The Birth
The Arabs at the Ignorance Era did not have any constant historical starting point; rather, they considered some significant local events, such as the death of a distinguished man or a bloody war between two tribes as a temporary historical point of reference.[1] No such historical point existed among all Arab tribes either. Rather, each tribe used a specific historical point of reference of its own.[2]
When the army of elephants, under the leadership of Abrahah, the Ethiopian commander, came to Mecca to destroy God's House,[3] it was severely defeated through God's hidden power. This event overpassed all other events and that year became the historical point of reference for many years to come.[4] On that same year, Prophet Mu¦ammad (¥) was born in Mecca.[5] This event, with regards to some pieces of evidence such as the emigration (Hegira) in 622 AD and the Holy Prophet’s demise in 632 AD at the age of 60-63 years must have occurred in the years 569-570 AD.[6]
Infancy and Childhood
When Prophet Mu¦ammad (¥) became two years old,[7] his father, `Abdull¡h, on his mercantile journey from Damascus, passed away in Yathrib, where he was buried.[8] Referring to the orphanage of the Holy Prophet, the Holy Qur'¡n states:
Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter; and find you lost (i.e. unrecognized by men) and guide them to you; and find you in want and make you to be free from want? (93:6-8)
ªminah's infant was breast-fed by his mother for the first days of his birth;[9] he was then breastfed by Thuwaybah, a female servant freed by Ab£-Lahab.[10] According to Arab customs,[11] he was submitted to a nurse, named °al¢mah al-Sa`diyyah, from the tribe of Ban£-Sa`d ibn Bakr who used to live in the desert.[12] °al¢mah breastfed the Holy Prophet[13] for two years, cared for him for five years and finally submitted him to his family.[14]
Most probably, they put the keeping of the Holy Prophet in the hands of a desert-dwelling nurse because his wanted him to nourish in the clean air of the desert and to stay away from the disease of cholera epidemic in Mecca.[15] Another reason was that they wanted him to learn the eloquent Arabic from the nomadic tribes. Some historians have referred to this factor.[16] Attesting this fact, the Holy Prophet is reported to have said,
“I am more eloquent than all of you because I am both a Qurayshite and have been breastfed among the tribe of Ban£-Sa`d ibn Bakr.”[17]
Concerning the adoption of °al¢mah as the special nurse for Mu¦ammad (¥), there are some accounts in historical documents to the effect that since Mu¦ammad (¥) was an orphan, nobody would accept to take care of him. This was because a nurse would receive some money from the child's parents and such a means was not available to Mu¦ammad (¥). °al¢mah had to accept him since there was no other option for her to be busy.[18] Lack of acceptance of Mu¦ammad (¥) on the part of nurses due to his orphanage does not seem accurate for the following reasons:
As we have already said, `Abdull¡h passed away several months after Mu¦ammad's birth; thus, at that time, he was not yet an orphan.
Due to `Abd al-Mu§§alib's privileges in Mecca and because of his high socio-economic status, nurses and caretakers would not refrain from taking care of him; rather, they were extremely zealous to take care of such a family.
This topic has not been discussed in many historical documents.[19]
His Mother’s Demise and `Abd al-Mu§§alib's Guardianship
Upon receiving her child from °al¢mah, ªminah, together with her child and Umm-Ayman, `Abdull¡h's bondwoman, made a journey to Yathrib with a caravan in order to pay a visit to his maternal uncles.[20] After a stay of one month in Yathrib and on her way back to Mecca, she passed away at a house called Abw¡, where she was buried. At that time, Mu¦ammad (¥) was six years old.[21] Umm-Ayman took him to Mecca with the caravan and submitted him to `Abd al-Mu§§alib[22] who then resumed Mu¦ammad's guardianship and took good care of him as long as he was alive. He used to say, “Mu¦ammad will definitely have a high status.”[23]
[1] For further information regarding these events, see Mas`£d¢, al-Tanb¢h wa’l-Ishr¡f, pp. 172-181; Mu¦ammad Ibr¡h¢m ªyat¢, The History Of The Prophet Of Islam, pp. 26-27.
[2] Mas`£d¢, op cit, pp. 27.
[3] Shaykh al-±£s¢, al-Am¡l¢, pp. 80-82; al-Bayhaq¢, op cit, pp. 94-97; Ibn Hush¡m, op cit, pp. 44-55; al-Bul¡dhar¢, op cit, pp. 67-69; Mu¦ammad Ibn °ab¢b, al-Munammaq, pp. 70-77.
[4] Prior to the event of the Elephant Army, Quraysh had appointed the death of Qu¥ay as a historical point of reference. See T¡r¢kh al-Ya`q£b¢ 2:4.
[5] Shaykh al-Kulayn¢, U¥£l al-K¡f¢ 1:439; Ibn W¡¤i¦, T¡r¢kh al-Ya`q£b¢ 2:4; Mas`£d¢, Mur£j al-Dhahab 2:274; al-Majlis¢, Bi¦¡r al-Anw¡r 15:250-252; °alab¢, op cit, pp. 95; al-Bayhaq¢, op cit, pp. 72-73; Ibn Kath¢r, al-S¢rah al-Nabawiyyah 1:201; Ibn Sa`d, al-±abaq¡t al-Kubr¡ 1:101; Ibn al-Ath¢r, Usd al-Gh¡bah 1:14; Ibn Hush¡m, al-S¢rah al-Nubawiyyah 1:167; `Abd al-Q¡dir Badr¡n, The Clarification Of The History Of Damascus; Ibn Is¦¡q, al-Siyar wal-Magh¡z¢, pp. 61.
[6] `Al¢ Akbar Fayy¡¤, the History of Islam, pp. 62; `Abb¡s Ziry¡b, S¢rat Ras£lill¡h, pp. 86-87; Sayyid Ja`far Shah¢d¢, T¡r¢kh Ta¦l¢l¢ Isl¡m t¡ P¡y¡n Umawiyy¡n, pp. 37.
Concerning the exact date of the Holy Prophet's birthday, whether it occurred in the Elephant Year or prior or after it, the matter is not clear. For Further information, see Mu¦ammad The Last Of The Prophets 1:176-177; the article of Sayyid Ja`far Shah¢d¢ in Ras£l¢ Ma¦all¡t¢’s Lessons from the Analytical History of Islam 1:107; Ibn Kath¢r, al-S¢rah al-Nabawiyyah 1:203; Tahdh¢b T¡r¢kh Dimashq 1:281-282; Sayyid °asan Taq¢z¡dah, From Parviz to Genghis, pp. 153; °usayn Mu’nis, the History of Quraysh, pp. 153-159.
Furthermore, some European historians explained the motive behind Abraha's military campaign to be an ambition for territorial expansion against Iran via the northern part of Arabia, which took place due to the Roman instigations. In Muslim reference books, the motive is said to be religious due to the competition between the Church in Yemen and the Kaaba in °ij¡z. See Fayy¡¤, op cit, pp. 62; Ab£’-l-Q¡sim P¡yandeh, introduction of the translation of Qur’¡n into Persian.
[7] Shaykh al-Kulayn¢, op cit, pp. 439; Ibn W¡¤i¦, op cit, pp. 6. al-Kar¡jak¢, Kanz al-Faw¡'id 2:167.
The age of the Holy Prophet at his father's death is also recorded as eleven months and twenty-eight days. See Ibn Sa`d, al-±abaq¡t al-Kubr¡ 1:100.
[8] Tahdh¢b T¡r¢kh Dimashq 17:282; Ibn Sa`d, op cit, 1:99; Mas`£d¢, al-Tanb¢h wa’l-Ishr¡f, pp. 196; ±abar¢, T¡r¢kh al-Umam wa’l-Mul£k 2:176; Ibn al-Ath¢r, al-K¡mil f¢’l-T¡r¢kh 2:10.
[9] T¡r¢kh al-Ya`q£b¢ 2:6; °alab¢, op cit, 1:143.
[10] T¡r¢kh al-Ya`q£b¢ 2:6; I`l¡m al-War¡, pp. 6; al-Bayhaq¢, op cit, pp. 110; Ibn al-Ath¢r, Usd al-Gh¡bah 1:15; al-Majlis¢, Bi¦¡r al-Anw¡r 15:384.
[11] °alab¢, op cit, 1:146.
[12] T¡r¢kh al-Ya`q£b¢ 2:7; Ibn Hush¡m, op cit, 1:171; Ibn Sa`d, op cit, pp. 110; Mas`£d¢, al-Tanb¢h wa’l-Ishr¡f, pp. 196, Mur£j al-Dhahab, 2:274; ±abars¢, I`l¡m al-War¡, pp. 6; al-Bayhaq¢, op cit, pp. 101-102; Ibn Kath¢r, al-Siyar wal-Magh¡z¢, pp. 49.
[13] Al-Bul¡dhar¢, Ans¡b al-Ashr¡f 1:94; al-Maqdis¢, al-Bad’ wal-T¡r¢kh 4:131; al-Majlis¢, Bi¦¡r al-Anw¡r 15:401; Ibn Sa`d, op cit, 1:112.
[14] T¡r¢kh al-Ya`q£b¢ 2:7; Ibn Shahr¡sh£b, op cit, 1:33; al-Bul¡dhar¢, op cit, pp. 44; Mas`£d¢, Mur£j al-Dhahab 2:275.
[15] Ibn Ab¢’l-°ad¢d, Shar¦ Nahj al-Bal¡ghah 13:203; al-Majlis¢, op cit, pp. 401.
[16] Ja`far Sub¦¡n¢, For£gh Abadiyyat 1:159; Sayyid Ja`far Murta¤¡ al-`ªmil¢, al-¯a¦¢¦ min S¢rat al-Nab¢ al-A`¨am 1:81.
[17] Ibn Hush¡m, al-S¢rah al-Nabawiyyah, 1:176; Ibn Sa`d, op cit, pp. 113; °alab¢, op cit, pp. 146; Kharg£sh¢, Sharaf Al-Nab¢, pp. 146.
It is said while the Holy Prophet was living with °al¢mah al-Sa`diyyah in the desert when the case of opening his chest took place. However, experts in the history of Islam regard this as invented and false for many reason. See Sayyid Ja`far Murta¤¡ al-`ªmil¢, al-¯a¦¢¦ min S¢rat al-Nab¢ al-A`¨am 1:82; Sayyid H¡shim Ras£l¢ Ma¦all¡t¢, Lessons From The Analytical History Of Islam 1:189, 204; Sheikh Mu¦m£d Ab£-Rayyah, A¤w¡'un `Al¡ al-Sunnah al-Mu¦ammadiyyah 1:175-177.
[18] Ibn Hush¡m, op cit, 1:171-172; al-Bul¡dhar¢, op cit, pp. 93, Ibn Sa`d, op cit, pp. 110-111.
[19] Ibn Shahr¡sh£b, a distinguished narrator, has dealt with this issue but has not dealt with the Holy Prophet’s orphanage. See al-Man¡qib 1:33.
[20] Salm¡, the mother of `Abd al-Mu§§alib was from Yathrib and from Ban£’l-Najj¡r. See al-Bayhaq¢, op cit, 1:121.
[21] Ibn Is¦¡q, op cit, p65; al-Bul¡dhar¢, op cit, pp. 94 Ibn Sa`d, op cit, pp. 116; Ibn Hush¡m, op cit, pp. 177; al-Bayhaq¢, op cit, p121; ±abars¢, op cit, pp. 9; ¯ad£q, Kam¡l al-D¢n 1:172; T¡r¢kh al-Ya`q£b¢ 2:7; `Abd al-Q¡dir Badr¡n, Tahdh¢b T¡r¢kh Dimashq 1:223.
[22] °alab¢, op cit, 1:172.
[23] Ibn Hush¡m, op cit, 1:178; ¯ad£q, op cit, pp. 171; al-Majlis¢, op cit, pp. 406; T¡r¢kh al-Ya`q£b¢ 2:9.
