Muhammad: Seal of the Prophets — Page 13
MUHAMMAD : SEAL OF THE PROPHETS 13 amongst her people that she would not marry, unless it were stipulated that she should remain mistress of her own concerns, and have at pleasure the power of divorce. She was Selma, daughter of Amr of Banu Najjar, and a clan of Khazraj. Hashim demanded her in marriage and she consented, for she was well aware of his renown and noble birth. She accompanied him to Mecca, but returned to Yathrab where she gave birth to a son, who remained with his mother at Yathrab. Hashim died a few years after on a mercantile expedition to Gaza, and left his dignities to his brother, Muttalib. When Hashim’s son had grown into boyhood, Muttalib set out for Yathrab to fetch him thence. On his return, as the inhabitants of Mecca saw hi m pass with a lad by his side they assumed that he had purchased a slave and exclaimed, ‘Abdul Muttalib’ (‘Slave of Muttalib’). He explained that it was his nephew, the son of Hashim, but the name stuck and the boy, whose name was Shaiba, was thereafter kn own as Abdul Muttalib. In due time Abdul Muttalib was installed by his uncle in possession of his father’s property; but Naufal, another uncle, interposed, and violently deprived him of it. Abdul Muttalib, on reaching the age of discretion, appealed to his tribe for aid to resis t this usurpation of his rights; but they declined to interfere. He then wrote to his maternal relatives at Yathrab, of whom, on receiving the intelligence, eighty mounted men started for Mecca. Abdul Muttalib went forth to meet them and invited them to hi s house; but their chief refused to alight until he had called Naufal to account. Proceeding straight away to the Holy House, he found him seated there among the chiefs of Quraish. Naufal arose