The Muhammad DNA Project

Are you a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad? The genetic origins analysis of the Muhammad DNA profile and search for living relatives.

The Prophet Muhammad had no sons who reached adulthood. His daughter Fatima married Muhammad's cousin Ali and had two sons, al-Hasan and al-Husayn. All the male descendants of the two grandsons of the Prophet are related to Muhammad in the paternal line, meaning they carry the Y-DNA profile of Muhammad and his clan, the Hashemites. The Arab noble Hashemite clan descends from Hashim, the great-grandfather of Muhammad. Among others, the royal houses of Morocco and Jordan belong to this clan today.

Testing two members of the Jordanian royal family has now made it possible to determine the Y-DNA profile of this line. Until now only the exact haplogroup was known: J1-L859. The following profile provides an indication of the relationship with this line:

DNA profile of Muhammad

Haplogroup

The Hashemites belong to the J1 haplogroup. This group formed some 16,000 years ago in the Middle East, probably in Anatolia or Mesopotamia. From there it migrated to the Arabian Peninsula, where its expansion was the greatest. Even today, this group is most commonly found in the Middle East and North Africa, but also in Europe. The exact subtype (J1-L859) is typical of the Arabian Peninsula.

Ancient tribe and region of origin

The Hashemites are a clan from the Arabian Quraysh tribe. This tribe ruled the region around Mecca in the west of present-day Saudi Arabia at the time of the Prophet. The Y-DNA profile confirms this ancestry.

Living descendants:

The grandsons of Muhammad, al-Hasan and al-Husayn, had numerous descendants and the Hashemite lineage survives even today in many families. Our project involves a search for other descendants of this line. To participate in the project, please order one of the following tests.

T H E  S C I E N C E

The Y chromosome, the male sex chromosome, is passed on from father to son. Every son and male of the same paternal line has the same Y chromosome. If the Y chromosome of two men is the same, it means that they are related and share a common paternal ancestor. The extent of the match (number of common markers) can be used to determine the approximate number of generations that the relationship spans.

L I N K S

• DNA profiles and haplogroups of famous persons
• DNA could illuminate Islam's lineage
• Y-DNA Signature That Might Represent the Prophet Mohammed

Press Reports

• My Phoenician ancestors (16.04.2009, DIE WELTWOCHE)
• Genealogical research by means of genetic analysis (05.06.2008, Der Sonntag)
• Searching for your roots (26.01.2008, Mannheimer Morgen)
• We have all immigrated at one time or another (31.07.2007, Migrosmagazin, PDF 400KB)

Genetic indigenous peoples by iGENEA

By Ancient tribes, we refer to peoples from ancient times who are defined not only by their own language, culture and history, but also by their own DNA profile. An origins analysis by iGENEA determines your Ancient tribe by means of your haplogroup and genetic profile. The result refers roughly to the period between 900 BC and 900 AD.

Jews Vikings Celts Germanic Tribes Basques show all ancient tribes

This is how the DNA origin analysis works

A Mucus Sample suffices to get a sample of your DNA. Taking the sample is simple and painless and can be done at home. Send the samples with the envelop included in the sampling kit.