I recently read Muhammad by Martin Ling. I found the brevity in language quite amazing. Here I am pulling in few instances from his writing and presenting it to you. This is very interesting to those who are interested in the life of our prophet Muhammad ï·º .
Ismail's (as) second wife was a kinswoman of Jurhum tribe. Jurhumites who had come from Yemen took the responsibility of taking the ownership of Zamzam and Kaaba. But the time came when the Jurhumites began to commit all sorts of injustices, for which they were finally driven out; and before they left they buried the well of Zamzam. Their place of lords of Mecca was taken by Khuza'ah, an Arab tribe descended from Ishmael. But Khuza'ah made no attempt to find the waters. They dug other wells and Holy Well was half forgotten memory. Khuza'ah thus shared the guilt of Jurhum. The chief of theirs, on his way back from a journey to Syria, asked the Moabites to give him one of thier idols, which he placed in Kaaba and it became the chief idol of Mecca.
Quraysh was one of another most powerful Arab tribes of Abrahamic descent. After 400 AD, a man of Quraysh Qusayy married a daughter of Hulayl who was chief of Khuza'ah.
Hulayl preferred his son in law to his own sons. Qusayy ruled over them all as king, with undisputed power, and they paid him a tax every year on their flocks, so that he might feed those of the pilgrims who were too poor to provide for themselves.
Amongst Qusayy's four sons, was Abdu Manaf, who was already honoured in his father's lifetime. But Qusayy preferred his first-born, Abd ad-Dar, although he was the least capable of all. Out of piety Abdu Manaf accepted his father's wishes without question. Abdu Munaf's son Hashim, clearly the foremost man of his day demanded the rights to be transferred to his clan. The clans were divided in support for family of Abd ad-Dar and Abdu Manaf. Violence was looming when a compromise was suggested, and it was agreed that the sons of 'Abdu Manaf should have the rights of levying the tax and providing the pilgrims with food and drink, whereas the sons of 'Abd ad-Dar should retain the keys of the Ka'bah and their other rights, and that their house should continue to be the House of Assembly.
Hashim was held in much honor for he had established 2 great caravan, one to Yemen and one to Palestine/Syria. The second caravan would halt at the oasis of Yathrib (later known as Madina). Now in Yathirb, they had matriarchal traditions and they were collectively known as the children of Qaylah after one of their ancestresses. They had now branched into two tribes which were named Aws and Khazraj after Qaylah's two sons. One of the most influential women of Khazraj was Salma the daughter of 'Amr, of the clan of Najjar, and Hashim asked her to marry him. She said that she would agree to marriage only on a condition that the control of her affairs should remain in her own hands. When she bore him a son she kept the boy with her in Yathrib until he was 14 years old. But Hashim fell ill at Gaza in Palestine and died there.
He had two full brothers, 'Abdu Shams and Muttalib,' and one half-brother, Nawfal. But 'Abdu Shams was exceedingly busied with trade in the Yemen, and later also in Syria, whereas Nawfal was no less busied with trade in Iraq, and both would be absent from Mecca for long periods. Hence Hashim's younger brother Muttalib took the rights of watering the pilgrims and of levying tax to feed them. Hashim had 3 other sons from other wives and Mutallib too had his own sons but none would be compared with Salma's son. She named him Shaybah, and he had already showed distinct promise of gifts for leadership, and excellent reports of him were continually brought to Mecca by travelers. Mutallib went to see his nephew and ask Salma to entrust his nephew to his care. Salma was unwilling but when Mutallib explained what was in store for Shaybah, she agreed. Muttalib took his nephew with him on the back of his camel; and as they rode into Mecca he heard some of the bystanders say as they looked at the young stranger: "'Abd al-Muttalib", that is, "al-Muttalib's slave". "Out upon you," he said, "He is no less than the son of my brother Hashim." From that day he was affectionately known as Abd al-Mutallib.
When Mutallib died he took the heavy responsibility of feeding and watering the pilgrims. And he surpassed both his father and his uncle in his fulfillment of this task.
Abd al-Mutallib then once had a dream of where to dig Zamzam. Along with his son Harith he dug the well of Zamzam
One of his wife Fatimah bore him 3 sons Zubayr, Abu Talib and Abdullah. Promise to sacrifice Abdullah and how it was negated by sacrificing camels is a well known story.
Abd al-Muttalib knew four of the Hunafa' (people who believed in one God), and one of the more respected of them, Waraqah by name, was the son of his second cousin Nawfal. Waraqah had a sister named Qutaylah who was very close to him. He often spoke to her about coming of the prophet and that he could be among Arabs and his words had made so great an impression on her that thoughts of the expected Prophet were often in her mind. Once the sacrifice of the camels had been accepted, 'Abd al-Muttalib made up his mind to find a wife for his reprieved son, and after some consideration the choice fell on Aminah, the daughter of Wahb, a grandson of Zuhrah, the brother of Qusayy. Aminah was now a ward of his brother Wuhayb since her father Zuhrah had died. Wuhayb himself had a daughter named Halah of marriageable age and when 'Abd al-Muttalib had arranged that his son should marry Aminah, he asked that Halah should be given in marriage to himself (Hamzah and Saffiyah - uncle and aunt of Prophet Muhammad was from this marriage).
Preparations were set for double marriage. On the appointed day, on the way it so happened that Qutaulah, the sister of Waraqah had eyes for the younger man, Abd Allah for beauty, the Joseph of his times. She was struck by the radiance which lit his face and to her it seemed to have a shine beyond this world. Could it be that Abd Allah was the expected prophet? Or was he to be the father of the prophet? She spoke to him and proposed marriage to him. But he refused and said, "I cannot act against my father wishes." The marriage took place according to the plan. The 2 couples stayed in Wuhayb house for some days. One day when Abd Allah went to fetch something from his own house, he met Qutaulah, he sister of Waraqah. She searched his face, on asking what is she doing, she replied, "The light has left you that was with you yesterday. Today you can not fulfill the need I had of you."
The year of the marriages was AD 569. The year following this has been known ever since as the Year of the Elephant, and it was momentous for more than one reason.
Ismail's (as) second wife was a kinswoman of Jurhum tribe. Jurhumites who had come from Yemen took the responsibility of taking the ownership of Zamzam and Kaaba. But the time came when the Jurhumites began to commit all sorts of injustices, for which they were finally driven out; and before they left they buried the well of Zamzam. Their place of lords of Mecca was taken by Khuza'ah, an Arab tribe descended from Ishmael. But Khuza'ah made no attempt to find the waters. They dug other wells and Holy Well was half forgotten memory. Khuza'ah thus shared the guilt of Jurhum. The chief of theirs, on his way back from a journey to Syria, asked the Moabites to give him one of thier idols, which he placed in Kaaba and it became the chief idol of Mecca.
Quraysh was one of another most powerful Arab tribes of Abrahamic descent. After 400 AD, a man of Quraysh Qusayy married a daughter of Hulayl who was chief of Khuza'ah.
Hulayl preferred his son in law to his own sons. Qusayy ruled over them all as king, with undisputed power, and they paid him a tax every year on their flocks, so that he might feed those of the pilgrims who were too poor to provide for themselves.
Amongst Qusayy's four sons, was Abdu Manaf, who was already honoured in his father's lifetime. But Qusayy preferred his first-born, Abd ad-Dar, although he was the least capable of all. Out of piety Abdu Manaf accepted his father's wishes without question. Abdu Munaf's son Hashim, clearly the foremost man of his day demanded the rights to be transferred to his clan. The clans were divided in support for family of Abd ad-Dar and Abdu Manaf. Violence was looming when a compromise was suggested, and it was agreed that the sons of 'Abdu Manaf should have the rights of levying the tax and providing the pilgrims with food and drink, whereas the sons of 'Abd ad-Dar should retain the keys of the Ka'bah and their other rights, and that their house should continue to be the House of Assembly.
Hashim was held in much honor for he had established 2 great caravan, one to Yemen and one to Palestine/Syria. The second caravan would halt at the oasis of Yathrib (later known as Madina). Now in Yathirb, they had matriarchal traditions and they were collectively known as the children of Qaylah after one of their ancestresses. They had now branched into two tribes which were named Aws and Khazraj after Qaylah's two sons. One of the most influential women of Khazraj was Salma the daughter of 'Amr, of the clan of Najjar, and Hashim asked her to marry him. She said that she would agree to marriage only on a condition that the control of her affairs should remain in her own hands. When she bore him a son she kept the boy with her in Yathrib until he was 14 years old. But Hashim fell ill at Gaza in Palestine and died there.
He had two full brothers, 'Abdu Shams and Muttalib,' and one half-brother, Nawfal. But 'Abdu Shams was exceedingly busied with trade in the Yemen, and later also in Syria, whereas Nawfal was no less busied with trade in Iraq, and both would be absent from Mecca for long periods. Hence Hashim's younger brother Muttalib took the rights of watering the pilgrims and of levying tax to feed them. Hashim had 3 other sons from other wives and Mutallib too had his own sons but none would be compared with Salma's son. She named him Shaybah, and he had already showed distinct promise of gifts for leadership, and excellent reports of him were continually brought to Mecca by travelers. Mutallib went to see his nephew and ask Salma to entrust his nephew to his care. Salma was unwilling but when Mutallib explained what was in store for Shaybah, she agreed. Muttalib took his nephew with him on the back of his camel; and as they rode into Mecca he heard some of the bystanders say as they looked at the young stranger: "'Abd al-Muttalib", that is, "al-Muttalib's slave". "Out upon you," he said, "He is no less than the son of my brother Hashim." From that day he was affectionately known as Abd al-Mutallib.
When Mutallib died he took the heavy responsibility of feeding and watering the pilgrims. And he surpassed both his father and his uncle in his fulfillment of this task.
Abd al-Mutallib then once had a dream of where to dig Zamzam. Along with his son Harith he dug the well of Zamzam
One of his wife Fatimah bore him 3 sons Zubayr, Abu Talib and Abdullah. Promise to sacrifice Abdullah and how it was negated by sacrificing camels is a well known story.
Abd al-Muttalib knew four of the Hunafa' (people who believed in one God), and one of the more respected of them, Waraqah by name, was the son of his second cousin Nawfal. Waraqah had a sister named Qutaylah who was very close to him. He often spoke to her about coming of the prophet and that he could be among Arabs and his words had made so great an impression on her that thoughts of the expected Prophet were often in her mind. Once the sacrifice of the camels had been accepted, 'Abd al-Muttalib made up his mind to find a wife for his reprieved son, and after some consideration the choice fell on Aminah, the daughter of Wahb, a grandson of Zuhrah, the brother of Qusayy. Aminah was now a ward of his brother Wuhayb since her father Zuhrah had died. Wuhayb himself had a daughter named Halah of marriageable age and when 'Abd al-Muttalib had arranged that his son should marry Aminah, he asked that Halah should be given in marriage to himself (Hamzah and Saffiyah - uncle and aunt of Prophet Muhammad was from this marriage).
Preparations were set for double marriage. On the appointed day, on the way it so happened that Qutaulah, the sister of Waraqah had eyes for the younger man, Abd Allah for beauty, the Joseph of his times. She was struck by the radiance which lit his face and to her it seemed to have a shine beyond this world. Could it be that Abd Allah was the expected prophet? Or was he to be the father of the prophet? She spoke to him and proposed marriage to him. But he refused and said, "I cannot act against my father wishes." The marriage took place according to the plan. The 2 couples stayed in Wuhayb house for some days. One day when Abd Allah went to fetch something from his own house, he met Qutaulah, he sister of Waraqah. She searched his face, on asking what is she doing, she replied, "The light has left you that was with you yesterday. Today you can not fulfill the need I had of you."
The year of the marriages was AD 569. The year following this has been known ever since as the Year of the Elephant, and it was momentous for more than one reason.
