Qusayy ibn Kilab – The Fifth Grandfather of the Prophet

The Kabah became the central point for pilgrims from all over Arabia. But the affairs of the Kabah were not very well organized and the pilgrims were not taken good care of. Then after many generations, Qusayy ibn Kilab, became the Chief of Makkah in the middle of the fifth century A.D. He was an ancestor of the Prophet Muhammad . Qusayy, being very energetic and having great leadership qualities, set himself to organizing the affairs of the Kabah. Qusayy held many offices of the Kabah such as hijabah, siqayah, rifadah, nadwah, liwa and qiyadah. With his able leadership, the prosperity of Makkah grew by leaps and bounds. His policies gave a boost to trade in Makkah.

9 Makkah was situated midway on the caravan route to and from and Yemen. For this reason, many caravans would stop at Makkah to rest and trade their goods. His sincerity and wisdom earned him a very respectable position. Due to his wise policies, the Makkans greatly benefitted and the tribe rose to be the most influential tribe of Makkah. Qusayy’s position as the Chief of the Quraysh won him great respect and admiration. Qusayy would encourage the Quraysh tribe to contribute generously towards the fund for the feeding and care of the pilgrims. He would tell them:

11 Abd Manaf, the Father of Hashim

Qusayy had three sons, Abd al-Uzza, Abd Manaf and Abd al-Dar. When Qusayy grew older, he gave his responsibilities to his two sons, Abd Manaf and Abd al-Dar. Abd al-Dar got the responsibility of the hijabah – maintenance of the Kabah and guardianship of the keys of the Kabah. Apart from this, Qusayy also gave him the charge of the siqayah, the liwa’ and the rifadah, which meant providing water and food to the pilgrims and bearing the Makkan flag during times of war, etc.

18 Al-Muttalib Travels to Yathrib

Some years later, Hashim travelled to Syria on a trade trip. On the way back to Makkah, he fell ill at Ghaza and passed away. He was buried in Ghaza. After the death of Hashim, his brother, Al-Muttalib was appointed as the Chief of the Quraysh tribe and the custodian of the Kabah. Al-Muttalib was a very kind, noble and generous person. The Quraysh loved him dearly and called him “al-Fayz”, or “Mr. Abundance”. During his period of being Chief of Makkah, the city continued to flourish and remained peaceful and prosperous.

30 Abraha’s Army of Elephants The next day, Abraha commanded his formidable army to set out towards Makkah at the break of the dawn. The army slowly marched towards the city of Makkah. When Abd al-Muttalib saw a huge cloud of dust and sand coming towards him from a distance, he realized that the army of Abraha was now approaching Makkah with the sole intention of destroying the Kabah. Abd al-Muttalib hastened to the Kabah and took hold of its door handle and prayed vehemently to to save the Kabah from the evil intentions of Abraha, “O Allah, save us from the army. Save us from their evil design.

50