He forbade himself from drinking wine...

He forbade himself from drinking wine, forbade marrying the mahrams,[^2] Limited the circumambulation around the Kaaba with seven turns after it was unlimited, forbade circumambulating around the Kaaba nakedly. Ordered to cut the stealer’s hand, forbade adultery, forbade burying newborn girls alive, forbade gambling, forbade eating from the meat of the animals sacrificed for the idols and enacted carrying out the vow.[^3] Islam came and ratified all those rules enacted by Abdul Muttalib.

Abdul Muttalib associated with Harb bin Umayya bin Abd Shams-the father of Mo’awiya- for some time. One of the Jews was under the protection of Abdul Muttalib. One day this Jew spoke roughly to Harb in one of the markets of Tehama. Harb became angry. He incited someone to assassinate the Jew. He inherited treachery from his grandfather Abd Shams. Treachery was a characteristic of this family along the ages.

When Abdul Muttalib knew about the doing of Harb, he deserted him for he did not want to associate with a treacherous man. But he didn’t let Harb get free.

He forced him to pay one hundred she-camels to the killed Jew’s cousin as blood-money.[^4] Besides all that, Abdul Muttalib refused to lower his head to prostrate before an idol, to worship a solid stone or a ragged piece of wood where he was of high reason, prudence, and acumen.[^5] He was the first to devote himself to God in the cave of Hara’. When the month of Ramadan came, he went up the mountain to worship for some nights and to think about the loftiness and the greatness of Allah.

Ebraha, the king of Yemen, came to destroy the Kaaba. He seized some camels of Abdul Muttalib. Abu Talib saw his father when asking Ebraha for his camels but not mentioning anything about the Kaaba, which Ebraha had come to destroy. Abdul Muttalib was about to be lowly before his son but he answered as a certain faithful to Allah: “I am the lord of my camels and the Kaaba has its Lord to guard it.” Abdul Muttalib went to the Kaaba.

He held the ferrule of the gate of the Kaaba and began to talk to his god reciting: O my God! I don’t hope but you. O God! Save Your sanctuary from them! The enemy of the House (Kaaba) is Your enemy, So prevent them from destroying Your courtyard! [^6] Then he recited again in a way that he was certain about the result: O Allah! Man strives to defend his baggage, So defend Your possession! Let their cross and their cunning not defeat Your cunning.