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 clans of the Quraish who would later become 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 muzzle his nephew or control him. Despite these pressures, Abu Talib did nothing but support Muhammad and defended him to the other heads of the Quraish. Although he played an important role in the life of Muhammad, Abu Talib would not explicitly embrace Islam (although some claim that he did upon his deathbed). He died at around the same time as Muhammad's beloved wife Khadija, leading to an immensly sad time for the Prophet of Islam.

After the death of Abu Talib, Muhammad emigrated to Medina.