his life and the accounts of him, from his birth until his death; an outline of matters one ought to know concerning what is obligatory, forbidden, recommended, disliked, or permissible for a person in his food, drink, clothing, and all his affairs; and an explanation of the virtues of Mecca and Medina, the eminence of Mālik, Imam of the Abode of Emigration, and his standing in knowledge. Allah alone grants success in reaching what is right. There is no Lord besides Him, and none worthy of worship but Him.

Chapter
The Prophet’s Lineage, Peace Be upon Him, His Birth, His Commissioning as a Prophet, His Appearance, Names, Character, Lifespan, Death, Wives, Children, Emigration, the Expeditions He Dispatched, and the Campaigns He Led

He is Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, son of ‘Abd Allāh, son of ‘Abd al-Muttalib, son of Hāshim, son of ‘Abd Manāf, son of Qusayy, son of Kilāb, son of Murrah, son of Ka‘b, son of Lu’ayy, son of Ghālib, son of Fihr, son of Mālik, son of al-Nadr, son of Kinānah, son of Khuzaymah, son of Mudrikah, son of Ilyās, son of Mudar, son of Nizār, son of Ma‘add, son of ‘Adnān.

This lineage has been transmitted from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The scholars of genealogy agree upon its correctness, differing over none of it. Their disagreement concerns only the generations between ‘Adnān and Ishmael son of Abraham, peace be upon them both, and those between Abraham and Adam, peace be upon them both. Their accounts differ considerably, and none of these can be definitively established as correct. Ibn ‘Abbās is reported to have said: “Between Ma‘add ibn ‘Adnān and Ishmael there are thirty forefathers.”

They do not disagree that Nizār in its entirety—namely Rabī‘ah and Mudar—are the sarīkh among Ishmael’s descendants, and that Quraysh are the descendants of al-Nadr ibn Kinānah. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“Allah chose Kinānah from among the descendants of Ishmael, chose Quraysh from among the descendants of Kinānah, chose Banū Hāshim from among Quraysh, and chose me from among Banū Hāshim.”