Getting to know the Prophet’s family: Hasyim and Abdul Mutthalib

Every Prophet has a noble lineage, and so does the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. He came from a respectable lineage in Arab society. His closest ancestors were his father, grandfather and great-grandfather who were also known for their noble morals and position. On this occasion, we will explore the story of the family of the Prophet ﷺ so that we can better understand how great his lineage was and how his family played a role in society during his time.

Getting to know Hasyim (Hashem)

Hasyim was given the task of providing drinking water (siqāyah) and party (rifādah) for Hajj pilgrims. The background to Hasyim’s appointment can be seen in the article at this link. Hashim is known as a rich man and has great glory. He is a pioneer provider so far (bread mixed with meat sauce) to pilgrims in Mecca. His real name is ‘Amr (Amrou). He was nicknamed Hasyim because of his activity of crumbling bread for the Hajj pilgrims’ banquet. Hasyim was also the first person to establish two trading trips for the Quraish tribe, namely winter and summer trips.

It is said that one day, Hasyim wanted to travel to Syria as a trader. When he stopped in Yathrib, he married Salma bint ‘Amr (Salma bint Amr)one of the women from Bani ‘Adi bin Najjar (Adi bin Al-Najjar) and settled there. Then he continued his journey to Syria while his wife was pregnant with his child. Unfortunately, Hasyim later died in Ghaza (Gaza). His son was born in 497 AD and was named Syaibah (Shiba), because of gray hair on his head since childhood. Syaibah grew up in Yathrib without the knowledge of Hasyim’s family in Mecca. Apart from Syaibah, Hasyim also has three sons and five daughters.

Abdul Muttalib (Abdul Muttalib), the Prophet’s grandfather

After Hasyim’s death, the task siyaqah And rifādah moved to his brother, al-Muththalib bin ‘Abdu Manaf (Al-Muttalib bin Abd Manaf). Al-Muthtalib was an obedient person and had priority among the Quraysh. When Syaibah was still a teenager, the news reached al-Muththalib. He went to Yathsrib to pick him up. When he met Syaibah, he cried, hugged him, and took him to Mecca. Initially Shaibah’s mother refused to let Shaibah go, but al-Muthtalib said, “Shaibah will only go to his father’s land, to Allah’s holy land.” Finally her mother allowed Syaibah to go. When al-Muththalib arrived in Mecca riding Shaibah, people thought he was al-Muththalib’s slave. Called “Abdul Muttalib”. Al-Muthtalib denied this and stated that he was Hashim’s son. Syaibah lived with al-Muthtalib until he was an adult.

When al-Muththalib died, leadership passed to Abdul Muththalib. He continued the noble traditions of his ancestors and attained an honorable position among his people above his predecessors. The two most important events during his leadership were the re-digging of the Zamzam well and the elephant troop incident.

The story of the discovery of the Zamzam well

Once, Abdul Muththalib dreamed of being ordered to dig a Zamzam well. The position of the Zamzam well was depicted in his dream. Then he immediately got up and started digging until he found it. Apart from Zamzam water, he also found objects left by the Jurhum tribe which were buried when they were expelled from Mecca.

These relics include many swords and armor, as well as two gold deer statues. The found swords were then made into the door of the Kaaba, two statues of deer were affixed to the door of the Kaaba, and Zamzam water was distributed to Hajj pilgrims.

When the Zamzam well was discovered, the Quraysh were at odds with Abdul Muttalib. They want to share about Zamzam water. However, Abdul Muththalib refused and stated that this was his right. The Quraysh did not give up and brought this matter to a female healer from Bani Sa’d for trial. On the way to the shaman, Allah showed a sign confirming that Zamzam was Abdul Muthtalib’s specialty. In the end, the Quraysh did not do this. At that time, Abdul Muththalib swore, if he had ten sons and they were strong enough to protect me, he would definitely slaughter one of his sons at the Kaaba.

Elephant show

The elephant team incident started with a figure named Abraha (Abraha), King Najasyi’s representative in Yemen. When Abraha saw Arabs making pilgrimages to the Kaaba, he built a large church in Shan’a’. (Sanaa). He had the ambition to divert Arab worship from the Kaaba to the church he made. This news was heard by a man from Bani Kinanah (Bani Kenana) and made him angry. Finally, he entered the church at night and defiled the church’s Qibla with feces.

When Abraha learned of the incident, he was very angry and determined to destroy the Kaaba. He set out with a large army of around sixty thousand people and brought with him large elephants, including the largest elephant which was his own mount. The team continued to move until they arrived at Wadi Muhassir (Wadi Mohsar)the area between Muzdalifah (Muzdalifah) and Mina (Mona). When he got there, the elephant roared and refused to move towards the Kaaba. Every time the elephant is directed to a place other than the Kaaba, it immediately gets up and runs. However, if directed towards the Kaaba, the elephant will roar and not move.

That’s when God sent a flock of birds who threw stones at the team from the kiln until God made them like leaves eaten by worms. Each bird carried three pea-sized stones. The team that was hit by the stone would definitely have their limbs severed and perish. Teams run and collide with each other at every opportunity. As for Abraha, Allah afflicted him with a disease that caused the tips of his fingers to fall off. He tried to return to Shan’a’ as weak as a baby bird and ended up with his chest split open and his heart out and he died.

During this incident, the Quraysh people fled to the valleys and mountain peaks for fear of being hit by the wrath of Abraha’s troops. However, after Allah sent down punishment on the troops, they returned to their homes safely. This event occurred in the month of Muharram, 55 days before the birth of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, coinciding with the end of February or the beginning of March in 571 AD.

From the story of Hasyim and Abdul Muthtalib we see how Allah protects the lineage of the Prophet ﷺ with full honor. Both of them are not just figures in history, but part of the Divine plan to prepare for the arrival of the last Prophet. After these two great figures, the story of the Prophet’s family continues to his father, Abdullah bin Abdul Muththalib.

Also read: Knowing how the Prophet sat and leaned back

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Writer: Fajar Rianto

Article Muslim.or.id

Reference:

Excerpted from the Book al-Makhum the work of Sheikh Shafiyurrahmān al-Mubārakfūri with changes.