The Blessed Lineage, Birth, and Early Life of the Final Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

Excellences of reciting salāt upon the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم

Allah sends ten mercies upon whomsoever recites salāt upon me once, and He sends a hundred upon whomsoever recites salāt upon me ten times. As for whomever recites a hundred salāt upon me, Allah inscribes freedom from hypocrisy and Hellfire between his eyes, and He shall station such a person alongside martyrs on the Day of Judgement.¹

¹ Al-Mu'jam al-Awsaṭ, vol. 5, p. 252, hadith 2735

صَلُّوا عَلَى الْحَبِيبْ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى مُحَمَّدْ

Q:

Who is the final Prophet of Allah? Please mention his name and lineage.

A:

Our beloved Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم is the final Prophet of Allah, and his blessed name is Muhammad صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم. All scholars are in agreement regarding his lineage until 'Adnān. Beyond this, the number of noble individuals in his genealogical tree and their respective names until Prophet Ādam عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام are differed upon.

This is the sacred lineage in mention:

·        Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم

·        'Abd Allah, s/o 'Abd al-Muttalib

·        Hāshim

·        'Abd Manaf

·        Qusayy

·        Kilāb

·        Murrah,

·        Luay

·        Ghālib

·        Fihr

·        Mālik

·        Nadr

·        Kinānah

·        Khuzaymah

·        Mudrikah

·        Ilyās

·        Mudar

·        Nizār

·        M'ad

·        'Adnān

·        رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ أَجْمَعِينَ. ¹

¹ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, vol. 2, p. 573

Q:

Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم is from amongst the descendants of which other Prophet?

A:

Ibrāhīm عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام. ²

² Islam Ki Bunyadi Baatein, vol. 3, p. 74

Q:

How many generations are there between Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم and Prophet Ismā'īl عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام?

A:

According to Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, there are 21 generations between the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم and 'Adnān. This is a matter universally agreed upon. ³

³ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, vol. 2, p. 573

From here, there are four varying opinions regarding the number of generational increments between 'Adnān and Prophet Ismā'īl عَلَيْهِ السَّلَام 7, 9, 15 and 40.¹ The commentator of Bukhari, Mufti Sharif al-Haq Amjadi رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ adds, “The preferred opinion is 40.”²

¹ ‘Umdat al-Qārī, vol. 11, p. 564

² Nuzhat al-Qārī, vol. 4, p. 674

Q:

Which Arabian tribe does the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم have familial ties with?

A:

He bears ties with the well-known and noble tribe of Quraysh, as narrated in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim:

Allah chose Kinānah from the offspring of Ismā'īl, the Quraysh from Kinānah, the Banī Hāshim from the Quraysh, and He chose me from Banī Hāshim.³

³ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, p. 962, hadith 2276

Q:

When was the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم born?

A:

According to the most prevalent opinion on this matter, he was born in the Year of the Elephant (‘Ām al-Fīl), on Monday 12^th of Rabī‘ al-awwal (corresponding to 20 April 571 CE).⁴

⁴ Dalaail al-Nubuwwah, li al-Bayhaqi, vol. 1, p. 74, hadith 31, Fatāwā Razawiyyah, vol. 26, p. 414

Q:

Describe some incidents that took place when the Messenger of Allah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم was born.

A:

These are some events that occurred:

1.      Every idol in the world fell flat on their faces.¹

2.      The fire of Persian Zoroastrians (fire-worshippers), which had burned for 1,000 years, was extinguished in an instant.

3.      The palace of Kisra (a previous king of Persia) was struck by an earthquake.

4.      Sawa Lake (in modern-day Iraq) became dry.²

5.      When the final Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم was born, a light emanated from his blessed mother (Lady Āminah رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا) of such miraculous intensity, it caused the palaces of Syria to become illuminated.³

¹ Seerat al-Halbiya, vol. 1, p. 103

² Dalaail al-Nubuwwah li al-Bayhaqi, vol. 1, p. 126

³ Musnad Imam Ahmad, vol. 6, p. 87, hadith 17163

Q:

Mention the names and give a short introduction to the parents of the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم.

A:

The name of the beloved Prophet’s father is ‘Abd Allah, and his mother’s name is Āminah.⁴

⁴ Seerat al-Halbiya, vol. 1, p. 48

‘Abd Allah رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ was the favourite son of his father, ‘Abd al-Muttalib. Muhammadan light would gleam resplendently from his forehead. He was beautiful in appearance, graceful in conduct, chaste, abstemious and greatly pious.¹ His mother’s name was Fātima bint ‘Amr.²

¹ Seerat-e-Mustafa, p. 58

² Al-Seerat al-Nubawwah Ibn Hishaam, p. 47

The name of Lady Āminah’s father was Wahb bin ‘Abd Manaf, and her mother’s name was Barrah.³ She was exceedingly chaste, immensely righteous, and a dignified Muslimah. Among the women of Quraysh, she was most distinguished in her lineage and virtues.⁴

³ Dalaail al-Nubuwwah li al-Bayhaqi, vol. 1, p. 83

⁴ Dalaail al-Nubuwwah li al-Bayhaqi, vol. 1, p. 102

‘Abd al-Muttalib was searching for a woman to whom he may marry his son, who was not only distinguished by her beauty, but by her lineage, nobility and chastity. Allah had placed all these qualities in Lady Āminah bint Wahb رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا.

At the age of 24, ‘Abd Allah رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ married Lady Āminah رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا.⁵

⁵ Seerat-e-Mustafa, p. 58

Q:

Who had the honour of wet nursing the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم?

A:

A previous custom of Makkah’s nobility was to send their children to tribes stationed in deserts and have them spend their initial years thereupon. This was done for their children to consume pure food grown in rural areas and have their bodies strengthened as a result. Arabian tribes were also well-known for their expertise in spoken Arabic. By sending their children to spend their formative years with said tribes, Makkan nobility sought for their children to achieve the same levels of linguistic skill and oratory finesse.

This is why as a child, the final Prophet of Allah صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم was entrusted to Lady Halimah Sa’diyyah رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا. She bore ties to the Banū Sa’d, a branch of the Banī Hawāzin. This tribe was unmatched in their level of Arabic and semantic eloquence.

Lady Halimah رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهَا arrived in Makkah with the other women of her tribe, seeking a child for radā’at (fosterage: to breastfeed and raise a child). She had the honour of feeding milk to and raising the Prophet صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّم for the next 2 years.¹

¹ Aakhiri Nabi Ki Pyari Seerat, p. 17