The Lineage and Kinship of the Beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)

The Lineage and Kinship of the Beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)

• The Agreed-Upon Lineage: This is the noble lineage extending from the Prophet (PBUH) back to Adnan, which is unanimously agreed upon by historians and scholars of genealogy. He is a descendant of the Prophet Ishmael (Isma'il), the son of Abraham (Ibrahim), peace be upon them both.
  It is: Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim ibn Abd Manaf ibn Qusayy ibn Kilab ibn Murrah ibn Ka'b ibn Lu'ayy ibn Ghalib ibn Fihr ibn Malik ibn al-Nadr ibn Kinanah ibn Khuzaymah ibn Mudrikah ibn Ilyas ibn Mudar ibn Nizar ibn Ma'add ibn Adnan.
• The Disputed Lineage: This refers to the lineage beyond Adnan up to Abraham, peace be upon him, regarding which genealogists hold differing opinions.

The Lineage of the Prophet (PBUH) from His Mother's Side

From his mother’s side, his lineage traces back to the tribe of Quraysh, and it intersects with his father’s lineage at their fourth grandfather, Kilab ibn Murrah.
His mother's lineage is: Aminah bint Wahb ibn Abd Manaf ibn Zuhrah ibn Kilab ibn Murrah ibn Ka'b ibn Lu'ayy ibn Ghalib ibn Fihr ibn Malik ibn al-Nadr ibn Kinanah.

The Kinship of the Father and Mother:

• The Mother of the Prophet: Aminah bint Wahb ibn Abd Manaf ibn Zuhrah.
• The Father of the Prophet: Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim ibn Abd Manaf ibn Qusayy.
• The Point of Intersection: The lineage of Abd Allah (the Prophet's father) and the lineage of Aminah (the Prophet's mother) meet at their grandfather, Kilab ibn Murrah.

The Grandparents of the Prophet from His Mother's Side:

• Her Father: Wahb ibn Abd Manaf, who was a chief of Banu Zuhrah, renowned for his nobility and virtue.
• Her Maternal Grandmother (the mother of Aminah): Barrah bint Abd al-Uzza ibn Uthman ibn Abd al-Dar ibn Qusayy ibn Kilab.

Details of the Lineage and Kinship from the Primary Sources of Seerah (Prophetic Biography):

This agreed-upon lineage, documented in foundational books of biography (such as "Al-Seerah al-Nabawiyyah" by Ibn Hisham and "Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra" by Ibn Sa'd), traces back to the Prophet Ishmael, the son of Abraham, peace be upon them both. The Prophet meets his mother, Lady Aminah bint Wahb ibn Abd Manaf ibn Zuhrah ibn Kilab, at their fourth grandfather, Kilab ibn Murrah.

It is firmly established in genealogical references (including "Jamharat Ansab al-Arab" by Ibn Hazm) that the Prophet (PBUH) had eleven paternal uncles, namely: Hamzah (the Lion of Allah and the Master of Martyrs), al-Abbas, Abu Talib (Abd Manaf), Abu Lahab (Abd al-Uzza), al-Zubayr, al-Harith, al-Muqawwim, Dirar, Qutham, Hajl (al-Mughirah), and al-Ghaydaq (Mus'ab). He also had six paternal aunts, who are mentioned in biographical and genealogical records (such as "Al-Isabah fi Tamyiz al-Sahabah" by Ibn Hajar); they are: Safiyyah (the mother of the companion al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam), Atikah, Arwa, Umaymah (the mother of the Mother of the Believers, Zaynab bint Jahsh), Barrah, and Umm Hakim al-Bayda (the twin sister of his father, Abd Allah).

As for his maternal uncles and aunts (full siblings of his mother), leading scholars of genealogy and history (such as Imam Ibn Hibban in "Al-Thiqat" and الحافظ Ibn Hajar) have verified that Lady Aminah bint Wahb had no sisters; thus, the Prophet (PBUH) had no full maternal aunts. From her brothers, only one full maternal uncle is confirmed: Abd Yaghuth ibn Wahb (who did not live to see the advent of Islam). The mention of "Al-Aswad ibn Wahb", "Al-Furay'ah", or "Fakhitah" in some narrations is a misconception and an overlap of names committed by certain narrators. The famous "Al-Aswad" mentioned in biographical history is actually Al-Aswad ibn Abd Yaghuth (the Prophet's maternal cousin), who was one of the mockers and died as a disbeliever. Furthermore, due to the high status of the tribe of Banu Zuhrah (the tribe of the Prophet's mother), the entire clan was broadly referred to as "the maternal uncles of the Prophet" out of honor. Consequently, it is recorded in "Sahih al-Tirmidhi" and "Mustadrak al-Hakim" that the Prophet (PBUH) used to express pride in the companion Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas al-Zuhri, saying: "This is my maternal uncle, so let any man show me his maternal uncle," out of pride in this tribal kinship.