When the Prophet ﷺ reached six years of age, his mother, Amina bint Wahb, passed away in a place called Al-Abwa, while returning to Mecca after visiting her relatives in Medina with him ﷺ.
How Did the Prophet’s ﷺ Mother Pass Away?
Lady Amina bint Wahb traveled with her son ﷺ to visit her relatives, the Banu Adi bin Najjar. They were accompanied by his wet nurse, Umm Ayman—may Allah be pleased with her—on two camels. They stopped at the house of Al-Nabigha, near the grave of the Prophet’s ﷺ father, Abdullah bin Abdul Muttalib, where they stayed with her relatives for a month. Then they returned to Mecca, and when they were at a place called "Al-Abwa," the mother of the Prophet ﷺ, Amina bint Wahb, passed away.
Umm Ayman—may Allah be pleased with her—returned with him to Mecca. Umm Ayman's name was Barakah bint Thalabah bin Hishn, and she was the Prophet’s ﷺ wet nurse, who loved him dearly and took great care of him. As the Prophet ﷺ grew older, she became a recipient of his kindness and generosity, and he freed her. Then he married her to Zayd bin Harithah—may Allah be pleased with him—and she bore him Usama bin Zayd—may Allah be pleased with them both. Umm Ayman—may Allah be pleased with her—passed away five months after the Prophet ﷺ died.
The Prophet’s ﷺ Visit to His Mother’s Grave:
The Prophet ﷺ would visit his mother’s grave. Muslim (976) narrated from Abu Huraira—may Allah be pleased with him—that he said: "The Prophet ﷺ visited his mother’s grave and wept, making those around him also weep. He then said: 'I asked my Lord for permission to seek forgiveness for my mother, but He did not grant me permission. I asked Him for permission to visit her grave, and He granted me permission.'"
Ahmad (23003) narrated with a sound chain according to the conditions of the two Shaykhs from Al-Buraida bin Al-Husayb—may Allah be pleased with him—who said: "We were with the Prophet ﷺ when he stopped, and we were with him, close to a thousand riders. He prayed two units of prayer, then turned to us, and his eyes were shedding tears. Umar bin Al-Khattab—may Allah be pleased with him—came to him and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, what is wrong with you?' He ﷺ said: 'I asked my Lord for permission to seek forgiveness for my mother, but He did not grant me permission, so my eyes shed tears out of compassion for her from the Fire.'"
The Guardianship of His Grandfather Abdul Muttalib:
Umm Ayman returned the Prophet ﷺ to Mecca, where his grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, took care of him. He showed a tenderness towards him that he did not show to any of his other children, drawing him close and spending time with him whenever he was alone or asleep. Abdul Muttalib would not eat without saying, "Bring my son," and the Prophet ﷺ would be brought to him.
The Prophet ﷺ Sitting on Abdul Muttalib’s Bed:
Abdul Muttalib had a bed placed in the shade of the Kaaba, and his sons would sit around that bed until he came out to them. No one from his sons would sit on the bed out of respect for Abdul Muttalib. The Messenger ﷺ would come as a young boy to sit on it, and his uncles would take him away from it, but Abdul Muttalib would say: "Let my son sit; by Allah, he has an important matter." Then he would sit him with him on the bed, pat his back with his hand, and take delight in what he saw him doing.
