Birth & Early Childhood of the Prophet ﷺ

Summary of the Prophet’s lineage, birth in the Year of the Elephant, wet-nursing in Banu Sa’d, and the early bereavements that shaped his childhood.

Key takeaways

The Prophet ﷺ was born in Mecca into Banu Hashim of Quraysh, the most honoured lineage of the city, in the Year of the Elephant (~570 CE).
His father Abdullah died before his birth; he was born an orphan.
He was suckled by Halimah al-Sa’diyah among the desert tribe Banu Sa’d, a custom of the noble Meccan families.
His mother Aminah died when he was about six; his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib then cared for him and died when he was about eight, after which his uncle Abu Talib took him in.
Early loss and honourable lineage together frame the later mission: a trusted, well-connected orphan raised in the heart of the sanctuary city.

Index (catalog), Seerah Timeline (first entries).

Exact birth date: the year (Year of the Elephant, ~570 CE) is well established; the day within Rabi’ al-Awwal is disputed — commonly the 12th (Sunni tradition), the 9th (per some modern reckonings, e.g. Mubarakpuri), or the 8th.
“Splitting of the chest” (shaqq al-sadr) during the Banu Sa’d years: reported in Sahih Muslim and by Ibn Ishaq; recorded here as a tradition — see Halimah al-Sa'diyah.