Chapter 1: Mentioning the noble ancestry of the Prophet ﷺ

Allaah تعاىل said: ﴿ اللَّـه أ ع ل م ح ي ث َي ع ل ر س ال ت ه﴾ {Allaah knows best with whom to place His Message} [Surah al-An`aam (6): 124] And when Heraclius, the king of the Roman, asked Abu Sufyaan about the attributes of the Prophet ﷺ, he said: “What is his family status amongst you?” He (Abu Sufyaan) replied: “He belongs to a good (noble) family amongst us.” He said: “In fact, all the Messengers come from noble families amongst their respective peoples.” He is the leader of the children of Aadam and their pride, in this world and the Hereafter. His names and titles: Abu al-Qaasim, Abu Ibraaheem, Muhammad, Ahmad, al-Maahee (Obliterator) through whom Allaah obliterates Kufr (disbelief), al-`Aaqib (the last to come) after whom there will be no Prophet, al-Haashir (the gatherer) at whose feet (i.e. behind whom) mankind will be gathered, al-Muqaffee (the last in succession), the Prophet of Mercy, the Prophet of repentance, the Prophet of al-Malhamah (fierce battle), the seal (last) of the Prophets, and `Abdullaah (servant of Allaah). 1 Al-Baihaqee said: Some of the scholars added saying: Allaah تعاىل referred to him in the Qur’aan as: “Messenger, Prophet, unlettered, witness, bringer of good tidings, warner, the one who invites to Allaah – by His permission, illuminating lamp, kind and merciful, the one who reminds. And Allaah تعاىل made him as (source of) mercy, blessings, and guidance.” 1 Shaikh al-Albaanee said: The last two names and Ahmad, these three names are mentioned in the Qur’aan; the others are mentioned in the different Ahaadeeth. See `Aqeedah al-Tahaawiyyah (pg. 292) of Shaikh al-Albaanee’s checking; and al-Saheehah (1571, 1628); and al-Rawdhatul-Nadheer (401, 1017). [TN: See also sahih al-Bukhaaree (3532, 4896) and sahih Muslim (2354, 2355), and Musnad Ahmad (19525, 19621, 19651, 23443, 23445)]

He is Muhammad Ibn `Abdullaah Ibn `Abdul-Muttalib Ibn Haashim Ibn `Abd Munaaf Ibn Qusayy Ibn Kilaab Ibn Murrah Ibn Ka`b Ibn Lu’ai Ibn Ghaalib Ibn Fahr Ibn Maalik Ibn Nadhr Ibn Kinaanah Ibn Khuzaimah Ibn Mudrikah Ibn Ilyaas Ibn Mudhar Ibn Nizaar Ibn Ma`d Ibn `Adnaan 2 and who is from the sons of Ismaa`eel. There is no need to mention the different opinions (the scholars) have regarding how many fathers are there between them (i.e. `Adnaan and Ismaa`eel عليه السالم). 3 There is no difference of opinion amongst the scholars about this lineage. 4 All the `Arab tribes in al-Hijaaz area trace back their ancestry to this lineage. This is why regarding the saying of Allaah تعاىل: ﴿ق ل َّّل أ س أ ل ك م ع ل ي ه أ ج رًا َّإ ّل ال م و دَّة ف ال ق ر ب ى﴾ {Say (O Muhammad): “No reward do I ask of you for this (message) except to be kind to me for my kinship with you.”} [Surah al-Shoora (42): 23] Ibn `Abbaas رضي اهلل عنهما and others said: ❝There was not a single house (i.e. sub-tribe) of Quraish but the Prophet ﷺ had relatives therein and so the above Aayah was revealed in this connection, and its interpretation is: “O Quraish! I do not want 2 sahih al-Bukhaaree (5/44) without a chain 3 [TN: Imaam Ibn Katheer mentioned in his “al-Seerah al-Nabawiyyah”: The scholars differed in the numbers of fathers between Ismaa`eel and `Adnaan. The highest number that was said is forty, and the minimum is four. This is why Imaam Maalik رمحه اهلل disliked attributing the lineage to the Prophet ﷺ after `Adnaan. `Urwah Ibn al-Zubair (the son of Asmaa' Bint Abu Bakr and the nephew of `Aaishah رضي اهلل عنهم أمجعني) said: “We have not found anyone who is sure (with certainty) about those between `Adnaan and Ismaa`eel.”] 4 Shaikh al-Albaanee said: This is the reason why I have mentioned it in this “sahih al-Seerah”, adhering to the principles that I have clarified and mentioned earlier in the introduction. And Abu Zahrah, the author of “خامت النبيني”, as evidence, relied on the narration of Ibn `Abbaas رضي اهلل عنهما that whenever Prophet ﷺ spoke of his ancestry he would stop at `Adnaan and say: ❝Genealogists tell lies.❞ Allaah تعاىل says: ﴿و قـ ر ونًا بـ ني ذ ىل ك ك ث ريًا﴾ {and many generations in between} [Surah al-Furqaan (25): 38] And it was hidden from him that this is a fabricated narration. In its chain is a liar who himself confessed that he used to lie. See al-Dha`eefah (111)]

anything from (you) except that you should be kind to me for my kinship with you.”❞ It has reported from the connected and disconnected chains that the Prophet ﷺ said: ❝I was born in marriage and not out of wedlock - from the (first) children of Aadam till my parents bore me, 6 and nothing from the fornication of the days of ignorance ever touched me.❞ 7 It is authentically reported in sahih al-Bukhaaree that Abu Hurairah رضي اهلل عنه narrated that Allaah’s Messenger ﷺ said: ❝I have been sent (as a Messenger) in the best of all the generations of Aadam’s offspring since their Creation.❞ 8 And in sahih Muslim from the hadith of Waathilah Ibn al-Asqa` رضي اهلل عنه that the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ said: ❝[Indeed Allaah has chosen Ismaa`eel from the children of Ibraaheem], and He chose Banu Kinaanah from the children of Ismaa`eel, and He chose the Quraish from Banu Kinaanah, and He chose Banu Haashim from Quraish, and He chose me from Banu Haashim.❞ 9 Imaam Ahmad reported from the hadith of al-Muttalib Ibn Abee Wadaa`ah that alAbbaas رضي اهلل عنه came to the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ, and it is as if he ﷺ heard something which the people were saying. So the Prophet ﷺ stood upon the Minbar (pulpit) and said: ❝Who am I?❞ They said: “You are the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ.” He ﷺ said: ❝I am Muhammad bin `Abdullaah bin `Abdul-Muttalib, indeed Allaah created the creation, and He put me in the best [group] of them, then He made them into two groups, so He put me in the best group of them, then He made them into tribes, so He put me in the best of them in tribe, then He made them into houses, so 5 sahih al-Bukhaaree (3497, 4818) 6 Meaning: his ﷺ lineage all came down to him through lawful marriage and never through fornication. 7 Shaikh al-Albaanee said: I have discussed the various chain of this narration in al-Irwaa (1914) and with its various chains, the hadith reaches to the level of “Hasan”. And for this reason, I have mentioned it in sahih al-Jaami` alSagheer (3223, 3224, 3225) 8 sahih al-Bukhaaree (3557); see also al-Saheehah (809). 9 sahih Muslim (2276) and the first part is not from sahih Muslim; it from Sunan al-Tirmidhee (3605). See alSaheehah (302)

He put me in the best of them in tribe and lineage.❞ 10 صلوات اهلل وسالمه عليه دائما أبدا إىل يوم الدين In the sahih (of Imaam Muslim), it is reported that the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ said: ❝I am the leader of the children of Aadam on the Day of Resurrection, [and it is no boast].❞ 11 10 Musnad Ahmad (1788) and Sunan al-Tirmidhee (3532, 3608) [TN: Shaikh al-Albaanee had first authenticated this hadith in sahih al-Jaami` (1472), but later he retracted and graded it as “Dha`eef” in al-Dha`eefah (3073)] 11 sahih Muslim (2278) [TN: The wording in the bracket are from Sunan al-Tirmidhee (3148, 3615) and Sunan Ibn Maajah (4308) and graded as “sahih” by Shaikh al-Albaanee]