Chief of the Prophets

Chief of the Prophets — Page 27

Chapter Two 27 Hāshim In addition to being solemn and wise, Hāshim was unmatched in his generosity. He showed such generosity to the Quraish during the time of a famine that he earned the respect of all the tribes. He repeatedly went to the Roman authorities and the Ghāssanid prince to secure rights for the trade caravans of the Quraish. Umayyah, the son of ‘Abdi Shams, became jealous of the good name and fame of Hāshim, but did not succeed in his schemes to bring him down. ‘Abdul-Muṭṭalib bin Hāshim was successful in keeping Banū Umayyah in check during his life. After the death of ‘Abdul-Muṭṭalib, during the time of the grandsons of Hāshim, the influence of the Quraish declined and the Banū Umayyah slowly gained power. ‘Abdul-Muṭṭalib While in Yathrib (later named Madīnah), Hāshim married Salmā bint ‘Amr, a young woman from Banū Najjār (which was a branch of the Khazraj tribe). Salmā gave birth to a son, Shaibah bin Hāshim who stayed in Madīnah with her. Shaibah was still a child when Hāshim died in Makkah. Since the other children of Hāshim were still young at the time of his death, his elder brother Muṭṭalib succeeded him. Because of the extraordinary qualities and intellect of Shaibah, Muṭṭalib brought Shaibah from Madīnah to Makkah. The people of Makkah were under the impression that he had brought a slave with him; therefore Shaibah came to be known by the name of ‘Abdul- Muṭṭalib. 1 ‘Abdul-Muṭṭalib was an intelligent man, but since he was new in Madīnah, he initially struggled to secure his inheritance. Naufal bin ‘Abdi Manāf, who has been mentioned above, wanted to take over the custody of the Ka‘bah. ‘Abdul-Muṭṭalib first appealed to the Quraish, but when they refused to interfere, requested help from Banū Najjār, the tribe of his mother, who immediately sent 1 ‘Abdul-Muṭṭalib literally means the slave of Muṭṭalib.