سيدنا محمد

The Children Of Ishmael
Over the years Ishmael's children themselves had children.
His descendants increased and formed tribes which spread out
all over Arabia. One of these tribes was called Quraysh. Its
people never moved away from Mecca and always lived near
the Ka'bah. One of the duties of the leader of Quraysh was to
look after those who came on pilgrimage to the Ka'bah. The,
pilgrims would come from all over Arabia and it was a great
honor to provide them with food and water.

As time passed, however, the Arabs stopped worshipping
Allah directly and started bringing idols back with them from
the different countries they visited. These idols were placed at
the Ka'bah, which was no longer regarded as the Sanctuary of
Allah, as Abraham had intended it. It was, however, still
respected by the Arabs. Around this time the well of Zamzam
disappeared beneath the sand. Also at this time, Qusayy, one
of the leaders of Quraysh, became ruler over Mecca. He held
the keys of the temple and had the right to give water to the
pilgrims, to feed them, to take charge of meetings, and to
hand out war banners before battle. It was also in his house
that Quraysh settled their affairs. After Qusayy's death, his
son 'Abdu Manaf, who had become famous during his father's
lifetime, took over the leadership of Quraysh. After him came
his son Hashim. It is said that Hashim was the first to begin
the two great caravan journeys of Quraysh, one in the summer
to Syria and the north, and one in the winter to Yemen and the
south. As a result, Mecca grew rich and became a large and
important centre of trade.

One summer Hashim went north to buy goods to sell in
Yemen. On his way he stopped in Yathrib to trade in the
market and there he saw a beautiful woman. She was Salma',
the daughter of 'Amr ibn Zeid, who was from a much
respected family. Hashim proposed marriage to her and was
accepted because he was an honorable and distinguished man.