Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) was from the Bani Hashem clan and the Quraysh tribe. His father, Hazrat Abd al-Muttalib in his time was the Hujja (a single individual in any given human era who represents God’s “proof” to humanity) of God and the successor of the divine prophets. He was one of the best righteous servants of God, one of the highest worshipers, the spiritual scholar, and one of the saints of his time.
Abu Talib’s ancestors, up to Adam himself, were all pure and free from any spiritual pollution such as polytheism, sin, and transgression.
**Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.); God’s Hujja, Successor of Prophets**
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By: Hassan Talebian Sharif
Graduate of the Seminary of Mashhad
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Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.), the father of Imam Ali (a.s.), was not only Sayed Bat’ha, the head of the Quraysh tribe and the elder of the Mecca in his time but also one of the great spiritual and figures.
Akhtam ibn Saifi, who was one of the great Arab scholars and spiritual figures of that time, was asked, “Where did you learn all this knowledge and wisdom, patience, authority, and management?” He replied, “From being a student and companion of the man of patience and knowledge, the Sayed of Arabs and non-Arabs, Hazrat Abu Talib bin Abd al-Muttalib.”
Abu Talib (a.s.) had an international character and was associated with kings and great leaders of different countries. For example, he was a friend of Najashi (the king of Abyssinia). In the early days of Islam, when Muslims in Mecca were in grave danger to life and property and were tortured by the Mushrikeen (polytheists), they migrated to Abyssinia under the supervision of Abu Talib’s son, Ja’far ibn Abi Talib. Abu Talib (a.s.) also asked Najashi to support them. The request of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) was very effective. Asking Najashi, who was a Christian at the time, Abu Talib said, “Like the Moses and Jesus, Muhammad is the Prophet of God; believe in him!”. Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) addressed Najashi with the following poet:
لیعلم خیار الناس ان محمدا نبی کموسی والمسیح ابن مریم / اتی بالهدی مثل الذی اتیا به فکل بامرالله یهدی و یعصم
وانکم تتلونه فی کتابکم بصدق حدیث لاحدیث المبرج / فلا تجعلو لله ندا واسلمو فان الطریق الحق لیس مظلم
Translation: “Good people that Muhammad is like Moses and Jesus is the Prophet of God and each of them guides people by the command of God” and so on.
With the information that Abu Talib provided for Najashi and the explanations that Ja’far ibn Abi Talib gave to Najashi about Islam and the Prophet, Najashi became a Muslim and believed in the Prophet of Islam.
Abu Talib (a.s.) had the knowledge of the heavenly books of the prophets
Hazrat Abu Talib (p.b.u.h) was acquainted with the divine books of the prophets such as the Torah, the Bible, etc., and was aware of their truths. The great Jewish and Christian scholars as well as the great monks of that day knew his name, fame, and greatness and were aware that he was the uncle of the Prophet of Islam and the father of Imam Ali (a.s.), the successor of the Prophet Muhammad. The great Arab druids also knew this fact and told it to him. The great Christian scholar recognized the Prophet during a journey in which Abu Talib (p.b.u.h) went to the Levant for a business trip and the Prophet accompanied him as a child or teenager. He told Abu Talib, “He is the Prophet of the End of Time. Take him back from the Levant, because if the Christian scholars identify him, they may kill him.”
Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) was from the Bani Hashem clan and the Quraysh tribe. His father, Hazrat Abd al-Muttalib in his time was the Hujja (a single individual in any given human era who represents God’s “proof” to humanity) of God and the successor of the divine prophets. He was one of the best righteous servants of God, one of the highest worshipers, the spiritual scholar, and one of the saints of his time.
Abu Talib (a.s.) was a believer in the religion of Prophet Abraham and in his time, after his father and grandfather, was the elder of Mecca and the head of the Quraysh tribe. He explained, described, protected, and implemented the Sharia of the Prophet Abraham (a.s.) among the people of Hijaz and the Arabian Peninsula. He answered people’s religious questions. He called people to the monotheism and oneness of God and to his worship. During his lifetime, he never worshiped idols. He, his father, and all his ancestors up to Adam were not only monotheists and worshipers of God, but according to the narrations of the AhlulBayt (a.s.), they were saints.
Abu Talib’s grandparents, up to Adam himself, were all pure and free from any spiritual pollution such as polytheism and the pollution of sin and transgression.
The Great Events during Abd al-Muttalib’s lifetime
During the lifetime of Hazrat Abd al-Muttalib, Abrahah attacked the Kaaba. Hazrat Abd al-Muttalib told the people of Mecca to leave the city and he himself went to Abrahah and said, “My camels are lost. Return them to me.” Abraha said, “I thought you are a great Arab and a wise man and you are asking to prevent the destruction of the Kaaba. If you made this request, I would comply.” Hazrat Abd al-Muttalib replied, “No! I own the camels and I protect them, and the Kaaba has an owner who protects it himself.” Hazrat Abd al-Muttalib took back his camels and left. Abrahah tried to attack the Kaaba, and the divine punishment descended on them. Surah Fil has been revealed in the Holy Quran in this regard.
Hazrat Abd al-Muttalib was married in his youth but had no children. He vowed that if God provided him with ten sons, he would sacrifice one in the way of God, and apparently, this vow was permissible in the Sharia of Prophet Abraham (a.s.). When God provided him with 10 sons, he decided to fulfill his vow. He cast lots among his children and came to the name Abdullah (father of the Prophet Muhammad). He drew lots several times and came in the name of Abdullah and tried to slaughter him, and with the mediation of some people, it was decided to draw lots between him and the camels. Hazrat Abd al-Muttalib continued to cast lots until he reached 100 camels and sacrificed them to Abdullah. In this way, Abdullah, the father of the Prophet and the brother of Hazrat Abu Talib, was saved from being sacrificed.
This incident was never forgotten by the brothers of Abdullah, especially Hazrat Abu Talib. The Prophet Muhammad said, “I am the son of two sacrifices: Hazrat Ismail (his ancestor) and my father Abdullah.” Abd al-Muttalib instructed his children to support Muhammad (p.b.u.h) as much as possible because he will soon become a great person and will have a bright future. He knew that Prophet Muhammad ibn Abdullah was the great prophet to whom the prophets and divine messengers had given the blessing news and were waiting for his blessed arrival. Naturally, Abdul Muttalib told this truth to his children and wives who could accept this event. Including his wife and his children Abdullah, Abu Talib, Zubair, and Abbas.
Abu Talib (a.s.), waiting for the birth of the Prophet and his guardian
He prepared the ground for Abdullah to marry Amina bint Wahb. The result of this marriage was the birth of the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h). Everyone was happy with the birth of this child. Hazrat Abd al-Muttalib was very happy to see the birth of the Prophet. Hazrat Abu Talib and his wife Fatemeh bint Asad were also very happy because everyone was waiting for the arrival of the best divine prophet. On the night that the Holy Prophet was born, Hazrat Fatemeh bint Asad was at the house of Amina bint Wahb.
Hazrat Abd al-Muttalib, who believed in Hazrat Abraham Sharia and was the Hujja of God in the area of Mecca and its surroundings, was in charge of protecting the Prophet, and because the Prophet’s father died before his birth, the issue became more sensitive and responsibility become more difficult. Abd al-Muttalib, the nobleman, supported the Prophet and his mother Amina bint Wahb and officially took custody of the Prophet. He always took care of him. According to some narrations, the prophet was a newborn baby when his mother also died, and the Prophet lost both his father and mother and became an orphan. Being an orphan was very difficult for the Prophet and Hazrat Abd al-Muttalib and Hazrat Abu Talib knew this. Therefore, they tried not to cause the slightest feeling of discomfort to the prophet who is the highest prophet, and not to be bothered by anyone. The Prophet was 8 years old when Hazrat Abd al-Muttalib, the elder of Mecca, the chieftain of the Quraysh tribe, and the greatest supporter of the Prophet died at the age of 120 in Mecca. Before his death, he instructed his children to support the Prophet and officially entrusted the custody of the Prophet to Abu Talib.
Prophet in the House of Abu Talib
Abu Talib and Abdullah, the father of the Prophet, were from the same mother and loved each other very much. Abdullah died at the young age of 25 before he saw his son, the Prophet of Islam, and his wife, Amina bint Wahb, died shortly afterward. Abu Talib, who felt that his nephew was lonely and orphaned, was extremely interested in him so that he would not feel the loss of his father, and Hazrat Fatemeh bint Assad also tried to fill his loss as much as possible so that he would feel less missing his mother. The Prophet, who had not experienced the love of his parents, felt safe and happy with his noble uncle. He somewhat forgot about not having parents. The Prophet honored these two nobles as his parents and expressed love, devotion, humility, and obedience to them.
The marriage of Hazrat Abu Talib and Hazrat Fatemeh bint Asad and their children
The Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) grew up in Abu Talib’s house. In his adolescence, he went on a business trip with his uncle to the Levant. The Prophet was young and at the age of 25 when Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) thought of his marriage. To do this, Abu Talib (a.s.) paved the way for a lucrative business trip for the Prophet (p.b.u.h). Abu Talib (a.s.) first talked to Hazrat Khadijah (a.s.) and as a Mudaraba (a trust financing method in Islam) deal, he borrowed the commercial capital for the Prophet (p.b.u.h) from Khadijah (a.s.). The Prophet (p.b.u.h) went on this business trip and returned to Mecca with great economic gain. Hazrat Khadija (a.s.), who knew that the Prophet was adorned with all good traits, tended to marry him. Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) also considered Khadija worthy of being a wife for the Prophet (p.b.u.h) in every way, and he became aware of the Prophet’s tendency for her. On behalf of the Prophet (p.b.u.h), Abu Talib (a.s.) proposed to Hazrat Khadija (a.s.) and after receiving the consent, he recited the marriage sermon of these two nobles.
The Prophet’s Bi’thah (first revelation) and Abu Talib’s support
Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.), who believed that Muhammad (p.b.u.h) was the great prophet of God, believed in him from the very beginning. But he hid his faith in the presence of the polytheists so that he could defend the Prophet against them. He supported the prophethood and mission of the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) with all his might, and in this way, he did not hesitate to spend money, sacrifice his life, honor, etc.
The polytheists of Mecca repeatedly tried to kill the Prophet (p.b.u.h), and asked Abu Talib (a.s.) to hand over the Prophet to them in order to kill him. But Abu Talib (a.s.) refused so much that the polytheists decided to kill the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) secretly. Therefore, Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) and all the Bani Hashim took refuge in the She’b (valley) of Abu Talib and spent 3 years in complete difficulty and restriction.
To save the life of the Prophet (p.b.u.h), Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) took security precautions and changed the location of the Prophet (p.b.u.h). He even said to his son, Imam Ali (a.s.), “You should change your bed with the Prophet so that the life of the Prophet is safe”, and many of these situations happened. After a while, the siege of Abi Talib She’b (valley) ended, and Bani Hashim was released from the siege. But a short time later, Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) passed away.
Opinion of Sunni scholar, Ibn Abi’l-Hadid, on Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.)
Ibn Abi al-Hadid, the great Mu'tazilite Sunni scholar, says:
و لو لا ابو طالب و ابنه لما مثل الدین شخصا فقاما
فذاک بمکه اوی و حامی و هذا بیثرب جس الحماما
“Had it not been for Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) and his son, Imam Ali (a.s.), the religion of Islam would not have been established. Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) defended the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h) until the end of his life in Mecca, and Imam Ali (a.s.) defended him until the end of his life in Medina.”
Demise of Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.)
On the 26th of Rajab, the 10th year after the Be’that – (619 AD) 3 years before the migration of the Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) to Medina - Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) passed away. According to the order of the Prophet, he was bathed, the Honoot performed for his body and shrouded, and after the funeral prayer on the body of this friend of God, he was buried in the cemetery of Hajjun in Mecca. The Prophet, who was deeply moved and saddened by his death, and attended his funeral and burial, addressed his noble uncle, “You protected me as a child and supported me as an adult, and ...”
According to one narration, 3 days and according to another narration, 35 days after the demise of Abu Talib (a.s.), Umm Al-Mu'minin, Hazrat Khadija Kobra (a.s.) passed away. The Holy Prophet (p.b.u.h) was very saddened by the demise of these two love ones, and after the demise of these two people, he scarcely left the house. Therefore, this year was called “Aam al-Huzn” (Year of Sorrow). With the demise of Abu Talib (a.s.), the supporter of the Prophet (p.b.u.h), the polytheists of Mecca increased their pressure on the Prophet. The Prophet (p.b.u.h) said, “As long as Hazrat Abu Talib (a.s.) was alive and supporting me, the polytheists were afraid of him, and after his demise, they increased the pressure on me.” Then God Almighty commanded, “Leave Mecca, because your supporter, Abu Talib (a.s.), has passed away.”
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References:
1. Muntahi al-Amal; The late Allameh Haj Sheikh Abbas Qomi, Chapter One (Life of the Prophet of Islam).
2. Moniya al-Ragheb fi Iman Abi Talib; Ayatollah Sheikh Mohammad Reza Tabasi (Hojat al-Islam Eshtehardi translated and published this book under the name of “Abu Talib, the only defender of Islam, the believer of Quraysh”).
3. Hayat Al-Qulub; Allameh Majlisi, Volume 2 (Life of the Prophet of Islam).
4. Bihar al-Anwar; Allameh Majlisi, Volume 36 (Life of Imam Ali (a.s.))
