The Mahdi Times The Mahdi Times July 2014 | Page 23

A True Description of the Family (a.s)
of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w)
by Tariq Berry
The term Sharif (nobleman) or Sayyid is used to describe a descendant of the
Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) through his daughter Sayyida Fatima Zahra (a.s). They
are descendants of Al Hasan (a.s) and Al Hussain (a.s)- the two sons of Ali ibn Abi
Talib (a.s) and Sayyida Fatima Zahra (a.s) the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad
(s.a.w). The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s) are from the
Bani Hashim branch of the tribe of Quraysh. They are the noblest of the Arabs. The
Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) and Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s) were first cousins. The father
of Ali (a.s), Abu Talib (a.s), was the brother of the father of the Prophet (s.a.w).
Once it has been established that the Bani Hashim were a black-skinned people,
there should be no need to prove that the pure Arabs of the past were, in general, a
black-skinned people.
In discussing the appearance of the Sayyids I believe that it is appropriate for me to
begin with the father of the Sayyids- Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s). In his book Tarikh AlKhul