اَللهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ

Prophet Muhammad ibn Abdullah was born in the house of his uncle, Abu Talib, in the “quarter” of Banu Hashim in Mecca, on the 12th of Rabi’ Al-Awwal of the Year of the Elephant. His midwife was the mother of Abdur Rahman ibn Auf. His mother, Amina, sent the tidings of the auspicious birth to his grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, who came, took him in his arms, and gave him the name Muhammad. When the people asked Abdul Muttalib as to why he called his grandson Muhammad, preferring it to the names of his forefathers, he replied, “It is because I have a longing that my grandson should be praised and commended by one and all in the world”.

When the Prophet migrated to Medina, the house was confiscated by Aqil bin Abi Talib. He was the cousin of the Prophet and not a Muslim at the time. After the Prophet’s demise, this home initially remained in the hands of the family of Aqil bin Abi Talib. It was then purchased by Muhammad bin Yusuf Al-Thaqafi, the brother of the tyrannical Hajjaj bin Yusuf. This is why this property is recorded by many early books as being the property of Muhammad bin Yusuf. It was then turned into a mosque, but it no longer existed by 1950. Under pressure from key religious figures of the time, the new Saudi government had levelled the house (and other significant historical sites) out of fear that people would make them a source of exaggerated veneration and worship.

However, the Mayor of Mecca at the time, Shaykh Abbas ibn Yusuf Al-Qattan, was alarmed by these developments. He was successful at obtaining a legal document to gain control of the site and established a small library on top of the foundations of the home in 1953, unfortunately, even the library is no longer accessible these days.