Chief of the Prophets — Page 30
Chapter Two 30 The Marriage of ‘Abdullāh ‘Abdullāh married at the age of 17 or 25 (based on different traditions) to a pious lady, Āminah bint Wahb 1 who belonged to the respected tribe of Banū Zuhra. The Death of ‘Abdullāh Soon after the marriage, ‘Abdul-Muṭṭalib sent ‘Abdullāh with a trade caravan to Syria. On the way back, ‘Abdullāh fell ill and stopped in Yathrib to rest with his relatives. From there, he alerted ‘Abdul- Muṭṭalib about his sickness. ‘Abdullāh passed away before ‘Abdul- Muṭṭalib’s son Ḥārith reached Yathrib to get him. In this way, Muḥammad sa was still in the womb of his mother when the protection of his father was taken away, leaving him an orphan. Inheritance of ‘Abdullāh It is noteworthy that the inheritance left by ‘Abdullāh for Muḥammad sa consisted of five camels, a few sheep, and a slave woman named Ummi Aiman. 2 The Event of the People of the Elephant (Aṣḥābul-Fīl) It was 52 days before the birth of Muḥammad sa (or 55 days— traditions vary) when a strange event took place in Arabia. It is said that Abrahah al-Ashram, the Viceroy of Yemen under Abyssinian Christian rule, witnessed the attraction of the Ka‘bah for the Arabs and wanted to sway Arabs from visiting the Ka‘bah. He erected a lavish temple in Yemen and invited people to visit it. An impudent Arab was annoyed by this; he looked for an opportunity and reliaved himself in the temple which infuriated Abrahah. Abrahah marched towards Makkah with an army of thousands to destroy the Ka‘bah. The Quraish, greatly distressed about it, sent ‘Abdul-Muṭṭalib with a delegation to Abrahah to talk 1 The mother of Muḥammad sa [Publisher] 2 Ibni Sa‘d and Az-Zarqānī