Back to Family

Muhammad [ صلى الله عليه وسلم] stayed with Haleemah for two years until he was weaned, as Haleemah said: We then took him back to his mother requesting her earnestly to have him stay with us and benefit by the good fortune and blessings he had brought us. We persisted in our request which we substantiated by our anxiety over the child catching a certain infection peculiar to Makkah. At last, we were granted our wish and the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم] ] stayed with us until he was four or five years of age. When, as related by Anas ( رضي الله عنه ) in Sahih Muslim, Gabriel ( عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَم ) came down and ripped his chest open and took out the heart. He then extracted a bloodclot out of it and said: “That was the part of Satan in thee.” And then he washed it with the water of Zamzam in agold basin. After that the heart was joined together and restored to its place. The boys and playmates came running to his mother, i.e. his nurse, and said: “Verily, Muhammad [ صلى الله عليه وسلم] has been murdered.” They all rushed towards him and found him all right only his face was white. [Muslim 1/92]

Back to his passionate Mother

After this event, Haleemah was worried about the boy and returned him to his mother with whom he stayed until he was six. In respect of the memory of her late husband, Amina decided to visit his grave in Yathrib (Madinah). She set out to cover a journey of 500 kilometers with her orphan boy, woman servant Umm Ayman and her father-in-law ‘Abdul Muttalib. She spent a month there and then took her way back to Makkah. On the way, she had a severe illness and died in Abwa on the road between Makkah and Madinah.

 To his loving Grandfather:

‘Abdul-Muttalib brought the boy to Makkah. He had warm passions towards the boy, his orphan grandson, whose recent disaster (his mother’s death) added more to the pains of the past. ‘Abdul Muttalib was more passionate with his grandson than with his own children. He never left the boy a prey to loneliness, but always preferred him to his own kids. Ibn Hisham reported: A mattress was put in the shade of Al-Ka‘bah for ‘Abdul Muttalib. His children used to sit around that mattress in honour to their father, but Muhammad [ صلى الله عليه وسلم] used to sit on it. His uncles would take him back, but if ‘Abdul- Muttalib was present, he would say: “Leave my grandson. I swear by Allah that this boy will hold a significant position.” He used to seat the boy on his mattress, pat his back and was always pleased with what the boy did. When Muhammad [ صلى الله عليه وسلم] was eight years, two months and ten days old, his grandfather ‘Abdul-Muttalib passed away in Makkah. The charge of the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم] ] was now passed on to his uncle Abu Talib, who was the brother of the Prophet’s father. Abu Talib took the charge of his nephew in the best way. He put him with his children and preferred him to them. He singled the boy out with great respect and high esteem. Abu Talib remained for forty years cherishing his nephew and extending all possible protection and support to him. His relations with the others were determined in the light of the treatment they showed to the Prophet .[صلى الله عليه وسلم] Ibn ‘Asakir reported on the authority of Jalhamah bin ‘Arfuta who said: “I came to Makkah when it was a rainless year, so Quraish said ‘O Abu Talib, the valley has become leafless and the children hungry, let us go and pray for rain-fall.’ Abu Talib went to Al-Ka‘bah with a young boy who was as beautiful as the sun, and a black cloud was over his head. Abu Talib and the boy stood by the wall of Al-Ka‘bah and prayed for rain. Immediately clouds from all directions gathered and rain fell heavily and caused the flow of springs and growth of plants in the town and the country.

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The Milestone
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