What Was the Name of the Prophet's (PBUH) Mother?
ما اسم والدة الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم؟
Aminah bint Wahb bin Abd Manaf bin Zuhrah bin Kilab.
آمنة بنت وهب بن عبد مناف بن زهرة بن كلاب.
1. Lineage and Ancestry of Aminah | النسب الشريف للسيدة آمنة بنت وهب
The mother of the Prophet ﷺ was Aminah, daughter of Wahb, of the Banu Zuhrah clan of Quraysh. Her grandfather was Abd Manaf ibn Zuhrah, and her lineage meets the lineage of the Prophet's father at Kilab ibn Murrah. Allah made people into peoples and tribes "so that you may ˹get to˺ know one another," and the most noble in His sight is the most righteous (Al-Hujurat 49:13).
وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّـهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ (سورة الحجرات: 13)
هي السيدة آمنة بنت وهب بن عبد مناف بن زهرة، من بني زهرة من قريش، ويلتقي نسبها مع نسب زوجها عبد الله والد النبي ﷺ عند جدهما المشترك كلاب بن مرة. وقد جعل الله الناس شعوبا وقبائل ليتعارفوا، وأكرمهم عنده أتقاهم (الحجرات 49: 13).
2. Banu Zuhrah, the Prophet's Maternal Kin | بنو زهرة أخوال النبي ﷺ
Through Aminah, Banu Zuhrah were the Prophet's maternal kin. When Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, of Banu Zuhrah, came forward, the Prophet ﷺ said: "This is my maternal uncle; let a man show me his maternal uncle" (Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3752, graded sahih by al-Albani). The Quran commands honouring family ties (An-Nisa 4:1).
وَاتَّقُوا اللَّـهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءَلُونَ بِهِ وَالْأَرْحَامَ (سورة النساء: 1)
بنو زهرة أخوال النبي ﷺ من جهة أمه آمنة، ولما أقبل سعد بن أبي وقاص وهو من بني زهرة قال النبي ﷺ: "هذا خالي فليرني امرؤ خاله" (جامع الترمذي 3752، وصححه الألباني). وقد أمر الله بصلة الأرحام (النساء 4: 1).
3. Her Vision of Light | رؤيا النور التي رأتها أمه
Ibn Kathir (61:6) quotes the Prophet's words, through Muhammad ibn Ishaq, in a chain he calls good: "The prayer of my father Ibrahim, the good news of Jesus, and my mother saw, when she was carrying me, as if a light came out of her that lit up the palaces of Busra in the land of Syria." He also cites a similar report in Musnad Ahmad from Abu Umama.
وَمُبَشِّرًا بِرَسُولٍ يَأْتِي مِن بَعْدِي اسْمُهُ أَحْمَدُ (سورة الصف: 6)
نقل ابن كثير عن محمد بن إسحاق عن أصحاب رسول الله ﷺ أنهم قالوا: يا رسول الله، أخبرنا عن نفسك، قال: "دعوة أبي إبراهيم، وبشرى عيسى، ورأت أمي حين حملت بي كأنه خرج منها نور أضاءت له قصور بصرى من أرض الشام"، ثم قال: "وهذا إسناد جيد"، وذكر له شاهدا عند أحمد من حديث أبي أمامة.
4. His Orphanhood | يتمه ﷺ
Ibn Kathir explains (93:6) that the Prophet's father died while he was still in his mother's womb (some say after his birth), that his mother Aminah died when he was six years old, and that he was then in the care of his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib until he died when the Prophet ﷺ was eight. Whether he ever saw his father is answered in did the Prophet ever see his father.
أَلَمْ يَجِدْكَ يَتِيمًا فَآوَىٰ (سورة الضحى: 6)
قال ابن كثير في قوله تعالى (أَلَمْ يَجِدْكَ يَتِيمًا فَآوَىٰ): "وذلك أن أباه توفي وهو حمل في بطن أمه، وقيل: بعد أن ولد عليه السلام، ثم توفيت أمه آمنة بنت وهب وله من العمر ست سنين، ثم كان في كفالة جده عبد المطلب، إلى أن توفي وله من العمر ثمان سنين".
5. His Visit to Her Grave | زيارته ﷺ قبر أمه
The Prophet ﷺ visited his mother's grave and wept, and made those around him weep. He said: "I asked my Lord for permission to seek forgiveness for her, and He did not permit me; and I asked Him for permission to visit her grave, and He permitted me. So visit graves, for they remind you of death" (Sahih Muslim 976). "Every soul will taste death" (Ali 'Imran 3:185).
كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ (سورة آل عمران: 185)
زار النبي ﷺ قبر أمه فبكى وأبكى من حوله، فقال: "استأذنت ربي في أن أستغفر لها فلم يؤذن لي، واستأذنته في أن أزور قبرها فأذن لي، فزوروا القبور فإنها تذكر الموت" (صحيح مسلم 976).
Scholarly Insight: Ibn Kathir reports through Al-Suddi how the Prophet's maternal kinship was invoked at Badr (6:33): “On the day of Badr, Al-Akhnas ibn Shariq said to Banu Zuhrah: Banu Zuhrah, Muhammad is your sister's son, so you have the greatest claim to refrain from harming him. If he is a prophet, you will not fight him today. If he is a liar, you have the greatest claim to spare your sister's son. Wait here until I meet Abu al-Hakam.” See the Prophet's paternal lineage. Read more in the tafsir of Surah Ad-Duha.
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
What was the full name of Prophet Muhammad's mother?
Aminah bint Wahb ibn Abd Manaf ibn Zuhrah ibn Kilab.
To which clan of Quraysh did Aminah belong?
She belonged to the Banu Zuhrah clan of Quraysh: Aminah bint Wahb ibn Abd Manaf ibn Zuhrah ibn Kilab.
Where did the lineages of the Prophet's parents converge?
Their lineages converged at Kilab ibn Murrah, their shared ancestor.
What did the Prophet do when he visited his mother's grave?
He wept, and those around him wept too (Sahih Muslim 976).
Prepared by Eng. Ghada Homad, founder of IslamFAQ, researched and written in consultation with qualified scholars, reviewed by Professor Khaled Jassem Al-Houli, Associate Professor of Comparative Jurisprudence and Islamic Politics, Faculty of Sharia and Islamic Studies, University of Kuwait. Read more about the authors and this project →