1 of 2 · c. 622 CE · the second pledge of al-'Aqabah · Al-'Aqabah, Mina
Al-'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه
A Guardian at al-'Aqabah
Al-'Abbas was only two or three years older than his nephew Muhammad ﷺ. When the Muslims of Yathrib met the Prophet ﷺ secretly by night at al-'Aqabah to pledge to protect him, al-'Abbas came with him — though, the reports say, he was still following the religion of his people.
Ka'b ibn Malik, who was there, related that al-'Abbas spoke first. He told the men of Yathrib that Muhammad was protected and honoured among his own clan; if they were truly ready to defend him against everyone, so be it, but if they would hand him over once he came to them, they should leave him now.
He did not yet share his nephew's faith, but he would not let him walk into danger without making sure he would be kept safe.
Al-'Abbas cared for the Prophet ﷺ even before he openly followed him; kinship and loyalty were a door that Allah later opened to faith.
Who has protected you without sharing all your convictions, and have you thanked them?
- Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah al-NabawiyyahHistorical report
- Musnad Ahmad (hadith of Ka'b ibn Malik)Grade not recorded here
- Ibn Hajar, al-Isabah fi Tamyiz al-SahabahHistorical report
What the hadith grades mean
- Sahih (authentic): an unbroken chain of trustworthy, precise narrators, free of hidden flaws or contradiction. It is acted upon.
- Hasan (good): like sahih, but a narrator's precision is slightly lighter. It is also accepted and acted upon. "Hasan sahih" means it reaches sahih by its routes.
- Da'if (weak): a break in the chain or a narrator who is not reliable enough. It is not used to establish beliefs or rulings.
- Very weak (munkar, matruk): a seriously flawed chain or a narrator accused of lying. It is not relied on at all.
- Mawdu' (fabricated): falsely attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. It may not be narrated as his words except to warn against it.
- The two Sahihs: every hadith with a full chain in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim is accepted as sahih by the scholars of hadith.
- Historical report: biographies and histories (Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabari) record events with chains that are often incomplete. They are used for the story, not for rulings.
- Hadith scholars grade a narration; the four madhhabs do not. Where a hadith carries a ruling, the page shows which schools act on it.
Create a free account to keep your place as you go. Create a free account · Sign in