Book: Siyar A'lam An-Nubala by Ad-Dhahabi - سير أعلام النبلاء ـ الإمام الذهبي

In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful

And with His help do we seek assistance

[The Lineage of the Master of Humankind]

Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), Abu al-Qasim, the leader of the messengers and the seal of the prophets.

He is Muhammad, son of Abdullah, son of Abdul-Muttalib, whose name was Shaybah, son of Hashim, whose name was Amr, son of Abd Manaf, whose name was Al-Mughirah, son of Qusayy, whose name was Zayd, son of Kilab, son of Murrah, son of Ka’b, son of Lu'ay, son of Ghalib, son of Fihr, son of Malik, son of al-Nadhr, son of Kinanah, son of Khuzaymah, son of Mudrikah, whose name was 'Amir, son of Ilyas, son of Mudar, son of Nizar, son of Ma'ad, son of Adnan. Adnan is unanimously acknowledged to be one of the descendants of Isma'il, son of Ibrahim - peace and blessings be upon them and upon our Prophet.

However, there is a difference in opinion regarding the forefathers between Adnan and Isma'il (1). It is said that there are nine ancestors between them, others say seven, similar statements are reported from various groups. Nevertheless, there is disagreement about the names of some of the ancestors. Some state that there are fifteen forefathers between them, while others say there are forty, which seems improbable, though some Arab groups have reported this.

As for 'Urwah ibn al-Zubayr, he said, "We have found no one who knows what lies beyond Adnan and Qahtan except through speculation."

And from Ibn Abbas, it is reported that there are thirty ancestors between Ma'ad ibn Adnan and Isma'il, as mentioned by Hisham ibn al-Kalbi, the genealogist, from his father, from Abu Salih, from Ibn Abbas. However, Hisham and his father are considered unreliable (2).

And it is narrated with this chain of transmission that when the Prophet (ﷺ) reached Adnan, he would stop and say: