The Ancestry of Barrah bint Abd Al-Uzza

She is Barrah bint Abd Al-Uzza, the daughter of Uthman, the son of Abd Al-Dar, the son of Qusai. Barrah's mother is Umm Habib, the daughter of Asad, the son of Abd Al-Uzza, the son of Qusai. Umm Habib, Asad's daughter, is Barrah, the daughter of Awf, the son of Ubaid – referring to Ubaid, the son of Uwaij, the son of Adi, the son of Ka'b, the son of Luai.

The Birth of Prophet Muhammad

It is mentioned that when he (Abdullah – Prophet Muhammad's father) came to her after his royal possession, he had intercourse with her and she conceived the Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of God be upon him.

The Encounter with Waraqah’s Sister

He then left her and visited the woman who had spoken to him – the sister of Waraqah, Naufal's son, Asad's son, Abd Al-Uzza's son. She was in her council, so he seated himself beside her, and he stated to her, "Why don't you present to me today the thing you presented yesterday?"

She replied, "The light that was in you has left you, so I have no need of you today." It is claimed that she used to hear from her brother Waraqah, who had become Christian and followed the scriptures. Waraqah would say, "The Prophet of the Ismaelites is coming to this nation."

The Poetry of Ummu Qital bint Naufal

She (the sister of Waraqah) said in poetry, and her name is Ummu Qital bint Naufal, son of Asad:

"Now that you have wasted what you had...
It has left you and what came to you has departed
You left me while you squandered it...
there for someone else, so truth be with your affair
And don't think today, I'm alone! I wish...
I got an embryo from you, oh servant of your house
But those have occurred in the household of Zuhrah...
with it God will support the pious
Go with the house of Zuhrah wherever they may be...
and Aminah who carried a boy
You will see Al-Mahdi, when you see upon him...
and light that precedes him at the front."

Note: Squares (١٥٨, ١٥٩, ١٦٠, ١٦١, ١٦٢) indicate footnotes in the original text where variants or additional information is provided in marginal notes of different manuscripts.

Translation

She recited verses and said:

"All creation hopes for him unanimously ... He guides people as a leading Imam,
God purified him with a clear light ... His light dispelled our darkness,
Such is your Lord's creation when He adorns him ... Whether he journeys for a day or stays in place,
He guides the people of Mecca after their disbelief ... and then mandates fasting."

I said: And this thing that she heard from her brother regarding the characteristics of the Prophet peace be upon him. It is probable that she was also the wife of Abdullah along with Amina.

Notes

1. There's an assertion that she might have also been the wife of Abdullah, along with Amina. This is a singular narration without a chain of transmission, no logical proof to support it, and contradicts authentic hadiths. It has been circulated in biographies due to enemies of Islam inserting it, including Jews, Sabians, haters, and hypocrites amongst them. Despite the known rigor of historians in providing a chain of transmission and that all authentic reports are transmitted with a strong continuous chain, this narration has no chain, it is not continual and not ascribed.

2. In its text, and what it implies of the story of the woman who offered adultery to Abdullah while he was newly married, contradicts authentic hadiths about the purity and nobility of the lineage of Prophets, and that this purity, and this honor are proofs of their prophethood. The Prophet peace be upon him said: "Indeed, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, chose Bani Kinanah from the sons of Isma'il, and chose Quraysh from Bani Kinanah, and chose Bani Hashim from Quraysh, and chose me from Bani Hashim".

The Narration of the Story

We were informed by Abu Abdullah Al-Hafiz, he said: Abu Al-Abbas Ahmad bin Abdul Jabbar narrated to us; He said: Yunus bin Bukayr narrated to us through Muhammad bin Ishaq; he said: My father, Ishaq bin Yasar, told me: I was told that Abdullah bin Abdul Muttalib had a wife along with Amina, daughter of Wahb bin Abdi Manaf. He passed by his other wife after he was splattered with mud from some work he was doing; he called her to him, but she refused due to the mud. He washed off the mud and went intentionally to Amina. After that, his other wife invited him back to her, but he refused due to what she had previously done. He went to Amina and fulfilled his marital duty, then he went out and she tried to invite him back to her. She said, 'I no longer need you, you passed me by and there was a glow in between your eyes.'

Context of the Hadith

This hadith is found in Al-Tirmidhi and Musnad Ahmad, and it signifies that Allah purified him (the Prophet Muhammad) from the age of ignorance and its impurities. His father, Abdullah, was the spitting image of Abdul Muttalib, and if he had given time, he would have assumed the honors that were held by Abdul Muttalib. His motto throughout his life was, "As for the sacred, death is beneath it." He was even compared to a hermit.

Scrutiny of the Narrations

Can we trust such alleged narrations? After having been with Amina, his wife, he returned to the woman who had shown him what she had shown, and he asked her, "Why do you not show me what you showed me yesterday?" Reports are confused about the name of the woman; once she is a woman from Khuza'ah, once Umm Qatala - Waraqa bin Nawfal's sister, once she is Layla Al-A'idwiya, once she is a "reckless priestess from the people of Tubala", and once he was married to another woman other than Amina, and so on... This confusion is indicative of lies.

Analyzing the Poetry within the Narration

If we look at the poetry attributed to the woman in this report, we find it to be poor, fabricated poetry with a disturbed rhyme, and words are crammed in a clearly contrived manner, indicating fabrication.

Conclusion

In light of all this, this dubious report falls apart, and corroborating this fact is the statement of Ibn Ishaq, Al-Tabari, and others who transmitted the event in what they claimed - it is a false claim.

The Original Narrations

Chain of Transmission

Abdul-Muttalib's Encounter

Yahya bin Abdullah's Testimony

Yahya bin Abdullah bin Abd al-Rahman bin Asad bin Zurara said: "I was told by trustworthy men of my people, about Hassan bin Thabit who said, 'I was a youthful and intelligent boy of seven or eight, understanding everything I saw and heard."

The Proclamation in Yathrib

"One morning in Yathrib, a Jew began calling out: 'O assembly of Jews!' They gathered around him and I was listening. They asked him: 'Woe to you, what is the matter?' He replied: 'The star of Ahmad, whose birth was prophecized, has risen this night.'"

Misinterpretation in Yunus bin Bukayr's Narration

"In the narration from Yunus bin Bukayr, it is mentioned that the prophecy reveals the coming of a prophet. There is a mistake in this narration."

The Confirmation by Muhammad bin Ishaq

"The additional information in Qattan's narration comes from Muhammad bin Ishaq, who asked Said bin Abd al-Rahman bin Hassan: 'How old was Hassan when the Messenger of Allah arrived in Medina.' He replied: 'He was sixty years old.' Muhammad said: 'The Messenger of Allah arrived in Medina when he was fifty-three years old. Therefore, Hassan must have heard what he heard when he was seven years old.'"

Muhammad bin Abd Allah Al-Hafiz's Narration

"Muhammad bin Abd Allah al-Hafiz told us that Muhammad bin Ismail said: 'Muhammad bin Ishaq told us, and Abu Mubashir bin Hasan told us, that Yaqub bin Muhammad al-Zuhri told him, that Abd al-Aziz told us...'"

Corrections in The Text

"A number of corrections are mentioned for various parts of the text. For line (1.186), 'Abid Allah' is a mistake in scribing, and the correct term is 'Abdullah'. In line (1.187), 'nusibat' is an error in the manuscript. The phrase 'ma raaytu wa sami'tu' was confirmed by Ibn Hisham's Seerah (biography of the Prophet). Other corrections are suggested for lines (1.188) through (1.193)."

The Birth of the Prophet Muhammad

Ibn Imran said, "We were told by Abdullah, son of Uthman, son of Abi Sulaiman, son of Jubair, son of Mut'im, that his father had heard from Ibn Abi Suwaid Al-Thaqafi, who heard from Uthman bin Abu Al-Aas: My mother narrated to me that she witnessed the birth of Aamina, daughter of Wahb, the mother of Prophet Muhammad, Peace be upon Him (PBUH), on the night she gave birth. She said, everything in the house illuminated, and the stars seemed so near that she thought they might fall upon her.

Aamina's Story

Abu Abdullah Al-Hafiz narrated, saying, "We were told by Abu Al-Abbas, Muhammad bin Yaqub, who was informed by Ahmad bin Abdul Jabbar. Yunus bin Bukair narrated to us from Ibn Ishaq, he said: "Amina bint Wahb, the mother of the Prophet (PBUH), used to narrate that upon her conception of Muhammad (PBUH), she was told, 'Indeed you are bearing the leader of this nation. When he is born, say, 'I seek refuge for him in the One [i.e., Allah] ... from the envy of every envier. [195].'

The rest of the verses were recited as before [196]. She was told, 'Indeed, the sign of this will be that a light will emanate with him, filling the palaces of Busra in the land of Sham. When he is born, name him Muhammad, for his name in the Torah and the Gospel is 'Ahmed'."

Annotations

[194] This was mentioned by Al-Haythami in "Majma' al-Zawa'id" (8:220), attributed to Al-Tabarani, although Abd Al-Aziz bin Imran is considered unreliable. In the commentary of Al-Mawahib (1:163), it is mentioned: "The correct view is that his birth, peace, and blessings be upon him, was during the day, not the night."

[195] In (H): "From all the evil of the envier."

[196] In (H): "Proceeding."

The Birth and Naming of Prophet Muhammad

We received the narration from Abu Abdillah Al-Hafiz who said: Ahmad bin Kamil Al-Qadi narrated to me directly that Muhammad bin Ismail Al-Sulami told them [(204)], 'Abu Salih Abdullah bin Salih informed me, narrated to me by Muawiyah bin Salih, from Abi Al-Hakam Al-Tanukhi, who said:

"When a child was born among the Quraysh, they would hand him over to a woman of the Quraysh until dawn, who would swaddle him [(206)]. When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was born, Abd al Muttalib gave him to a woman to swaddle him, but when dawn came, they found that the swaddle cloth was split in two [(207)], and his eyes were open, gazing at the sky.

Abdul Muttalib came to them and they said to him: We have never seen a newborn like him. We found the swaddle cloth has torn away from him, and his eyes were open [(208)], intently gazing at the sky. He said to them: 'Take care of him for, I hope, he will achieve greatness one day.'

On the seventh day [(209)], he slaughtered a sacrifice on his behalf and invited the Quraysh. After they had eaten, they asked Abdul Muttalib: 'As you have honored us for your son, what have you named him?' He replied: 'I named him Muhammad.' They asked: 'Why did you depart [(210)] from the names of your household?' He replied: 'I wished that Allah, the exalted, would praise him in the heavens, and His creation on the earth [(211)].'"

Recorded in 'Tahdheeb Tarikh Dimashq al-Kabeer' (1:282), as quoted by Ibn Kathir in 'Al-Bidayah wa'n-Nihayah' (2:264)

Translation

Abu Abdullah the Hafiz informed us, saying: Abu Bakr, Muhammad [(212)] ibn Ahmad ibn Hatim Darabjirdi in Marw, told us: Abu Abdullah Booshanji informed us, saying: Abu Ayyub, Sulaiman ibn Salama Khba'iri said: Yunus ibn Ataa from [(213)] Othman ibn Rabiah ibn Ziad ibn Harith Sudaiy [(214)], in Egypt, informed us: Hakam ibn Aban, from Ikrimah, from Ibn Abbas, from his father Al-Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib, he said: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was born circumcised and joyous. His grandfather Abdul Muttalib was amazed by him and expressed his delight at his birth. He said: “This son of mine will surely accomplish great things”. And indeed, he did become very accomplished [(215)]. [(212)] is not in (H). [(213)] in (H): "Yunus ibn Ataa ibn Utman... ", and confirmed what is in (S). [(214)] in (H) and (H): Al-Saydani, and confirmed what is in (S). [(215)] The news was narrated by Ibn Sa'ad in the Tabakat (1: 103), and Ibn Asakir in the history of Damascus: Tahdhib Tarikh Dimashq al-Kabir (1: 282) and quoted by him in several instances, and it was transferred by Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir in "Al-Bidaya wa Al-Nihaya" (2:265). He said: "Its authenticity is subject to scrutiny". A- H.I said: And in its Sanad: "Sulaiman ibn Salama Al-Khabari" from Homs, who is dismissed in terms of Hadith. Ibn Al-Junayd said: “He used to lie, and no one narrated from him after this”, and Al-Nasai said: "He is nothing" and Ibn Adi said: "He has more than one disapproved Hadith". Al-Mizan (2: 210).