Al-Zubayr ibn Abd al-Muttalib, was the son of Abd al-Muttalib and Fatima bint Amr, hence an uncle of Muhammad. He was full brother to Abu Talib and to Muhammad's father Abdullah.

Biography

He married Atika bint Abi Wahb of the Makhzum clan, and they had four daughters and one son. After the death of his eldest half-brother, Al-Harith, Al-Zubayr was next in line. With his brother Abu Talib, he took responsibility for the family obligation to provide food and drink for the pilgrims. He also shared joint guardianship of the young Muhammad. It is said that he took Muhammad on a journey to Yemen 584 CE. A tradition that Ibn Kathir calls "weak" states that he died 585. This is contradicted by several traditions that indicate that he was still alive many years later. Al-Zubayr was the founder of the order of chivalry known as the Hilf al-Fudul. This was a movement formed in Mecca in May 591 (soon after the end of the Sacrilegious War) for the suppression of violence and injustice. He is supposed to have said about the pact: Al-Zubayr was among the many Quraysh who participated in the rebuilding of the Kaaba in 605. At first they were afraid to commence, for a large snake took up residence in the sanctuary. One day an eagle carried off the snake, leaving the builders free to work. Al-Zubayr, very impressed by this, composed a poem describing how "down came the eagle, deadly straight in its swoop; it bore it away ..."

Notable relatives and family tree