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Abū Ṭālib ibn ‘Abdu’l-Muṭṭalib (Template:ArB) (d. 619) known as Abū Ṭālib, was married to Fatima bint Asad and was an uncle of Muhammad and raised and supported the future prophet while he was a young man.

He was a son of Shaiba ibn Hashim and Fatimah bint Amr, thus a full brother of Muhammad's father Abd-Allah ibn Abd-al-Muttalib, who had died before Muhammad's birth. Abu Talib took care of Muhammad after the death of Aminah bint Wahab, Muhammad's mother. Abu Talib also protected Muhammad against other Quraishites, who were the Prophet's enemies.

Other sources say that Abu Talib took care of Muhammad after the death of Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim, Muhammad's grandfather and Abu Talib's father, when Muhammad was 8 years old.

When Muhammad was a child, Abu Talib was head of the Banu Hashim clan of the Quraish tribe. Once Muhammad got older, he took responsibility for Abu Talib's son Ali. Abu Talib had a trading caravan business with Syria.

When Muhammad was 20, he began to work for Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, who had a thriving caravan business. At age 25, Muhammad married Khadija, a wealthy woman. While most sources claim she was a 40-year-old widow, others claim she was younger and unmarried.

After Muhammad began preaching the message of Islam, increasingly more members of the Quraish tribe came to feel threatened by Muhammad. In attempts to quiet him, they would lean on Abu Talib to silence his nephew or control him. Despite these pressures, Abu Talib did nothing but support Muhammad and defended him from the other heads of the Quraish.

Abu Talib died at around the same time as Muhammad's beloved wife Khadija, leading to an immensely sad time for him. This year was known as the saddest year of the life of the prophet, the Year of Sorrow.

After the death of Abu Talib, Muhammad emigrated to Medina.

Many Sunnis hold the view that Abu Talib never recited the shahadah, or testament of faith, so was a non-muslim.

Shi'as argue that that is highly unlikely that Abu Talib carried out the nikkah ceremony of Muhammad if he were a kafir. Secondly, they hold, he raised Muhammad and Allah would never let a kafir raise his prophet as at the time of Muhammad's birth there were some people who followed the path of Prophet Abraham and did not worship Idols, the Hanifs. Also Ali inherited him, which would be forbidden if he were an unbeliever.

He had four sons and two daughters:

1. Ja'far ibn Abu Talib
2. Aqeel ibn Abu Talib
3. Talib ibn Abu Talib
4. Ali ibn Abu Talib
5. Fakhitah bint Abu Talib
6. Jumanah bint Abu Talib

Succession

See also

• Family tree of Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib
• Sahaba

• 619 deaths
• Sahaba
• Muslims
• Arab people