Al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib ٱلْعَبَّاسُبْنُ عَبْدِ ٱلْمُطَّلِبِ
Islamic miniature ofAbu Talib (top-middle, blue robes), Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (green robes next to him) and other Quraysh leaders questioning Muhammad aboutIsra' and Mi'raj
Al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib[a] (c. 566–653CE) was a paternal uncle andsahabi (companion) of theIslamic prophetMuhammad, just three years older than his nephew. A wealthy merchant, during the early years ofIslam he protected Muhammad while he was inMecca, but only became a convert after theBattle of Badr in 624 CE (2 AH). His descendants founded theAbbasid dynasty in 750.[1]
Abbas, born around 565 CE, was one of the younger sons ofAbd al-Muttalib. His mother was Nutayla bint Janab of the Namir tribe.[2] After his father's death, he took over theZamzam Well and the distribution of water to the pilgrims.[3] He became aspice merchant in Mecca,[4] a trade that made him wealthy.[5] Within this role, he managed acaravan network to and from Syria, where he eventually recruited and trainedMuhammad as anapprentice for leading the northern leg of the journey.[6]
During the years when the Muslim religion was gaining adherents (610–622), Abbas provided protection to his kinsman but did not adopt the faith. He acted as a spokesman at the Second Pledge of Aqaba,[7] but he was not among those whoemigrated toMedina.
Having fought on the side of the polytheists, Abbas was captured during theBattle of Badr. Muhammad allowed al-Abbas to ransom himself and his nephew.[8]
Ibn Hisham said that Abbas had become a secret Muslim before the Battle of Badr;[9] but a clear statement to that effect is missing fromTabari's citation of the same source.[10][11] It is said by some authorities that he converted to Islam shortly after the Battle of Badr.[12]
It is elsewhere implied that Abbas did not formally profess Islam until January 630, just before thefall of Mecca, twenty years after his wifeLubaba converted.[13] Muhammad then named him "last of the migrants" (Muhajirun), which entitled him to the proceeds of the spoils of war. He was given the right to provide Zamzam water to pilgrims, a right which was passed down to his descendants.[1]
Abbas immediately joined Muhammad's army, participating in the Conquest of Mecca, theBattle of Hunayn and theSiege of Ta'if. He defended Muhammad at Hunayn when other warriors deserted him.[14] After these military exploits, Abbas brought his family to live in Medina, where Muhammad frequently visited them[15] and even proposed marriage to his daughter.[16]
Lubaba bint al-Harith (Arabic: لبابة بنت الحارث), also known as Umm al-Fadl, was from theBanu Hilal tribe. Umm al-Fadl claimed to be thesecond woman to convert to Islam, the same day as her close friendKhadijah, the first wife of Muhammad. Umm al-Fadl's traditions of the Prophet appear in all canonical collections ofhadiths. She showed her piety by supernumerary fasting and by attackingAbu Lahab, the enemy of the Muslims, with a tent pole.[17]
Fatima bint Junayd, from the Al-Harith clan of theQuraysh tribe.[18]
Hajila bint Jundub ibn Rabia, from the Hilal tribe.[19]
^al-Tabari, Muhammad ibn Jarir (1998).Tarikh al-Rusul wa'l-Muluk: Biographies of the Prophet's Companions and Their Successors. Vol. 39. Albany: State University of New York Press. p. 24.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
^Ibn Ishaq,Sirat Rasul Allah. Translated by Guillaume, A. (1955).The Life of Muhammad, p. 79. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
^Wahba, al-Mawardi Translated by Wafaa H (2000),The ordinances of government = Al-Aḥkām al-sulṭāniyya w'al-wilāyāt al-Dīniyya, Reading: Garnet,ISBN1-85964-140-7
^Alfred Guillaume's footnote to Ibn Ishaq (1955) p. 309.
^Tabari,Tarikh al-Rusul wa'l-Muluk. Translated by McDonald, M. V. (1987).Volume 7: The Foundation of the Community, p. 68. Albany: State University of New York Press.
^Annotated (1998),The history of al-Ṭabarī = (Taʼrīkh al-rusul wa'l mulūk), Albany: State University of New York Press,ISBN0-7914-2820-6
