The Prophet ﷺ said:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَى مِنْ وَلَدِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ إِسْمَاعِيلَ وَاصْطَفَى مِنْ وَلَدِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بَنِي كِنَانَةَ وَاصْطَفَى مِنْ بَنِي كِنَانَةَ قُرَيْشًا وَاصْطَفَى مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ بَنِي هَاشِمٍ وَاصْطَفَانِي مِنْ بَنِي هَاشِمٍ

Indeed Allah has chosen Isma’il from the children of Ibrahim, and He chose Banu Kinanah from the children of Isma’il, and He chose the Quraish from Banu Kinanah, and He chose Banu Hashim from Quraish, and He chose me from Banu Hashim.

[Jami At-Tirmidhi, no. 3605]

Prophet Adam to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ

Rasulullah’s ﷺ ancestors through Islamic traditions can be traced back to Prophet Adam and Prophet Ismail.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was the first and only son of Abdullah bin Al Muttalib and Amina bint Wahab. His father passed away before he was born, and his mother passed away when he was a few years old. His grandfather Abdul Muttalib took care of him. After the death of his grandfather, Abu Talib (brother, Abdullah bin Abdul Muttalib) took care of him.

Rasulullah’s ﷺ great-great-grandfather Abde Munaf descends from Fihr Ibn Malik, the primogenitor of the Quraysh tribe. The Quraysh tribe descends from a man named Adnan. The Adnanite Arabs descended from Prophet Ismail who is Prophet Ibrahim and his wife, Hagar’s firstborn.  This historical ancestry can be traced to prophets Nuh, Seth and Adam.

According to Islamic history, there are:

• 10 generations between prophets Adam to Nuh
• It is unclear how many generations were between prophets Ibrahim and Nuh
• It is unclear how many generations were between prophet Ismail and Adnan
• 21 patrilineal generations between Adnan to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
• Prophet Muhammad ﷺ lived from 570 to 632 CE

Mothers of the Believers, Wives of Muhammad ﷺ

The Prophet ﷺ lived a life of many tribulations. However, he was known to be extremely compassionate towards his family. He was monogamously married to Khadija for 25 years. They had 2 sons and 4 daughters.

After Khadija passed away, Rasulullah ﷺ married 11 other women. Marya al- Qibtiyya was the only bride after Khadija to bear a child.

The Chronological Order of Wives

1. Khadija bint Khuwaylid: A wealthy merchant and widow. She was 15 years older than The Prophet. She passed away at the age of 65.
2. Sawdah bint Zam’ah: She was a widow. The Prophet ﷺ married her.
3. Aishah bint Abu Bakr: She was Abu Bakr’s daughter and married the Prophet ﷺ at a young age.
4. Hafsah bint ‘Umar: Also a widow before she married the Prophet ﷺ.
5. Zainab bint Khuzaimah: She was an elderly widow, also known as the mother of the poor.
6. Umm Salamah: She was a widow with young children before she married the Prophet ﷺ.
7. Zaynab bint Jahsh: A widow, she was also Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ cousin, a skilled leatherworker when she married the Prophet ﷺ.
8. Juwayriah bint Al-Harith: A widow and prisoner of the Muslim forces, the Prophet ﷺ freed and married her.
9. Umm Habibah: An early convert of Islam, she divorced her husband for converting to Christianity. The Prophet ﷺ married her to save her from difficulties.
10. Safiyya bint Huyayy: She was the daughter of a Jewish King and prisoner of war. She was freed and married the Prophet ﷺ.
11. Maimunah bint Al-Harith: She offered herself in marriage and the Prophet ﷺ agreed.
12. Maria al-Qibtiyya: Gifted to the Prophet ﷺ as a slave, he freed and married her.

Khadija and Zainab Bint Khuzaimah, passed away while the Prophet ﷺ lived.

The Prophet’s ﷺ Children

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ had a total of 7 children from 2 wives.

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ & Khadija

1. Qasim Ibn Muhammed (598 – 601 CE)
2. Zainab Ibn Muhammed (599 – 629 CE)
3. Ruqaiya Ibn Muhammed (601 – 624 CE)
4. Ummekulsum Ibn Muhammed (603 – 630 CE)
5. Fatema Ibn Muhammed (605 – 632 CE)
6. Abdullah Ibn Muhammed (611 – 615 CE)

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ & Maria al-Qibtiyya

1.  Ibrahim (630 – 632 CE)

The Prophet’s ﷺ Grandchildren

1. Zainab was married to her maternal cousin Abul Aas ibn Rabi and had two children.

• Ali (died in infancy)
• Ummama married Ali ibn Abi Taalib after the demise of Fatema Ibn Muhammed

2. Ruqayya married Uthmaan ibn Affan and had one son.

• Abdullah (died in infancy)

3. Fatema was married to Ali ibn Abi Talib and had 5 children.

• Hasan (625 – 670 CE)
• Hussain (626 – 680 CE)
• Umme-kulthum (627 CE – unknown)
• Zainab (626 – 682 CE)
• Muhsin (died in the womb)

These are the beloved names of the Prophet Muhammad’s ﷺ ancestors and descendents, giving us a brief insight into the family line of the chosen one.

Note: The dates mentioned in the article may vary according to different Islamic/historical records.