The Seerah · Chapter 2
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PART 1 · BEFORE THE PROPHETHOOD · قَبْلَ الْبَعْثَةِ
النَّسَبُ الشَّرِيفُ وَالْمَوْلِدُ الْمُبَارَكُ

Chapter 2: The Noble Lineage and the Blessed Birth

His family line, the Year of the Elephant, and the day he was born

Sheikh Mohamed Fawzyالشيخ محمد فوزي

© 2026 Sheikh Mohamed Fawzy. All rights reserved. Version 1.7

His lineage نَسَبُهُ الشَّرِيفُ

A chosen family

Allah chose the family of His last Messenger, step by step:

عَنْ وَاثِلَةَ بْنِ الْأَسْقَعِ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: «إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَى كِنَانَةَ مِنْ وَلَدِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ وَاصْطَفَى قُرَيْشًا مِنْ كِنَانَةَ وَاصْطَفَى مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ بَنِي هَاشِمٍ وَاصْطَفَانِي مِنْ بَنِي هَاشِمٍ».
Wāthilah ibn al-Asqa‘ said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: “Allah chose Kinānah from the children of Ismā‘īl, chose Quraysh from Kinānah, chose Banū Hāshim from Quraysh, and chose me from Banū Hāshim.”
Sahih Muslim 2276Sahih
1

Ismā‘īl

son of Ibrāhīm

2

Kinānah

a great tribe of his descendants

3

Quraysh

from Kinānah

4

Banū Hāshim

from Quraysh — and from them, Muḥammad ﷺ

Draw the four nested circles on the board: Ismā‘īl ⊃ Kinānah ⊃ Quraysh ⊃ Banū Hāshim ⊃ the Prophet ﷺ.

His family line سِلْسِلَةُ النَّسَبِ

Twenty-one fathers, back to ‘Adnān

Imam al-Bukhari wrote his full lineage at the head of the chapter on the start of his prophethood. Read it from the first name: Muḥammad, son of ‘Abdullāh, son of ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib…

  1. Muḥammad ﷺمُحَمَّد
  2. ‘Abdullāhعَبْد الله
  3. ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalibعَبْد المُطَّلِب
  4. Banū HāshimHāshimهَاشِم
  5. ‘Abd Manāfعَبْد مَنَاف
  6. Quṣayyقُصَيّ
  7. Kilābكِلَاب
  8. Murrahمُرَّة
  9. Ka‘bكَعْب
  10. Lu’ayyلُؤَيّ
  11. Ghālibغَالِب
  12. QurayshFihrفِهْر
  13. Mālikمَالِك
  14. al-Naḍrالنَّضْر
  15. KinānahKinānahكِنَانَة
  16. Khuzaymahخُزَيْمَة
  17. Mudrikahمُدْرِكَة
  18. Ilyāsإِلْيَاس
  19. Muḍarمُضَر
  20. Nizārنِزَار
  21. Ma‘addمَعَدّ
  22. … back to Ismā‘īl‘Adnānعَدْنَان
Source: Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of the Merits of the Anṣār, chapter heading بَابُ مَبْعَثِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ, before hadith 3851. The scholars of lineage agree on it up to ‘Adnān; above ‘Adnān the names differ, but all agree he is from the children of Ismā‘īl.

Most genealogists say that Fihr is the one called Quraysh, so his descendants are the Qurashīs (Ar-Raḥīq al-Makhtūm). Challenge older students to memorise the line up to ‘Adnān.

His closest family أُسْرَتُهُ

His parents and grandfather

‘Abd al-Muṭṭalibعَبْدُ الْمُطَّلِبِhis grandfather — a leader of Quraysh, in charge of giving water and food to the pilgrims, and of the well of Zamzam
‘Abdullāhعَبْدُ اللَّهِhis father — died in Yathrib before his son was born
Āminah bint Wahbآمِنَةُ بِنْتُ وَهْبٍhis mother — from the clan of Banū Zuhrah of Quraysh

So the Prophet ﷺ was born an orphan: he never saw his father. Allah Himself took care of him — we will see how in Chapter 3.

Ar-Raḥīq al-Makhtūm: ‘Abdullāh fell ill and died in Yathrib, aged 25, before the birth — the view of most historians; another report says about two months after it.

The Year of the Elephant عَامُ الْفِيلِ

An army comes to destroy the Ka‘bah

THE KA‘BAHABRAHA’S ARMY
  1. Step 1 Abraha, the ruler of Yemen for the Abyssinian king, built a great church and wanted the Arabs to go there instead of the Ka‘bah.
  2. Step 2 When a man from Kinānah dishonoured his church, Abraha marched on Makkah with a huge army and nine (or thirteen) elephants.
  3. Step 3 The people of Makkah were too weak to fight. They left the town for the mountains.
  4. Step 4 Then Allah sent birds in flocks, carrying stones of baked clay — and the army was destroyed.
Source: the details of the story come from Ibn Isḥāq (Sīrat Ibn Hishām), summarised in Ar-Raḥīq al-Makhtūm — historical reports without a connected chain. The Qur’an tells the core of it (next slide), and al-Bukhari (2731) records the Prophet ﷺ saying: «حَبَسَهَا حَابِسُ الْفِيلِ» — “the One who held back the elephant held her back”. That he was born in the Year of the Elephant is reported from Ibn ‘Abbās in al-Mustadrak (4231), graded ṣaḥīḥ by al-Ḥākim and by al-Albānī (al-Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah 3152).
The Qur’an tells it سُورَةُ الْفِيلِ

Allah protected His House

أَلَمۡ تَرَ كَيۡفَ فَعَلَ رَبُّكَ بِأَصۡحَٰبِ ٱلۡفِيلِ ۝١ أَلَمۡ يَجۡعَلۡ كَيۡدَهُمۡ فِي تَضۡلِيلٖ ۝٢ وَأَرۡسَلَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ طَيۡرًا أَبَابِيلَ ۝٣ تَرۡمِيهِم بِحِجَارَةٖ مِّن سِجِّيلٖ ۝٤ فَجَعَلَهُمۡ كَعَصۡفٖ مَّأۡكُولِۭ ۝٥
1 Have you not considered, [O Muhammad], how your Lord dealt with the companions of the elephant? 2 Did He not make their plan into misguidance? 3 And He sent against them birds in flocks 4 Striking them with stones of hard clay 5 And He made them like eaten straw.
Surat al-Fīl 105:1–5سورة الفيل: ١–٥

When?

This happened in the year he was born — so the Arabs called it the Year of the Elephant. According to Ar-Raḥīq al-Makhtūm, it was in Muḥarram, about fifty days before his birth: early 571 CE. Many books say 570.

Why does it matter?

Tap to think

All Arabia saw that Allah protects His House. The Arabs respected Quraysh even more — and the boy born that year would be the one to clean that House of its idols.

Abābīl means “in flocks, group after group”. Sijjīl: stones of hard baked clay.

The blessed birth الْمَوْلِدُ

Born on a Monday

He himself told us which day of the week he was born:

عَنْ أَبِي قَتَادَةَ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: ... وَسُئِلَ عَنْ صَوْمِ يَوْمِ الِاثْنَيْنِ قَالَ «ذَاكَ يَوْمٌ وُلِدْتُ فِيهِ وَيَوْمٌ بُعِثْتُ أَوْ أُنْزِلَ عَلَيَّ فِيهِ» ...
Abū Qatādah al-Anṣārī reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about fasting on Monday. He said: “That is the day on which I was born, and the day on which I was sent [as a prophet] — or: on which revelation came down to me.”
Sahih Muslim 1162Sahih

The day

Monday — the Prophet ﷺ said so himself (Muslim).

The month

Rabī‘ al-Awwal, in the Year of the Elephant.

The place

Makkah, in the area of Banū Hāshim.

The date: Ar-Raḥīq al-Makhtūm prefers 9 Rabī‘ al-Awwal (April 571 CE), after the calculations of later astronomers. Another well-known opinion is 12 Rabī‘ al-Awwal. The scholars differ; what is certain is the day — Monday.

The hadith also teaches a Sunnah: he fasted Mondays, thanking Allah for the day of his birth and of the revelation.

His names أَسْمَاؤُهُ

“I have five names”

عَنْ جُبَيْرِ بْنِ مُطْعِمٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «لِي خَمْسَةُ أَسْمَاءٍ أَنَا مُحَمَّدٌ، وَأَحْمَدُ، وَأَنَا الْمَاحِي الَّذِي يَمْحُو اللَّهُ بِي الْكُفْرَ، وَأَنَا الْحَاشِرُ الَّذِي يُحْشَرُ النَّاسُ عَلَى قَدَمِي، وَأَنَا الْعَاقِبُ».
Jubayr ibn Muṭ‘im reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “I have five names: I am Muḥammad and Aḥmad; I am al-Māḥī, through whom Allah wipes out disbelief; I am al-Ḥāshir, at whose feet the people will be gathered; and I am al-‘Āqib.”
Sahih al-Bukhari 3532Sahih

Tap a name to learn its meaning.

وَإِذۡ قَالَ عِيسَى ٱبۡنُ مَرۡيَمَ يَٰبَنِيٓ إِسۡرَـٰٓءِيلَ إِنِّي رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ إِلَيۡكُم مُّصَدِّقٗا لِّمَا بَيۡنَ يَدَيَّ مِنَ ٱلتَّوۡرَىٰةِ وَمُبَشِّرَۢا بِرَسُولٖ يَأۡتِي مِنۢ بَعۡدِي ٱسۡمُهُۥٓ أَحۡمَدُۖ فَلَمَّا جَآءَهُم بِٱلۡبَيِّنَٰتِ قَالُواْ هَٰذَا سِحۡرٞ مُّبِينٞ ۝٦
And [mention] when Jesus, the son of Mary, said, "O children of Israel, indeed I am the messenger of Allah to you confirming what came before me of the Torah and bringing good tidings of a messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad." But when he came to them with clear evidences, they said, "This is obvious magic."
Surat al-Ṣaff 61:6سورة الصف: ٦

“Muḥammad” was a very rare name among the Arabs before him. Ask: which of the five names do you like most, and why?

Lessons دُرُوسٌ وَعِبَرٌ

What we learn

1

Allah chooses

Allah chose his family from the best of the Arabs, generation after generation.

2

Allah protects His House

The Year of the Elephant showed that no army can defeat what Allah protects.

3

Monday is special

He was born and received revelation on a Monday, and he fasted it in thanks.

Review مُرَاجَعَةٌ

Quick quiz

Score: 0 / 4
1.Which clan of Quraysh is the Prophet ﷺ from?
Correct — “and He chose me from Banū Hāshim” (Muslim 2276).
He is from Banū Hāshim (Muslim 2276). Banū Zuhrah was his mother’s clan.
2.On which day of the week was he born?
Yes — Muslim 1162.
He said Monday is “the day I was born” (Muslim 1162).
3.What did Allah send against the army of the elephant?
Correct — Surat al-Fīl.
Read Surat al-Fīl again: birds in flocks, with stones of hard clay.
4.Which name of his means “the last”, after whom there is no prophet?
Right — al-‘Āqib.
It is al-‘Āqib.

A blessed child, born into a protected land

ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam ﷺ

NEXT · Chapter 3: Childhood: Ḥalīmah and the Years of Loss · الطفولة: الرضاعة واليتم

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