Abu Umayya ibn Al-Mughira

Abu Umayya ibn Al-Mughira (ابو ٱمية بن المغيرة بن هشام) was an eminent man with significant leverage in the city of Mecca. He was nicknamed Zad ar-Rakib (the one who provides food to travellers) because of his generosity. The only other two people who also shared the same title were al-Aswad ibn Muṭṭalib and Musafir ibn Abu 'Amr.

Family

Abu Umayya ibn Mughīrah ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar ibn Makhzūm ibn Yaqaẓah was, through this line, a member of the Banu Makhzum clan of the Quraysh tribe. His real name was Ḥudhaifah or Suhayl, Abu Umayya being his kunya.

He was married to ‘Ātikah bint ‘Abd al-Muṭṭalib who bore for him 'Abdullah, Zuhayr & Qurayba. Abu Umaiyyah also married ‘Ātikah bint `Amir ibn Rabī'ah of the clan of Firas ibn Ghanam of Banu Kinanah, who was the mother of Umm Salama, Hishām, Mas'ūd and 'Abdullah.

His brothers included Abu Ḥudhaifah, 'Abdullah, Azwar, Walīd (father of Khalid ibn al-Walid), al-Fākiha (first husband of Hind bint 'Utbah), Hishām (Father of Abu Jahl) and Abu Rabī'ah.

He was one of the father-in-laws of ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb because his daughter Quraybah or Qarībah was the first wife of ‘Umar. Abu Umaiyyah was the paternal uncle of Khantamah bint Hishām, ‘Umar's mother.

Rebuilding of Mecca(c 605)

Abu Umaiyya played a key role in settling a major dispute among the tribes of Quraysh involving the restoration of Ka'bah.

Abu Umaiyyah was at that time the oldest man of Quraysh who urged them to make the first man to enter the gate of the mosque umpire in the matter in dispute. They did so and the first to come in was the apostle of Allah. When they saw him they said, “This is the trustworthy one. We are satisfied. This is Muhammad.” When he came to them and they informed him of the matter he said, “Give me a cloak,” and when it was brought to him he took the black stone and put it inside it and said that each tribe should take hold of an end of the cloak and they should lift it together. They did this so that when they got it into position he placed it with his own hand, and then building went on above it.[1]

References

  1. ↑ The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of ibn Isḥāq’s Sīrat Rasul Allāh with introduction & notes by Alfred Guillaume, Oxford University Press, 1955, page 86

Sources