LONDON (Web Desk) – Queen Elizabeth-II of United Kingdom, the world’s oldest living monarch who marked her 90th birthday last month, has had a number of myths spring around her in the past.

Most astounding among these myths is the claim that she is from the lineage of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), from his 43rd generation, via her Spanish-Muslim ancestry.

Although disputed, genealogical records of early-medieval Spain also support the claim.

It is claimed by some historians that Queen Elizabeth belongs to the family of Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn Abbad, a descendant of Muhammad (PBUH) through his daughter Fatima (RA) and grandson Hasan ibn Ali (RA).

Al-Qasim was originally a judge appointed by the Caliph of Cordoba but he seized power and formed his own dynasty, the Abbadids. He became the ruler of Seville in al-Andalus in 1023.

Six decades later, in 1091, the Almoravids of Morocco attacked the Abbadid kingdom, then being ruled by al-Qasim’s grandson Al-Mu’tamid ibn Abbad. Ibn Abbad was defeated and dethroned.

In the meanwhile, his daughter named Zaida fled north and took refuge at the court of King Alfonso VI of Leon. In the years to come, she adopting the name Isabella after her baptism. The king married her after the death of his first wife and fathered three children with her.

Two centuries later, in 1352, a descendant of Zaida and King Alfonso, Maria de Padilla, had children with King Peter of Castille, who was publicly known as ‘the Cruel.’ The king fathered four children with her, two of whom married sons of King Edward III of England.

Here’s the ancestry of Queen Elizabeth in full:

Elizabeth II, Queen of the UK – daughter of
George VI, King of the UK – son of
George V, King of the UK – son of
Edward VII, King of the UK – son of
Victoria, Queen of the UK – daughter of
Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn – son of
George III, King of Great Britain – son of
Frederick, Prince of Wales – son of
George II, King of Great Britain – son of
George I, King of Great Britain – son of
Sophia, Electress of Hanover – daughter of
Elizabeth of Bohemia – daughter of
James I/VI, King of England, Ireland & Scotland – son of
Mary, Queen of Scots – daughter of
James V, King of Scots – son of
Margaret Tudor – daughter of
Elizabeth of York – daughter of
Edward IV, King of England – son of
Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York – son of
Richard of Conisburgh, Earl of Cambridge – son of
Isabella Perez of Castille – daughter of
Maria Juana de Padilla – daughter of
Maria Fernandez de Henestrosa – daughter of
Aldonza Ramirez de Cifontes – daughter of
Aldonza Gonsalez Giron – daughter of
Sancha Rodriguez de Lara – daughter of
Rodrigo Rodriguez de Lara – son of
Sancha Alfonsez, Infanta of Castile – daughter of
Zaida (aka Isabella) – daughter of
Al-Mu’tamid ibn Abbad, King of Seville – son of
Abbad II al-Mu’tadid, King of Seville – son of
Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn Abbad, King of Seville – son of
Ismail ibn Qarais – son of
Qarais ibn Abbad – son of
Abbad ibn Amr – son of
Amr ibn Aslan – son of
Aslan ibn Amr – son of
Amr ibn Itlaf – son of
Itlaf ibn Na’im – son of
Na’im II al-Lakhmi – son of
Na’im al-Lakhmi – son of
Zahra bint Husayn – daughter of
Husayn ibn Hasan – son of
Hasan ibn Ali

There are 5 other lines that are claimed by the historians. One of the top genealogical researchers and publishers of the world, Burke’s Peerage, endorses the claim above. It is a fact that many devout Muslims were forcibly converted to Christianity after the loss of Spain from Muslim hands. Many were also murdered, among these there were many who were from the lineage of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). We may never know for sure, but it is claimed by many historians that Queen Elizabeth is from the line of one of the Spanish Muslim Sayyeds.

SOURCE:   http://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/viral/is-queen-elizabeth-a-descendant-of-prophet-muhammad-pbuh-the-answer-will-blow-your-mind/

The Claim and Its Origins

A decades-old claim suggests that Queen Elizabeth II’s ancestry can be traced back 43 generations to the Prophet Muhammad through a medieval Spanish-Muslim lineage​

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. This theory first gained public attention in 1986 when Harold B. Brooks-Baker, director of the genealogical guide Burke’s Peerage, wrote to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher asserting that “the blood of Mohammed flows in the veins of the Queen”​

. The supposed link, according to Brooks-Baker, comes via the “Arab kings of Seville” in al-Andalus (Muslim Spain) whose bloodline passed into the royal houses of Castile and Portugal, and from there to England’s 15th-century King Edward IV​

. Because Queen Elizabeth II descends from King Edward IV, this would make her (very distantly) a descendant of Prophet Muhammad as well.

The story resurfaced in 2018 after Moroccan historian Abdelhamid Al-Aouni published an article tracing Elizabeth’s genealogy “back 43 generations all the way to Muhammad,” calling the connection a bridge between the Islamic and British realms​

. It was picked up by various media (including The Economist, The Daily Mail, Daily Express, etc.) and was even acknowledged by Egypt’s former Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa, who publicly endorsed the lineage and offered the Queen his blessings​

. With Queen Elizabeth II’s passing in 2022, the claim circulated widely on social media once again​

, prompting renewed interest in whether there is factual genealogical evidence behind it.

The Andalusian (Spanish-Muslim) Lineage Path

Historical genealogical records and family trees used to support this claim focus on an 11th-century Muslim princess in Iberia: Zaida of Seville. Zaida (c. 1070–1100) was a Muslim noblewoman of al-Andalus who took refuge at the Christian court of Castile. She converted to Christianity (baptized as “Isabel”) and became a concubine – possibly later wife – of King Alfonso VI of Castile and León​

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. Contemporary chronicles differ on her exact parentage: Christian sources described her as a daughter of Al-Mu’tamid ibn Abbad, the Muslim king of Seville, whereas Arab chronicles say she was actually his daughter-in-law (the wife of Al-Mu’tamid’s son)​

. In either case, Zaida was part of the Abbadid dynasty of Seville.

After Seville fell to the Almoravids in 1091, Zaida/Isabel lived among the Castilian Christians. She bore Alfonso VI a son, Sancho, and – according to many historians – at least one daughter, Princess Sancha (Sancha Alfonsez)​

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. Sancha Alfonsez of Castile in turn married Rodrigo González de Lara, a powerful Castilian noble​

. Through this marriage, the bloodline of Zaida entered the Castilian nobility. Their descendants married into other noble houses over the next several generations.

One crucial descendant in this chain was María de Padilla in 14th-century Castile, who was the mistress (and secret wife) of King Pedro “the Cruel” of Castile. María de Padilla was herself a great-great-granddaughter of the Lara family, tracing back to Princess Sancha (Alfonso VI’s daughter by Zaida)​

. King Pedro and María de Padilla’s daughter, Isabel of Castile (also called “Isabel Pérez of Castile”), inherited that blended Christian–Muslim lineage​

. Isabel of Castile married into the English royal family – specifically, she wed Edmund of Langley, Duke of York (son of King Edward III of England) in 1372. This union brought Zaida’s bloodline into the English royal house. One of Isabel and Edmund’s sons was Richard of Conisburgh, Earl of Cambridge​

, whose own son Richard, Duke of York, fathered King Edward IV of England. From Edward IV, the lineage continued down through the English monarchs to the current royal family (Queen Elizabeth II was Edward IV’s 14th-generation descendant). In summary, the proposed ancestry runs: Prophet Muhammad → [via descendants in early medieval Islamic dynasties] → Zaida of Seville (11th c.) → the royal family of Castile → Isabel of Castile (14th c.) → the House of York in England → King Edward IV → … → Queen Elizabeth II. This is the chain by which “the British Royal Family is descended from Mohammed through the Arab kings of Seville” as the original Burke’s Peerage claim put it​

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It’s important to note that the genealogical steps within Spain are documented in medieval histories of Spanish nobility, though not without ambiguity. Alfonso VI’s daughter Sancha and her Lara family offspring are part of recorded Castilian genealogies, and King Pedro’s daughter Isabel of Castile is a well-known figure who appears in English royal pedigrees​

. Thus, the connection between Queen Elizabeth II and Zaida of Seville is historically plausible because it involves known marriages between Christian and Muslim-lineage nobility in medieval Spain and later Anglo-Spanish royal marriages​

. In fact, intermarriage between the English and Spanish royal families was relatively common (e.g. centuries later, King Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon, etc.), so it is not surprising that some Spanish royal blood — potentially including distant Moorish ancestry — entered the English royal line​

. What remains to be verified, however, is the earliest part of the chain: whether Zaida (or her family) truly descended from the Prophet Muhammad.

Evaluating the Link to the Prophet’s Descendants

The crux of the claim is whether Zaida of Seville (and the Abbadid kings of Seville) were biologically linked to the Prophet’s family. If Zaida was indeed Al-Mu’tamid’s daughter and if Al-Mu’tamid’s lineage traced back to the Prophet, then Queen Elizabeth II would have a sliver of that sacred bloodline. Brooks-Baker and Al-Aouni both assumed this to be true. They assert that through the Prophet’s daughter Fatima and her son Hasan, a line of descent leads to a woman named Zahra bint Husayn, who married into an Arab Lakhmid family in Spain, ultimately producing the Banu Abbad (the Seville dynasty) generations later​

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. In theory, this would make King Al-Mu’tamid of Seville a direct descendant of Prophet Muhammad, and by extension his (purported) daughter Zaida a member of the Prophet’s progeny​

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Cross-checking historical records, however, reveals a lack of hard evidence for this Islamic genealogical chain. Medieval Andalusian chronicles do not clearly document that the Banu Abbad of Seville were Hashemite (members of the Prophet’s clan) or Sayyids (Prophet’s descendants). The Abbadids were an Arabized dynasty, but their recorded genealogy only reliably traces back a few generations in local Andalusian aristocracy. It was not a widely recorded fact in Arab histories that Al-Mu’tamid ibn Abbad claimed descent from Prophet Muhammad. Modern genealogists like Al-Aouni have reconstructed a plausible line backward, but it remains largely speculative. As the fact-checking outlet Misbar observes, “Zaida’s ancestry is not confirmed… Some claim that she was the daughter of al-Mu’tamid, ruler of Seville, and descendant of the Prophet. Others suggest that she was al-Mu’tamid’s daughter-in-law. Yet, the available literature is not sufficient to confirm Zaida’s origins.”​

. In other words, there is no contemporary medieval document or definitive proof that Zaida (or even Al-Mu’tamid) had Hashemite lineage. This uncertainty is a major gap in the chain. If Zaida was merely the daughter-in-law of Al-Mu’tamid (as many scholars believe)​

, then being related to the Prophet would depend on her own unknown background – which is even more obscure.

Another weak link is the identification of Zaida with “Queen Isabel” of Castile. Some historians debate whether Zaida the concubine is the same person as Alfonso VI’s later fourth wife known as Isabel. It’s possible Alfonso VI had two different wives named Isabel, or that Zaida died earlier (around 1093) and a later Christian noblewoman named Isabel bore the daughters Sancha and Elvira​

. However, a strong piece of evidence favoring Zaida’s maternity of those princesses is a funerary inscription calling Queen Isabel “daughter of Benabet (Abu ʾl-Qasim Muhammad ibn Abbad), King of Seville”​

– implying Queen Isabel was indeed the convert from Seville. If so, then Zaida’s blood entered the Castilian royal line for certain. But again, whether that blood carried the Prophet’s DNA is unproven.

Modern genealogical references and reputable sources remain cautious. For instance, Burke’s Peerage (the authority on royal lineage) did publish Brooks-Baker’s claim, yet professional historians often view such ultra-extended pedigrees with skepticism. The Middle East Eye flatly stated that “there is no evidence that Queen Elizabeth II was a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad or his Hashemite clan” based on mainstream historical research​

. And Misbar’s investigation concluded that “the circulating claim lacks evidence and facts… This assertion has not been backed up by credible authorities or experts”​

. In short, cross-checking the crucial early-generation links against primary historical records yields no verification beyond what later genealogists have pieced together. It remains a hypothesis rather than a documented fact.

Acceptance Among Scholars and Genealogists

Despite the tenuous evidence, the idea of this royal-prophetic connection has been attractive to many. Some historians and genealogists find the lineage plausible or at least not surprising. British historian David Starkey noted that given the intermarriages between Spanish and British royals, the claim is “not at all outlandish” – though he cautioned that the mere fact of those marriages “does not verify the claim” without the early-generation proof​

. In Islamic circles, scholars like Ali Gomaa have endorsed the connection; Gomaa in 2018 affirmed that Queen Elizabeth “had blood ties to the Prophet” through this line and treated it as a point of honor, reflecting pride that a major Western monarch could share ancestry with Prophet Muhammad​

. The Moroccan scholar Al-Aouni likewise confidently promoted the genealogy, emphasizing its symbolic value for Christian-Muslim unity​

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On the other hand, many experts urge skepticism. Author and historian Lesley Hazleton dubbed the story “well-meaning interfaith spin” and “clickbait,” laughing at the notion of a “legitimate connection” in a strict sense​

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. Hazleton points out that with enough generations, virtually anyone can be connected to anyone else: “If you go back far enough, you can find some kind of third cousin 99 times removed for anybody in the world.”​

. In her view, highlighting such a remote relationship – even if true – serves more to “lend ‘respectability’ to a major world religion” amid Western Islamophobia than to reveal a meaningful familial bond​

. Many genealogists note that claims beyond about 30 generations become extremely difficult to prove; written records grow sparse or legendary. They remind us that Brooks-Baker, while knowledgeable, “was often wrong” in his sensational claims​

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. His own 2005 obituary in The Telegraph diplomatically observed that “his great advantage for journalists was that he was always available to make an arresting comment; his disadvantage was that he was often wrong.”​

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. In other words, the originator of this theory did not enjoy a sterling reputation for accuracy, causing many to question the claim’s reliability.

No academic journal or official royal historian has published a paper confirming Queen Elizabeth’s descent from the Prophet. The Royal Family themselves have never commented on it, and it does not appear in authorized biographies or genealogy charts (likely to avoid political or religious controversy). Thus, while the claim is entertaining and even heartening to some, it remains on the fringe of serious genealogy. Scholars at the Cambridge-based Woolf Institute and other cultural institutes have discussed it as a curiosity or a tool for interfaith dialogue, rather than as settled history.

Gaps, Inconsistencies, and Alternative Views

Several gaps and inconsistencies undercut the lineage’s credibility:

• Zaida’s Prophetic Lineage: This is the most critical missing link. It is uncertain that Zaida (or her father-in-law Al-Mu’tamid) was actually a descendant of Prophet Muhammad. The claim rests on genealogical conjecture; contemporary evidence is lacking​

  misbar.com

  . If Zaida was not of prophetic lineage, then the Queen is not a descendant of the Prophet (despite still having a Moorish ancestor). The entire argument hinges on a hypothesis about Zaida’s ancestors that cannot be decisively proven from surviving records.

• Identity of Queen Isabel: If one argues Zaida died too early and a different Queen Isabel bore Alfonso VI’s daughters, it would break the chain of transmission of “Prophet’s blood” to later royals. Most researchers now lean toward Zaida and Queen Isabel being the same person (supported by the tomb inscription)​

  en.wikipedia.org

  , but this point was debated. Any alternate interpretation of Spanish chronicles could complicate the genealogy.

• Generational Distance: The time span between the Prophet (7th century) and Queen Elizabeth II (20th–21st century) is enormous – roughly 1,400 years. Dozens of generations lie between, and each link is only as strong as the weakest. Minor discrepancies or unknown parentages in medieval family trees could alter the outcome. Given that even Brooks-Baker’s version counted the Queen as a 43rd-generation descendant​

  misbar.com

  , the margin for error is high. It’s not uncommon for medieval genealogies to include legendary connections to elevate status (many European kings tried to link themselves to biblical figures or Trojan War heroes, for example). It is possible that a claim of Hashemite ancestry for the Abbadids was a later fabrication or honorific legend rather than literal truth.

• Definition of “Descendant”: The term itself can be misleading. In this context, it does not imply a close relation, but rather an extremely distant ancestor somewhere in one branch of the family tree. The Queen had hundreds of 43rd-great-grandparents, and the Prophet would be just one among a vast number of her theoretical ancestors. Statisticians often note that after so many generations, everyone with any European or Middle Eastern heritage might share some ancestors. Thus, even if true, the fact would be genealogically interesting but not especially significant biologically (the Queen would only have a microscopic fraction of the Prophet’s genes).

• Motive and Narrative: Some analysts suspect the popularity of this claim is driven less by genealogy and more by a desire for a positive narrative. Emphasizing the Prophet’s kinship to a Christian monarch can be seen as a way to counteract “the demonization of Islam in the West”, fostering a sense of kinship between Muslims and the British crown​

  history.com

  . It’s telling that the story often resurfaces in media during times of inter-religious tension or when high-profile events (like the Queen’s death) put the monarchy in the spotlight. In other words, it serves an interfaith outreach purpose. While that doesn’t make it false, it suggests we approach the claim with a critical eye and recognize its symbolic appeal.

In light of these issues, many credible historians refrain from fully endorsing the claim. As one commentary put it bluntly: “Due to the lack of evidence and definite relevant facts, it is not possible to unequivocally substantiate the circulating claim.”​

In academic terms, the Queen’s alleged descent from Prophet Muhammad remains unproven. It is a hypothesis built on plausible connections, but still awaiting concrete corroboration (which may never materialize given the age of the sources).

Conclusion

In conclusion, the idea that Queen Elizabeth II’s lineage traces back to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) cannot be confirmed with certainty, but nor can it be entirely dismissed as absurd. Genealogically, a connection is feasible: through the 11th-century figure of Zaida of Seville, who linked the Islamic dynasties of Spain with European royal lines, there is a documented path that leads to the British royal family​

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. Many historians acknowledge that such distant interweaving of bloodlines is possible in principle – indeed, Europe and the Middle East have exchanged royal kin for centuries. However, reputable evidence for the specific claim is scant. The early part of the lineage (tying the Sevillan Muslim dynasty to the Prophet’s family) is based on traditional or conjectural genealogy rather than verifiable fact​

. As a result, this claim is not widely accepted as established history among scholars. It is treated as an intriguing footnote or legend, perhaps true, perhaps not.

What is broadly accepted is that Queen Elizabeth II did have some distant Moorish (Muslim Spanish) ancestry via medieval Spanish royalty – a reflection of how interconnected royal families were​

. Whether that Moorish ancestry leads all the way to Prophet Muhammad is where historians diverge. Some, like those at Burke’s Peerage and in the Muslim world, have embraced the story, while others remain skeptical and point out the lack of proof​

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. Thus, the claim should be viewed as an interesting possibility rather than a verified fact. It serves as a reminder of the rich tapestry of global genealogy and, perhaps, as a symbolic bridge between cultures – but it rests on a foundation that is still historically unconfirmed.

Sources: Historical genealogical analyses and news reports

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, among others, as cited above.