✿ Compilation: Hafiz Muhammad Anwar Zahid حفظه الله
❖ Overview of the Narrative
Professor Dr. Muhammad Yasin Mazhar Siddiqi writes that in historical sources, alongside the rediscovery of the Zamzam well, a vow by ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib is mentioned. According to this narration:
“ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib vowed that if Allah granted him ten sons, he would sacrifice one of them in the path of Allah near the Kaʿbah.”
This vow stemmed from the taunts of prominent Quraysh members, particularly ʿAdī ibn Nawfal, chief of Banū Nawfal (a sub-clan of Banū ʿAbd Manāf), who mocked him for undertaking such an effort (i.e., digging Zamzam) while having only one son.
❖ The Core Narrative
According to the narration cited by Ibn Isḥāq:
“ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib ibn Hāshim, as they claim—and Allah knows best—made a vow when he faced opposition from Quraysh while digging Zamzam: if he were to have ten sons who would grow and support him, he would sacrifice one of them before the Kaʿbah.”
[Ibn Hishām 1/64 and onward]Once ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib had ten sons capable of defending him, he informed them of his vow and sought to fulfill it. All of them agreed. Through casting lots using arrows (a pre-Islamic Arabian method), the name of ʿAbdullāh, his most beloved son, appeared repeatedly.
As ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib prepared to sacrifice him, the chiefs of Quraysh intervened. It was eventually agreed that they would consult a female soothsayer (ʿArāfah) in Khaybar, who advised offering camels in place of the son. The lots were then cast again with camels, increasing the number until one hundred camels were selected. These were sacrificed in place of ʿAbdullāh, thus fulfilling the vow.
[Ibn Hishām 1/164–168 | al-Suhaylī 2/131, 137–139 | Ibn Saʿd 1/88–92 | Ibn al-Athīr 2/7–14 | al-Balādhurī 1/78–79 | al-Ṭabarī 2/239–243 | Ibn Kathīr 2/248–249]❖ Authentication and Analysis of the Narration
The narrative is riddled with ambiguities regarding both chronology and reliability. While some authors suggest that this event occurred shortly before ʿAbdullāh’s marriage, which was soon followed by his death, others assign different dates altogether.
For instance:
- Al-Wāqidī narrates that this event occurred five years before the Year of the Elephant, and that ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib’s eldest son Hārith died that same year.
- Al-Balādhurī reports (via ʿAbdullāh ibn Jaʿfar ibn Abī Ṭālib) that:
- The Zamzam excavation occurred when ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib was 40 years old.
- The vow of sacrifice took place 30 years later.
These differing timeframes suggest the event may have occurred between 522–567 CE, aligning with ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib’s estimated age of 70 at the time.
❖ Indicators of Weakness in the Narrative
Ibn Isḥāq, though a key source of Sīrah literature, employs critical phrasing that indicates doubt and weakness in this narration:
✦ “Fīmā yazʿumūn” (as they claim)
✦ “Wallāhu aʿlam” (and Allah knows best)
✦ “Zāʿamū” (they claim)
These phrases are used in multiple parts of the narrative:
◈ At the beginning of the vow
◈ When describing ʿAbdullāh as the most beloved son
◈ When recounting the visit to the soothsayer
◈ In the description of the lot drawing and the encounter with a woman from Banū Asad
All these indicate a lack of confidence in the narration, and are considered by hadith scholars as signs of public folklore rather than verified tradition.
❖ Parallels with the Story of Ibrāhīm عليه السلام
The narrative of ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib’s vow bears significant similarities to the story of Prophet Ibrāhīm and Ismāʿīl عليهما السلام, including:
① A father vowing to sacrifice his most beloved son
② The intended sacrifice occurring near the Kaʿbah
③ Dreams or divine inspiration prompting the act
④ Interference from opposing forces (e.g., Quraysh or relatives)
⑤ The final substitution of a son with an animal
⑥ An external woman attempting to divert the course of events, as in the encounter with a woman from Banū Asad
These similarities suggest a constructed parallel, intended perhaps to draw an honorable comparison between ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib and Prophet Ibrāhīm, and between ʿAbdullāh and Prophet Ismāʿīl.
❖ Conclusion
✔ The vow of ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, and the story of attempting to sacrifice his son ʿAbdullāh, lacks strong isnād (chain of transmission).
✔ Indicators within the text itself—especially Ibn Isḥāq’s critical phrasing—highlight the questionable nature of the report.
✔ The structural and thematic imitation of the Qur’anic narrative of Ibrāhīm and Ismāʿīl further suggests it is a popular myth, not a historically sound report.
✔ This story appears to be a folk narrative, shaped to elevate the ancestry of the Prophet ﷺ by drawing symbolic parallels with divine events.
For further study, refer to:
Nadhr ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib Hāshimī kī Istinādī Ḥaythiyyat, al-Furqān, Lucknow, October 2002, pp. 33–44.وَالله أعلم
