The Expeditions. Maʿmar ibn Rāshid

وسلّم.

      ١ مم: نصطت؛ بد: تصطاد.

      ٢ مم: فزوجته.

      After this, ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib married several women, and ten sons were born to him, a full troop. “O Lord,” he said, “I gave You my oath that I would sacrifice one of them. I shall cast lots for them,¹³ so choose in this way whomever You will.” He cast lots between them, and the lot fell upon ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, who was the most beloved of all his children, so he said, “O Lord, which is more desirous to You, he or a hundred camels?” He cast lots between his son and a hundred camels, and the lot fell upon the hundred camels. Thus, ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib sacrificed the camels in ʿAbd Allāh’s stead.¹⁴

      Now ʿAbd Allāh was the finest-looking man ever seen among the Quraysh, and one day when he passed by some Qurashī women gathered together, one of the women said, “O ladies of Quraysh! Which of you shall be wedded to this young man?”—and the light between his eyes shimmered, for light shone from between them.¹⁵ Thus it was that Āminah bint Wahb ibn ʿAbd Manāf ibn Zuhrah was wedded to him. He consummated the union and took her maidenhead, whereupon she became pregnant with the Messenger of God.

      1.1.4

      ثمّ بعث عبد المطّلب عبد الله بن عبد المطّلب يمتار له تمرًا من يثرب، فتوفّي عبد الله بها. وولدت آمنة رسول الله صلّى الله عليه وسلّم. فكان في حجر عبد المطّلب، فاسترضعه امرأة من بني سعد بن بكر.

      فنزلت به الّتي ترضعه سوق عكاظ. فرآه كاهن من الكهّان، فقال: يا أهل عكاظ! اقتلوا هذا الغلام! فإنّ له ملكًا! فراعت به أمّه الّتي ترضعه، فنجاه اللهُ.

      ثمّ شبّ عندها حتّى إذا سعى وأخته من الرضاعة تحضنه. فجاءت^١ أخته من أمّه الّتي ترضعه، فقالت: أي أمّتاه! إنّي رأيتُ رهطًا أخذوا أخي آنفًا، فشقّوا بطنه! فقامت أمّه الّتي ترضعه فزعةً حتّى أتـته. فإذا هو جالس منتقعًا لونه. لا ترى عنده أحدًا.

      فارتحلت به حتّى أقدمته على أمّه. فقالت لها: اقبضي عنّي ابنك، فإنّي قد خشيت عليه. فقالت أمّه: لا، والله ما بابني ممّا^٢ تخافين. لقد رأيت وهو في بطني أنّه خرج نور منّي أضاءت منه قصور الشام. ولقد ولدته حين ولدته، فـخرّ معتمدًا على يديه رافعًا رأسه إلى السماء.

      فافتصلته أمّه وجدّه عبد المطّلب. ثمّ توفّيت أمّه. فيتم^٣ في حجر جدّه، فكان، وهو غلام، يأتي وسادة جدّه فيجلس عليها، فيُخرج جدَّه وقد كبِر، فتقول الجارية الّتي تقوده: انزل عن وسادة جدّك! فيقول عبد المطّلب: دعي ابني فإنّه محسن^٤ بخير.

      ١ بد؛ مم: فجاءته.

      ٢ بد ؛ ساقطة من مم.

      ٣ بد ؛ مم: فهم. ولعلّ المقصود في مم: فهو.

      ٤ مم؛ بد: يحسّ.

      Later ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib sent ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib to transport dates for him from Yathrib. ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib passed away while in Yathrib, and Āminah gave birth to the Messenger of God. He was placed in the custody of ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib and nursed by a woman from the Saʿd ibn Bakr clan.

      On one occasion, his milch-mother¹⁶ brought him to the market of ʿUkāẓ. One of the diviners¹⁷ saw him and said, “O people of ʿUkāẓ!—kill this boy! For he is destined to rule over us!” His milch-mother became frightened for him, but God delivered him.

      The Prophet spent his boyhood in her house,¹⁸ and when he began to walk, his milch-sister was charged with looking after him. Once his milch-sister came and cried, “O mother! I just now saw a band of men take my brother and split open his abdomen!”¹⁹ Terrified, his milch-mother rose up and rushed to him; however, he merely sat there, white with fright, and she saw no one else with him.

      She then set out with him so that she could present him to his mother. His milch-mother said to her, “Take your son from me, for I am afraid for his sake.” “No, by God,” said his mother, “there is no reason to be afraid for my son. While he was in my womb, I saw a vision: a light shone forth from me that illuminated the palaces of Syria.²⁰ I gave birth to him, and right after he was born, he prostrated himself by leaning on his hands and lifting his head toward the heavens.”

      His mother and grandfather ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib had him weaned from his milch-mother, and soon thereafter his mother passed away. The Prophet thus became an orphan in the custody of his grandfather. While he was still a boy, he would march up to his grandfather’s cushion and sit on it, pushing his grandfather off. His grandfather had grown quite old with age, and the slave girl who looked after ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib would say, “Get down from your grandfather’s cushion!” But ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib would reply, “Leave my boy be, for it suits the lad.”

      1.1.5

      ثمّ توفّي جدّه ورسول الله صلّى الله عليه وسلّم غلامٌ، فكفله أبو طالب وهو أخو عبد المطّلب لأبيه وأمّه. فلمّا ناهز الحلم، ارتحل به أبو طالب تاجرًا قبل الشام. فلمّا نزلا تيماء، رآه حبر من يهود تيماء.^١ فقال لأبي طالب: ما هذا الغلام منك؟

      فقال: هو ابن أخي.

      قال له: أشفيق أنت عليه؟

      قال: نعم.

      قال: فوالله لئن قدمت به إلى الشام لا تصل به إلى أهلك أبدًا ليقتلنّه! إنّ هذا عدوّهم!

      فرجع أبو طالب من تيماء إلى مكّة.

      ١ بد؛ مم: تميم.

      While the Messenger of God was still a boy, his grandfather also passed away, and his uncle Abū Ṭālib, the full brother of ʿAbd Allāh, became his guardian. When the Prophet attained puberty, Abū Ṭālib traveled with him to Syria to trade, but when they arrived in the oasis of Taymāʾ a rabbi from the Jews of Taymāʾ saw him. The rabbi said to Abū Ṭālib, “This young man isn’t your son, is he?”

      “He’s my brother’s son,” Abū Ṭālib replied.