Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ belonged to a prominent and influential tribe of Mecca, known as Quraysh, who were also the custodians of the Holy House, Ka’aba. The Arab world traditionally comprised various Tribes, Clans, and sub-clans. To better understand the Prophet’s family background, we first have to understand the tribal structure of the ancient Arab world.

The Arabs and their Tribal Structure

Mecca is believed to be one of the oldest settlements in the Arabian Peninsula. Humans first settled in this area during the time of the Prophet Ibrahim عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ, who left his wife Hajar and his infant son Ismael here by the Will and Command of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ.

The Arabian Peninsula, at that time, was an uninhabited desert. By dictionary, Arab means desert or barren land; hence, the inhabitants of this area were called the “Arabs.” Another interpretation of the word Arab is “Nomads.” The area’s topography was such that the people were forced to move around the places in search of water and other necessities of life. Hence, the name Arab refers to the people who initially populated this desert area, now known as the Arabian Peninsula. They are also known as “Bedouins.” The later generations of the Arabs emerged from these ancient Bedouins.

The vast desert and barren landscape of this area were, in fact, a blessing for the earlier settlers. Due to the difficult terrain, it remained a safe place for them. The neighboring, relatively more developed nations were practically unable to invade this area; hence, they flourished without fearing foreign intervention for centuries.

Though the Arabs are the direct descendants of the Prophet Ismael عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ, gradually, they were divided into different tribes, which was the norm of the ancient world. In a broader classification, the ancient Arabs can be divided into three major groups:

  • The Perishing Arabs. These are the ancient and lesser-described tribes of the Arabs, such as Ad, Thamud, and others.
  • The Qahtanian Arabs emerged as the progeny of Yashjub bin Qahtan. Sometimes, they are also referred to as the Pure Arabs.
  • The Adnanian Arabs. The Adnanian Arabs are the progeny of the Prophet Ismael عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ. They are also known as the Arabized Arabs.

The Arabized Arabs – The Adnanians

The history of Arabized Arabs or the Adnanians dates back to the era of Prophet Ibrahim عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ. Prophet Ibrahim عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ belonged to “Ar”, which was situated in Iraq. Later he shifted to Palestine. He was married to Sarah. Sarah had a servant, namely, Hagar or Hajar. Sarah urged Prophet Ibrahim عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ to marry Hajar, as she was sterile. Eventually, Hajar gave birth to a son, who was named Ismael, who later became a Prophet as well.

On the Will and Command of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ, Prophet Ibrahim left his wife Hajar with his infant son Ismael in the lonely desert, where practically nothing was available. He gave her skin water and a few dates and returned to his hometown. Soon, the stock of dates and water was exhausted, and then the historic event of the emergence of a fountain of water, now known as Zamzam, occurred.

When the water was exhausted, Hagar desperately ran between the nearby hills of Safa and Marwa, but there was nothing for her. Meanwhile, the infant Ismael was crying for water when an Angel descended and facilitated the emergence of a fountain on the spot where the infant Ismael was hitting the ground with his heels. Suddenly, water started flowing swiftly out of the fountain.

Hagar managed to confine the fountain water in a small ditch. This water saved her and her infant son Ismael’s life. Sometimes later, a group of travelers of a Yamanese tribe called Jurhum discovered this rich water source in that deserted place while passing by that area. They requested Hajar to allow them to settle there and use the fountain for their livelihood. Hajar allowed them. So, the Jurhum tribe was the earliest settlers in this area, which later became a city or town named Mecca. The Prophet Ismael عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ used to learn many skills from the Jurhum people.

When Ismael was around 12/13 years old, Prophet Ibrahim repeatedly had similar dreams, where he would slaughter his beloved son Ismael in the name of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ. When he shared this dream with Ismael, he instantly offered himself for that sacrifice. Both the Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismael prepared themselves for the historic act of sacrifice. However, at the last moment, Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ accepted their sacrifice and Ismael was replaced with a lamb sent from the heavens.

When Ismael was a grown-up young man, his father, Prophet Ibrahim عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ, on the Will and Command of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ started constructing the House of Allah (Baitullah), more commonly known as the Ka’aba. With that, Mecca became a center of religious activities, as people from all surrounding areas used to come to Mecca for pilgrimage.

Hence, the event of leaving Hagar and her son Ismael in the lonely desert by Prophet Ibrahim عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ was not without a purpose. It resulted in the following eventualities, which became an integral part of Islam:

  • The Pilgrims have to repeat the act of running between Safa and Marwa, known as Sai.
  • The emergence of Zamzam well is considered the holiest water on earth. All the Pilgrims are supposed to drink this water as part of the Hajj rituals.
  • Ka’aba was built on that site by Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismael.
  • The act of sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim and Ismael is followed by Muslims every year on the 10th of Zil Hajj by slaughtering sacrificial animals.

Prophet Ismael عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ had twelve sons. It is believed that their names were:

  1. Nabet
  2. Qidar
  3. Edbae
  4. Mebsham
  5. Mishma
  6. Duma
  7. Micha
  8. Hudud
  9. Yetma
  10. Yetour
  11. Nafis
  12. Qidman

The descendants of all these 12 sons of Prophet Ismael عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ later became 12 prominent tribes of Mecca. The second son of Prophet Ismael عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ, Qidar is believed to be the ancestor of the Adnanian tribe, named after Adnan, the son of Qidar. Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ belonged to the descendants of this tribe, in the 25th generation.

The Quraysh Tribe   

Ma’ad was the son of Adnan. He had only one son, namely Nizar. There were four sons of Nizar who emerged as four powerful tribes: Eyad, Mudar, Anmar, and Rabi’a. The Mudar tribe was then divided into two individual tribes named after the sons of Mudar: Qais and Elias. Elias’s tribe was further divided into different tribes. One of those is known as Kinana. The famous Quraysh tribe was the descendant of the Kinana tribe.

The Quraysh tribe had many branches, such as Jumah, Makhzum, Tayim, Zahrah, and Adi. Additionally, they were further divided into different sub-tribes. Quraysh later became a leading tribe of Mecca and assumed the role of custodians of the Ka’aba. By the time Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ was born, the Quraysh were the most powerful of the Arabian tribes, especially in the context that they were the custodians of the Ka’aba and had greater opportunities to interact with the outside world.

Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ also belonged to a branch of Quraysh tribe.

Branches of Quraysh Tribe

The main tribe of Quraysh was divided into various branches, like Jumah, Adi, Tayim, Makhzum, and Zahra. One of the sub-tribes of Quraysh, Qussayy bin Qilab, was further divided into three branches: Abdul Dar bin Qussayy, Abdul Uzza bin Qussayy, and Abd Manaf bin Qussayy.

Abd Munaf was further divided into four branches: Shams, Nawfal, Muttalib, and Hashim. And the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ was from the Hashim branch of Qurasyh tribe.

Family Lineage of Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

An overview of Arab tribal history reveals that by the time Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ was born, the Quraysh tribe had been in power in Mecca. The Prophet was born in one of the Quraysh sub-tribes, Hashim. So, the family lineage of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ is as under:

Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul Muttalib ibn Hashim ibn Abd Munaf ibn Qussayy ibn Qilab. The forefathers of these tribes were the Prophet Ismael عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ and Prophet Ibrahim عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ. Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ also revealed his family lineage, as reported in Hadith 2276 of Sahih Muslim:

Translation

al-Asqa’ reported: I heard Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) as saying: Verily Allah granted eminence to Kinana from amongst the descendants of Isma’il, and he granted eminence to the Quraish amongst Kinana, and he granted eminence to Banu Hashim amongst the Quraish, and he granted me eminence from the tribe of Banu Hashim.

The above Hadith reveals that the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ belonged to the Hashim branch of Quraysh and that the Quraysh were the descendants of Kinana. The Kinana were the direct descendants of the Prophet Ismael عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ.

Birth of Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ

With that distinguished family ground, the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ was born on 2 August 570 CE (12th of Rabi Ul Awwal, as per Islamic Calendar, known as Hijri Calendar).  He was the son of Abdullah and Amina. His mother, Amina, was the daughter of Wahb Ibn Abd Munaf from the Zahrah family.

With the Will of Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَىٰ, he was born as an orphan. His father, Abdullah, died before his birth. His grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, was the chief of his tribe in Mecca. He took responsibility for his grandson, Muhammad. Soon, Abdul Muttalib also died, handing over his grandson Muhammad to one of his sons, Abu Talib. Abu Talib, the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ nurtured him with great care and responsibility. Meanwhile, when the Prophet was just six years old, his mother Amina also died, leaving him entirely the responsibility of his uncle Abu Talib.

Per the traditions of that era, young kids were handed over to the foster mother for some time. Here, they would learn the Arabic language and other necessary skills. For Meccan mothers, women from Bani Sa’ad usually come to Mecca to take along young kids. Accordingly, Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ was given in the custody of his foster mother Halima. He spent some five years with her in the desert. After that, Halima returned to Meccas and returned Muhammad to his mother.

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