Chapter 2 : The Prophet's Ancestors

Question 1

What did Imam Ali AS say about the Prophet’s nobility of descent

Answer 1

Nahjul Balagha Sermon 214

I stand witness that He is just and does justice; He is the arbiter Who decides (between right and wrong). I also stand witness that Muhammad is His slave. His Messenger and the Chief of His creatures. Whenever Allah divided the line of descent, He put him in the better one, and therefore, no evil-doer ever shared with him nor was any vicious person his partner. Beware! Surely Allah, the Glorified, has provided for virtue those who are suited to it, for truth pillars (that support it), and for obedience protection (against deviation). In every matter of obedience you will find Allah, the Glorified’s succour that will speak through tongues and accord firmness to hearts. It has sufficiency for those who seek sufficiency, and a cure for those who seek cure.

Question 2

How do you classify early Arabs

Answer 2

Arabs can be classified into 3 distinct categories :-

1) The Perished / Extinct Arabs ( Al-Arab Al-Ba’ida )
2) The Pure Arabs ( Al-Arab Al-Ariba )
3) The Arabized Arabs ( Al-Arab Al-Mustarabah )

The Perished / Extinct Arabs ( Al-Arab Al-Ba’ida )

• Descendants of Prophet Noah
• Includes the ancient tribes of ‘Ad and Thamud both of whom are mentioned in Surah Fussilat Verse 15 - 18 ( 41 : 15 - 18 ) in which both tribes were perished for rejecting their messengers

” As for ’Ȃd, they acted arrogantly throughout the land with no right, boasting, “Who is superior to us in might?” Did they not see that Allah ˹Himself˺, Who created them, was far superior to them in might? Still they persisted in denying Our signs. So We sent against them a furious wind for several miserable days, to make them taste a humiliating punishment in this worldly life. But far more humiliating will be the punishment of the Hereafter. And they will not be helped. As for Thamûd, We showed them guidance, but they preferred blindness over guidance. So the blast of a disgracing punishment overtook them for what they used to commit. And We delivered those who were faithful and were mindful of Allah. “

• The ‘Ad settled in the area between current day Yemen and Oman
• According to the Quran, they were destroyed by a fierce wind after ignoring the warnings of Prophet Hud
  -The Thamud succeeded ‘Ad and inhabited an area further north
• They were mentioned as those who were destroyed by a Thunderbolt / Storm / Earthquake for ignoring the fate of their predecessor ‘Ad and ignoring the warnings of their own Prophet, Prophet Salih

The Pure Arabs ( Al-Arab Al-Ariba )

• Also known as Qahtanian Arabs ( Qahtani )
• Settled in Yemen and founded the empire of Sheba ( Saba’ ) as far back as 2500 BCE
• The Queen ( Bilqis ) who ruled over the empire of Sheba is mentioned in Surah Al Naml Verse 22 - 24 ( 27 : 22 - 24 )

” It was not long before the bird came and said, “I have found out something you do not know. I have just come to you from Sheba with sure news. Indeed, I found a woman ruling over them who has been given everything she needs, and who has a magnificent throne. I found her and her people prostrating to the sun instead of Allah. For Satan has made their deeds appealing to them hindering them from the Right Way and leaving them unguided - “

• Qahtan was a man who lived between the period of Prophet Noah and Prophet Abraham
• He had a son by the name of Ya’rub
• The Arabs before Prophet Abraham descended from Ya’rub
• Over the next few centuries, the empire deteriorated until the descendants of Sheba split into 2 competing tribes which are the Himyar and Kahlan
• The Himyar stayed in Yemen while the Kahlan spread North and settled throughout the Peninsula
• The Tribes of Aus and Khazraj which later settles in Yathrib are part of the Kahlan Arabs

The Arabized Arabs ( Al-Arab Al-Mustarabah )

• Also known as Adnanian Arabs ( Adnani )
• They are considered the direct descendants of Prophet Ismail
• Their story begins with Prophet Ismail’s father, Prophet Abraham and the founding of Makkah
• After Prophet Abraham was blessed with his 1st son ( Prophet Ismail), he was instructed by God to take Hajar and his infant son from Palestine to Makkah ( 14 : 37 )

” Our Lord, I have established some of my offspring in an uncultivated valley, close to Your Sacred House, Lord, so that they may keep up the prayer. Make people’s hearts turn to them, and provide them with produce, so that they may be thankful “

• Hajar and Prophet Ismail settle and make a life for themself in Makkah
• The Tribe of Jurhum ( Pure Arabs ) pass through the region
• Prophet Ismail marries a woman from the Tribe of Jurhum
• According to some historians, Adnan was the 6th descendant of Prophet Ismail and became the namesake of Adnanian Arabs who remained in the Central Arabian Peninsula
• The Tribes of Hawazin, Thaqif and Quraysh are all Adnanian Arabs
• Therefore, Prophet Muhammad was an Adnani Arab ( Arabized Arab )

Question 3

What did Prophet Muhammad say about being chosen by God

Answer 3

Amali Al-Mufid, Sahih Muslim

” Verily, God chose Ismail from the children of Abraham. And he chose Kinanah from the children of Ismail. And he chose Quraysh from the children of Kinanah. And he chose Hashim from the children of Quraysh. And he chose me from Hashim. “

• In Arabian Culture, the status of a person is dictated by the nobility of their birth
• Basically, Allah chose the cream of the crop to be the ancestors and forefathers of our Prophet Muhammad thus ensuring that his final Prophet is of noble birth and so the people of Makkah have no reason to discredit him
• Even when the Prophet announced his mission, the Arabs insulted him by calling him a madman / magician / etc but they never claimed that he came from a lowly family

Question 4

What is the evidence that Prophet Muhammad came from the Progeny of Monotheists

Answer 4

• In Shia Islam, we believe that all of the Prophet’s Ancestors were Monotheist ( In contrast to the majority of Sunni Scholars who maintain that the Prophet’s Ancestors were disbelievers and idol worshippers )
• This is mentioned in Bihar Al-Anwar by Al-Majlisi ( Volume 15, Page 117 ) :-

” There is a consensus among the Imamis that the Prophet’s parents and all of his ancestors going back to Adam were muslims. In fact, they were Sideeqeen. Either Prophets sent ( By God ) or Sinless Successors ( Of Prophets ). And perhaps some of them ( The Prophet’s Ancestors ) did not reveal their faith due to Taqiyyah or some religious benefit. “

• It is narrated that Imam Al-Baqir and Imam Al-Sadiq once said the following regarding the Prophet’s Noble Ancestral Line :-

” He ( The Prophet ) was continually transferred from the loin of one Prophet to another. And it is not necessary for all Prophets to be sent ( To Communities ). In fact, most of them ( The Prophet’s Ancestors ) were Prophets for themselves and their household. “

• The Prophet’s Ancestral Tree going back to Prophet Ismail is as follows :-

Ismail > Adnan > Kinanah > Nadhr ( He was given the title of Quraysh ) > Malik > Fihr > Ghalib > Lu’ay > Ka’ab > Murrah > Kilab > Qusay > Abdul Manaf > Hashim > Abdul Muttalib > Abdullah > Muhammad

• Evidence that supports this claim

1) Narrations that speak of the purity of the origin of his creation :-

” God continuously transferred me from the loins of the pure to the wombs of pure until I emerged into this world and did not stain me with the stain of ignorance “

• Prophet Muhammad in various Shia and some Sunni Sources

2) Quranic Verses

” O ye who believe! Truly the Pagans are impure so let them not after this year of theirs approach the Sacred Mosque. And if ye fear poverty, soon will Allah enrich you if He wills, out of His bounty for Allah is All-knowing, All-wise. “

• Al-Quran 9:28

” Who sees you when you rise for prayer at night, as well as your movements among those who prostrate “

• Al-Quran 26:218-219
• The tradition of Ahlul Bayt suggests that the “ movement among those who prostrate “ means the movements of his life seed in their wombs ( From the Loins to the Wombs over generations )

” And he left this enduring declaration among his descendants so they may always turn back to Allah “

• Al-Quran 23:28
• During the old days, Prophet Abraham was the only monotheist in his community and so Allah says the verse above

Sunni Counterargument

• Some Sunni Scholars have offered a counterargument that the Quran describes the father of Abraham as a disbeliever and therefore it is possible to descend from disbelievers :-

” As for Abraham’s prayer for his father’s forgiveness, it was only in fulfilment of a promise he had made to him. But when it became clear to Abraham that his father was an enemy of Allah, he broke ties with him. Indeed, Abraham was compassionate and patient. “

• Response :-

1) Azar is not the biological father of Prophet Abraham (
2) The word “ walid “ in arabic is exclusively used for biological parent whereas the word “ Ab “ can be used to refer to other than the biological father. It is often used to refer to a person’s uncle. For example :-

” Were you ( Jews ) there to see when death came upon Jacob? When he said to his sons, ‘ What will you worship after I am gone ? ’, they replied, ‘ We shall worship your God and the God of your fathers, Abraham, Ishmael and Isaac, one single God: we devote ourselves to Him. “

• Al-Quran 2:133

3) Prophet Abraham prays for his biological parents in the Quran

” All praise is for Allah who has blessed me with Ishmael and Isaac in my old age. My Lord is indeed the Hearer of all prayers. My Lord! Make me and those believers of my descendants keep up prayer. Our Lord! Accept my prayers. Our Lord! Forgive me, my parents and the believers on the Day when the judgment will come to pass. “

• Here, the word “ walid “ is used indicating he is praying for his biological father and a different person compared to the earlier verse
• Al-Quran 14:39-41

Why the insistence that The Prophet’s Ancestors were disbelievers ?

• Many of these narrations were fabricated to diminish the stature of the Prophet and his Ahlul Bayt
• The jealousy and enmity towards Imam Ali drove the Umayyads to disparage his forefathers in an attempt to strip him of any semblance of a Noble Lineage to try and equalize themselves with the Prophet

Question 5

Who was Qusay

Answer 5

• His full name was Qusay Ibn Kilab Ibn Murrah
• Qusay was the great great grandfather of the Prophet
• He rebuilt the Ka’ba and constructed a roof on it to protect it from Flooding and Damage
• He established the “ Dar Al-Nadwa “
• This is basically an assembly room near Mount Safa facing the Ka’ba
• Basically, it was like an Ancient Parliament / Town Hall where people were given an opportunity to voice their opinions and present grievances
• There was no Zamzam well at this time so he suggested to Quraysh that free food and water be given to religious pilgrims

Question 6

Who was Hashim

Answer 6

• His full name was Hashim Ibn Abdul Manaf Ibn Qusay
• Hashim was the great grandfather of the Prophet
• His real name was Amr and he was given the title of “ Hashim “ which means “ The Breaker of Bread “
• Historians write the following :-

” He was called Hashim because he used to break bread and pour stew over it for the pilgrims “

• After witnessing the mass poverty in Makkah, he decides to do something to strengthen the economy of Makkah
• He figured that due to the pilgrimage, there is already a solid customer base
• The only thing that remains is to sell goods to them
• He establishes 2 annual trading expeditions
• He builds the infrastructure for the trading expedition to Syria ( Procure Persian and Roman Goods ) in the Summer and Yemen ( Procure Indian Spices, etc ) in the Winter
• It is no exaggeration to say that Hashim saved the Arabs from starvation
• He became the wealthiest man in Arabia and used to single handedly feed all of the pilgrims with his personal income
• Hashim had a brother named Abd Shams
• Abd Shams had a son / adopted son named Umayyah
• Abd Shams became deeply jealous of the wealth and fame of Hashim
• This is where the animosity between Bani Hashim and Bani Umayyah began
• Hashim had multiple wives, 1 from Yathrib
• While Hashim was on a caravan trip to Syria, he stopped in Yathrib and proposed to Salma Bint ‘Amr who was one of the most influential women from the Khazraj Sub Clan of Najjar
• Salma agreed to the marriage on the condition that any child of theirs would remain with her in Yathrib
• The couple was soon blessed with a son they named Shaybah which is the actual name of Abdul Muttalib
• Several years later, Hashim died in Gaza while on a caravan expedition to Syria
• According to tradition, his grave is located beneath the Dome of the Sayed Al-Hashim Mosque in the Al-Daraj neighbourhood of Gaza
• He had 3 brothers :-
  1) Abd Shams
  2) Nawfal ( Half Brother )
  3) Muttalib
• Since the first 2 were busy merchants, leadership of Makkah fell to the third
• Hashim’s brother Muttalib ruled Makkah after his brother
• Later, he went to Yathrib to fetch his nephew Shaybah
• When he brought him to Makkah, he joked that Shaybah was a slave he had bought
• From then on, Shaybah came to be known as Abd Al-Muttalib “ The Slave of Muttalib “