Abu Talib ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib (d. 619) was an uncle of Muhammad and raised and supported him while he was a young man. He was a full brother of Muhammad's father Abdullah, who had died before Muhammad's birth. Abu Talib took care of Muhammad after the death of Muhammad's mother. Abu Talib also protected Muhammad against other Quraishites who were the Prophet's enemies.
While Muhammad was a child, Abu Talib was head of the Banu Hashim clan of the Quraish tribe. While the Banu Hashim was an important clan, Abu Talib was not a rich man. Once Muhammad got older, he took responsibility for Abu Talib's son Ali in order to help his uncle out.
After Muhammad began preaching the message of Islam, more and more members of the Quraish tribe came to feel threatened by Muhammad. In attempts to quiet him, they would lean on Abu Talib to silence his nephew or control him. Despite these pressures, Abu Talib did nothing but support Muhammad and defended him from the other heads of the Quraish.
He died at around the same time as Muhammad's beloved wife Khadija, leading to an immensely sad time for the Prophet of Islam. This year was know as the saddest year of the life of the Prophet.
After the death of Abu Talib, Muhammad emigrated to Medina.
