VOL 6.3

Lineage of the Messenger of God

ii

f Ali b. Harb al-Mawsili— Abu Man Isa, a descendant of KaT) b.

Malik 10 — Muhammad b. Abi Bakr al-Ansari — the shaykhs of the

Ansar: Hashim b. 'Abd Manaf married a noblewoman from the

Banu 'Adi b. al-Najjar, accepting the condition imposed upon whoever

sought her hand in marriage that she should remain in her

family's settlement. She married Hashim and bore him the praise-

worthy Shaybah. He grew up among his maternal uncles, treated

with respect. While he was competing with the boys of the Ansar

at archery, he hit the target and said, "I am the son of Hashim!"

A man who was passing through heard him, and when he came

to Mecca he said to the boy's uncle al-Muttalib b. 'Abd Manaf,

"I was passing by the settlement of the Banu Qaylah 11 and saw a

boy of such-and-such a description competing with their boys at

archery. He claimed to be your brother's son, and you should not

leave such a fine boy to live among strangers."

Al-Muttalib rode to al-Madinah, and persuaded the boy to travel

to Mecca. Then he spoke to the boy's mother, and did not leave her

in peace until she gave him permission to take him. He mounted

the boy behind him and took him to Mecca. Whenever people met

him and said, "Who is this, Muttalib?" he would say, "My slave."

This is why he was called 'Abd al-Muttalib. When he arrived in

Mecca, al-Muttalib told the boy what his father's property consisted

of and made it over to him. (Some time later) Nawfal b.

'Abd Manaf opposed al-Muttalib in respect of a courtyard which

belonged to the latter and unlawfully seized it from him. 'Abd

al-Muttalib then went to the men of his tribe and asked them to

assist him against his uncle, but they said to him, "We cannot intervene

between you and your uncle," 12 When he saw what their

10. Kali b. Malik of the clan of Salimah in al-Madinah was one of the poets

supporting Muhammad; see. El, s.v. Ka*b b. Malik.

n. The BanQ Qaylah are all the Arabs of al-Madinah, also known in Islamic

times as the Ansar. Qaylah was the mother of al-Aws and al-Khazraj, the ancestors

of the two main tribes.

12. It is made clear later that this affair took place after the death of al-Muttalib,

when Nawfal was the only surviving son of 'Abd Manaf. Since other descendants

of 'Abd Manaf would be much younger than Nawfal, they would not have felt

able to oppose him. 'Abd al-Muttalib then appealed to a wider circle of the men

of Quraysh, but it would have been against normal custom for them to interfere

in a matter concerning only a single family. They could probably, however, had

they so desired, have brought some moral pressure to bear on Nawfal; but many

of the merchants of Mecca seem to have been unscrupulous in such matters. An

idea of the "wheeling and dealing" which was going on may be obtained from

Watt, Muhammad at Mecca, 5-7. This story is also of interest as illustrating how

matrilineal kinship was still strong in al-Madinah, whereas in Mecca men were

thinking mainly in terms of patrilineal kinship, even though some matrilineal

usages continued there. This matter is a complex one. There is a collection of

relevant material in Watt, Muhammad at Medina, 373-88. In a sense, 'Abd al-

Muttalib was here invoking the matrilineal system against unjust behavior by the

patrilineal system.

12

Muhammad at Mecca

attitude was, he wrote to his maternal uncles telling them about

the attitude of Nawfal. Included in his letter were the following

lines:

Tell the Banu al-Najjar if you come to them

that I am one of them, their son and their

close associate . 13

I think that they are a people who, if I come to them,

love to meet me and to hear my voice.

My uncle Nawfal persists in an action from which even

a base man would avert his eyes in disgust.

Abu Sa'd b. TJdas al-Najjari then led eighty riders to the valley , 14

and when 'Abd al-Muttalib heard of this he went to meet him and

said, "Come to my home, uncle!" "Not until I have met Nawfal,"

he replied. "I left him sitting in the Hijr among the shaykhs of

Quraysh," said 'Abd al-Muttalib. Then his uncle went and stood

next to Nawfal, unsheathed his sword, and said, "By the Lord of

this edifice, either you return his courtyard to my sister's son,

or my sword will drink its fill of your blood!" "By the Lord of

this edifice," said Nawfal, "I shall return his courtyard, and I call

upon those present to witness this." Then Abu Sa'd said, "Let us

go to your house, nephew." He stayed there for three days and

performed the lesser pilgrimage (' umrah ) . On this occasion, 'Abd

al-Muttalib recited the following lines:

Mazin, the Banu 'Adi and Dinar

b. Taym al-Lat refused to accept that I should be

wronged,

As did the lords of Malik ; 15 and after this Nawfal

withdrew his pretensions to my property

13. The meaning of wa-l-khamis is somewhat obscure.

14. Al-abtah, a variant of batha', is the central district of Mecca; see n. 8 above.

15. According to the genealogists, Mazin, 'Adi, Dinar, and Malik were the four

sons of al-Najjar and gave their names to the main subdivisions of the clan, which

was a large one. Al-Najjar was also known as Taym Allat, which was later changed

to Taym Allah.

Lineage of the Messenger of God

13

Through them God returned my courtyard to me

though they were not as closely related to me as

my own tribe.

With regard to this matter, Samurah b. TJmayr Abu f Amr al-

Kinani said:

By my life, Shaybah's maternal uncles, despite

being less closely related,

are more dutiful and mindful of bloodties than

his closely related paternal uncles.

They responded to their newphew's appeal though they

were far away,

and were not deflected when Nawfal overstepped his

rights.

May God requite with good a band of Khazrajis

who called upon one another to respect family duty;

he who does so is more virtuous.

Faced with this, Nawfal formed a confederacy with the whole

of the Banu 'Abd Shams against the Banu Hashim.

Muhammad b. Abi Bakr: I related this story to Musa b. Isa and

he said to me, "Ibn Abi Bakr, this is something which the Ansar

relate in order to court our favor, since God has placed sovereignty

in our hands . 16 'Abd al-Muttalib was held too dear by his own people

to need the Banu al-Najjar to ride to his aid from al-Madinah."

"May God make the amir prosper," I said, "one who was better

than 'Abd al-Muttalib needed their assistance." He had been reclining,

but he sat up straight in anger and said, "Who is better

than 'Abd al-Muttalib?" "Muhammad, the Messenger of God," I

replied. "You are right," he said and returned to his previous posture.

Then he said to his sons, "Write down this anecdote from

Ibn Abi Bakr."

The following anecdote concerning 'Abd al-Muttalib and his

uncle Nawfal was related to me by Hisham b. Muhammad —

his father— Ziyad b. llaqah al-Taghlibi, who was born in the

16. Mflsa b. Isa appears to be an 'Abbasid governor. Muhammad b. Abi Bakr

al-Ansari was a scholar, (d. 132/749); see Ibn Hajar Tahdhib, ix:8o

[1086]

14

Muhammad at Mecca

Jahiliyyah: It was the confederacy between the Banu Hashim and

Khuza'ah, which led to the Messenger of God conquering Mecca

and to saying "Let this cloud empty its rain in aid of the Banu

KaT)." 17 The reason for the beginning of this confederacy was

that Nawfal b. 'Abd Manaf, who was the last surviving son of

'Abd Manaf, wrongfully deprived 'Abd al-Muttalib b. Hashim b.

r Abd Manaf of certain courtyards. 'Abd al-Muttalib's mother was

Salma bt. 'Amr al-Najjariyyah of (the tribe of) al- Khazraj. 'Abd al-

Muttalib asked for justice from his paternal uncle, but he did not

treat him justly; so he wrote to his maternal uncles:

My night is made long by my sorrows and cares,-

(1087] will anyone take a message to al-Najjar, my uncles, 18

To inform 'Adi, Dinar and Mazin

and Malik, the protectors of their clients, of my

circumstances?

When I was among you I did not fear any oppressor,

and I was respected, inviolable, and carefree.

But when I travelled to my own tribe, urged

to travel and leave that situation by my uncle al-Muttalib,

Even though I lived a life of ease and joy when he was alive,

walking with a proud gait and trailing the hems of

my garments,

Yet he was swallowed up by a gloomy grave

and Nawfal arose to deal unjustly with my property.

Was it because he saw a man bereft of paternal

and maternal uncles and without a protector,

That he attacked him and ignored the ties of blood?

When a man is among his paternal and maternal uncles,

how immune to attack he is!

Call your men together for war, and defend your

nephew against oppression;

do not abandon him, for you are not men to abandon

others.

There is no clan like you among the sons of Qahtan

to come to the aid of a client or to bestow favors.

You are mild to those who behave mildly to you

1 7. Banu Kali b. 'Amr was an important subdivision of the tribe of Khuza'ah.

18. See n. 15.

Lineage of the Messenger of God

15

and live at peace with you, and are poison 19 to the

haughty and overbearing.

Eighty of their riders came to him and made their camels (1088]

kneel in the courtyard of the Kabbah. When Nawfal b. 'Abd Manaf

saw them he said, "Good morning," but they replied, "No good

morning to you, man! Give our nephew redress from the injustice

which you have inflicted upon him!" "I will do it," he said, "for

the love and respect which I feel for you." Then he gave the courtyards

back to his nephew and treated him justly, and they went

back to their own country.

These events prompted 'Abd al-Muttalib to form a confederation,

and accordingly he summoned Busr b. 'Amr, Warqa b. 'Abd

al-TJzza 20 and some of the leading men of Khuza'ah, who entered

the Ka'bah with him and drew up a contract of confederation.

After the death of his uncle al-Muttalib b. 'Abd Manaf, 'Abd

al-Muttalib held the privilege of providing food and drink to the

pilgrims which the sons of 'Abd Manaf had held before him. He

was honored among his people and was a man of great importance

among them, for not one of them was his equal. He it was who

discovered Zamzam, the well of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, and

brought out what was buried there, namely, two golden gazelles

which Jurhum are said to have buried when they were evicted

from Mecca, and Qal'i 21 swords and coats of mail. He made the

swords into a door for the Ka'bah and covered the door with the

gazelles in the form of gold plate. This, it is said, is the first gold

with which the Ka'bah was ornamented.

'Abd al-Muttalib's patronymic (kunyah ) 22 was Abu al-Harith;

he was so called because his eldest son was named al-Harith/ his

own name was Shaybah.

19. Vocalized as samam in the Leiden edition, though simam, a pural of samm

(poison), would also be possible. "Poison" is almost certainly the meaning here,

though it is not given for samam in the dictionaries.

20. Following the correction in the Leiden edition.

21. A well-known type of sword, possibly of Indian origin, and apparently made

of or incorporating tin of high quality; see El 2 , s.v. Kail.

22. The kunyah was a patronymic or name of honor of the form Abu N or Umm

N (father or mother of N). N was normally the eldest son; but a kunyah could be

given even to childless persons such as Muhammad's wife 'A'ishah.

1 6 Muhammad at Mecca

Hashim

'Abd al-Muttalib was the son of Hashim, whose name was 'Amr;

he was called Hashim because he used to break up (hashama)

bread for tharld 23 for his people in Mecca and feed them with it.

Matrud b. KaT> al-Khuza'I — or Ibn al-Ziba'ra, according to Ibn al-

Kalbl — says of him:

[1089] 'Amr who broke up bread for tharld for his people

when the men of Mecca were drought-stricken and lean.

It is said that his people, Quraysh, were stricken by dearth and

drought and that he travelled to Palestine and bought flour there.

Then he returned to Mecca, gave orders for it to be baked into

bread, slaughtered a camel, and made tharid with the bread. It is

also said that he was the first to institute the two yearly caravans,

those of winter and summer, for Quraysh. 24

Hisham b. Muhammad— his father: 'Abd Manaf's sons were

Hashim, 'Abd Shams, the eldest, al-Muttalib, the youngest, the

mother of these being 'Atikah bt. Murrah al-Sulamiyyah, and

Nawfal, whose mother was Waqidah. They succeeded jointly to

their father's authority, and were called "those who make mighty"

[al-mujabbirun ) . Of them it was said:

O man who is unfastening his saddle,

Why do yo not lodge with the sons of 'Abd Manaf?

They were the first to obtain for Quraysh guarantees of immunity

which allowed them to travel far and wide from the sacred

precints of Mecca (Haram). Hashim obtained for them a treaty

with the Greek rulers of Syria and with Ghassan, 'Abd Shams

obtained for them a treaty with the Great Negus as a result of

which they travelled regularly to Abyssinia, Nawfal obtained for

them a treaty with the Persian emperors as a result of which they

travelled regularly to Iraq and Persia, and al-Muttalib obtained for

them a treaty with the kings of Himyar as a result of which they

travelled regularly to the Yemen. By means of them God made

23. A kind of broth into which bread was crumbled.

24. The winter and summer caravans are referred to in Qur'an 106:2. The winter

caravan is said to have gone to the Yemen and Abyssinia, and the summer one to

Syria. Ghassan was an Arab tribe on the southern border of the Byzantine empire

in alliance with it; see El 2 , s.v.

Lineage of the Messenger of God

1 7

Quraysh mighty, and they were called "those who make mighty"

(al-mujabbiiun).

It is said that Hashim and 'Abd Shams were twins and that

one was born before the other with one of his fingers stuck to

his twin's forehead; when his finger was separated blood flowed;

people regarded this as an omen and said, "There will be blood

between them."

After his father's death Hashim succeeded to the office of pro-

viding food and drink.

Al-Harith — Muhammad b. Sa'd — Hisham 25 b. Muhammad —

Ma'ruf b. al-Kharrabudh al-Makki— a man of the Al 'Adi b. al-

Khiyar b. 'Adi b. Nawfal b. 'Abd Manaf — his father: Wahb b. 'Abd

Qusayy spoke the following lines on Hashim's feeding his people

with tharid:

Hashim took upon himself the responsibility

which no other mortal was able to undertake.

He brought them sacks from Syria

full of winnowed wheat

And gave the people of Mecca their fill of broken bread,

mixing the bread with fresh meat.

The people were surrounded by wooden bowls piled high

whose contents were overflowing.

Umayyah b. 'Abd Shams b. 'Abd Manaf, who was a man of

wealth, was envious of Hashim and unwillingly attempted to

emulate him; but he could not do it, and some of the men of

Quraysh gloated over his discomfiture. He was angry and maligned

Hashim, and challenged him to a contest before an arbiter

as to which of them was nobler ( manaf ar ah). Hashim did

not wish to accept this because of his age and standing, but the

Quraysh would not allow him to refuse, and they finally irritated

him so much that he said, "I accept this challenge, on condition

that the loser slaughters fifty black-eyed camels in the valley of

Mecca and leaves Mecca for ten years." Umayyah accepted this,

and they chose a Khuza'i soothsayer to judge between them. The

soothsayer awarded the victory to Hashim, who took the camels,

slaughtered them, and fed those present (at the event). Umayyah

[1090)

25. Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat, 1:43,24-44,11.

1 8 Muhammad at Mecca

then left for Syria and stayed there for ten years. This was the

first occasion on which enmity broke out between the families of

Hashim and Umayyah. 26

[1091] Al-Harith — Muhammad b. Sa'd — Hisham b. Muhammad — a

man of the Banu Kinanah called Ibn Abi Salih and a man from

Raqqah, a mawla of the Banu Asad who was a scholar: 'Abd al-

Muttalib b. Hashim and Harb b. Umayyah asked the Negus of

Abyssinia to judge which of them was the nobler, but he refused.

So they asked Nufayl b. 'Abd al-'Uzza b. Riyah b. 'Abdallah b. Qurt

b. Rizah b. 'Adi b. KaT) to judge between them. He said to Harb,

"Abu 'Amr, do you challenge a man who is greater than you in

height, larger than you in the size of his head, more beautiful of

face, more highly born, who has more sons than you, gives more

abundant gifts, and is a more influential speaker?" Then he gave

the victory to 'Abd al-Muttalib and Harb said, "It is a sign of the

degeneration of the times that we made you an arbiter! "

The first of the sons of 'Abd Manaf to die was Hashim, who

died in Gaza in Syria. He was followed by 'Abd Shams, who died

in Mecca and was buried in Ajyad. Then Nawfal died at Salman

on the road to Iraq, and finally al-Muttalib died at Radman in the

Yemen. 27 After Hashim's death the office of feeding and watering

the pilgrims passed to his brother al-Muttalib.

' Abd Manaf

Hashim was the son of 'Abd Manaf, whose name was al-Mughlrah;

he was (also) called "al-Qamar" (the moon) on account of his

beauty. They claim that Qusayy used to say, "I have four sons;

I named two of them after my idols, one after my settlement and

one after myself." These were, respectively, 'Abd Manaf, 'Abd al-

'Uzza, who was the father of Asad, 'Abd al-Dar, and 'Abd Qusayy,

who died childless. All of these, together with his daughter Barrah,

were by Hubba bt. Hulayl b. Hubshiyah b.Salul b. KaT) b. 'Amr b.

Khuza'ah.

26. Umayyah is the ancestor of the Umayyad dynasty, as Hashim is of the

'Abbasids. The following paragraph appears to be another version of the same story

placed a generation later; see Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat, 1:5212-20.

27. According to what was said on pp. 1086, and 1087, Nawfal survived al-

Muttalib and, after the latter's death, seized property belonging to 'Abd al-

Muttalib; see n. 12.

Lineage of the Messenger of God

19

Hisham b. Muhammad— his father: 'Abd Manaf was called "al- [1092]

Qamar," but his name was al-Mughirah, and he was generally

known as 'Abd Manaf because his mother Hubba offered him to

Manaf, the greatest of the idols of Mecca, to show her devotion to

it. Of 'Abd Manaf it was said:

Quraysh was an egg, and it split open;

the choicest part belongs to 'Abd Manaf alone.

Qusayy

'Abd Manaf was the son of Qusayy, whose name was Zayd. He was

called Qusayy for the following reason. His father Kilab b. Murrah

married his mother Fatimah bt. Sa'd b. Sayal (whose name was

Khayr) b. Hamalah b. 'Awf b. Ghanm b. 'Amir al-Jadir b. 'Amr b.

Ju'thumah b. Yashkur of the Azd Shanu'ah; they lived as confederates

among the Banu al-Dil. 28 Fatimah bore Zuhrah and Zayd to

Kilab, who died while Zayd was still a child. Zuhrah had grown up

and had reached adulthood. Rabi'ah b. Haram b. Dinnah b. 'Abd b.

Kabir b. 'Udhrah b. Sa'd b. Zayd, one of the Quda'ah, then came to

Mecca and married Fatimah, the mother of Zuhrah and Qusayy,

according to Ibn Humayd— Salamah— Ibn Ishaq. This tradition is

also related by Hisham b. Muhammad — his father. Zuhrah had

grown up and was a man, while Qusayy had not long been weaned,

so when Rabi'ah took Fatimah to the territory of the Banu 'Udhrah

in the Syrian highlands she took Qusayy with her because he

was so young, whereas Zuhrah stayed among his own tribe. After

this Fatimah bore Rizah b. Rabi'ah to Rabi'ah, so that Rizah

was Qusayy's half-brother on his mother's side. Rabi'ah had three

other sons by another wife, Hunn, Mahmud, and Julhumah. Zayd [1093]

grew up under Rabi'ah's guardianship, and was called Qusayy (the

little distant one) because he lived so far from his tribe. Zuhrah

continued to live in Mecca, but while Qusayy b. Kilab was in the

territory of Quda'ah, it is asserted, he regarded himself as being a

full member of Rabi'ah b. Haram's family. One day, when Qusayy

had grown up and was a young man, there was some kind of -

28. Also called Band al-Du'il, which is perhaps the original form; see al-

Qalqashandi, Nihayat al-Arab fi Ansab al-'Aiab, Cairo 1959, p.54. Most of the

material about Qusayy is not in Ibn Hisham, Sirah; see 7sf., 79-81.

20

Muhammad at Mecca

dispute between him and a man of Quda'ah. The Quda'i reproached

him for being a stranger, and said, "Do not swear by your tribe and

your descent, for you are not one of us." Qusayy went back to his

mother, pained at what the man had said, and asked her about it.

"By God," she answered, "you are nobler than he and have a nobler

father, my son. You are the son of Kilab b. Murrah b. KaT? b.

Lu'ayy b. Ghalib b. Fihr b. Malik b. al-Nadr b. Kinanah al-Qurashi.

Your tribe live in Mecca by the Kabbah and in its neighborhood."

Qusayy decided to go to his people and to join them, for he hated

being a stranger in the territory of the Quda'ah. His mother said to

him, "My son, do not be in too much of a hurry. Wait for the sacred

month and go with the pilgrimage, for I am afraid that some misfortune

may befall you." Qusayy waited until the sacred month

arrived and the pilgrims from the Quda'ah set out, and went with

them. When he reached Mecca and had completed the pilgrimage,

he remained there. He was a strong man of good lineage, and

when he asked Hulayl b. Hubshiyyah al-Khuza'i for the hand of

his daughter Hubba, Hulayl, recognising his lineage and regarding

him as a desirable match, gave his consent and married her

to him. At that time, it is claimed, Hulayl was in charge of the

KaT^ah and ruled in Mecca.

Ibn Ishaq: Qusayy stayed with him (i.e. Hulayl) and Hubba bore

him 'Abd al-Dar, 'Abd Manaf, 'Abd al'Uzza and 'Abd. His progeny

[1094] increased, his wealth multiplied and he became greatly honoured,

and when Hulayl b. Hubshiyyah died Qusayy thought that he

had a better right to the KaTjah and to rule over Mecca than the

Khuza'ah and the Banu Bakr, since the Quraysh were the noblest

and purest of the descendants of Ishmael, son of Abraham. He

spoke to some men of the Quraysh and the Banu Kinanah and

called upon them to expel the Khuza'ah and the Banu Bakr from

Mecca. They accepted his proposal and swore an oath of allegiance

to him to do this. Then he wrote to his half-brother Rizah b.

Rabi'ah b. Haram, who was in his tribal lands, asking him to come

to his assistance and fight along with him. Rizah b. Rabi'ah stood

up among the Quda'ah and called upon them to come to the assistance

of his brother and to march with him, and they answered

his call.

Hisham: Qusayy went to his brother Zuhrah and his people, and

before long became their chief. The Khuza'ah were more numer-

Lineage of the Messenger of God

21

ous than the descendants of al-Nadr 29 in Mecca, so Qusayy asked

his brother Rizah for assistance. Rizah had three brothers on his

father's side by a different wife, and he came with them and those

clans of the Quda'ah who answered his summons. Qusayy had

with him his tribe, theBanu al-Nadr, and together they expelled

Khuza'ah.

Qusayy had married Hubba bt. Hulayl b. Hubshiyyah, a Khuza 'I

woman, and she had borne him four sons. Hulayl was the last

(member of Khuza'ah) to be the custodian of the Kabbah, and when

he became too old for the task he handed it over to his daughter

Hubba. She said, "You know that I am not strong enough to open

and shut the door," so he said, "I will give the task of opening

and shutting the door to a man who will do it for you." He gave

the task to Abu Ghubshan, whose name was Sulaym b. 'Amr b.

Buwayy b. Milkan b. Afsa, and Qusayy purchased the custodianship

of the KaTiah from him for a skin full of wine and a lute. When

the Khuza ah saw this, they gathered against him, so he asked his

brother for assistance and fought the Khuza'ah.

I have heard, and God knows best, that the Khuza'ah were seized

by an outbreak of pustules which was likely to wipe them out and

that, seeing this, they abandoned Mecca. Some of them gave their

houses away, some sold them, and some leased them. Qusayy

took charge of the House (the Ka'bah) and the lordship of Mecca . 30

He gathered together the clans of Quraysh and settled them in

the valley of Mecca, while some remained in the ravines and

hilltops . 31 To each (clan) he allotted their settlements. (Because

he thus gathered together and settled the Quraysh) he was called

"gatherer" ( mujamm T). Of him Matrud — some say Hudhafah b.

Ghanim — said:

29. The Banu al-Nadr |a section of the tribe of Kinanah) were the effective clan

(or tribe) to which Qusayy belonged. They included more than the group known

as Quraysh, since these were usually reckoned to be the descendants of Fihr, the

grandson of al-Nadr.

30. The Arabic here is somewhat vague: walla Qusayy al-bayt wa-amr Makkah

wa-l-hukm bi-ha-, amr may mean either "rule" or "affairs," while hukm may refer

to the giving of decisions in accordance with custom. It is not clear how much is

involved in the kingship or supreme rule attributed to him in what follows, but

he was certainly the man in Mecca with supreme authority.

31. This is the distinction mentioned in notes 8 and 14. Those in the "valley"

(here abtah) are Quraysh al-Bitah, and the others Quraysh al-Zawahir.

[ 1095 ]

22

Muhammad at Mecca

Your father Qusayy was called mujammi

through him God gathered the clans of Fihr.

The tribe made him their king over them.

Ibn Ishaq: Rizah answered Qusayy's call to come to his aid and

went with his three brothers and those men of the Quda'ah who

followed him to Mecca on the pilgrimage, determined to come to

Qusayy's aid and to fight on his side. Khuza'ah claim that Hulayl

b. Hubshiyyah made his position over to Qusayy and commanded

him to accept it when the latter's sons by (Hulayl's) daughter increased,

saying, "You are more worthy of the KaT^ah and its cus-

todianship, and of ruling Mecca, than the Khuza'ah." Thereupon

Qusayy made his request for assistance. The pilgrims gathered in

Mecca, went out to the mawqif 2 completed the pilgrimage and

went to Mina. Qusayy and his followers from his own tribe of the

Quraysh and the Banu Kinanah, together with those Quda'ah who

supported him, had decided upon their course of action,- nothing

now remained of the ritual of the pilgrimage but the dispersal from

Mina.

The Sufah 33 used to drive the people away from 'Arafah and give

them permission to depart when they dispersed from Mina. On

the day of dispersal they went to stone the jimai ; 34 and a man of

the Sufah used to throw stones for the pilgrims, none throwing

until he had thrown. Those who had urgent matters to attend to

would come to him and say, "Get up and throw, so that we can

throw with you," but he would say, "No, by God, not until the

[1096] sun begins to set." Then those who had matters to attend to and

wanted to hasten the proceedings would throw stones at him in an

attempt to hurry him up, and say, "Get up and throw, for heaven's

sake!" But he would refuse until the sun began to set; then he

32. The mawqif or "place of standing" is the plain of 'Arafat, about 24 km east

of Mecca. The "standing" here between midday and sunset on the appointed day

is one of the most important rites of the hajj or pilgrimage. This was followed by

the ifadah or "dispersal" (with a suggestion of haste) to Mina, rather more than

half way back to Mecca. Tabari uses nafr for "dispersal" instead of the more usual

ifadah , and also has the singular 'Arafah instead of the plural. See El 2 , s.v. Hadjdj,

sect. 1.

33. Sufah was a small clan or group of kinsmen; see Ibn Hisham, Sir ah, y6f. ; also

Ibn Habib, K. al-Munammaq, 1 4.

34. The jimai were three erections or heaps of stones, at which stones or pebbles

were thrown. In Islam, they were held to represent the devil. See El 2 , s.v. Djamra.

Lineage of the Messenger of God

23

would throw and the pilgrims would throw with him.

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Ibn Ishaq — Yahya b. 'Abbad b. 'Ab-

dallah b. al-Zubayr — his father 'Abbad: When they had finished

stoning the jimai and wanted to disperse from Mina, the Sufah

would occupy both sides of the pass of al-'Aqabah and detain the

pilgrims. The pilgrims would say, "Give the permission to depart,

Sufah!" Nobody left until the Sufah passed through; when they

had dispersed and left, the other pilgrims were free to go, and set

out after them.

This year the Sufah acted as usual. The Arabs recognized their

right to do this, since they regarded it as a religious duty during

the rule of the Jurhum and the Khuza'ah. Qusayy b. Kilab, accompanied

by his followers from his own tribe of Quraysh, from the

Kinanah and from Quda'ah, came to the Sufah at al-'Aqabah and

said, "We have a better right to this than you." At that they opposed

one another and began to fight. A fierce battle broke out,

as a result of which the Sufah were put to flight, and Qusayy

wrested from them the privileges which had been in their hands,

thus denying them.

When this happened the Khuza'ah and the Banu Bakr drew back

from Qusayy b. Kilab, knowing he would impose prohibitions

upon them as he had on the Sufah, and that he would exclude

them from the KaT)ah and control of Mecca. When they drew

back from him, Qusayy revealed his enmity to them openly and

resolved to do battle with them. His brother Rizah b. Rabi'ah

with his fellow-tribesmen from the Quda'ah stood firm beside

him while the Khuza'ah and the Banu Bakr took the field against

them and prepared for battle. The forces met and a fierce battle

took place. There were many dead and wounded on both sides.

Finally, both sides called for peace and for the appointment of

one of the Arabs to arbitrate between them on their differences. [1097]

They appointed Ya'mar b. 'Awf b. KaT) b. Layth b. Bakr b. 'Abd

Manat b. Kinanah, whose verdict was that Qusayy had a better

right to the KaTjah and to rule Mecca than the Khuza'ah, that all

injuries inflicted by Qusayy upon the Khuza'ah and the Banu Bakr

were remitted and trampled beneath his feet, while all injuries inflicted

by the Khuza'ah and the Banu Bakr upon the Quraysh, the

Banu Kinanah, and Quda'ah should be compensated for by blood

money. He added that Qusayy b. Kilab should be allowed to -

24 Muhammad at Mecca

control the KaT>ah and Mecca. On that day Ya'mar b. f Awf was given

the name al-Shaddakh, because of the blood money which he remitted

and trampled underfoot (shadakha). Qusayy took control

of the KaT^ah and rule over Mecca, and gathered together his tribe

from their dwellings and settled them there. He assumed rule over

his tribe and the people of Mecca, and they accepted him as their

king. Qusayy was the first of the descendants of KaT^ b. Lu'ayy

to attain rule acknowledged by his tribe. He held the privileges of

being doorkeeper of the Ka'bah, providing the pilgrims with food

and drink, presiding over the assembly, and appointing standard

bearers, thus taking all the honors of Mecca for himself. He also

divided Mecca into quarters for his tribe, settling every clan of the

Quraysh in the dwelling places assigned to them in Mecca.

Ibn Humayd— Salamah— Ibn Ishaq: People allege that the

Quraysh were afraid to cut down the trees of the Haram in their

settlements, and that Qusayy thus cut them down with his own

hands, and that they then helped him. The Arabs called him

"Gatherer" (mujammi) because of his gathering them, and they

regarded his rule as a good omen. No woman or man of Quraysh

was married anywhere but in the house of Qusayy b. Kilab, nor

did Quraysh consult together about any matter affecting them

anywhere but in his house. When they were about to fight another

tribe, banners were tied only in his house, where one of his

own sons would hand the banner over. Whenever a girl of Quraysh

came of age to put on her shift, she would do so only in his house;

there her shift would be split over her, and she would put it on and

be taken to her family. His authority among his tribe of Quraysh,

in his lifetime and after his death, was like a religion which people

followed; they always acted in accordance with it, regarding

it as filled with good omens and recognizing his superiority and

nobility. He took for himself the assembly house and made the

door which (later) led from it to the mosque of the KaTah, The

Quraysh used to decide their affairs in that house.

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Muhammad b. Ishaq — 'Abd al-Malik

b. Rashid — his father — al-Sa'ib b. Khabbab, the author of al-

Maqsurah: I heard a man telling 'Umar b. al-Khattab, when he

was Caliph, this story of Qusayy b. Kilab, that is, how he gathered

his own tribe together, expelled the Khuza'ah and the Banu

Bakr from Mecca, and gained control of the Ka'bah and rule over

Lineage of the Messenger of God

25

Mecca; 'Umar did not reject it or disavow it.

Qusayy remained in Mecca, held in honor and high esteem by

his tribe, and not opposed in his rule of Mecca in any way. As

regards the pilgrimage, he confirmed the rights of the Arabs to

continue their previous customs. This is because he considered

these to be a religious duty which he should not change. The Sufah

thus continued as they had before, (and did so) until they died out,

their rights then passing by inheritance to the family of Safwan

b. al-Harith b. Shijnah; the 'Adwan also continued as they had,

and likewise the intercalators from the Banu Malik b. Kinanah

and Murrah b. 'Awf. No changes occurred until Islam, and God

thereby did away with all these functions. Qusayy had a house

built in Mecca, which was the house of assembly, in which the

Quraysh used to decide their affairs.

At last Qusayy grew old and feeble; 'Abd al-Dar, his first-born

and his eldest son, was, it is claimed, a weakling, while 'Abd

Manaf was held in honor during his father's lifetime, and managed

everything with his brothers 'Abd al-TJzza and 'Abd. It is claimed

that Qusayy said to 'Abd al-Dar, 'By God, I shall make you the

equal of the others, even though they have been raised in dignity [1099]

over you. No man of them shall enter the Ka T)ah until you have

opened it, no banner shall be tied for the Quraysh to go to battle

except by your hand, no man shall drink water in Mecca except

that which you have provided, no man shall eat food in the pilgrimage

season other than your food, and the Quraysh shall not

decide their affairs anywhere but in your house.' Then he gave

him his own house, the assembly house, in which Quraysh al-

ways made their decisions, and gave him the offices of being doorkeeper,

tying the banners, presiding over the assembly, and the

rifadah. The rifadah was a tax which was levied in every pilgrimage

season by the Quraysh according to their wealth and handed

over to Qusayy b. Kilab. He used it to prepare food to be eaten by

those pilgrims attending the pilgrimage who had neither means

nor provisions. It was imposed on the Quraysh by Qusayy, who

said to them when he commanded them to pay it, "Quraysh, you

are neighbors of God, people of his KaTah and people of the sacred

precincts (Haram). the pilgrims are guests of God and visitors to

his House, and are the most deserving of all guests of honorable

treatment. Give them food and drink during the days of the -

26

Muhammad at Mecca

pilgrimage, until they depart from you." They did so, and every year

they levied a tax on their property and paid it to him, and he would

use it to prepare food for the pilgrims during the days of Mina. This

institution of his became current among the Quraysh during the

whole of the Jahiliyyah up to the appearance of Islam, and then

became current in Islam, continuing to this day. This is the food

which the government supplies to the pilgrims every year at Mina

until the pilgrimage is completed.

Ibn Humayd — Salamah: This story of Qusayy b. Kilab and what

he said to 'Abd al-Dar concerning the offices which he handed

over to him was told to me by Ibn Ishaq b. Yasar — his father —

al-Hasan b. Muhammad b. 'All b. Abl Talib. Yasar said, "I heard

al-Hasan b. Muhammad saying this to a man of the Banu f Abd

al-Dar called Nubayh b. Wahb b. 'Amir b. 'Ikrimah b. Hashim b.

‘Abd Manaf b. 'Abd al-Dar. He said, 'Qusayy made over to him all

the authority which he had over his tribe. Qusayy's commands

[i i oo ] were never disobeyed and nothing he did was ever opposed. Then

Qusayy died and his sons assumed his authority over his tribe.'"

Kilab

Qusayy was the son of Kilab. It is said that Kilab's mother was

Hind bt. Surayr b. Tha'Iabah b. al-Harith b. Fihr b. Malik b. al-

Nadr b. Kinanah. He had two half brothers by a different mother,

Taym and Yaqazah, whose mother, according to Hisham b. al-

Kalbi, was Asma' bt. 'Adi b. Harithah b. 'Amr b. 'Amir b. Bariq.

As for Ibn Ishaq, he says that their mother was Hind bt. Harithah

al-Bariqiyyah . 35 Some people say that Yaqazah's mother was Hind

bt. Surayr, Kilab's mother.

Murrah

Kilab was the son of Murrah, whose mother was Wahshiyyah

bt. Shayban b. Muharib b. Fihr b. Malik b. al-Nadr b. Kinanah.

Murrah's two full brothers were 'Adi and Husays. Some say that

the mother of these three was Makhshiyyah, others say that the

mother of Murrah and Husays was Makhshiyyah bt. Shayban b.

35. The standard text of Ibn Ishaq [Ibn Hisham, Sirah, 67) has Hind bt. Surayr.

Lineage of the Messenger of God

27

Muharib b. Fihr, and that 'Adi's mother was Raqash bt. Rukbah b.

Na'ilah b. Ka'b b. Harb b. Taym b. Sa'd b. Fahm b. 'Amr b. Qays

b. 'Aylan.

Ka'b

Murrah was the son of Ka'b, whose mother, according to Ibn Ishaq

and Ibn al-Kalbi, was Mawiyyah bt. Ka'b b. al*Qayn b. Jasr b. Shay'

Allah b. Asad b. Wabrah b. Taghlib b. Hulwan b. Imran b. al-Haf b.

Quda'ah. He had two full brothers, 'Amir and Samah; the three of

them were known as the Banu Najiyah . 36 They also had a paternal

half brother whose descendants regarded themselves as belonging

to Ghatafan and became a part of them. He was called 'Awf,

and his mother was al-Baridah bt. 'Awf b. Ghanm b. 'Abd Allah b.

Ghatafan. It is said that when Lu'ayy b. Ghalib died she went back

with her son to her own people and married Sa'd b. Dhubyan b.

Baghid, who adopted 'Awf; of him Fazarah b. Dhubyan is reported

to have said:

Son of Lu'ayy, turn your camel aside to me ;

your own people have abandoned you, and you have

no dwelling place.

Ka'b had also two other paternal half brothers. One of these

was Khuzaymah, who was known as 'A'idhat Quraysh after his

mother, 'A'idhah bt. al-Khims b. Quhafah b. Khath'am, and the

other was Sa'd. The descendants of Sa'd are known as Bunanah,

Bunanah being Sa'd's mother. Their nomadic kinsmen are now

said to be part of the Banu As'ad b. Hammam, a branch of the

Banu Shayban b. Tha'labah, while their settled section trace their

descent back to Quraysh.

Lu'ayy

Ka'b was the son of Lu'ayy, whose mother, according to Hisham

was 'Atikah bt. Yakhlud b. al-Nadr b. Kinanah. She was the first

of the 'Atikahs of the tribe of Quraysh who were female ancestors

of the Messenger of God. Lu'ayy had two full brothers; one of

[1101]

36. Najiyah appears to be a scribal error for Mawiyyah.

28

Muhammad at Mecca

them was called Taym, and was known as Taym al-Adram. The

name of al-Adram is derived from the word daiam, which means

"a deficiency in the chin"; it is said that he had a receding chin.

The other was Qays; it is said that there are no living descendants

of Qays the brother of Lu'ayy, and that the last of them was a man

who died in the time of Khalid b. 'Abdallah al-Qasrl 37 and that his

estate remained unclaimed, as nobody knew who had a right to

[1102] it. It is also said that the mother of Lu'ayy and his brothers was

Salma bt. 'Amr b. Rabi'ah. Rabi'ah's name was Luhayy b. Harithah

b. 'Amr Musayqiya' b. 'Amir Ma' al-Sama' b. Khuza'ah.

Ghdlib

Lu'ayy was the son of Ghalib, whose mother was Layla bt. al-

Harith b. Tamim b. Sa'd b. Hudhayl b. Mudrikah, and his full

brothers were al-Harith, Muharib, Asad, 'Awf, Jawn and Dhi'b.

Muharib and al-Harith belonged to the Quraysh al-Zawahir, but

al-Harith came to live in the valley . 38

Fihr

Ghalib was the son of Fihr. Hisham b. Muhammad: He was the

gatherer ( jamma ') of Quraysh. His mother was fandalah bt. 'Amir

b. al-Harith b. Mudad al-Jurhumi.

Ibn Humayd — Salamah — Ibn Ishaq: His mother was fandalah bt.

al-Harith b. Mudad b. 'Amr al-furhumi.

Abu 'Ubaydah Ma'mar b. al-Muthanna is reported to have said

that his mother was Salma bt. Udd b. Tabikhah b. Ilyas b. Mudar.

It is also said that his mother was Jamilah bt. 'Adwan of Bariq of

Azd. In his time, Fihr was the chief of the Meccans, according to

Ibn Humayd — Salamah— Ibn Ishaq , 39 in their war against Hassan

b. 'Abd Kalal b. Mathub Dhu Hurath al-Himyarl. It is said that

Hassan advanced from the Yemen with Himyar and a great many

other Yemenite tribes. His intention was to transport the stones of

37. Umayyad governor of Iraq from about 724 to 738; see El 2 , s.v. Khalid b.

'Abdallah al-Kasri.

38. See n. 8 above.

39. This paragraph is not found in Ibn Hisham's recension of Ibn Ishaq (IH, 61);

see Guillaume's translation, p.41.

Lineage of the Messenger of God

29

the Kabbah from Mecca to the Yemen, and so to divert the pilgrimage

associated with the KaTjah to his own country. He advanced as

far as Nakhlah, raided the Meccan herds, and blocked the road, but

was afraid to enter Mecca. When Quraysh, the tribes of Kinanah,

Khuzaymah, Asad, and Judham, and fragmentary groups belong

to Mudar who were with them, saw this, they went out to meet

Hassan in battle, under the leadership of Fihr b. Malik. A fierce [1103]

battle ensued, the Himyar were put to flight, and Hassan b. 'Abd

Kalal, the king of the Himyar, was taken captive by al-Harith b.

Fihr. Among those who were killed in the battle was Fihr's grandson,

Qays b. Ghalib b. Fihr. Hassan was held captive in Mecca

for three years, but finally ransomed himself from them. He was

taken back to Yemen from Mecca but died on the way.

Malik

Fihr was the son of Malik, whose mother was 'Ikrishah bt.

'Adwan. 'Adwan was al-Harith b. 'Amr b. 'Aylan, according to

Hisham.

Ibn Ishaq: His mother was 'Atikah bt. 'Adwan b. 'Amr b. Qays

b. 'Aylan. 40 It is said that tkrishah was her nickname and that her

real name was 'Atikah. It is also said that his mother was Hind

bt. Fahm b. 'Amr b. Qays b. 'Aylan. Malik had two brothers; one

was called Yakhlud, and his descendants became part of the Banu

'Amr b. al-Harith b. Malik b. Kinanah and ceased to belong to the

Quraysh; the other was called al-Salt, but none of his descendants

survive. It is said that the Quraysh were so called after Quraysh

b. Badr b. Yakhlud b. al-Harith b. Yakhlud b. al-Nadr b. Kinanah.

This is because when the caravan of the Banu al-Nadr arrived the

Arabs used to say, "The Caravan of Quraysh has arrived". They

say that this Quraysh was the guide of the Banu al-Nadr in their

travels and was responsible for provisioning them. He had a son

named Badr who dug the well at Badr, and the well called Badr is

named after him.

Ibn al-Kalbi: Quraysh is a collective name, and cannot be traced

back to a father or mother, or to a male or female guardian.

Others say that the descendants of al-Nadr b. Kinanah were

40. Only this sentence is found in the standard text of Ibn Ishaq (Ibn Hisham,

Sirah, 61).

30

Muhammad at Mecca

[1104J called Quraysh because al-Nadr b. Kinanah came out one day to

his tribal assembly and they said to one another, "Look at al-Nadr!

he is like a quraysh 41 camel!" Others say that Quraysh were so

called after a creature which lives in the sea and eats other sea

creatures, namely, the shark {qirsh). The descendants of al-Nadr

b. Kinanah were named after the qirsh because it is the most powerful

of sea creatures. Another account is that al-Nadr b. Kinanah

used to inquire after qarrasha) the needs of his people and to satisfy

them with his wealth; the word qarsh, it is alleged, means

"inquiry": his sons used to inquire after the needs of the pilgrims

and to satisfy them fully. The following verse is quoted as evidence

that the word taqriish means "inquiry";

You who are speaking and inquiring ( muqarrish ) about us

from 'Amr, will they ever desist? 42

Some say that al-Nadr b. Kinanah was himself called Quraysh,

while others deny this and maintain that al-Nadr's descendants

continued to be called the Banu al-Nadr until Qusayy b. Kilab

gathered them together? they were then called Quraysh because

they had been gathered together, which is the meaning of the verb

taqarrasha. The Arabs used to say, "taqarrasha Banu al-Nadr"

which means that they were gathered together. Yet another account

is that they were called Quraysh because they made a profit

( taqarrasha ) from raiding.

Al-Harith— Muhammad b. Sa'd—Muhammad b. 'Umar (al-

Waqidi)— Abu Bakr b. 'Abd Allah b. Abi Sabrah— Sa'id b.

Muhammad b. Jubayr b. Mut'im: 'Abd al-Malik b. Marwan 43

asked Muhammad b. Jubayr when the Quraysh were first called

Quraysh. He replied "When they were gathered into the sacred

precincts (Haram) from their dispersion. This gathering together

is taqarrush." 'Abd al-Malik said, "I have not heard this, but I

have heard that Qusayy was called al-Qurashi and that the name

41 . None of the works we have consulted gives a reasonable meaning for quraysh

in this context.

42. This verse is from the Mu'allaqah of al-Harith b. Hillizah, line 64 in al-

Tibrizi's recension, but the form there is different and does not include the word

muqarrish. Ibn Manzur, Lisan, quotes the verse in a form closer to that of Tabari,

but explains muqarrish as "slandering and instigating" (s.v. q-r-sh).

43. Umayyad caliph who ruled from 685 to 705. This and the following paragraphs are found in Ibn Sa'd, Tabaqat, 1:40.17-28; 41. 10-15.

Lineage of the Messenger of God

3i

Quraysh was not used before him."

Al-Harith — Muhammad b. Sa'd — Muhammad b. Umar — Abu [1105]

Bakr b. 'Abdallah b. Abi Sabrah — 'Abd al-Majid b. Suhayl b. 'Abd

al-Rahman b. 'Awf— Abu Salamah b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Awf:

When Qusayy settled in the sacred precincts and became master

of them, he performed fine deeds and was called al-Qurashi; he

was the first to be called this.

Al-Harith — Muhammad b. Sa'd — Muhammad b. Umar — Abu

Bakr b. Abi Sabrah — Abu Bakr b. Ubaydailah b. Abi Jahm: Al-Nadr

b. Kinanah was called al-Qurashi.

Al-Harith — Muhammad b. Sa'd — Muhammad b. Umar: Qusayy

instituted the lighting of the fire at al-Muzdalifah when the wuquf

(standing) took place there, 44 so that those being driven away from

'Arafah could see it. This fire continued to be lit in this place

throughout the Jahiliyyah.

Al-Harith — Muhammad b. Sa'd— Muhammad b. Umar and

Kathir b. 'Abdallah al-Muzani — Nafi'— ('Abdallah) Ibn Umar:

This fire was lit in the time of the Messenger of God, and of Abu

Bakr, Umar and Uthman.

Muhammad b. Umar (al-Waqidl): It is lit to this day.

Al-Nadr

Malik was the son of al-Nadr, whose name was Qays and whose

mother was Barrah bt. Murr b. Udd b. Tabikhah. His full brothers

were Nudayr, Malik, Milkan, 'Amir, al-Harith, 'Amr, Sa'd, 'Awf,

Ghanm, Makhramah, Jarwal, Ghazwan, and Hudal. Their paternal

half brother was 'Abd Manat, whose mother was Fukayhah — [n 06)

according to others, Fakhah — whose name was al-Dhafra' bt. Hani

b. Bali b. 'Amr b. al-Haf b. Quda'ah. 'Abd Manat had a maternal

half brother called 'All b. Mas'ud b. Mazin b. Dhi'b b. 'Adi b. 'Amr

b. Mazin al-Ghassani. 'Abd Manat b. Kinanah married Hind bt.

Bakr b. Wa'il, who bore him children. Then he died, and his ma-

ternal half brother 'All b. Mas'ud married her, and she had chil-

dren by him. He became the guardian of his brother's children,

and they regarded themselves as being descended from him, so

that the Banu 'Abd Manat were called the Banu 'All. It is to them

44. Al-Muzdalifah is between 'Arafat and Mina; "standing" here was one of the

pilgrimage rites.

32 Muhammad at Mecca

that the poet refers when he says:

How excellent are the Banu 'All

the celibate and the married.

KaT) b. Zuhayr also refers to them when he says:

They clashed with 'All on the day of Badr

and after that 'All were subject to Nizar. 45

Afterwards Malik b. Kinanah fell upon 'All b. Mas'ud and killed

him, and Asad b. Khuzaymah paid his blood money.

Kinanah

Al-Nadr was the son of Kinanah, whose mother was 'Awanah bt.

Sa'd b. Qays b. 'Aylan. It is also said that his mother was Hind

bt. 'Amr b. Qays. His paternal half brothers were Asad, Asadah —

some say that he was Abu Judham — and al-Hun; their mother was

Barrah bt. Murr b. Udd b. Tabikhah. She was also the mother of

al-Nadr b. Kinanah, as Kinanah married her after his father died.

Khuzaymah

Kinanah was the son of Khuzaymah, whose mother was Salma bt.

Aslum b. al-Haf b. Quda'ah. His full brother was Hudhayl, and

their maternal half brother was Taghlib b. Hulwan b. 'Imran b. al-

[1107] Haf b. Quda'ah. It is also said that the mother of Khuzaymah and

Hudhayl was Salma bt. Asad b. Rabl'ah.

Mudrikah

Khuzaymah was the son of Mudrikah, whose name was 'Amr

and whose mother was Khindif. Her real name was Layla bt.

Hulwan b. 'Imran b. al-Haf b. Quda'ah; her mother was Dariyyah

bt. Rabl'ah b. Nizar, after whom, it is said, the Hima Dariyyah was

named. Mudrikah's full brothers were 'Amir, who was Tabikhah,

45. According to the genealogists, Nizar is the father of Mudar, and the name includes a large number of "northern" tribes; see p. ill 1 below. Banu 'All had become

assimilated to the tribe of 'Ali b. Mas'ud which was Ghassan and was reckoned as

"southern" or Yemenite.

Lineage of the Messenger of God 33

and TJmayr, who was Qama'ah, and is said to be the father of

Khuza'ah.

Ibn Humayd— Salamah— Ibn Ishaq: The mother of the sons of

Ilyas was Khindif, who was a woman from the Yemen. Her name

prevailed in her sons' genealogy, and they were known as the

Banu Khindif. Mudrikah's name was 'Amir, and Tabikhah's name

was 'Amr. They claim that while the two of them were among

camels which they were herding they caught some game. As

they were sitting down cooking it a hostile raiding party attacked

their camels, and 'Amir said to 'Amr, “Will you catch up with the

camels or cook this game?" 'Amr said, “I will cook the game." So

'Amir caught up with the camels and brought them back. When

they returned to their father and told him what had happened, he

said to 'Amir, “You are the overtaker ( mudrikah J" and he said to

'Amr “You are the cook ( tabikhah )."

Hisham b. Muhammad: It is said that Ilyas took his herds out to

look for pasture, and his camels ran away from a hare. 'Amr went

after them and overtook them, and so was called Mudrikah. 'Amir

took the hare and cooked it, and so was called Tabikhah. 'Umayr

slunk inqama'a into the tents and did not come out, and so was

called Qama'ah. Their mother came walking out, and Ilyas said to

her, "Where are you hurrying to [tukhandifin)V So she was called

Khindif. The word khandafah means a certain kind of walking.

Qusayy b. Kilab said:

My mother is Khindif and Ilyas is my father.

Ilyas said to his son 'Amr:

What you sought you have overtaken | adiakta )

and to 'Amir:

What you cooked ( tabakhta ) you have done to a turn

and to TJmayr:

You have done badly and have slunk away.

[1108]

Ilyas

Mudrikah was the son of Ilyas, whose mother was al-Rabab bt.

34

Muhammad at Mecca

Haydah b. Ma add and whose full brother was al-Nas, who was

'Aylan. He is said to have been called 'Aylan because people used

to remonstrate with him over his generosity, and say, "You will

be overcome by destitution ('aylah), 'Aylan." So this name stuck

to him. Others say that he was called this because he was born on

a mountain called 'Aylan, while yet others say that he was called

this because he was raised by a slave of Mudar called 'Aylan.

Mudar

Ilyas was the son of Mudar, whose mother was Sawdah bt. 'Akk

and whose full brother was Iyad. They had two paternal half brothers,

Rabi'ah and Anmar, whose mother was Jaddalah bt. Wa'lan

b. Jawsham b. Julhumah b. 'Amr of Jurhum. Some say that when

Nizar b. Ma add was on the point of death he made his will and divided

his wealth among his sons. He said, "This leather tent — it

was a tent of red leather — and that of my wealth which resem-

bles it go to Mudar [as a result, Mudar was called al-Hamra', the

red]; this black hair tent and that of my wealth which resembles

[1109] it go to Rabi'ah. [He left black horses, and Rabi'ah was called al-

Faras, the horse.] This female servant and that of my wealth which

resembles her go to Iyad. [She was grey-haired, so he took the

piebald horses and the small sheep and goats]; and this purse full

of dirhams and this place of assembly go to Anmar so that he can

sit in it [and Anmar took what he had been given]. If you have any

problems about this and you differ about the division, then betake

yourselves to al-Af'a al-Jurhuml."

They did differ about the division, so they set off for al-Af a.

While they were on their way, Mudar saw pasturage which had

been grazed over, and said, "The camel which has been grazing

this pasturage is one-eyed." Rabi'ah said, "It is crooked." Iyad said,

"It is dock-tailed," and Anmar said, "It is a stray." They had not

gone much farther before they were met by a man whose riding

camel was carrying him along at a gentle pace. He asked them

about the camel, and Mudar said, "Is it one-eyed?" The man said,

"Yes." Then Rabi'ah said, "Is it crooked?" The man said, "Yes."

Then Iyad said, "Is it dock-tailed?" The man said, "Yes." Finally

Anmar said, "Is it a stray?" The man said, "Yes." Then he said,

"This is the description of my camel. Show me where it is." They

Lineage of the Messenger of God

35

swore to him that they had never seen it, but he clung to them and

said, "How can I believe you, when you have described my camel

just as it is?" So they all went on together, and finally reached

Najran. They halted at the dwelling of al-Af a al-Jurhumi, and the

owner of the camel cried out, "These people have my camel. They

described it to me just as it is, and then said, 'We have never seen

it/ " The JurhumI said, "How could you describe it when you have

never seen it? " Mudar said, "I saw that it had grazed on one side

and left the other side alone, so I knew that it was one-eyed."

Rabl'ah said "I saw that one of its feet had left a firm imprint

while the other had left a weak one, so I knew that this was because

it leaned heavily to one side owing to its crookedness." Iyad

said, "I knew that it was dock-tailed because of the compactness

of its dung. If it had had a long tail, it would have hit the dung

with it." Anmar said, "I knew that it was a stray, because it had

grazed an area with dense vegetation and had then left it for another

area with thinner and poorer vegetation." Then the JurhumI

said, "They do not have your camel. Go and look for it."

Then he asked them who they were. They told him, and he welcomed

them, saying, "Do you need me, when you are as perspi-

cacious as I see you to be?" He called for food for them, and they

and he ate and drank. Mudar said, "I have never seen more excellent

wine than this which we are drinking today, unless it has

grown on a grave." Rabl'ah said, "I have never eaten meat more

delicious, unless it has been fed on dog's milk." Iyad said, "I have

never seen a man more generous than I have today, unless he be

born of a father other than the one he claims." Anmar said, "I have

never heard speech more profitable for our needs." The JurhumI

heard these words and marvelled at what they said. He went to

his mother and questioned her, and she told him that she had been

married to a king who could beget no children, and that, being unwilling

that the kingship should depart, she had given a man who

was staying with her the freedom to do with her as he would; so

he lay with her, and she became pregnant by him. Next, he questioned

his steward about the wine, and he said, "It comes from a

trellised vine which I planted on your father's grave." Lastly, he

went to his shepherd and asked him about the meat, and he said,

"It is a sheep which I fed on the milk of a bitch, since no other

sheep had been born in the flock."

36 Muhammad at Mecca

He asked Mudar, "How did you know that the wine had grown

on a grave? " He replied, "Because I felt a severe thirst when I drank

it." Then he asked Rabi'ah, "How did you recognize it?" and he

told him. Then the Jurhumi came to them and said, "Describe

to me the situation in which you find yourselves." So they told

him the story of their father's will, and he awarded the red leather

tent, the (gold) dinars, and the camels, which were red, to Mudar,

the black hair tent and the black horses to Rabi'ah, the female

servant, who was grey-haired, and the piebald horses to Iyad and

the (silver) dirhams to Anmar.

Nizar

[mi] Mudar was the son of Nizar. It is said that Nizar had the

patronymic ( kunyah ) Abu Iyad, and it is also said that on the

contrary he was called Abu Rabi'ah. His mother was Mu'anah bt.

Jawsham b. Julhumah b. 'Amr, and his full brothers were Qunus,

Qunasah, Sinam, 46 Haydan, Haydah, Hayadah, Junayd, Junadah,

al-Qahm, TJbayd al-Rammah, al-'Urf, 'Awf, Shakk, and Quda'ah.

Ma'add was called Abu Nizar after Nizar. The lines of many of

these brothers have died out.

oMa’add

Nizar was the son of Ma'add. It is claimed by Hisham that

Ma add's mother was Mahdad bt. al-Lihamm — according to others,

al-Lahm — b. Jalhab b. Jadls or b. Tasm, or b. al-Tawsam, one

of the descendants of Yaqshan the son of Abraham, the friend of

the Compassionate. 47

Al-Harith b. Muhammad — Muhammad b. Sa'd — Hisham b. Muhammad —

 Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Rahman al-'Ajlani: His full

brothers were al-Dith— it is said that al-Dith was 'Akk, and it is

also said that 'Akk was the son of al-DIth b. 'Adnan — 'Adan b.

'Adnan, of whom some genealogists claim that he was the Lord of

46. Vocalization unclear.

47. Abraham is often referred to in Arabic as the Friend of God, following Qur'an

4:125, where it is said that "God took Abraham as a friend" ( khalil ). The town

of Hebron, which is associated with Abraham, is known in Arabic as al-Khalil.

Abraham is also called "friend of God" in the Bible: Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23.

Lineage of the Messenger of God

37

Aden, which is named after him, and that its inhabitants were his

descendants, but that they became extinct; Abyan, of whom they

claim that he was Lord of Abyan, that it was named after him,

and that its inhabitants were his descendants, but that they became

extinct; al-Dahhak; and al-'Akk. The mother of all of them

was Ma 'add's mother. Some genealogists say that 'Akk departed

for Samran, in the Yemen, leaving his brother Ma'add. This is because

when the people of Hadur killed Shu'ayb b. Dhi Mahdam al-

Haduri God sent Nebuchadnezzar against them as a punishment.