The Vow of Sacrifice and Ransom of Abdullah

When Abd al-Muttalib had vowed to Allah during the Zamzam well conflict that if granted ten sons who reached adulthood, he would sacrifice one at the Ka’aba—and years later, after ten sons were granted, used divining arrows to determine which son to sacrifice. The lot fell on Abdullah, his youngest and most beloved son, but the Quraysh community intervened, horrified at losing such a noble youth. Abd al-Muttalib traveled to Yathrib (later Medina) to consult a wise woman, who instructed him to draw lots between Abdullah and camels, starting with ten camels (the traditional blood-price) and adding ten more each time the lot fell on Abdullah, continuing until the camels were chosen.

At the Ka’aba, Abd al-Muttalib drew lots repeatedly—each time from 10 to 90 camels, Abdullah’s arrow was chosen. Finally, at 100 camels, the lot fell on the camels instead. Abd al-Muttalib sacrificed all 100 camels, distributed the meat to the community, and Abdullah was spared. This event established 100 camels as the standard blood-price (diya) in Arabia, later adopted by Islamic law. Abdullah subsequently married Aminah bint Wahb and fathered Muhammad, making this ransom critical to Islamic history—without Abdullah’s survival, there would be no Prophet. The story parallels Abraham’s near-sacrifice of his son with divine intervention providing a substitute.