After Muhammad (saw) is returned to his mother Aminahs care at the age of 4

, he had a typical experience of a child his age learning to dress & feed
himself
1.

His milkmother Halimah & her family return to Banu Saad

The main father-figure of Muhammad was his grandfather Abdul Mutallib
After the chest-splitting incident at age 4, the next major event in
Muhammads life at age 6 was the death of his mother Aminah

Aminah was well known for being very intelligent. She was a woman of high
regard & well-respected.
The Prophets grandfather, Abdul Mutallib, was a leader of his tribe (Quraysh)

Generally, a person of leadership tends to be wealthy, but Abdul Mutallib was

broke at times. This was primarily due to the cautiousness of Abdul Mutallib; he
never wanted to take advantage of his influence or his connections as a leader,
because he used to say that these connections are only to lead the people & to
manage the affairs of his people. He didnt want to use his influence for financial
gain.
His son, Abu Talib (Muhammads uncle), inherited the responsibilities of his
father. Abu Talib was also a very poor man.
Abu Talibs son, Ali, was raised in the house of the Prophet. Abu Talib was elderly
& not well-off financially, so his son was sent to be raised by his nephew
Muhammad.
When Muhammad was about 6, Aminah decided to travel to Yathrib

Varying narrations as to why Aminah decided on this trip

Muhammads uncles lived in Quba, a suburb of Yathrib.
1 Quba is where the first masjid of the new religion was built
(Masjid al-Quba)
2 Abdul Mutallibs maternal relatives are from Quba. Aminah
wanted Muhammad to meet his extended relatives.
3 Muhammads father Abdullah had died in Yathrib, where he
was also buried. Aminah wanted to travel 300 km from
Makkah to Yathrib to visit her late husbands grave
Aminah traveled with two others in this journey her son Muhammad & his
milkmother Baraqah (aka Ummu Aymen)
They stayed for some time in Quba with Abdul Mutallibs family & in Yathrib,
where they visited Abdullahs grave. They stayed there for about a month
Much later on, during the Medinan period of Prophethood, the Prophet was
passing by the houses of Banu Adi (family of tribe of al-Khazraj) while walking
around in Medina. He stopped & remarked to the Sahaba around him; he pointed
to a house & told his Sahaba, This is the same house where my mother & I stayed
when we visited Medina in my childhood. Then Muhammad spotted a pond &

pointed to it, saying, This is the same pond in which I learned to swim. Then he
pointed to an open field, & said, This is the same field where I ran around &
played with other kids during my visit.
Ummu Aymen recalls an incident during this visit to Yathrib. She was sitting
with Muhammad when two Jewish men approached them.

The men asked, Where is the child, Ahmad?

1 Aminah liked calling her son Ahmad
Then they looked at the child, turned him on his back to look for the seal/mark
of prophethood
1 One of them says to the other, This is the Prophet of our times.
This city, Yathrib, this is the place he will migrate to. Dar-ul-Hijra.
2 They also said, There will be great battles and many prisoners will
be taken that will revolve around this child.
When Aminah was informed of this entire conversation, she became frightened
for Muhammads safety & immediately packed her bags
Once they left Yathrib, they reached a small town named Abua, which is about
23 miles from Johfa
Its possible that during her stay in Yathrib, Aminah wasnt feeling very well.
During the journey back to Makkah, Aminahs health worsened so they were
forced to stop at Abua
It was a short time before she passed away
Ummu Aymen buried Aminah & took Muhammad in
Some narrations say that Ummu Aymen returned to Yathrib for a few days
until Abdul Mutallib received a letter about his daughter-in-laws passing & then
came to retrieve Muhammad himself

Other narrations say that Ummu Aymen herself brought Muhammad back to
Makkah
In his later years, Muhammad faintly remembered his mother

One time, the Prophet & the Sahaba went to a place called Waddan, which wasnt
too far from the place Abua. He told his Sahaba to stay where they were, while he
went off on his own for a bit. He came back to them. The Sahaba recalled that the
Prophet looked sick & heavy-hearted.
The Prophet explained to them, I went to the grave of my mother. I asked Allah
to give me intercession (make dua) on her behalf, but Allah refused.
One of the common practices in legislation during the lifetime of the Prophet
was that if people had a hard time abandoning one of their bad habits, then that
practice would be made completely forbidden

In the old days, the Arabs would take vegetables such as squash or fruits like
melon & hollow out the vegetable/fruit.
1 Then theyd rub animal grease inside the hollow area & leave it out
in the sun for days until it completely hardened.

After the container hardened, the Arabs would put their alcohol in there & plug it;
it would keep the alcohol cool & fresh.
1 They also used the containers for water & milk
2 But it was identified primarily with alcohol
When alcohol first was made haraam, the Prophet made the use of those
containers haraam, so that it would remain completely distant from the alcohol
practice, to not let there be any association with alcohol
1 Find some other container for milk or water.
2 When people got the need to drink alcohol out of their system,
Prophet made it okay to use those containers for water & milk
To create distance for grave worshipping, Prophet made visiting graves haram

When people had become secure in their Tawhid & their imaan, the Prophet
allowed graves to be visited
This story carries a valuable lesson for us when we become carriers of the
deen, its important to keep in touch with your emotions

The Prophet, even though hes a prophet, a Messenger of Allah, he was not above
being emotional. He cried openly sitting at his mothers grave.
After his mothers death, the Prophet went into the care of his grandfather
Abdul Mutallib
The Prophet (saw) was 6 years old when his mother Aminah passed away. His
father Abdullah died before he was born.

2.

Ummu Aymen brought the 6-year-old Muhammad back to Makkah to his

grandfather Abdul Mutallib
Everyone who was an influence on Muhammad were always people of high
character his mother, his milkmother Halimah, his grandfather

Abdul Mutallib was a very remarkable man. He was very devout, moral, ethical, &
noble
He was a leader of all of Quraysh tribe. Hes not just the head of Banu Hashem,
but all the other families of the Quraysh
1 Many people referred to him as the most powerful man of Arabia
Abdul Mutallib was a very busy man. He had many affairs of others to take care
of, but he also had time to take care of his grandson Muhammad.

He didnt just hire a maid to take care of Muhammad. He didnt put a slave to
take care of Muhammad or tell one of his children to take care of the orphan
After Aminah passed away, Abdul Mutallib took guardianship of Muhammad. He
was more kind & affectionate with Muhammad than he was with his own
children.
Abdul Mutallib would always draw Muhammad near him. He always checked on
his grandson
There was a cushion that was placed next to the Kabah, where the shade would

fall. Abdul Mutallib would sit there & greet & meet visitors/residents of Makkah

That special seat was like his throne; it was reserved just for Abdul Mutallib. No
one would dare sit there, not even his own children. His sons would sit around
Abdul Mutallib
The child Muhammad, a chubby little kid, would run right up to his grandfathers
cushion & sit right in the middle of the seat
His uncles would grab him & move him out of the seat, No, no, dont sit there.
When Abdul Mutallib would see this, hed say, No, no, leave my boy alone. Let
Muhammad sit there. He looks like a king. I swear by Allah, theres something
special about this boy.
Then Abdul Mutallib would sit the boy on his lap
Abdul Mutallib would rub the boys back & look at Muhammad with adoration.
Abdul Mutallib would often just watch Muhammad do whatever he did like he
was the most precious thing in the world
One time a man from Banu Mudlej came to Makkah & visited Abdul Mutallib
While the man is meeting with Abdul Mutallib, hes staring at Muhammad (who
was on Abdul Mutallibs lap) the whole time
He says to Abdul Mutallib, Take care of this child. The way he carries himself,
the way he talks, you can tell hes going to be someone great, someone special.
Hes meant for greatness, so be careful with this child.
When Abdul Mutallib hears this, he calls for his most trusted & responsible sons,
Abu Talib
Listen to what this man has to say about your nephew.
Abdul Mutallib had the man to repeat what he said about Muhammad
Then Abdul Mutallib tells Abu Talib, From now on, I want Muhammad under
your care. Im not going to be around for long.
Some history books say that Abdul Mutallib lived to be 153 years old
Abu Talib goes to Baraqah (Ummu Aymen), one of Muhammads milkmothers

Ya Baraqah. This son of mine, dont ever be neglectful of him. Make sure you
always take care of him. Ive been keeping an eye on him. My father specially put
me in charge of him, so Ive been watching him. Ive seen him play with other
boys. They were playing on the outskirts of Makkah & I went out there to check
on them. While they were playing, I saw some of the Ahlul Kitab (Christians &
Jews) pass by. They were encamped there. They were also watching the boys very
closely, especially Muhammad. And I heard them talking, & they think that this
nephew of mine is the Nabi (Prophet) of this ummah. Regardless of this is true or
not, a lot of people will have their attention on him. Some might mean him good,
& some might mean him harm. This is why we must be diligent of him at all
times.
Whenever Abdul Mutallib would sit down to eat, hed always say, Wheres
Muhammad?

If Muhammad wasnt there, Abdul Mutallib wouldnt eat

I need to know if Muhammad ate first.

Abdul Mutallib literally wouldnt take a bite of food unless he knew for a fact that
Muhammad had eaten
This is significant given that he had such an influential & respected leadership in
Makkah he was The Man
Even if others told Abdul Mutallib that Muhammad had eaten, Abdul Mutallib
would say, I still need to see him.
So the others would have to bring the child to his grandfather. Son, did you eat?
Are you okay?
Only then would Abdul Mutallib would eat.
When Muhammad was 8, his grandfather passed away
Before passing away, Abdul Mutallib called all of his children for a gathering
Abdul Mutallib emphasized the importance of taking care of Muhammad. He
singled out his son Abu Talib
My last request to Abu Talib is to take care of Muhammad, my grandson.
Abdul Mutallib was buried in graveyard of Hajun
Because Abu Talib got such a huge & important responsibility of the care of
Muhammad, Abdul Mutallib passed on the responsibility of the well of Zamzam
& the custodianship of the Haram to one of his youngest sons, al Abbas
Muhammad shared a deeper connection with Abu Talib because Abu Talibs mom
was also the blood grandmother (Fatimah) of Muhammad.
Abdul Mutallib had more than one wife, so Muhammad had grandmothers (only
related by marriage)
Abu Talib was the full brother of Abdullah, Muhammads father
Abu Talib was a very simple man (a zahid)
Zohood someone who has no connection or desire to worldly/materialistic
things
He had no money, no wealth
Abu Talib loved his nephew Muhammad immensely, more so than his own
children. Muhammad was 8-years-old when he was taken in by his uncle
He wouldnt go to sleep until he checked that Muhammad was safe
He would not eat until Muhammad had eaten
When hed go out, hed make sure that his nephew was with him
When hed sit down to eat, hed make sure that Muhammad had the first bite
There was very little food in Abu Talibs household because he wasnt very
wealthy. However, when the family of Abu Talib would eat individually, or
together, if Muhammad was sitting there with them, there would miraculously be
enough food for everyone
The same amount of food would be made the same small amount of food
But when Muhammad would sit and eat with them, the food was enough for all of
them and there would even be leftovers, even though there should have been little
food in the first place
Abu Talib would sometimes come home after managing his affairs. Hed come
home for lunch. His family would be sitting waiting for the head of the household

to come home.
If Muhammad wasnt at the table, Abu Talib would say, Stay as you are, until my
son gets here. Nobody eats until Muhammad gets here.
The family would give preference to Muhammad. If there was a nice cut of meat
or something similar, Muhammad would be given that piece
Abu Talib would often sit there looking at his nephew with adoration & say,
My son, there is something special about you.

When people wake up in the morning, they have a bit of gunk in their eyes.
Their hair would be messy & may have drool in their faces. When kids wake up in
the morning, theyd look like a mess.

But when Muhammad would wake up in the morning, his hair was perfect.
His eyes were bright, clean, & clear no gunk or redness in his eyes
Muhammad, from a young age, had always had a dignified manner of behaving

In the morning, the children would rush to the table & grab all of the food that
their mother had put out. Theyd be behaving like animals, fighting over the best
pieces
Muhammad would stand aside, waiting for his turn
Abu Talib observed his nephews behavior. Abu Talib would get to the table early
& take a portion of the food & keep it aside
When the kids woke up & rushed to breakfast, Abu Talib would give his nephew
the food from earlier, which Muhammad would eat with adaab (manners)
A Bedouin man (a soothsayer/fortune teller) came from an outside
tribe/village to Makkah

Fortune telling was a big part of Arab culture

This soothsayer was very famous
1 His specialty was hed look at peoples children & ask them a few
questions. Hed do some mumbo jumbo & then tell the parents
what lies in the future of their kids
1 It was like taking your kids to see Santa at the mall
Abu Talib took his kids to this soothsayer
1 The Bedouin fortuneteller looked at the young Muhammad for a
while. After a while, Abu Talib figured their time was over, so he
grabs Muhammads hand & start to leave
2 In the midst of the long line of other parents waiting to have their
kids fortune determined, the soothsayer lost sight of Muhammad
for a second
1 He got really nervous, & started yelling Wheres the boy I
was just looking at?! Wheres that boy?!
Abu Talib hears that man, who was panicking. The soothsayer seems a little too
interested in Muhammad.
1 Abu Talib is already very overprotective of Muhammad, so hes
nervous about how all of a sudden this stranger seems to take a
keen & creepy interest in his nephew

2 Abu Talib takes his kids & nephew & gets out of their quickly
The soothsayer was very upset. He didnt want to see any more of the other kids
standing in line & tells them to get lost. He yells, Bring me back that boy! Theres
something special about him! Thats not an ordinary child. I need to see him!
A lot of times, these soothsayers are influenced by shayatin. The shayatin bring
bits & pieces of broken information from the malaika (angels)
1 Theres a Hadith about Saf Ibn Sayyad, a child whom the Sahaba
feared was the Dajjal (AntiChrist). The Prophet quelled the
Sahabas fears, that Ibn Sayyad is not the Dajjal, but that hes
influenced by Shayatin. The Prophet tested Ibn Sayyad, by telling
him, Im thinking of something (an ayah of the Quran). What am I
thinking of? The child Ibn Sayyad sat there for a while & said,
Dukh, dukh. The Prophet turned to his Sahaba & said that this
child is influenced by shayatin
Its possible that the soothsayer was influenced by shayatin at the time, when he
met with Muhammad. Thats why he freaked out when he lost sight of
Muhammad, but Muhammad was already long gone with his uncle