Period 2 of 18
Childhood and Orphanhood
Orphaned at a young age, he was raised among Banu Sa'd in the desert, then under the care of his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib and his uncle Abu Talib.
-
Nursed among Banu Sa'd
As was the custom among the noble families of Makkah, the infant Muhammad ﷺ was sent to the desert to be nursed and to grow up in its healthy air and pure Arabic speech. The sirah books record that his wet-nurse was Halimah al-Sa'diyyah of Banu Sa'd, and that he stayed with her family until about the age of five. The Quran reminds him of his early life: “Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter?” (93:6).
- Quran 93:6-8 (Ad-Duha)
- Sirah books (early history)
-
The splitting of the chest
Anas ibn Malik رضي الله عنه reported that Jibril (peace be upon him) came to the Prophet ﷺ while he was playing with the other boys, laid him down, opened his chest and took out his heart. He removed a clot from it, saying: “This was the share of Satan in you.” He washed the heart in a golden basin with Zamzam water, joined it back and returned it to its place. The boys ran to his nurse saying Muhammad had been killed, and found him pale. Anas said he used to see the mark of the stitching on his chest.
-
Loss of his mother; his grandfather and uncle
The sirah books record that when he was about six, his mother Aminah took him to visit relatives in Yathrib, and on the way back she died at al-Abwa'. He was then cared for by his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib, who died about two years later, and afterwards by his uncle Abu Talib, who protected him for decades. Years later the Prophet ﷺ said: “I asked my Lord's permission to seek forgiveness for my mother and He did not permit me, and I asked permission to visit her grave and He permitted me.”
-
A journey to Syria with Abu Talib
Abu Musa al-Ash'ari رضي الله عنه is reported to have said that Abu Talib set out for Syria with elders of Quraysh and the Prophet ﷺ as a boy. A monk who had never come out to the caravans before recognised him and said: “This is the master of the worlds, a messenger of the Lord of the worlds, whom Allah will send as a mercy to the worlds.” Al-Tirmidhi graded the report hasan gharib, but scholars note a difficulty at its end, where Abu Bakr and Bilal are mentioned, so its details are treated with caution. The sirah books name the monk Bahira and put the trip at about twelve years old.
How the sources are used
Sources are chosen in this order: the Quran first, then the hadith collections of al-Bukhari and Muslim, and then other collections such as al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, an-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah and Malik. The sirah books, mainly Ibn Ishaq as transmitted by Ibn Hisham, are used only for details not found in the hadith, and these are marked as “recorded in the sirah books.” Dates in the Christian era are approximate, and hadith numbers follow the hadith library of this website.
Hadith numbers follow the hadith library on this site, and each source opens its hadith there. Details that are not in the hadith collections are marked as coming from the sirah books.
General information for learning, not a fatwa. For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar.