The Prophet’s lineage is clearly documented in books of history; every one of his fathers is known all the way back until Adnan. And even though historians disagree about the names of Adnan’s forefathers, they agree that Adnan – and by extension the Prophet (SAW) – was a direct descendant of the Prophet Ibrahim (AS).
In Al-Baidayah wan Nihayah, Ibn Kathir (RA) describes the Prophet’s lineage all the way back until Adam (AS). In Zaad Al-Ma’ad, however, Ibn Al-Qayyim (RA) pointed out that scholars of genealogy agree about the names of the Prophet’s forefathers up until Adnan, who was a direct descendant of Ibrahim (AS), but they disagree about how many of Adnan’s forefathers separated him from Ibrahim (AS). Keeping in mind that the word “ibn” means “son of,” here then is the Prophet’s full name and lineage: Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul Mutallib ibn Hashim ibn Abdul Manaf ibn Qusai ibn Murrah ibn Ka’ab ibn Luaiy ibn Ghalib ibn Faihr ibn Malik ibn An-Nadr ibn Kinanah ibn Khuzaimah ibn Mudrikah ibn Ilyas ibn Mudar ibn Nizar ibn Mu’idd ibn Adnan.
The Prophet (SAW) was the best from the best, as made clear in this Hadith: “Verily, Allah chose Kinanah from the children of Ismail; He chose Quraish from Kinanah; from Quraish He chose the children of Hashim; and from the children of Hashim He chose me.” (Muslim)
The Prophet (SAW) was born during the ‘Year of the Elephant’, or the year during which Abrahah led an army towards Makkah with the intention of bringing down the Ka’bah. More precisely, he (SAW) was born on Monday, in the month of Rabi’ul Awwal, in the year 571 CE. It is an established fact; in an authentic Hadith, the Prophet (SAW), while responding to a question about why he (SAW) fasted on Mondays, said, “It was on this day that I was born, and it was on this day that revelation came down to me.” (Muslim).
The exact date of the Prophet’s birth, on the other hand, is not known for certain’ scholars have put forth a number of views: some say he was born on the 2nd of Rabi’ul Awwal; others, that he was born 8 days after the beginning of the month; others still, that he was born after the passing of seventeen days; and yet others, that he was born on the 12th of the month. Two of these views stand out as being not only the most widely held, but also the most likely to be correct. The first is that the Prophet (SAW) was born after eight days expired from the month of Rabi’ul Awwal; this view was defended by Ibn Abdul Barr, who said that it was the more clearly established view by way of authentic accounts. The second is that he was born on the 12th of Rabi’ul Awwal; regarding this view, Ibn Kathir said, “This is the opinion that is held by the majority of scholars.” In his famous biography of the Prophet (SAW), Ibn Ishaq stated with certainty that the latter view is correct.
The Prophet (SAW) died at the age of 63. Forty of those years took place prior to this prophethood, and the remaining 23 years he spent as a Prophet and Messenger. He (SAW) became a Prophet with the revelation of Iqra, and then he was officially made a Messenger with the revelation of chapter “Al-Muddaththir.” His hometown was Makkah, but later, because of how he was persecuted by his fellow tribesmen, he (SAW) was forced to migrate to Al-Madinah.
Allah (SWT) sent the Prophet (SAW) with a mission that had two primary and complementary partners with Allah (SWT) in worship, and the second was to invite people to embrace Islamic monotheism (tauhid). The first ten years of his prophethood he spent promoting only these two goals. Then he was taken on a night journey to the heavens, a journey during which the five daily prayers – Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, and Isha’ – were made obligatory upon him and the members of his nation. For the next three years, the Prophet (SAW) prayed his five daily prayers in Makkah. At the end of the three years, he (SAW) was ordered to migrate to Al-Madinah, since living in Makkah was no longer possible. Years of persecution culminated that year in a joint effort by the various sub-tribes of the Quraysh to assassinate the Prophet (SAW).
After the Prophet (SAW) settled down in Al-Madinah, he (SAW) was ordered, in stages, to apply the rest of Islam’s legal duties: Zakat (obligatory charity), fasting, hajj, jihad, the call to prayer, enjoining good, forbidding evil, and so on from the various legislations of Islam.
These Islamically obligatory duties he (SAW) continued to apply and teach for a period of ten years; or in other words, until he died. The religion he (SAW) taught for so many years, with all of its detailed legislation, is the religion that we are commanded to follow today. Anything that is good and beneficial, the Prophet (SAW) has guided us to follow; and anything that is evil, the Prophet (SAW) has warned us to stay away from.
The Prophet (SAW) is the seal of all Prophets (AS) and Messengers (AS); many prophets and Messengers came before him, but none will come after him. While other Prophets (AS) and Messengers (AS) were sent to specific communities or groups of people, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was sent to all of mankind, and to jinns as well. The simple fact, therefore, is this: Whoever obeys him, will enter Paradise; and whoever disobeys him, will enter the Hellfire.
by Sa’eed bin Ali bin Wahf Al-Qahtani
