Hashim married the daughter of the chieftain of Al-Madinah (Yathrib at that time). She gave birth to a son who was named Shaibah.
While the boy was still a child, Hashim died. His brother Muttalib became the ruler of Makkah. Hashim’s son, Shaibah was raised in Al-Madinah.
When Muttalib came to know that Hashim’s son had grown up, he himself went to Al-Madinah to bring his nephew back to Makkah. When Muttalib came to Makkah along with his nephew Shaibah, the Makkans mistook him for the slave, Muttalib.
Although Muttalib tried his level best to remove the misunderstanding, it proved an exercise in futility and the name stayed with him and he was thereafter called Abdul-Muttalib.
Abdul-Muttalib resembled his father in regard to character, honour and renown. The power and influence of Abdul Muttalib aroused competition until it became unbearable for Umayyah’s son Harb. He challenged Abdul-Muttalib to combat.
In accordance with the practices of the time, a judge was appointed who gave his judgment in favour of Abdul-Muttalib. This decision aggravated enmity between Banu Umayyah and Banu Hashim.
During the time of Abdul-Muttalib, an army from Abyssinia headed by a chieftain called Abrahah, launched an attack on Makkah; but the army, known as the people of the Fil (Elephant), was completely destroyed by a natural calamity and heavenly intervention as narrated in Suratul Fiil.
Abdul Mutalib father was Hashim Ibn ‘Abd Manaf, the progenitor of the distinguished Banu Hashim, a clan of the Quraysh tribe of Mecca. History had it that they descent from Ismail and Ibrahim. His mother was Salma bint Amr, from the Banu Najjar, a clan of the Khazraj tribe in Yathrib (later called Madinah). Hashim died while doing business in Gaza before Abd al-Muttalib was born.
His real name was “Shaybah“, meaning ‘the ancient one’ or ‘white-haired’ because of the streak of white through his jet-black hair, and he is sometimes also called Shaybah al-Ḥamd(“The white streak of praise”).
After his father’s death, he was raised in Yathrib with his mother and her family until about eight, when his uncle Muttalib Ibn Abd Manaf went to see him and asked his mother Salmah to entrust Shaybah to his care. Salmah was unwilling to let her son go, and Shaybah refused to leave his mother without her consent. Muṭṭalib then pointed out that Yathrib’s possibilities were incomparable to Mecca, and Salmah was impressed with his arguments, so she agreed to let him go. Upon arriving in Mecca, the people assumed the unknown child was Muttalib’s slave and started calling him ‘Abd al-Muttalib, meaning “slave of Muttalib.”
According to the Islamic Historians, Hashim married the daughter of the chieftain of Al-Madinah (Yathrib at that time). She gave birth to a son who was named Shaibah.
While the boy was still a child, Hashim died. His brother Muttalib became the ruler of Makkah.
Hashim’s son, Shaibah was raised in Al-Madinah.
When Muttalib came to know that Hashim’s son had grown up, he went to Al-Madinah to bring his nephew back to Makkah. When Muttalib came to Makkah along with his nephew Shaibah, the Makkans mistook him for a slave of Muttalib. Although Muttalib tried his level best to remove the misunderstanding, it proved an exercise in futility, and the name stayed with him, and he was that called Abdul-Muttalib.
Abdul-Muttalib resembled his father in character, honour and renown. The power and influence of Abdul Muttalib aroused competition until it became unbearable for Umayyah’s son Harb, and he challenged Abdul-Muttalib to combat. Following the practices of the time, a judge was appointed who gave his judgment in favour of Abdul-Muttalib. This decision aggravated enmity between Banu Umayyah and Banu Hashim.
During the time of Abdul-Muttalib, an army from Abyssinia headed by a chieftain called Abrahah, launched an attack on Makkah. Still, the army, known as the people of the Fil (Elephant), was destroyed by a natural calamity and heavenly intervention, as narrated in Suratul Fiil. Abdul Muttalib was born in c. 479 and died in 578, aged 80 – 81 years.
