Abdul Muttalib an Important Historical Figure during the life of Muhammad - pbuh-

Abdul Muttalib an Important Historical Figure during the life of Muhammad - pbuh-

Abdul Muttalib - Abdol Mot'talib -Abdu Mot'talib - Abd al- Muttalib

Abd al- Muttalib:
Shaybah ibn Hāshim (Arabic: شيبة ابن هاشم عبد المطّلب‎; ca. 497 – 578), better known as 'Abdul-Muṭṭalib
Muhammad's grandfather. When Muhammad -saaw-was 6 he was orphaned and his grandfather took him in. Muhammad was a favorite of his grandfather before he died two years later.

As you may recall, Ibrahim and his son Ismail had built the Ka'bah by the well of Zam Zam, which had provided water for Ismail and his mother, Hajira. But as generations passed, the Ka'bah became a center of idol worship and the well of Zam Zam had been buried under the sand and lost. The Arab tribe of Quraish had become guardians of the Ka'bah, which was the center of pilgrimage for all of Arabia.

We now come to the time of Muhammad's grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, a member of the Quraishi clan of Hashim, which was responsible for providing food and water to the pilgrims. One night Abdul Muttalib had a dream in which he was told to dig for the well of Zam Zam so that there would always be water for the pilgrims. The voice in the dream gave him detailed instructions on where he should dig.

Abdul Muttalib took his only son to the place where he knew he must dig, but as they started digging, a large crowd gathered to watch, some of whom opposed the idea of disturbing the ground next to their cherished idols. But Abdul Muttalib would not stop and continued to dig while his son stood guard beside him. It was a tense moment, until Abdul Muttalib's tools struck the covering of the long-lost well. Not only had he found the well, but the well had been filled at some time in history with the valuables which pilgrims had brought to the Ka'bah to offer to their idols. It was later decided that the treasure should be divided between the Ka'bah and Abdul Muttalib, and that the clan of Hashim should be in charge of Zam Zam, since it was their task to water the pilgrims.

Abdul Muttalib's experience at the well made him long for more sons who could stand beside him when the need arose. He prayed to Allah to give him more sons, and vowed that if he were blessed with ten sons, he would sacrifice one of them to Allah at the Ka'bah. His prayers were answered, and over the years he had nine more sons, the most favorite of whom was his youngest, Abdullah. He did not forget his vow, and when all his sons had grown up, he took them to the Ka'bah and had lots cast to determine who would be sacrificed. It was Abdullah who was chosen.

The entire community was in an uproar over the situation. The wives and daughters of Abdul Muttalib were upset and they called upon their families for support. The other brothers asked Abdul Muttalib to sacrifice something else instead of their youngest brother. Abdul Muttalib was upset because he had made a vow and must keep it, but he did not relish the idea of sacrificing his favorite son. Finally he agreed to consult a certain wise woman about whether a replacement could be provided, and what form it should take.

The wise woman provided the solution to the problem. She told Abdul Muttalib to cast lots between Abdullah and ten camels. If Abdullah were chosen, then he should add ten more camels, and continue until his Lord accepted the camels and the lot fell to them.

So they returned to the Ka'bah and cast lots, but Abdullah was chosen. They added ten more camels. But again Abdullah was chosen. This continued until there were one hundred camels. Only then did the lot fall to the camels. Abdul Muttalib had the test repeated a second and a third time, and each time the lot fell to the camels. Finally Abdul Muttalib was convinced that the hundred camels were acceptable to Allah as a replacement for his son. The camels were sacrificed and Abdullah was spared. He was to become the father of Muhammad- pbuh-.

According to Muslim tradition, the Ethiopian governor of Yemen, Abrahah al-Ashram, envied the Ka'bah's reverence among the Arabs and, being a Christian, he built a cathedral in Sana'a and ordered pilgrimage be made there. The order was ignored and someone desecrated (some saying in the form of defecation) the cathedral. Abrahah decided to avenge this act by demolishing the Ka'bah and he advanced with an army towards Mekka.

There were many elephants in Abrahah's army and the year came to be known as 'Ām al-Fīl (the Year of the Elephant), beginning a trend for reckoning the years in Arabia which was used until 'Umar ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb replaced it with the Islamic Calendar.

When news of the advance of Abrahah's army came, the Arab tribes of Quraysh, Banū Kinānah, Banū Khuzā'ah and Banū Hudhayl united in defense of the Ka'bah. A man from the Ḥimyar tribe was sent by Abrahah to advise them that Abrahah only wished to demolish the Ka'bah and if they resisted, they would be crushed. `Abdul-Muṭṭalib told the Mekkans to seek refuge in the nearest high hills while he with some leading members of Quraysh, remained within the precincts of the Ka'bah. Abrahah sent a dispatch inviting `Abdu'l-Muṭṭalib to meet with him and discuss matters. When `Abdul-Muṭṭalib left the meeting he was heard saying, "The Owner of this House is its Defender, and I am sure He will save it from the attack of the adversaries and will not dishonor the servants of His House."

It is recorded that when Abrahah's forces neared the Ka'bah, Allah commanded small birds (abābīl) to destroy Abrahah's army, raining down pebbles on it from their beaks. Abrahah was seriously wounded and retreated towards Yemen but died on the way. This event is referred to in the following Qur'anic chapter:

"Have you not seen how your Lord dealt with the owners of the Elephant? Did He not make their treacherous plan go astray? And He sent against them birds in flocks, striking them with stones of baked clay, so He rendered them like straw eaten up." ( 105 (Al-Fil): 1-5 )

This conflict occurred in 570, according to many sources the same year Muḥammad was born.

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(Note: Arabs before the advent of Islam were polytheists who considered Allah as one of their Lords.)