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Ahl al-BaytPhase 2 · Seerah & Ahl al-BaytSupporting figure

Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim

عبد المطلب بن هاشم

d. c. 578 CE date disputed · paternal grandfather (pre-Islamic; lineage)

The Prophet's grandfather and chief of Quraysh, custodian of the Ka'bah and Zamzam. He raised the orphaned Muhammad ﷺ until his own death when the boy was about eight.

Biography

Shaybah ibn Hashim, known as Abd al-Muttalib, was the leading figure of Banu Hashim. Sirah sources report that he re-dug the well of Zamzam and that he was chief of Makkah during Abrahah's attack with the elephant (Surah 105), the year of the Prophet's birth. He took the orphaned Muhammad ﷺ into his care and died when the boy was about eight. At Hunayn the Prophet ﷺ declared 'I am the son of Abd al-Muttalib' (Sahih Bukhari; Sahih Muslim).

He died before Islam. He is tagged here with the Ahl al-Bayt colour as lineage (Banu Hashim), not as a Muslim companion. His sons included Abdullah (the Prophet's father), Abu Talib, Hamzah, al-Abbas and Abu Lahab, and his daughters included Safiyyah, mother of al-Zubayr.

Sources & explanation

۞ Qur'an

105:1 105:2 105:3 105:4 105:5

Links open quran.com.

📜 Hadith verified on sunnah.com

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 2864 Sahih

    At Hunayn the Prophet ﷺ said: 'I am the Prophet, no lie; I am the son of 'Abd al-Muttalib.'

💬 Explanation Unverified

Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's perspective

Methodological note (not a direct quote): Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's widely known approach is to build narratives primarily on the Quran and Sahih Hadith, to set aside Israiliyat (Judeo-Christian lore absorbed into later tafsir) and weak or fabricated narrations, and to avoid sectarian framing. Applied to this node: Narratives of his time (Zamzam, the Elephant) rely on sirah reports; only the Quranic Surah al-Fil and authentic hadith are firm.

Empires in their lifetime

  • Himyarite Kingdom 110 BCE – c. 578 CE
    Abraha, ruler of Yemen, marched on Makkah in the Year of the Elephant.
  • Kingdom of Aksum c. 100 CE – c. 960 CE
    Abraha, the Aksumite-installed ruler of Yemen, marched on Makkah in the Year of the Elephant.

Further references

  • Quran 105
  • Sahih Bukhari (Hunayn: 'I am the son of Abd al-Muttalib')
  • Sirat Ibn Hisham (historical)

Connections

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