ABSTRACT
Muhammad b. ‘Abdállah, the founder of Islam, was born in Mecca in 570 in the clan of Banu Háshim, which was part of the Quraysh tribe. Although the Banu Háshim were respected by the rest of the Quraysh tribe, they lacked the wealth of its more prosperous clans, such as the Banu Umáyya and Banu Makhzúm. Muhammad’s father died before the birth of his son. When he was six or seven years of age, Muhammad’s mother also died, leaving him in the care of his grandfather ‘Abd al-Muttálib.1 This sad circumstance is mentioned in the Qur’an (93:6-8); in a tribal society where man’s worth was often measured by the strength of his male relatives, orphanage was a major disadvantage. After the death of his grandfather, he was brought up by his uncle Abu Tálib, who taught him the trade of a caravan-driver. During one of their visits to Syria with a Meccan caravan, a Christian monk reportedly recognized in Muhammad the future prophet predicted by the Judeo-Christian scriptures.
