Tell me about the honorable lineage of the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

A Muslim must know the Seerah (biography) of the Messenger of Allaah which enables him to love and emulate the Prophet . It is reported in the collections of Al-Bukhari and Muslim from Anas that the Messenger of Allaah said: "None of you becomes a true believer until I become more beloved to him than his son, his parents and all people." .

It is also reported by Al-Bukhari from 'Abdullaah ibn Hishaam who said,

 "We were with the Prophet who was holding 'Umar 's hand. 'Umar said, 'O Allaah's Messenger, I love you more than everything (in this life) except myself'. Then, the Prophet said: "No, by Him in Whose Hand is my soul! Until I become more beloved to you than yourself' (i.e. one will not become a true believer until loves the Prophet more than himself). 'Umar said, 'You are now more beloved to me than myself'. The Prophet said: "O 'Umar, now! [you are a true believer]".

A person loves only what he is familiar with, since people generally oppose something about which they have no knowledge. A well-known saying goes: 'One treats what is unfamiliar to him as an enemy'. Thus, it is undoubtedly a duty for every Muslim to become cognizant of the great Seerah of the Messenger of Allaah and his lofty morals, so that they strive to emulate him .

Allaah The Exalted, Says (what means): {Indeed in the Messenger of Allaah (Muhammad) you have a good example …} [Quran 33: 21].This means that Allaah, The Great and Almighty, has endowed him with the most perfect moral and physical qualities, that make the people of good sense and discernment develop an unwavering belief in his Prophethood. Such knowledge makes a person love and emulate him.

One also should know the honorable lineage of the Prophet . He is Muhammad ibn (son of) 'Abdullaah ibn 'Abdul Muttalib ibn Haashim ibn 'Abd Manaf ibn Qusay ibn Kilaab ibn Murrah ibn Ghaalib ibn Fihr (who was called Quraysh). As for his mother, she was Aaminah bint (daughter of) Wahb ibn 'Abd Manaf ibn Zuhrah ibn Kilaab.

Thuwaybah was his first foster mother, she was the Mawla (a freed bond-maid) of his paternal uncle Abu Lahab, who freed her for being the Prophet's foster mother. As for his foster mother and nursemaid, she was Haleemah bint Abu Thuaib as-Sa'diyyah. Allaah The Almighty honored her with being the Prophet's foster mother and the Prophet spent some period of his childhood with her in the desert with the tribe of Banu Sa'd. His nursemaid, after his mother's death, was Umm Ayman Barakah al-Habashiyyah. She was the Mawla of his father 'Abdullaah when he was under the guardianship of his grandfather 'Abdul Muttalib. His uncle Abu Taalib became his guardian after the death of his grandfather when the Prophet was eight years old. He remained in his uncle's care until he became mature.

Allaah Knows best.