Abu Talib's journey with the youth to Busra

رحلة أبي طالب بالفتى إلى بصرى

A trade journey by Abu Talib with the youth Muhammad to al-Sham, as far as Busra, where the monk Bahira recognised the seal of prophethood and advised that he be sent back to Mecca, so his uncle returned with him, with some of his servants (al-Raheeq al-Makhtum, pp. 58-59).

Depth

At a glance

Era
Pre-Islamic Arabia
Region
Arabia · Levant & Iraq
Review
Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it

Stations

Overview

A trading journey led by Abu Talib to Syria, which he made with his nephew Muhammad, until they reached Busra, where he met the monk Bahira 1.

The route

  • From Mecca to Busra: Abu Talib set out with the youth as a merchant to Syria, until he arrived at Busra, which at that time was the chief town of Hawran in lands that were under Roman rule 2 3.
  • From Busra to Mecca: After Bahira recognised the youth by his qualities and by the seal of prophethood, and advised that he be taken back to Mecca for fear of the Jews, his uncle sent him back to Mecca with some of his servants 4.

On the road

The text does not mention stations between Mecca and Busra, so none are presented here.

Notes

The text gives the youth's age on this journey (twelve years), but gives no Hijri or Gregorian date for it, so no date has been set.

Sources

  1. al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri , pp.58-59
  2. al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri , p.58
  3. al-Sira al-Nabawiyya — Ibn Hisham
  4. al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri , p.59
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Abu Talib's journey with the youth to Busra”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/journey/syria-trade-with-abu-talib/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-22.

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