Why was Prophet Muhammad’s Father Called “Abdullah”?

It appears there is some confusion on this issue as Prophet Muhammad’s father’s name (Abdullah) meant the “slave of Allah” – questions have been asked as to why the name Allah was known BEFORE Islam was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (p).

Typically, our Christian missionary friends have been spinning this as to mean Allah was a pagan god as the pagan Arabs knew of the word “Allah” before the coming of the Prophet and Islam.

Highlighting ignorance…

This simply highlights the Christian missionary’s/critic’s ignorance as the word Allah was initially used in a monotheistic sense by Ishmael (son of Abraham) and those of his followers. However, with time, these Arabs later slipped into paganism which ultimately led to the Arabs of Mecca leaving the pure belief of Allah being the ONLY God by making Allah a high god of their pantheon of gods.

The Prophet Muhammad (p) brought the Arabs back onto the worship of Allah alone with the introduction of Islam – the same beliefs Ishmael (p) introduced to Arabia.

A brief history of Meccan-Arab religious practice

We know that the word “Allah” was in use before the time of Prophet Muhammed (pbuh). If we read Ar-Raheeq ul-Makhtum we realise that the early Arabs did believe in Allah as the Only God. This is dated all the way back to the time of Prophet Ishmael (p) who resided in Makkah (Mecca) and learned Arabic as well as settling there [1]. He preached the message of pure monotheism; “Most of the Arabs had complied with the call of Ishmael and professed the religion of his father Abraham. They worshipped Allah, professed His Oneness and followed His religion...” [2].

This shows that Allah was known as the Only God, just like the Muslims believe Him to be. Indeed Abraham and Ishmael (pbut) are considered to be Muslims, i.e. those who had submitted to the Will of the Only God, Allah.

How paganism was introduced after Ishmael and Abraham (pbut)

The issue of paganism came into the equation as the Arabs forgot this pure monotheism which was taught by Ishmael and his followers. The idolatry was originated from the actions of a man named Amr bin Luhai, he was known as a devoted and righteous man, well respected by his peers. However, after a trip away from Mecca he saw idol-worship in Syria.

Upon his return to the Meccans he introduced idol worship to the Meccans by bringing an idol named Hubal back from Syria and this resulted in the spread of a great many idols across Mecca.

They now (wrongly) believed Allah to be the high god of many gods

Despite the Meccan pagans’ acceptance of idols they still proclaimed belief in Allah in the sense that they saw Allah as the High God but used the idols as ‘lesser deities’ whom they believed “could intercede before Allah for the fulfilment of their wishes” [4].

Quite simply they had a pantheon of ‘gods’ but believed that Allah was the High God of their pantheon. [6]

The theory of Allah being considered as a High God is backed by Ar-Raheequl-Maktoum, Karen Armstrong [6] and W. M. Watt [7].

Effectively over the years they changed their belief in Allah, from the belief that Allah was the Only God (the Abrahamic teachings) to the belief that Allah was the High God of their many deities (pagan/polytheistic teachings).

There were 360 different idols, belonging to the pagans of Mecca, around the Ka’bah when Prophet Muhammed took charge of Mecca. These idols were subsequently broken, removed and burned under the authority of Prophet Muhammed [3].

Prophet Muhammad’s father - Abdullah

Another source that attests to the fact that the pre-Islamic Arabs used the name Allah and held a ‘belief’ in Him is the genealogy of Prophet Muhammed, his father’s name was actually Abdullah (meaning servant of Allah) [5]. Interestingly enough, some of these pagan Arabs believed that Allah was the same God that the Jews and Christians worshipped [6]

Prophet Muhammad reintroduces Abrahamic monotheism

In 610 CE, the Prophet Muhammad began to call the pagan Arabs back to the pure monotheism which was taught by Abraham and Ishmael centuries earlier. By 632 CE the Meccan Arabs had given up their idols and returned back to pure monotheism – believing in Allah as the only god.

1. Ar-Raheequl-Makhtum by Safi-ur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri, Darussalam, 2002 pg 26-28
2. Ibid pg 45
3. Ibid pg 45-46
4. Ibid 46
5. Ibid 63
6. Islam a Short History by Karen Armstrong, Phoenix Press, 2001, pg 3
7. What Is Islam by W.Montgomery Watt, Longman Group, Second Edition, 1979, pg 47

Related:

History of paganism in Arabia

Ancient Arab Pagan Claims

Allah is not a moon god

Sharia Law against terrorism

 

Christians having dreams and converting to Islam

 

Learn about Islam:

http://www.thedeenshow.com

Email: yahyasnow@yahoo.co.uk

Refuting a False Claim Against Muhammad's Parentage

An Ignorant, Malicious and False Claim has been made against the Parentage of the Prophet Muhammad
An erroneous allegation (by an Islamophobe) has been which claims Muhammad’s father is unknown as his mother had an affair with “somebody” after the death of her husband (Abdullah), the claimant also alleges Muhammed was born four years after the death of Abdullah.

In an act of responsibility it would be wise to state this article is not written due to dispute concerning the parentage of the Prophet Muhammed. It is agreed upon by historians, genealogists and theologians alike that the parents of Muhammad were Amina and Abdullah. It is consensus amongst all authorities, there has never been dispute, controversy or any complexity related to this subject amongst authorities

Then, Why Produce an Article proving the Parentage of Muhammad?
It is a pre-emptive article to ensure false claims do not gain credence on the internet, after all, the internet is a place where malicious and misinformed claims flourish if good people sit on their hands.

ALL scholarly authority agree upon Amina and Abdullah being the parents of Muhammad, thus a claim on the contrary would be inaccurate and odd, to say the least. So this article proving the parentage of Muhammad is simply written in order to prevent false information being spread by Islamophobes on the internet

NOTE: Abdullah can be written as “Abd’Allah” and Amina can be written as Aminah


Authority tells us Abdullah (Abd’Allah) was the Father of Muhammad

The quickest way to show the Islamophobe’s claim to be false is to prove Muhammad’s father was Abdullah

Let us look at scholarly authority, Ibn Kathir confirms Muhammad’s father to be Abdullah

Ibn Kathir states “he (Muhammad) was the son of Abd’Allah who was in turn the son of his father Abd’al Muttalib” [1]

So Ibn Kathir, a classical expert in the life of Muhammad, states Muhammad’s father was Abdullah

What do the Genealogies tell us?
To further point to expertise and the unanimous agreement amongst scholars concerning Muhammad being the son of Abdullah and Amina we can look to the genealogies.

Ibn Hisham and al Tabari both confirm Muhammad as the “son of Abdullah” whilst giving a list of his genealogy [2] [3]

The genealogy in A Chronology of Islamic History confirms Abdullah as the father of Muhammad and Amina as Muhammad’s mother. [4]

Other Biographers Confirm Abdullah and Amina to be the Parents of Muhammad

Al Mubarakpuri mentions the accepted fact of Abdullah being “the father of Muhammad”. [5]

Karen Armstrong names Muhammad’s father as Abdullah [6] [7]

Quite simply there has never been a dispute related to the parentage of Muhammad in scholarly circles as all the authorities have always been in agreement on Abdullah being the father of Muhammad. This clearly illustrates the Islamophobe claiming otherwise is wrong, badly wrong.

Did Abdullah Marry Amina? Yes.
Al Mubarakpuri confirms this by telling us the grandfather of Muhammad (Abdul Muttalib) chose Aminah, daughter of Wahb bin Abd Manaf bin Zuhra bin Kilab as a wife for his son, Abdullah. [8]

He goes further and informs us “they were married in Makkah, and soon after Abdullah was sent by his father” on a trade journey to either Madina or Syria (two versions) [8]

Another biographer, Yahiya Emerick, informs us of Amina telling of signs of pregnancy after Abdullah left for the trade journey. [9]

Abdullah Passed Away Whilst on a Trade Journey

On the way back from this trade journey, Muhammad’s father passed away [10]. Karen Armstrong writes “Muhammad’s father Abdullah died before Muhammad was born”.
“Most historians state his (Abdullah’s) death was two months before the birth of Muhammad. Some others state his death was two or more months after the Prophet’s birth” [10]

Muhammad also told us his father was Abdullah (Abd’Allah)

Muhammad told us who his father was Abdullah (Abd’Allah) whilst giving his genealogy to us:

“I am Muhammad son of Abd’Allah bin Abd’Muttalib bin Hashim bin Abd’Manaf…"(he went on to give mention to his forefathers all the way up to and including bin Nizar) [11]

In the same narration Muhammad tells us: “I was the product of true marriage, not fornication, right down from Adam to my father and mother”. [12]

Ibn Kathir lists other supporting narrations saying the same thing [13]

So what we have here is Muhammad confirming his parentage; i.e. his father is Abdullah and he was a product of true marriage thus any claims of him being born four years after the death of his father (Abdullah) are erroneous (false) and any claims of his mother (Amina) having an affair which bore Muhammed is shown to be erroneous too.


All Muhammad’s contemporaries considered him to be the son of Abdullah

Muhammad’s mother passed away whilst he was a young boy and he then “lived with his grandfather Abdul Muttalib” [14]. Thus everybody saw Abd al Muttalib as Muhammad’s grandfather and therefore considered Abdullah as the father of Muhammad as Abdullah was the son of Abdul Muttalib.

After the passing on of his grandfather; “Muhammad went to live with his uncle Abu Talib” [15]. Abu Talib was the brother of Abdullah. Once again, this shows us the community and the family of Muhammad considered Muhammad to be the son of Abdullah.
Muhammad’s Enemies Confirm Abdullah to be his Father
Whilst agreeing the contract/treaty of Hudaibiyah the Prophet initially wanted his name signed as “Muhammad, the messenger of Allah” but his enemies disagreed and wanted him to use his own name and the name of his father and thus the treaty was signed with the name “Muhammad, the son of Abdullah” [16]. Thus showing even the enemies of Muhammad considered Abdullah to be the father of Muhammad.

I merely mention these extra points to further illustrate there was no disagreement concerning the parentage of Muhammad, everybody knew his mother to be Aminah and his father to be Abdullah.
Looking at the False Claim
Having presented all the incontrovertible evidence we can look at the false claim made by ONE dubious missionary/Islamophobe. Before doing so it is worth noting this “missionary” has a history of falsehood and is infamous for making up his own Biblical verses, such is his lack of regard for accuracy and honesty!

The Islamophobe wants us to believe Muhammad’s father is not Abdullah

We have already seen Abdullah being confirmed as the father of Muhammad by authorities such as al Mubarakpuri, Ibn Hisham and Ibn Kathir

Ibn Kathir states “he (Muhammad) was the son of Abd’Allah who was in turn the son of his father Abd’ al Muttalib”.

So the missionary/Islamophobe is simply making stuff up.

The Islamophobe claims Muhammad was born four years after the death of Abdullah

Well, we have already stated:

"Most historians state his (Abdullah’s) death was two months before the birth of Muhammad (p). Some others state his death was two or more months after the Prophet’s birth." [10]

So the missionary is making stuff up. NOBODY believes he was born four years after the death of his father, Abdullah.

The Islamophobe claims Muhammad was born due to an affair on the part of Aminah

It is depressing to note this “man” (the Islamophobe) would make such a claim against a lady’s honour without any regard for truth or decency. Such is this “man’s” nature

As we have seen every authority recognises Abdullah (the husband of Amina) to be the father of Muhammad and thus proves Amina is free from wrong doing. However, the defence of Amina also comes through Al Kalbi who studied Muhammad’s maternal ancestors (including Amina). Al Kalbi confirms Amina did not have an affair

Al Kalbi who investigated the maternal genealogy of Muhammad (including Amina) found no fornication in any one of them:

Muhammad bin Sa’d said, Hisham bin Muhammad al Kalbi informed us from his father who said “ I wrote out some 500 maternal ancestors for the Prophet(p) and found fornication in NOT one of them nor anything related to “the evil ways) of the Jahaliyya” [17]

So the Islamophobe is making claims without any investigation. If he had looked into matters before making his malicious and ignorant claims he would have noted Muhammad’s confirmation of being from a “true marriage” [12] as well as the other evidence presented such as the findings from Al Kalbi’s investigations

I would advise this Islamophobe to stop in his attempts to malign the good name of past personalities. Wrongly accusing a lady of adultery is not a matter to be taken lightly; this Islamophobe should rethink his ways and incorporate integrity into his raison d’être

The Islamophobe’s Strange Mind
The Islamophobe makes other bizarre and unsupported claims.

This Islamophobe also claims Muhammad made a story up about a woman being pregnant for four years and delivering the child in the fourth year which was born with teeth and hair!

The Islamophobe goes further and claims Muhammad made this story up because he was born four years after the death of Abdullah. The Islamophobe suggests Muhammad made the story up to convince people he was not the offspring of an affair.

These pronouncements are quite clearly the product of a debauched mind.

Muhammad was not born four years after the death of his father (Abdullah); this is quite clearly shown above. We do not need to repeat ourselves as we have already dealt with such an erroneous claim
Muhammad’s father has been shown to be Abdullah, thus Amina had no affair and Muhammad was not the offspring of an affair.As for the story about a child being in a woman’s womb for four years, scholars confirm it to be a fabrication (i.e. a false or made up story). This story was made up by somebody AFTER the Prophet Muhammad passed away, so Muhammad did not make this story up. Somebody needs to pass this information on to the ignorant Islamophobe.
Yahya ibn Abi Kathir said:
“Studying Sacred Knowledge is a prayer”
May Allah's peace and blesseing be upon Muhammad and all the other Prophets

Contact: yahyasnow@hotmail.com

Appendix 1

This Islamophobe is caught lying and making up his own biblical verse:http://yahyasnow.wordpress.com/2010/07/15/code-of-quran-prove-christ/

It now appears the Islamophobe was copying Zakaria Butrus:http://www.rasoulallah.net/v2/document.aspx?lang=en&doc=2174








References

[1] Life of the Prophet Muhammad, Ibn Kathir, translated by Professor Trevor Le Gassick, Garnet Publishing Ltd, 1998, Volume 1, pg 131

[2] Ibn Hisham 1/1-2

[3]`Tarikh al Tabari 2/239-271

[4] A Chronology of Islamic History, Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd, 1998, pg 10-12

[5] Ar-Raheequl-Makhtum by Safi-ur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri, Darussalam, 2002 pg 68

[6] Islam: A Short History, Karen Armstrong, Phoenix Press 2001 pg3

[7] Muhammad: Prophet for our Time, Karen Armstrong, Harper Press, 2006 pg 35-36

[8] Ar-Raheequl-Makhtum by Safi-ur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri, Darussalam, 2002 pg 69-70

[9] Muhammad, Yahiya Emerick, Alpha Books, 2002, pg 21-22

[10] Ar-Raheequl-Makhtum by Safi-ur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri, Darussalam, 2002 pg 70

[11] Life of the Prophet Muhammad, Ibn Kathir, translated by Professor Trevor Le Gassick, Garnet Publishing Ltd, 1998, Volume 1, pg 135

[12] Ibid

[13] Ibid pg 135-136

[14] Muhammad: Prophet for our Time, Karen Armstrong, Harper Press, 2006 pg 36

[15] Ibid

[16] Ar-Raheequl-Makhtum by Safi-ur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri, Darussalam, 2002 pg 404

[17] Life of the Prophet Muhammad, Ibn Kathir, translated by Professor Trevor Le Gassick, Garnet Publishing Ltd, 1998, Volume 1, pg 136