Abū Ṭālib was a very respectable man. However, he suffered from poverty and his subsistence was only by grave hardship. Particularly, as a result of the drought in Makkah during those days, Abū Ṭālib was the victim of great suffering. When Muḥammadsa noticed the anguish of his paternal uncle Abū Ṭālib, he approached his uncle ‘Abbās and proposed that, “Your brother Abū Ṭālib lives in a state of difficulty. Would not it be worthy, if from his sons you took one to your home and I bring one to my home.” ‘Abbās agreed to this proposal and both of them went to Abū Ṭālib and offered this proposal. Among his children, Abū Ṭālib dearly loved his son ‘Aqīl, hence he said, “Leave ‘Aqīl with me and if you wish take the others into your care.” Therefore, Ja‘far was taken into the guardianship of ‘Abbās and ‘Alira was taken by Muḥammadsa. Ḥaḍrat ‘Alira was approximately six to seven years of age and from that day he remained in the blessed custody of Muḥammadsa.1
1 * As-Sīratun-Nabawiyyah, By Abū Muḥammad ‘Abdul-Malik bin Hishām, p. 187, Bābu Dhikri anna ‘Aliyyabna Abī Ṭālibin Awwalu Dhakarin Aslama, Dārul-Kutubil-‘Ilmiyyah, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (2001)
* Usdul-Ghābah, Volume 3, pp. 588, ‘Aliyyubnu Abī Ṭālibra, Dārul-Fikr, Beirut (2003)