Asad ibn Hāshim () was the son of

Hashim ibn Abd Manaf Hāshim ibn ʿAbd Manāf (; ), born ʿAmr al-ʿUlā (), was the great-grandfather of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and the progenitor of the ruling Banu Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe in Mecca. At some point in his life before his father's deat ...

and the brother of

Abd al-Muttalib Shayba ibn Hāshim (; ), better known as ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib, () was the fourth chief of the Quraysh tribal confederation and grandfather of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Early life His father was Hashim ibn 'Abd Manaf,Muhammad ibn Sa ...

. He was the father of Fatima bint Asad, the mother of Ali and the cousin and wife of Abu Talib. Asad was a very respected person among the Qureshi Arab tribe. He was a merchant and very often helped the poor. His name means Lion (a brave one). His descendants usually use the surnames Al-Quraishi, Al-Hashimi, Al-Asadi,

Sayyid ''Sayyid'' is an honorific title of Hasanid and Husaynid lineage, recognized as descendants of the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and Ali's sons Hasan ibn Ali, Hasan and Husayn ibn Ali, Husayn. The title may also refer ...

, or

Sharif Sharīf or Sherif (, 'noble', 'highborn'), also spelled shareef, feminine sharīfa (), plural ashrāf (), shurafāʾ (), or (in the Maghreb) shurfāʾ, is a title used to designate a person descended, or claiming to be descended, from the fami ...

, while some of his descendants avoid using any surname.

Birth

Historians are not clear about his exact date of birth, but according to the sources he was born in 485AD or 497AD in

Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...

Religion

According to sources, he was a polytheistic pagan like the rest of his tribe, Quraish during the "jahhilliyaa" time of ignorance. He worshipped the Arabian goddesses Allat, Al-Uza, and Mannat. His son-in-law, Abu-Taleb, whose birth name was Abd-Munaf (slave of "Munaf" one of the idols) was the father of Ali and the Uncle of Mohammad and was known to have died a polytheist. According to other sources he was of a religion of

Abraham Abraham (originally Abram) is the common Hebrews, Hebrew Patriarchs (Bible), patriarch of the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In Judaism, he is the founding father who began the Covenant (biblical), covenanta ...

, as most of the Arabs were of

's religion, including his tribe Quresh and his other uncles. Asad died before the birth of

Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...

Brothers and sisters

*Abu Saifi bin Hashim *

bin Hashim *Nazil bin Hashim *Nadla binte Hashim *Safia binte Hashim *Shifa binte Hashim *Ruqayya binte Hashim *Khalidah binte Hashim *Hannah binte Hashim *Zaifah binte Hashim *Janna binte Hashim *Ramlah binte Hashim *Hayyah binte Hashim *Da'ifah binte Hashim *Sayfah bin Hashim *Abbas bin Hashim *Abu Sayr bin Hashim

Descendants

*Fatimah bint Asad bin Hashim She was the mother of Caliph Ali and his brothers. Fatimah bint Asad was very dear to Muhammad. *Hunain bin Asad bin Hashim Hunain was a son of Asad, and he had two sons, Abdullah and Abd-ur Rahman. They both were

Sahabi The Companions of the Prophet () were the Muslim disciples and followers of the Islamic prophet Muhammad who saw or met him during his lifetime. The companions played a major role in Muslim battles, society, hadith narration, and governance ...

and Abdullah and Abdullah's son name are mentioned in many books of Ahadith. *Adai bint Asad bin Hashim (mother of Haninai al- Nehar Peḳkod ben Bustanai bar Adai,

Exilarch The exilarch was the leader of the Jewish community in Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) during the era of the Parthians, Sasanians and Abbasid Caliphate up until the Mongol invasion of Baghdad in 1258, with intermittent gaps due to ongoing polit ...

and Gaon of Sura, Syria) *Khalda bint Asad bin Hashim (she married her cousin Al-Arqam bin Nazil bin Hashim and had a daughter named Um al-Saaib Al-Shafaa)Tareekh-e-Baghdad, v2, page412.

Death

He died before the birth of Muhammad, and was buried in

Jannat al-Mu'alla Jannat al-Mu'alla (), also known as the "Cemetery of Ma'la" ( ') and ''Al-Ḥajūn'' (), is a cemetery to the north of ''Al-Masjid Al-Haram'', and near the Mosque of the Jinn in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. It is the place where the Islamic prophet Mu ...

previously known as Hajoon, in

with his other family members.

References

{{Reflist Sahabah ancestors Family of Muhammad Banu Hashim Najjarite people 5th-century Arab people Burials at Jannat al-Mu'alla