Abu Talib’s care for Muhammad (s) reached an extent beyond description. Their two souls united that it was difficult for each of them to separate from the other.When Muhammad (s) saw that his uncle was preparing to travel, he became upset and uncomfortable that the travel might be long. Tears began to fall from his eyes towards his cheeks.
When this merciful man saw the tears of the orphan falling down, his compassionate heart began to beat and could’nt tolerate his nephew’s words: “O uncle, to whom will you leave me? Neither a father nor a mother I have.”
Abu Talib couldn’t but say: “By Allah, I won’t go without him. I won’t part from him nor will he part from me at all.” He took him on the same sumpter to near to each other always. The caravan went on through the desert until it reached Busra, a country in Sham. They stopped to rest after a long travel.
There was a monk called Buhayra living in his cell.The monk came out of his cell and saw the caravan. There was something that drew his attention. There was a cloud moving to shadow one of those in the caravan. When the caravan stopped, the monk noticed another thing. He noticed that the tree, which they stopped near, bent it branches to shadow the same one, who had been shadowed by the cloud.
He was astonished but when he remembered what was there between the lines of the Holy Book he had, his astonishment left his prudent mind. He came down from his cell, ordered his companions to serve food and invited the caravan saying: “O people of Quraysh, I have served some food for you. I like that that all of you; the little boys and the old men, the servants and masters to come.”
They accepted his invitation and came with him except one, who was the very point of the monk’s attention. It was Muhammad (s), who stayed under the tree with the baggage.The monk’s eyes roved here and there but they didn't see what they looked for.
The People told him : O Buhayra, all of them were here except a little boy. He stayed with the baggage. But the questions of Buhayra wouldn’t stop unless that little boy came. Some one went to bring the boy. The deep examining looks of the monk began to check some thing of the boy’s body to find the description he had read in the holy Book about this great boy.
When they finished eating their food, Buhayra began to ask Muhammed (s) some question to be sure about what he had in his mind. The monk turned to Abu Talib asking: ‘What relation is between you and this boy?”
Abu Talib said: “He is my son.”
The monk said: “He is not your son. His father must not be alive
Abu Talib said; “He is my nephew.”
The monk asked:” What about his father?”
Abu Talib said: “He died while his mother was pregnant with him.”
The monk said: “ You are true. Go back with your nephew to your country and be careful of the Jews. By Allah, if they see him and know what I know, they will do their best to do away with him. Your nephew will be of great importance. Hurry up with him to your country.”
Abu Talib came back with his nephew more carefully, surrounding him with care and love. He strived with caution to protect him from that fatal group, the wicked Jews,who intended if they could to cut this bud before blooming.
He recorded this incidence in one of his poems, we quote only the initial lines from it:
The son of Aamina, Prophet Mohammed (s.a.w.w.) to me
Was much lovelier than my sons.
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These evidences, besides what he had heard from his father Abdul Muttalib, the blessedness of this boy when he participated with them in their meals, the flowing water from the rock, which this boy had kicked, the cloud that traveled with the caravan to shadow this boy and the branches of the tree when bending to shadow this blesses boy made Abu Talib believe definitely that his nephew would be greater than the others at all.
Not only Abu Talib had noticed these nonesuch qualities in his nephew but also all the people of Mecca. They called him the truthful, the trustworthy. They all accepted him to judge between them. He talked and they believed and he ordered and they obeyed.