Abu Talib ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib

Abū Ṭālib ibn ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib (Arabic: أبو طالب بن عبد المطلب‎)(b.549)(d. 619) was the head of the clan of Banu Hashim. He was married to Fatima bint Asad and was an uncle of Muhammad. His real name was Imran [ عمران ] but he is better known as Abu Talib because he had a son named Talib.

Abu Talib raised and supported Muhammad while he was a young man.

Biography

Family

Abu Talib had four sons

1. Talib ibn Abi Talib
2. Ja'far ibn Abi Talib
3. Ali ibn Abi Talib
4. Aqeel ibn Abi Talib

and two daughters:

1. Fakhitah bint Abi Talib
2. Jumanah bint Abi Talib (Umm Hani)

Pre-Islamic era

The son of Shaiba ibn Hashim and Fatimah bint Amr, Abu Talib was one of nine children. His brothers were:

Asad ibn Hashim (Ali's maternal grandfather) Abu Saifi ibn Hashim Nadla ibn Hashim Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim (Muhammad and Ali's paternal grandfather)

and his sisters were:

Ash-Shifa bint Hashim, Khalida bint Hashim, Da'ifa bint Hashim, Ruqayyah bint Hashim, Jannah bint Hashim,

A full brother of Muhammad's father 'Abdullah ibn 'Abdul Muttalib, who died before Muhammad's birth. He was a scion of the noble Banu Hashim clan. As such, he held high status and respect among the Makkans, and owned a prosperous trading caravan business.

After the death of Muhammad's mother Aminah bint Wahab, Muhammad was taken into the care of Abdul Muttalib (father to Abu Talib, grandfather to Muhammad). When Muhammad reached 8 years. old, Abu Talib inherited his care as well as chiefdom of Banu Hashim as a result of the death of Abdul Muttalib. Abu Talib treated Muhammad as his very own son, and raised the young Muhammad with overwhelming love. Once Muhammad grew older, he began to work for his uncle, and he took responsibility for Abu Talib's son Ali ibn Abu Talib. Ali was among the first to accept the call to Islam.

The business sense Muhammad displayed while working for Abu Talib was one of the catalyst for his first wife Khadijah bint Khuwaylid's (a wealthy trades woman) interest in him.

Muhammad's era — 610-619

After Muhammad began preaching the message of Islam, members of the other Quraishite clans increasingly came to feel threatened by Muhammad. In attempts to quiet him, they would lean on Abu Talib to silence his nephew or control him. Despite these pressures, Abu Talib did nothing but support Muhammad and defended him from the other heads of the Quraish.

Death

Abu Talib died in 619 or 623 ^[1], at around the same time as Muhammad's beloved wife Khadijah, leading to an immensely sad time for him. This year was known as the saddest year of the life of the prophet, the Year of Sorrow.

In Nur-ul-Absar, the author mentions the date of demise of Abu Talib to be the first of Zilqada shortly about 8 months and 21 days after the removal of economic sanctions which had lasted for three years. Abu Talib and the other Muslim lived in the bare mountains of Makkah for all those times of great hardship. In Mawaheb-ul-Ladnia, the age of Abu Talib at the time of his demise is mentioned to be 70. ^[2].

After the death of Abu Talib, Muhammad under the threat to his life, emigrated to Medina.

Legacy

Sunni view

Sunni scholars hold the view that Abu Talib never recited the Shahadah, or testament of faith, and therefore was a non-Muslim. However, they also hold the view that he would receive the most lenient punishment on the day of judgement from amongst those who would be banished to Hell. Sunni quote the following ahadith:

{{QuoteHadith|matn=Narrated Al-Abbas bin 'Abdul Muttalib:

After the death of Abu Talib, The Makkan tribes decided to kill Mohammed. The method they chose was that a group of men will attack and kill Mohammed at the day break. That became the event for Mohammed to leave Makkah.

Shi'a view

Shi'as argue that it is impossible that Abu Talib carried out the nikah ceremony of Muhammad if he were a non-Muslim. Second, Muhammad and Allah would never let a non-Muslim raise his prophet. At the time of Muhammad's birth there were some people who followed the path of Abraham and did not worship idols - the Hanifs. Ali inherited him ^[4], which would be forbidden if he were an unbeliever.

If one believes that Abu Talib was not a Muslim, then his faith is broken by the verses of Quran [76:24] Therefore wait patiently for the command of your Lord, and obey not from among them a sinner or a non Muslim. Ibn Hisham and Ibn Is-haque both write that on the day of invitation of Muhammed's kith and kin, Muhammed conveyed his message to the family at the directions of Abu Talib, which Muhammed could not do at the directions of a non Muslim, according to this verse of Quran.

It was not just Abu Talib, evidence abounds (the books of history by Ibne Aseer and Aasam Kufi) that none of the early ancestors of Muhammad were idol worshippers. They (Muhammad’s ancestors) were the direct descendants of Ishmael, the son of Abraham. The hanifs (people practicing Abraham’s faith, primarily his progeny), with time weakened in their influence and had to accept the demands of powerful tribal chiefs to house their gods in Ka’aba. However they still held on to the keys to Ka’aba and managed to keep their faith within their bloodline until finally Muhammad revived the faith in one God.

Abu Talib, then the patriarch of the sub-clan of Bani Hashim (Muhammad’s family) and the patron of Ka’aba, was not just a Hanif himself but is also proclaimed to be a spiritual leader of the monotheists of Makkah.^{[citation needed]} This position and ideology of Abu Talib was crucial in his (and his family’s) unconditional support and protection of Muhammad, whom he believed was a 'badly needed reviver' of the faith of his ancestors.^{[citation needed]}}

Shi'a scholars believe such false commentaries and statements were fabricated as a part of the smear campaign which the Omayyads and their allies waged against Imam Ali (AS). By fabricating such traditions they tried these to convince people that Abu Sufyan, father of Muawiyyah was better than Abu Talib, father of Imam Ali, claiming that Abu Sufyan died while he was a Muslim and Abu Talib died while he was a pagan.

Shi'a believe that the verse : " It is not permissible to the Prophet and the believers to ask God to forgive the pagans even if they were akin to them, after it became clear to them that those pagans are from the people of hell. " (9.113)

cannot pertain to Abu Talib because the revealed date of the verse does not logically support this.

The Chapter of Baarat was revealed during the ninth ( 9th ) year of Hijra. The chapter speaks of the events that took place during the campaign of Tabuk, which was during the month of Rajab in the ninth Year. The Prophet ( saw ) had ordered Abu Bakr to announce first part of it during the days of the pilgrimage of that year when he sent him as an ' Amir Al Hajj '. Then he sent Imam Ali to take that part from him and announce it, because God commanded him that no one should deliver the revelation other than himself or a man from the members of his House. The chapter speaks of the events that took place during the campaign of Tabouk, which was during the month of Rajab in the ninth Year.

Examining the date and time of the revelation of the surah verifies that it was impossible for the surah or any of its verses to pertain to Abu Talib.^[5]

See also

• Family tree of Abu Talib ibn 'Abdul Muttalib

• 'Abdul Muttalib (name)
• Abu Talib was a Muslim

References

1. ^ http://www.ummah.net/khoei/khadija.htm
2. ^ Imam al-Mahdi (a) by Ayatullah Sayyid Sadr-al-Din al-Sadr on al-shia.com[1]
3. ^ Sahih Bukhari 5:58:223
4. ^ [2]
5. ^ http://www.al-islam.org/encyclopedia/chapter5a/5.html

Also:

• Book of History by Ibne Aseer (Arabic)
• Book of History by Aasam Kufi (Arabic)
• Usool e Kafi (Arabic)
• Bahar ul Anwar (Arabic)

Donate to Wikimedia