The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the best among the people of the earth in every respect, particularly in lineage. His ancestry reaches the highest peaks of nobility. The most honorable of people are his people, the most distinguished of tribes is his tribe, and the most esteemed of clans is his clan. Even his enemies attested to the nobility of his lineage, as evidenced by the incident involving Abu Sufyan before his conversion to Islam—who was an enemy at that time—when he stood before Heraclius, the Roman Emperor. Heraclius asked him, "What is his family status amongst you?" Abu Sufyan replied, "He belongs to a good (noble) family amongst us." This is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari (7) and Sahih Muslim (1773).
The Noble Lineage of the Prophet ﷺ:
His lineage is: Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul-Muttalib ibn Hashim ibn Abd Manaf ibn Qusayy ibn Kilab ibn Murrah ibn Ka'b ibn Lu'ayy ibn Ghalib ibn Fihr ibn Malik ibn Al-Nadr ibn Kinanah ibn Khuzaymah ibn Mudarikah ibn Ilyas ibn Mudar ibn Nizar ibn Ma'ad ibn Adnan. (This portion of his noble lineage is mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari in the Book of the Virtues of the Ansar, Chapter on the Prophethood of the Prophet ﷺ.)
This is the generally accepted part of the Prophet's lineage, with no disagreement whatsoever . There is, however, considerable confusion among genealogists regarding the lineage beyond Adnan, with little consensus on the names of ancestors above him. Imam Al-Baghawi stated: "It is not correct to preserve the lineage beyond Adnan ."
The Pure Lineage of the Prophet ﷺ:
He was the most distinguished among his people in lineage and the most honorable in character. The nobility of his lineage and the honor of his birthplace (Mecca) do not require evidence or clarification, as he is from the noble Banu Hashim clan, the most honorable Arab lineage, and the most esteemed among his parents and the people of Mecca, which is one of the most honored lands in the sight of Allah ﷻ and His servants .
The Messenger ﷺ continuously descended from pure fathers to pure mothers; his noble lineage was untouched by the impurities and filth of ignorance (Jahiliyyah); he comes from a lineage of pure and noble leaders.
Abu Nu'aim reported in "The Proofs of Prophethood" (1/57), and it was authenticated by Al-Albani in "Sahih al-Jami'" (3225), that the Prophet ﷺ said: "I was born through lawful marriage, not through illegitimacy, from Adam until my father and mother gave birth to me; I have not been touched by the illegitimacy of the days of ignorance."
Abu Huraira reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷻ said: " I have been sent (as an Apostle) in the best of all the generations of Adam's offspring since their Creation." This is recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari (3557).
Muslim (2276) narrated from Wathilah ibn Al-Asqa' that the Messenger of Allah ﷻ said: " God chose Kinana from the descendants of Ishmael, He chose Quraish from Kinana, from Quraish He chose the B. Hashim, and He chose me from the B. Hashim."
Al-Muttalib ibn Abi Wada'ah reported that Al-`Abbas came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷻ) and it is as if he heard something, so the Prophet (ﷺ) stood upon the Minbar and said: ‘Who am I?’ They said: ‘You are the Messenger of Allah, upon you be peace.’ He said: ‘I am Muhammad bin `Abdullah bin `Abdul-Muttalib, indeed Allah created the creation, and He put me in the best group of them, then He made them into two groups, so He put me in the best group of them, the He made them into tribes, so He put me in the best of tribes, then He made them into houses, so He put me in the best of them in tribe and lineage. This was narrated by Ahmad in his Musnad (1788) and by Al-Tirmidhi (3532) with a good chain of narration.
Dr. Muhammad Abu Shahbah stated: "Since it is the established practice of Allah—exalted be He—not to send a prophet except from the middle of his people in terms of nobility and lineage, our prophet Muhammad ﷺ was at the pinnacle of this. Every one of his ancestors was rich in virtues and nobility, and every one of his mothers was the best among her people in lineage and status. These virtues and human perfections have continued to descend from the roots to the branches until all are gathered in the lineage of the children of Adam and the purest of them, the descendants of Ibrahim and Ismail, peace be upon them, namely our Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. "
