In Makkah Early LifeABDULLAH AND AMINA
‘Abdul Muttalib, chieftain of the Quraysh, had ten sons who were all worthy and outstand-
ing, but ‘Abdullah was the noblest and most prominent among them. ‘Abdul Muttalib wed-
ded his son to Amina, the daughter of Wahb Ibn ‘Abdu Munaf, who was the leading man of
Bani Zuhra. She (Amina) was the most excellent woman among the Quraysh in birth and
stature at that time. (Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, p. 110)
Muhammed's father `Abdullah died before Muhammed was born. The Prophet (r) was
born on Monday, the 12th of Rab'i-ul Awwal in the Year of the Elephant. Certainly, it was
the most auspicious day in the history of mankind.
Muhammed was the son of ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abdul Muttalib, Ibn Hashim, Ibn ‘Abdul Munaf,
Ibn Qusayy, Ibn Kilab, Ibn Murra, Ibn Ka’b Ibn Lu’ayy, Ibn Ghalib, Ibn Fihr, Ibn Malik, Ibn al-
Nadr, Ibn Kinana, Ibn Khusayma, Ibn Mudrika, Ibn Ilyas, Ibn Mudar Ibn Nizar Ibn Ma’add, Ibn
‘Adnan.
The parentage of ‘Adnan is further traced to Ismail the son of Ibrahim by Arab genealo-
gists.
After the birth of Muhammed, Amina sent someone to inform his grandfather. He came,
looked at the baby lovingly and took him to the Ka'bah where he praised Allah and prayed
for the infant. ‘Abdul Muttalib then gave him the name Muhammed, which means, ‘He who
is praised’. The Arabs were surprised at the unfamiliar name given to the newborn babe by
‘Abdul Muttalib. (Ibn Hisham, pp. 159-60)
THE SUCKLING PERIOD
Thuwaybah, a bondwoman of the Prophet’s uncle Abu Lahab, suckled him momentarily
for a few days while ‘Abdul Muttalib continued to look for a wet-nurse to nurture his favo-
rite grandson. It was customary in Makkah to place the suckling babies under the care of a
desert tribeswoman, where the child grows up in the free, chivalrous air away from the
cramp, contaminating atmosphere of the city, and learn the wholesome ways of the Be-
douins. Those were the days when the chaste, unaffected and natural expression of the
desert people was considered as the finest model of grace and elegance of the Arabic lan-
guage. Together with the milk of a Bedouin woman, the babies imbibed the fluent language
that flew across the desert.
The people from the tribe of Bani S’ad were known for the gracefulness of their speech.
Halima S’adiya, a member of this tribe, ultimately came to have the precious baby under her
wings. This was a year of famine wherein Bani S’ad had been rendered miserable. The tribe
came to Makkah to look for children to be suckled, but no woman to whom the Prophet of