The Prophet's Ancesstors
The Prophet's family tree was well-documented. He was born into a family that traces its ancestry back to the Prophet Ibraheem (Prophet Abraham) through his son (to Hagar) Isma'eel (Ishamael). His lineage traces back to the tribe of Adnan, the son of Isma'eel.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
" Indeed God chose the tribe of Kinanah over other tribes from the children of Isma'eel; He chose Quraish over other tribes of Kinanah; He chose Banu Hashim over the other families of the Quraish; and He chose me from Banu Hashim." (Muslim # 2276)
THE PROPHET'S TRIBE
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) belonged to the tribe known as Quraysh, the most respected tribe in Arabia. "Quraysh" was, in fact, the surname of Fihr bin Malik or Nadir bin Kinana. Later, his progency came to be known by the name Quraysh.
THE PROPHET'S LINEAGE
The Prophet's lineage is called Hashmi after his great grandfather, Hashim. The Quraysh were merchants by profession, and Hashim arranged trade journeys for them to Yemen each winter and to Syria each summer. Hashim married Salma bint Amr, a lady from the tribe Banu Adiy bin Najjar from the city of Yathrib (Madinah). He stayed there for a few days and then left for Syria. He passed away in Gaza, a famour city in Palestine. At the time of his departure, Salma was pregnant. She gave birth to a son whose hair has white streaks. She therefore named him Shayba, which means "one with gray hair." None of Hashim's relatives in Makkah knew about the birth of Shayba but eight years later, however, Muttalib (brother of Hashim) found out about his dead brother's son and decided to bring Shayba to Makkah. When Muttalib entered Makkah with Shayba, the people thought the young boy was Muttalib's slave and referred to Shayba as Abdul Mutallib, which means 'Muttalib's slave'. Thus Shayba became known as 'Abdul Muttalib.'
Abdul Mutallib grew up to be a very handsome man and became a leading figure of the Quraysh tribe. He was the chieftain of the Quraysh and oversaw the tribe's trade caravans. Famous for his generousity, he was called 'the Generous.' He gave his leftovers to the needy, and even to animals and birds. For this reason, he was described as the 'feeder of men on earth and of beasts and birds on the mountaintops.'
Abdul Muttalib also had the honor of rediscovering the sacred well of Zamzam. This well had gushed forth when the infant Ishma'eel kicked at the dry sand while his mother Hajar (Hagar), searched for water. The location of the well had been forgotten ever since the tribe of Jurhum covered it when they were being exiled from Makkah.
Abdul Muttalib had a son named Abdullah, the father of the Prophet. Abdullah was married to Aminah, the daughter of Wahb. Wahb was a chieftain of Banu Zahra. Shortly after their marriage, Amina became pregnant, but before she could give birth to their child, Abdullah was sent by his father, Abdul Muttalib to Yathrib or Syria on business. Tragically, he passed away in Yathrib on the return journey and was buried in the house of Nabgha Dhabyani.
-Nessa Rj, 24/05/2012
(references: 1. When the Moon Split compiled by Shaikh Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri, July 1998
2. Muhammad The Messengr of Allah by Abdurrahman al-Sheba, riyadh 2005)