Excerpts from "The Sealed Nectar"
2. 'Abdul-Muttalib: We have already learned that after the death of Hashim, the charge of the pilgrims' food and water went to his brother Al-Muttalib bin 'Abd Manaf, who was honest, generous and trustworthy. When 'Abdul-Muttalib reached the age of boyhood, his uncle Al-Muttalib heard of him and went to Madinah to bring him to Makkah. When he saw him, tears filled his eyes and rolled down his cheeks, he embraced him and took him on his camel. The boy, however, abstained from going with him to Makkah until he took his mother's consent. Al-Muttalib asked her to send the boy with him to Makkah, but she refused. He managed to convince her saying: "Your son is going to Makkah to restore his father's authority, and live in the vicinity of the Sacred House."
In Makkah, people wondered at seeing 'Abdul-Muttalib, and considered him the slave of Muttalib. Al-Muttalib said: "He is my nephew, the son of my brother Hashim." The boy was brought up in Al-Muttalib's house, but later on Al-Muttalib died in Ramadan in Yemen so 'Abdul-Muttalib took over and managed to maintain his peoples' prestige and outdo his grandfathers in his honorable behaviour which gained him Makkah's deep love and high esteem.
When Al-Muttalib died, Nawfal usurped the duties of 'Abdul-Muttalib, so the latter asked for help from the Quraish but they abstained from extending any sort of support to either of them. Consequently, he wrote to his uncles of Bani An-Najjar (his mother's brothers) to come to his aid. His uncle, Abu Sa'd bin 'Adi (his mother's brother) marched to Makkah at the head of 80 horsemen and capped in Abtan in Makkah. 'Abdul-Muttalib received the men and invited them to go to his house but Abu Sa'd said: "Not before I meet Nawfal." He found Nawfal sitting with some old men of Quraish in the shade of the Ka'bah. Abu Sa'd drew his sword and said: "I swear by Allah that if you don't restore to my nephew what you have taken, I will kill you with this sword." Nawfal was forced to give up what he had usurped unlawfully, and the notables of the Quraish were made to witness to his words.
Abu Sa'd then went to 'Abdul-Muttalib's house where he stayed for three nights, performed 'Umarah and left to return to Madinah. Later on, Nawfal entered into an alliance with Bani 'Abd Shams bin 'Abd Manaf against Bani Hashim. When Khuza'ah, a tribe, saw Bani An-Najjar's support to 'Abdul-Muthalib they said: "He is our son as he is yours. We have more reason to support him than you." 'Abd Manaf's mother was one of them.
They went into An-Nadwah House and entered into an alliance with Bani Hashim against Bani 'Abd Shams and Nawfal. It was an alliance that was later to constitute the main reason for the conquest of Makkah.'Abdul-Muttalib did witness two important events in his lifetime, namely, digging the Zamzam well and the Elephant raid.
In brief, 'Abdul-Muttalib received an order in his dream to dig the Zamzam well at a particular place. He did so and found the articles that the men of the Jurhum had buried there when they were forced to evacuate Makkah. He found swords, armors and two deer made of gold. The gate of Ka'bah was stamped with the gold swords and two deer, and then the tradition of providing Zamzam water to pilgrims was established.
When the well of Zamzam gushed forth, the Quraish made a claim to become partners in the enterprise, but 'Abdul-Muttalib refused their demands on the grounds that Allah had singled only him out for this honorable job. To settle the dispute they agreed to consult the diviner of Bani Sa'd. On their way, Allah showed them His signs that confirmed 'Abdul-Muttalib's privilege about the sacred spring. Only then did 'Abdul-Muttalib make a solemn vow to sacrifice one of his adult children to the Ka'bah if he had ten.