn't a common name to them. He said, I wanted that Allah praises him in the heavens and people praise him on the Earth.
- Muhammad = compiled the qualities of perfection and virtues. Someone who is praised time and time again to an intensive form.
- With this child, Abdul Mutallib holds a feast as well and its at this time as well that Abu Lahab, the uncle of the Prophet who would later oppose him and become his worst enemy and of whom Allah has said, Perish the hands of Abu Lahab and may he perish. He is told of the news of the birth of his nephew by his servant Thuwaybah, he is so happy that he frees her in celebration. Years later, a relative sees a dream after Abu Lahab passes away after he has been condemned by Allah. He sees a dream in which Abu lahab says he is in the hell fire and he sees no ease except he gets a drink, an amount which can be held between the base of the thumb and the finger. The scholars have said that he gets this small amount of water to drink every Monday. His punishment is lightened because of the joy he expressed at the Prophet's birth.
- Muhammad was not a common name in Arabia but prior to the Prophet's birth, some people had heard about a Prophet named Muhammad to come in the scriptures of the Jews and Christians and in anticipation and wanting that they have the honor of having a son who is a Prophet, they name their child Muhammad. So there were about four to six children that were named Muhammad in the Arabian peninsula.
- Genealogy of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW)
- Muhammad (Sal Allahu 'alaihi wasallam) ibn
- Abdullah ibn
- Abdul Muttalib ibn
- Hashim ibn
- Abdu' Manaf ibn
- Qusayy ibn
- Kilab ibn
- Murra ibn
- Ka'b ibn
- Lu'ayy ibn
- Ghalib ibn
- Fihr (Quraysh)
- Malikh ibn
- Nadar ibn
- Kinanah ibn
- Quzayman ibn
- Mudrika ibn
- Ilyas ibn
- Mudir ibn
- Nizar ibn
- Ma'ad ibn
- Adnan (The Father of the Arabs and Arabian Peninsula)
- When the Prophet SAW would recite his lineage, he would stop at Adnan and then would say, genealogists tell lies. He would not go further than that. Meaning to connect Adnan to Ismaeel, its not authentically unknown.
- Any of his direct forefathers did not engage in the actions of Jahiliyyah which includes for example, adultery.
- The Prophet (SAW) also said, my parents never met together in union upon illicit relations. Allah continuously transferred me from pure loins to wholesome wombs purified and set right. There were no two branches that would branch out in my lineage except that I would be put in the best of those two branches.
- He also said, Allah selected Ismaeel from sons of Ibrahim, Kinanah from the sons of Ismaeel, Quraysh from the sons of Kinanah, and Hashim from the sons of Quraysh and he selected me from the sons of Hashim. Allah shaped the lineage of the Prophet (SAW) so he was born to the best man of the time.
- Allah took the nur that he first created of the Prophet (SAW) and put it through the loins of Adam a.s and all the way through the Prophets and Ismail and his forefathers.
- Many of the Ulema opine that the forefathers of the Prophet (SAW) were never polytheists but personally they would only worship Allah.
- This shows us the great honor Allah placed on the Arabs.