Did the Prophet (PBUH) Ever See His Father?
هل رأى الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم والده؟
The father of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) died before his birth. He had gone out as a merchant to al-Sham (the Levant) and came back with a caravan of Quraysh; he stopped at al-Medina while he was sick and died there, at the age of twenty-five years.
توفي والد الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم قبل مولده، فقد خرج تاجرا إلى الشام فأقبل في عير قريش، فنزل بالمدينة وهو مريض فتوفي بها وكان عمره خمسًا وعشرين سنة
1. The Passing of Abdullah Before Muhammad's Birth | وفاة عبد الله قبل مولد المصطفى صلى الله عليه وسلم
Ibn Kathir writes in al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya that, on the well-known view, Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib died while Aminah was still carrying the Prophet ﷺ. He quotes Ibn Sa'd's report from al-Waqidi: Abdullah went with a Quraysh caravan to Gaza in al-Sham, fell ill on the way back, stayed behind in Medina with his relatives of Banu Adi ibn al-Najjar for a month, and died there at twenty-five. Al-Waqidi called this the most reliable account of his death and his age.
أَلَمْ يَجِدْكَ يَتِيمًا فَآوَىٰ (سورة الضحى: 6)
ذكر ابن كثير في البداية والنهاية أن عبد الله بن عبد المطلب توفي والنبي ﷺ حمل في بطن أمه على المشهور، ونقل عن ابن سعد عن الواقدي أنه خرج في عير لقريش إلى غزة من الشام، فمرض في طريق العودة فتخلف بالمدينة عند أخواله بني عدي بن النجار شهرًا ثم توفي وهو ابن خمس وعشرين سنة، وقال الواقدي: هذا أثبت الأقاويل في وفاته وسنه.
2. The Nurse His Father Left Behind | أم أيمن، حاضنته التي تركها أبوه
In Anas's report in Sahih Muslim (1771), the narrator Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri adds that Umm Ayman (may Allah be pleased with her), the mother of Usamah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him), was a servant of Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib from Abyssinia. When Aminah gave birth to the Prophet ﷺ after his father's death, Umm Ayman looked after him until he grew up; he later freed her and married her to Zayd ibn Harithah (may Allah be pleased with him).
وفي حديث أنس في صحيح مسلم (1771) ذكر ابن شهاب الزهري أن أم أيمن أم أسامة بن زيد كانت وصيفة لعبد الله بن عبد المطلب، وكانت من الحبشة، فلما ولدت آمنة رسول الله ﷺ بعد ما توفي أبوه كانت أم أيمن تحضنه حتى كبر، فأعتقها ثم أنكحها زيد بن حارثة.
3. Divine Wisdom in Early Orphanhood | الحكمة الربانية البالغة في نشأة اليتم
Why was he left an orphan of both parents? Al-Qurtubi, commenting on 93:6, reports that Ja'far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq was asked this and answered: "So that no created being would have a claim on him." Al-Qurtubi explains the verse's "sheltered you" as the home Allah gave him with his uncle Abu Talib.
سئل جعفر بن محمد الصادق: لم أوتم النبي ﷺ من أبويه؟ فقال: لئلا يكون لمخلوق عليه حق، نقله القرطبي عند قوله تعالى (أَلَمْ يَجِدْكَ يَتِيمًا فَآوَىٰ)، وفسر الإيواء بأن الله جعل له مأوى عند عمه أبي طالب فكفله.
4. From Orphan to Guardian of Orphans | من يتيم إلى كافل الأيتام
The surah that reminds him of his orphanhood goes on: "So do not oppress the orphan" (93:9). He carried this into his teaching on orphans: "I and the one who looks after an orphan will be in Paradise like this," and he pointed with his index and middle fingers, a little apart (Sahih al-Bukhari 5304, narrated by Sahl ibn Sa'd).
فَأَمَّا الْيَتِيمَ فَلَا تَقْهَرْ (سورة الضحى: 9)
تتابع السورة التي ذكّرته بيتمه فتقول: (فَأَمَّا الْيَتِيمَ فَلَا تَقْهَرْ)، وقد قال ﷺ: «أنا وكافل اليتيم في الجنة هكذا» وأشار بالسبابة والوسطى وفرّج بينهما شيئًا (صحيح البخاري 5304، عن سهل بن سعد).
5. Sheltered at Every Stage | الإيواء في كل مرحلة
Ibn Kathir, commenting on 93:6, traces how that shelter came in stages: his father died while he was still in the womb (some say after his birth), his mother Aminah died when he was six, his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib cared for him until he died when the Prophet ﷺ was eight, and then his uncle Abu Talib took him in and protected him. Before recalling these favours, the surah gives him a promise: "And ˹surely˺ your Lord will give so much to you that you will be pleased" (93:5).
وَلَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرْضَىٰ (سورة الضحى: 5)
قال ابن كثير عند قوله تعالى (أَلَمْ يَجِدْكَ يَتِيمًا فَآوَىٰ): توفي أبوه وهو حمل في بطن أمه، وقيل بعد أن ولد، ثم توفيت أمه آمنة وله ست سنين، ثم كان في كفالة جده عبد المطلب إلى أن توفي وله ثمان سنين، فكفله عمه أبو طالب. وقبل تعداد هذه النعم وعده الله بقوله: (وَلَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرْضَىٰ).
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Did Prophet Muhammad ever see his father Abdullah?
No, his father Abdullah died in Yathrib (Medina) before Muhammad ﷺ was born.
Where was Abdullah buried?
In Medina, in Dar al-Nabighah, where he had stayed with his relatives of Banu Adi ibn al-Najjar, according to Ibn Sa'd's report quoted by Ibn Kathir.
Who looked after him as a baby after his father's death?
Umm Ayman, his father's servant from Abyssinia, looked after him until he grew up (Sahih Muslim 1771).
Why was he left an orphan of both parents?
Ja'far al-Sadiq, quoted by al-Qurtubi on 93:6, said: so that no created being would have a claim on him.