Abdullah ibn Abdul-Muttalib

‘Abdullah: The father of Prophet Muhammad [pbuh]. His mother was Fatimah, daughter of ‘Amr bin ‘A’idh bin ‘Imran bin Makhzum bin Yaqdha bin Murra. ‘Abdullah was the smartest of ‘Abdul-Muttalib’s sons, the chastest and the most loved. He was also the son whom the divination arrows pointed at to be slaughtered as a sacrifice to Al-Ka‘bah. When ‘Abdul-Muttalib had ten sons and they reached maturity, he divulged to them his secret vow in which they silently and obediently acquiesced. Their names were written on divination arrows and given to the guardian of their most beloved goddess, Hubal. The arrows were shuffled and drawn. An arrow showed that it was ‘Abdullah to be sacrificed. ‘Abdul-Muttalib then took the boy to Al-Ka‘bah with a razor to slaughter the boy. Quraish, his uncles from Makhzum tribe and his brother Abu Talib, however, tried to dissuade him from consummating his purpose. He then sought their advice as regards his vow. They suggested that he summon a she-diviner to judge whereabout. She ordered that the divination arrows should be drawn with respect to ‘Abdullah as well as ten camels. She added that drawing the lots should be repeated with ten more camels every time the arrow showed ‘Abdullah. The operation was thus repeated until the number of the camels amounted to one hundred. At this point the arrow showed the camels; consequently they were all slaughtered (to the satisfaction of Hubal) instead of his son. The slaughtered camels were left for anyone to eat from, human or animal.

This incident produced a change in the amount of blood-money usually accepted in Arabia. It had been ten camels, but after this event it was increased to a hundred. Islam, later on, approved of this. Another thing closely relevant to the above issue goes to the effect that the Prophet [pbuh] once said:

“I am the offspring of the slaughtered two,” meaning Ishmael and ‘Abdullah. [Ibn Hisham 1/151-155; Rahmat- ul-lil’alameen 2/89, 90]

‘Abdul-Muttalib chose Amina, daughter of Wahab bin ‘Abd Munaf bin Zahra bin Kilab, as a wife for his son, ‘Abdullah. She thus, in the light of this ancestral lineage, stood eminent in respect of nobility of position and descent. Her father was the chief of Bani Zahra to whom great honour was attributed. They were married in Makkah, and soon after ‘Abdullah was sent by his father to buy dates in Madinah where he died. In another version, ‘Abdullah went to Syria on a trade journey and died in Madinah on his way back. He was buried in the house of An-Nabigha Al-Ju‘di. He was twenty-five years old when he died. Most historians state that his death was two months before the birth of Muhammad [pbuh] . Some others said that his death was two months after the Prophet’s birth. When Amina was informed of her husband’s death, she celebrated his memory in a most heart-touching elegy. [Ibn Hisham 1/156-158; Fiqh As-Seerah p.45]

‘Abdullah left very little wealth —five camels, a small number of goats, a sheservant, called Barakah – Umm Aiman – who would later serve as the Prophet’s nursemaid. [Muslim 2/96; Talqeeh Fahoom Ahl-Athar p.4; Mukhtasar Seerat Ar-Rasool p. 12]

Abdullah was the father of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He was the son of Shaiba ibn Hashim (better known as Abd al-Muttalib), and was married to Aminah bint Wahb, who became pregnant with their son shortly before Abdullah's death. Abdullah died on a caravan trip between Medina and Mecca from an illness, at the young age of about 25 years.

Abdullah ibn Abdul-Muttalib (/æbˈdʊlə/; Arabic: عبدالله بن عبد المطلب‎) (553–570) was the father of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He was the son of Shaybah ibn Hāshim ('Abdul-Muttalib), and was married to Āminah bint Wahb.

His father chose for him Āminah daughter of Wahb ibn 'Abd Munāf who was the grandson of Zuhrah, the brother of his great-great-grandfather Qusayy ibn Kilāb. Wahb had been the chief of Banū Zuhrah as well as its eldest and noblest member but had died some time previously and Āminah became a ward of his brother Wuhaib who had succeeded him as chief of the clan. His father went with him to the quarter of Banū Zuhrah. There, he sought the residence of Wuhayb and went in to ask for the hand of Wahb's daughter for his son. 'Abdullāh's father fixed his marriage with Aminah.

It was said that a light shone out of his forehead and that this light was the promise of a Prophet as offspring. Many Arabian women approached 'Abdullāh, who is reported to have been a handsome man, so that they might gain the honor of producing his offspring. However it is believed that, as decided by God, the light was destined to be transferred to Āminah through 'Abdullāh after consummating the marriage.

'Abdullāh's father was the custodian of the Kaaba in Makkah. 'Abdullāh lived with Āminah among her relatives the first three days of the marriage. Afterwards, they moved together to the quarter of 'Abdul-Muttalib.

Soon after their marriage 'Abdullāh was called to Palestine and al-Shām (present day Syria) on a trading caravan trip. When he left Āminah was pregnant. 'Abdullāh was absent for several months in Gaza. On his way back he stopped for a longer rest with the family of his maternal grandmother (Sahrah bint Tahmūr ibn 'Ubayd ibn Qusayy) in Madīnah, where his maternal uncles also lived. He was preparing to join a caravan to Makkah when he fell ill.

The caravan went on without him to Makkah with news of his absence and disease. 'Abdul-Muttalib immediately sent his eldest son Hārith to Madīnah in order to accompany 'Abdullāh on the trip back to Makkah after his recovery. However upon arriving at Madīnah Ḥārith learned that his brother had died and that he had been buried there a month after the start of that same caravan to Makkah. Harith returned to Makkah to announce the death of Abdullāh to his aged father and his bereaved wife Āminah.

'Abdullāh left five camels, a herd of sheep and goats, and a slave nurse, called Umm Ayman, who was to take care of his son Muhammad. This patrimony does not prove that 'Abdullāh was wealthy, but at the same time it does not prove that he was poor. Furthermore, 'Abdullāh was still a young man capable of working and of amassing a fortune. His father was still alive and none of his wealth had as yet been transferred to his sons.

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