how did the story begun 7

Islam...a long story

how did the story begun 7

The Children Of Ishmael 

Over the years Ishmael's children themselves had children.

His descendants increased and formed tribes which spread out

all over Arabia. One of these tribes was called Quraysh. Its

people never moved away from Mecca and always lived near

the Ka'bah. One of the duties of the leader of Quraysh was to

look after those who came on pilgrimage to the Ka'bah. The,

pilgrims would come from all over Arabia and it was a great

honor to provide them with food and water.

As time passed, however, the Arabs stopped worshipping 

Allah directly and started bringing idols back with them from

the different countries they visited. These idols were placed at

the Ka'bah, which was no longer regarded as the Sanctuary of

Allah, as Abraham had intended it. It was, however, still

respected by the Arabs. Around this time the well of Zamzam

disappeared beneath the sand. Also at this time, Qusayy, one

of the leaders of Quraysh, became ruler over Mecca. He held

the keys of the temple and had the right to give water to the

pilgrims, to feed them, to take charge of meetings, and to

hand out war banners before battle. It was also in his house

that Quraysh settled their affairs. After Qusayy's death, his

son 'Abdu Manaf, who had become famous during his father's

lifetime, took over the leadership of Quraysh. After him came

his son Hashim. It is said that Hashim was the first to begin

the two great caravan journeys of Quraysh, one in the summer

to Syria and the north, and one in the winter to Yemen and the

south. As a result, Mecca grew rich and became a large and

important centre of trade.

One summer Hashim went north to buy goods to sell in

Yemen. On his way he stopped in Yathrib to trade in the

market and there he saw a beautiful woman. She was Salma',

the daughter of 'Amr ibn Zeid, who was from a much

respected family. Hashim proposed marriage to her and was

accepted because he was an honorable and distinguished man.

In time, Salma' gave birth to a beautiful son and as some 

of his hair was white they called him Shaybah, which in Arabic

means grey-haired'.

Mother and son stayed in the cooler, healthier climate of

Yathrib, while Hashim returned to Mecca, but he would visit

them each time he took his caravan to the north. During one

of these journeys, however, Hashim became ill and died.

Shaybah, a handsome, intelligent boy, grew up in his uncle's

house in Yathrib. He was proud of being the son of Hashim ibn

'Abdi Manaf, the head of Quraysh, guardian of the Ka'bah and

protector of the pilgrims, even though he had not known his

father, who had died while Shaybah was very young.