The Prophet’s family is known as the Hashemite family, attributed to his ancestor Hāshim ibn ʿAbd Manāf. Below is some information about Hāshim and those who came after him.
Hāshim —whose real name was ʿAmr— was a wealthy and noble man of great honor. He was responsible for providing water (siqāyah) and food (rifādah) to the pilgrims among the descendants of ʿAbd Manāf.
He was called “Hāshim” (“the one who crumbles bread”) because he was the first to prepare tharīd (a dish of bread mixed with meat and broth) for his people in Mecca and feed them. He was also the first to organize the two Quraysh trade journeys, one in winter and one in summer.
During the pilgrimage, he would generously feed the pilgrims, offering them bread, meat, butter, roasted flour, and dates, and provide them with water at Mina, Muzdalifah, and ʿArafah until they departed.
Hāshim had four sons: Shaybah (Abdul-Muttalib), Asad, Abu Sayfī, and Naḍlah.
After al-Muṭṭalib ibn ʿAbd Manāf passed away, his nephew ʿAbdul-Muṭṭalib took over the duties of providing water and food to the pilgrims. He maintained these traditions faithfully and achieved an honor among his people that none of his ancestors had reached.
He was deeply loved by the Quraysh, who called him “Shaybah al-Ḥamd” (“the man of much praise”). He was also known as “al-Fayyāḍ” (“the generous”) and “the feeder of the birds of the sky,” because he would place leftover food from his table on the mountain tops for birds and wild animals.
One narration that highlights his generosity is reported by Imām Ahmad and al-Ṭaḥāwī:
Before converting to Islam, Ḥuṣayn, the father of ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn, said to the Prophet ﷺ:
“O Muhammad, your grandfather ʿAbdul-Muṭṭalib was better to his people than you are — he used to feed them with liver and hump meat.”
The two most important events in ʿAbdul-Muṭṭalib’s life were:
