al-Qasim, son of the Prophet

Al-Qasim ibn Muhammad was the firstborn son of Prophet Muhammad and Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, born before the revelation of Islam in Makkah. He is the reason the Prophet carried the kunya 'Abu al-Qasim' — Father of Qasim. Al-Qasim died in infancy before he could walk or speak, according to the most accepted reports. His death was a source of grief for both the Prophet and Khadijah. The Arabs of the time called a man whose sons died in infancy 'abtar' (cut off without legacy), and it was partly in response to taunts from the Prophet's enemies after the deaths of his sons that Surah al-Kawthar (108) was revealed: 'Indeed, your enemy is the one who is cut off.' The Prophet's true legacy was the entire Muslim ummah. Al-Qasim was the eldest of the Prophet's children and the first to precede him in death. He was buried in Makkah.