Mothers of the Believers

6. Umm Salamah bint Abi Umayya ibn al-Mughira. 9. Umm Habibah bint Abi Sufiyan ibn Sakhr 10. Safiyah bint Huyeiy ibn Akhtab 12. Mariyah bint Shamoun al Qibtiyah

Umm Salama RA She was Hind bint Abi Umayya ibn al-Mughira.

aka Umm Salamah

because of her son Salamah from her first husband Abdullah ibn Asad.

Her husband Abu Salamah was mortally wounded in the Battle of Uhud. She was left alone, with two children, Salamah and Zainab.

She had heard from the Prophet [pbuh] that if any Muslim was in trouble, he should say:

"O Allah keep my reward for this trouble and make a better alternative for me than this."

When Abu Salamah died, she remembered that hadith and began to say it. When she wanted to say, "O Allah, give me a better replacement," her heart used to say, "Who could be better than Abu Salamah?"

But when she began that prayer the Prophet [pbuh] was the replacement of Abu Salamah. (Nasai).

After the waiting period, the Prophet [pbuh] proposed to her. She offered three excuses :

(a) I am a very jealous (gayur) woman (for she deeply loved Abu Salamah);

(b) I have children; and

(c) I am old.

The Prophet said: his age was more than hers; Allah and His Messenger would look after her children and, as for her jealousy, he would pray to Allah to remove that from her.

On her marriage with the Prophet, in 4 AH, she was to stay in the house of Zainab bint Khuzaimah.

Her dowry was some goods worth ten dirhams.

There was a jar full of barley, a hand-mill, some macaroni, and a pot containing a little butter.

She milled some barley and prepared a meal for the Prophet [pbuh] and herself.

That was all they took as a wedding-feast.

At Hudaibiyah, when the Prophet [pbuh] had commanded the people to slaughter their sacrificial animals and get their heads shaved, and they were sulking in distress for nothing, he came into his tent, and said to Umm Salamah: "Thrice have I commanded the people to slaughter their animals and shave their heads. But look how listless and indolent they are!"

She softly said: "O Prophet of Allah, you can't make these fifteen hundred men do what they don't want. Just do your own duty, which Allah has imposed on you. Go ahead and perform your own rites yourself—in an open place so that every one of them can see you."

The Prophet realised the sense of this advice. He stepped out of the tent. He went up to the herd. He brought a camel out into the open, hobbled it and slaughtered it.

Then he called Khirash ibn Umayya al-Khuza'i, who shaved his head.

When the Muslims saw what the Messenger had done, they leapt up and followed him in slaughtering the animals and shaving their heads.

Umm Salamah RA reports that she was with Allah's Messenger along with Maimunah RA when Ibn Umm Maktum came into their house.

The Prophet told them to veil themselves. She said, "Allah's Messenger, is he not blind and unable to see us?"

He pbuh replied, "Are you blind and unable to see him?" (Ahmad, Tirmizi and Abu Dawud).

Most of the revelations came to the Prophet pbuh when he was in Ayesha’s apartment. But at least once the Prophet pbuh received revelations when he was with Umm Salamah.

1. On the 50th day from the return of troops from Tabuk expedition a part of revelation was sent, the second half when he was with Umm Salamah...the verses of pardon about Ka’b ibn Malik RA being forgiven. (Su 9: 103 - 118)

2. When the repentance of Abu Lubahah was accepted.

Mahmud ibn Labid said, "The wives of the Prophet [pbuh] were treasuries of hadith but A'isha and Umm Salamah had no equal. " (Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd)

She could read the Qur'an in the style of the Prophet and was one of the 4 ummahaat to memorize the Quran.

She narrated 378 ahadith .

She lived a very simple & a very pious life. Once she wore a necklace containing some portion of gold, but the Prophet [pbuh] avoided her so she broke the necklace. (Musnad).

She was the last of the wives of the Prophet [pbuh] to die. She died at the age of eighty four in the year 63 A.H.

Abu Hurairah offered her funeral prayer and she was buried in the Jannat al-Baqi.

Umm Habibah RA Ramla bint Abi Sufyan ibn Sakhr

Umm Habiba RA was the d/o the chief of the Quraish Abu Sufyan who was a staunch enemy of the Prophet pbuh

She & her husband were from the early converts to Islam and were from the first group to migrate to Abyssinia

Umm Habeebah RA was first married to ‘Ubayd-Allaah ibn Jahsh, who later converted to Christianity & died in Abyssinia.

She a very good and sincere believer so she left him and chose to live alone.

On the initiation of the Prophet, the Negus sent one of his maids to Umm Habeeba, seeking her agreement to marry Muhammad pbuh.

She accepted and the marriage was solemnized in absentia.

The Negus married her to the Prophet pbuh.

Khalid ibn Sa'id ibn al-'As represented her legal guardian.

The Negus read out the Khutba, and gave her a mahr of four hundred dinars on behalf of the Prophet pbuh & also gave a Walima on his behalf.

A few years later he sent her to the Messenger of Allah pbuh in a boat with Shurahbeel ibn Hasanah.

She was very virtuous, of the highest character, charitable and of great courage.

She was very greatly attached to the Prophet (pbuh).

About 65 ahadith were narrated by her.

She died in the year 44 A.H. during the Caliphate of her brother, Mu'awiyah, and was buried in al-Baqi cemetery.

Safiyah bint Huyeiy ibn Akhtab RA

Her father was a leader of the Jewish tribe banu al-Nadhir.

Previous husbands:

Sallam ibn Mishkam, who divorced her.

Kinana ibn al-Rabi' - Safiyah was married to him before the Muslims

attacked Khaibar. He was killed by the Muslims and she was taken captive.

She was then seventeen - very young and very beautiful.

( Her dream...How Kinanah was killed )

On her way back to Medinah, at al-Sabha, eight miles from Khaibar, the Prophet [pbuh] married Safiyah in 7 AH

Abu Ayub alAnsari guarded their tent for fear of the enemies.

The Walima was arranged the next day with hats - a dish of dates, akit (cheese) and butter, to which was added Sawiq (parched barley); and according to another tradition, the Prophet [pbuh] used on this occasion another Mudd and a half of the finest quality of 'Ajwa dates.

When the wives of the Prophet pbuh heard about her arrival, four of them -Zainab bint jahsh, Hafsa, Aisha and Juwairryah - came with a veil over their faces to see her. Zainab said to Jawairryah, “O daughter of Harith! i think this girl will surpass us all in the presence of Allah’s Messenger.” Juwairryah replied, “Not at all; this is one of those women who are not successful with their husbands.” (Tabaqat)

Aisha also went there, saw her and came back. The Prophet was following her when she returned and asked her, “Aisha, how did you find Safiyah?” She said, “I saw a ‘Yahudiyyah’!” The Prophat pbuh said, “Dont say that, because she has accepted Islam and she is sincere in her faith in Islam.” (Tabaqat)

The other wives of the Prophet [pbuh] showed their jealousy by making slights upon her Jewish origin.

But the Prophet [pbuh] always defended her. He said: "Safiyah, take courage and be bold. They are in no way superior to you. Tell them: I am a daughter of the Prophet [pbuh] Harun, a niece of the Prophet pbuh Musa, and a wife of the Prophet Muhammad".

( The reaction of other wives upon her remarks when Prophet pbuh was sick )

She died in the year 50 or 52 A.H. and was buried in al Baqi cemetry.

She was sixty years old.

She left property worth one hundred thousand dirhams leaving

one- third for her nephew, and the rest was given in charity. (Tabaqat)

Mariyah al Qibtiayh RA

Mariya bint Shamoun al-Qibtia was sent by the Governor of Egypt al Muqawqas as a gift to the Prophet pbuh. in 628.

She was very beautiful and the Prophet loved her very much. Aisha was very jealous of her.

Prophet Muhammad pbuh lived in a mud-brick dwelling next to the Medina mosque, and each of his wives had her own mud-brick room, built in a line next to his.

The Prophet made a house for Mariya in the neighborhood of Medinah, where he often used to go.

(story of the visitor)

Mariya bore Muhammad pbuh a son, Ibrahim ibn Muhammad, who died in early childhood, at 18 months of age.

Prophet Muhammad's pbuh attentions to Mariya RA caused dissension among his other wives.

Her birth date is unknown. Mariya RA died in Moharram, 16AH.

Omar Bin Al Khattab RA performed the funeral prayer in Al Baqie' cemetery.

She was buried beside the wives of the Prophet pbuh and beside her son Ibrahim.

Refs:

Encyclopedia of Seerah Vol 2 of 7ReadingIslam.comMuhammed the Prophet of Islam

JazaakAllahu khairan Mohammadi March 2009 Redlands, CA