Umme Salamah (Hind Bint Abi Umayah) | Mother of the Believers

Birth:580 or 596 C.EDemise:61 A.H.Father:Abu Umayyah ibn Al-MugherahMother:Atiqah bint AamirSpouses:Abdullah ibn Abdul Asad (Abu Salamah)Prophet Muhammad ﷺOffspring:SalamahUmarZaynabRuqayyah (Durrah)Title:Umm-ul-MomineenTribe:Banu MugherahResting Place:Jannat-ul-Baqee

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(Mufti. Shah Rafi Uddin Hamdani & Dr. Imran Khan)

Umme Salamah (ام سلمۃ) or ‘mother of Salamah’ was the teknonym of Hind bint Abi Umayyah (ہند بنت ابی امیّہ). According to Abu Umar, her actual name was Ramlah (رملۃ)¹ but as per the opinion of the majority of scholars, her real name was Hind (ہند). ² She was a cousin of Khalid bin Waleed ³ and was one of the most significant companions of the Holy Prophet. She is famous for narrating various Ahadith from Prophet Muhammad .

Lineage

She was Hind bint Abi Umayyah ibn Al-Mugherah ibn Abdullah ibn Umar ibn Makhzoom. ⁴ Her mother was Atiqah bint Aamir ibn Rabee’ah. ⁵ Her father was famous for his generosity and was known as ‘Zaad Al-Rakib’ (زاد الراکب)⁶ i.e., the food provider of the travelers, who used to supply the caravan with food which travelled with him, at his own expense. ⁷

Life before Marriage with Prophet Muhammad

Before her marriage with the Holy Prophet, Umme Salamah was married to Abu Salamah whose real name was Abdullah ibn Abdul Asad ibn Hilal. ⁸ The Holy Prophet and Abu Salamah were nursed by Thuwaybah , hence Abu Salamah was also a foster brother of Prophet Muhammad . ⁹

Apart from their noble lineage, Umme Salamah ¹⁰ and Abu Salamah were among the first converts to Islam. Twice, on Prophet Muhammad’s order, they migrated to Abyssinia ¹¹ as they were subjected to heavy persecution in Makkah. However, when they heard that the situation in Makkah had improved, they decided to come back.

As soon as they reached Makkah, they were again persecuted for being Muslims. When they could not tolerate these persecutions, they decided to migrate to Madinah. Some of the people found out about their migration plans and tried to stop them. A group of men from Banu Mugherah’s tribe (Umme Salamah’s family) attacked Abu Salamah , took the camel’s reins from him. Then, they forced Umme Salamah to come down and return to their tribe against her will. Reacting to this, the people of Banu Asad tribe (Abu Salamah’s tribe) took Salamah (their baby) and told the people of Banu Mugherah that if they separated the wife from her husband, then they would not be allowed to take the son. In the scuffle that followed, Salamah’s hand was dislocated, but still, the people of Banu Asad took the baby. After that, Umme Salamah was taken to her tribe where she mourned to see her baby and her husband. Her husband had followed Prophet Muhammad to Madinah while her son was still with the people of Banu Asad. Every day, she would go to a place known as ‘Al-Abtah’ and weep over the loss of her husband and child from morning till evening for a whole year. ¹² One day, one of her family members took pity on her and decided to let her go to join her husband. He talked to the people of the tribe and convinced them to let her go. When the people of Banu Asad heard this, they returned her son to her and readied a camel for her so that she could go to Madinah. She placed her son in her lap and headed towards Madinah. When she reached Tan’eem, a place near Makkah, she met Uthman ibn Abi Talhah , who was a non-believer at that time. Uthman offered his help and guided them all the way to Madinah. When they reached Quba, Uthman told her that her husband was in this village and after a year of separation, she was united with her husband. ¹³

Umme Salamah was the first Muslim woman to become a migrant and the first Muslim woman to enter Madinah. ¹⁴ Overall Umme Salamah bore Abu Salamah four children, namely Salamah , Umar , Zaynab and Durrah , ¹⁵ some state that their last child was Ruqayyah, not Durrah . ¹⁶

Abu Salamah was one of those companions who fought bravely in the battle of Badr, which was won by the Muslims. After that, he also fought valiantly in the battle of Uhud, ¹⁷ however, he was severely injured in this battle. ¹⁸ He treated his wound carefully and a month, the wound seemed to be healed. In the 4th year of Hijrah, in the month of Safar, the Holy Prophet entrusted Abu Salamah to command one hundred and fifty men ¹⁹ to fight the people of Banu Asad who were instigating other people to attack the Holy Prophet in Madinah.

Abu Salamah fought bravely and managed to win the battle for the Muslims. Triumphant, he returned home with a lot of spoils of war. ²⁰ The war had an effect on his wound which became infected again and led to his martyrdom. ²¹ The Holy Prophet was at Abu Salamah’s side when he passed away and closed his eyes with his noble hands at the time of his death. ²² He then recited the following words for him:

«إن الروح إذا قبض تبعه البصر»، فضج ناس من أهله، فقال: «لا تدعوا على أنفسكم إلا بخير، فإن الملائكة يؤمنون على ما تقولون»، ثم قال: «اللهم اغفر لأبي سلمة وارفع درجته في المهديين، واخلفه في عقبه في الغابرين، واغفر لنا وله يا رب العالمين، وافسح له في قبره، ونور له فيه. ²³

“When the soul is taken, the sight follows it”. Some of his (Abu Salamah’s) family wailed so he (Prophet Muhammad ) said: “Do not pray against yourselves except for good things, as the angels say Ameen to whatever you say.” Then he said: “O Allah, forgive Abu Salamah and raise him in status among those who are guided and take care of his family who are left behind. Forgive us and him, O Lord of the worlds and make his grave spacious for him and illuminate it for him.”

Marriage with Prophet Muhammad

It is narrated that when Umme Salamah was marrying Abu Salamah , she asked him to make an agreement that if either of them passed away, the other would not remarry. Abu Salamah , instead of agreeing, instructed her to remarry after his death and prayed to Allah to provide her with a husband who is a good man and keeps her happy. ²⁴ So, when he passed away, Umme Salamah recalled his prayer and started reciting it. When her Iddat(عدت) was over, Abu Bakr proposed to marry her in order to honor Abu Salamah , and help her in raising her orphans, but she gently refused his proposal. ²⁵ After him, Umar bin Khattab proposed to marry her as well, but he too was refused. ²⁶

Then, the Holy Prophet sent her a messenger and asked her hand for marriage. She did not refuse him, but told the messenger to inform Prophet Muhammad that she was an old woman with a young family. Furthermore, she told him that she was one of those women who could be very jealous. ²⁷ In response, the Holy Prophet said that these concerns should not stop her from marrying. Regarding age, he mentioned that he was older; concerning the children, he assured he would take care of them; and regarding jealousy, he prayed to Allah to remove it. ²⁸

After this message, she accepted the proposal and was married to the Holy Prophet in the month of Shawwal ²⁹ against a dowry (Mahr) of a mattress filled with leaves, a cup made of clay, a plate and a wheat grinder. ³⁰Allah also answered Prophet Muhammad’s prayer positively and removed the jealousy from her heart. She lived a very happy life in the house of the Holy Prophet and her children grew up under his care.

In 6 A.H., Umme Salamah accompanied Prophet Muhammad when he left to perform Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage) along with his other companions. However, they were unable to do so, as the polytheists of Quraysh blocked their way and stopped them at a place known as Hudaybiyyah. The polytheists stated that the Muslims could come back to perform Umrah in the next year instead of the current one.

Umme Salamah also played a very important role in this event. When the Holy Prophet ordered his companions to slaughter their animals and shave their heads, some of them refused as they were unhappy about the treaty which was signed at Hudaybiyah. The Holy Prophet shared this with his wife Umme Salamah so she said:

لن يقوموا حتى تنحر بدنك وتدعو حالقك فيحلقك فخرج ففعل ذلك ³¹

They will not rise until you sacrifice your camel and call your barber to shave your head. So he (the Holy Prophet ) went out and did that.

Prophet Muhammad acknowledged her advice, went out and did not talk to anybody until he had slaughtered his animal and shaved his head. When the Muslims saw him, they began slaughtering their animals and started shaving their heads. ³² They had come back to their senses and had realized that the treaty which Prophet Muhammad had concluded was an important one for the Muslims. It was due to this treaty that the people of Quraysh, after many years of fighting had recognized Islam as a regional power and opened the way for spreading it throughout Arabia and then, worldwide.

Umme Salamah showed her wisdom at many other situations as well. Even during the battle of camels, she opposed the participation of “The Mothers of The Faithful” and opined that they should not participate in any conflict which could afflict the Muslims.

Transmission of Hadith

Since she lived the longest among all the noble wives of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, she narrated a large number of Hadiths from him. Numerous companions and successors (Tabi‘een) transmitted narrations from her, including Umar, Zaynab, Amir, Mus‘ab ibn Abdullah, Nabhan, Abdullah ibn Rafi‘, Nafi‘, Safinah, Abu Kathir, Hasan, Safiyyah bint Shaybah, Hind bint al-Ḥarith al-Farasiyyah, Qubaysah bint Dhu’ayb, Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Ḥarith ibn Hisham, Abu Uthman al-Nahdi, Abu Wa’il, Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib, Abu Salamah, Urwah, Abu Bakr ibn Abdul Raḥman, Sulayman ibn Yasar , and others. ³³ In particular, her narrations regarding the incident of Karbala are especially famous and well-known.

Demise

She lived a long life and passed away in 61 A.H. ³⁴ She was the last of “The Mothers of The Faithful” to die ³⁵ and was buried in Jannat Al-Baqee along with other “Mothers of The Faithful”. ³⁶

• ¹  Abu Al-Fadl Ahmed bin Ali Al-Asqalani (1415 A.H.), Al-Isaba fi Tamyeez Al-Sahaba, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 8, Pg. 404.
• ²  Muhammad ibn Yusuf Al-Salihi Al-Shami (1993), Subul Al-Huda wal-Rashad fe Seerat Khair Al-Abad, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 11, Pg. 187.
• ³  Abu Abdullah Shams Al-Din Al-Zahabi (2006), Siyar A’lam Al-Nubala, Dar Al-Hadith, Cairom Egypt, Vol. 3, Pg 467.
• ⁴  Abd Al-Malik ibn Hisham (1955), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Hisham, Shirkah Maktabah wa Matba’ Mustafa Al-Babi, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 1, Pg. 322.
• ⁵  Ahmed ibn Yahya ibn Jabir ibn Dawood Al-Baladhuri (1996), Jumal min Ansab Al-Ashraf, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 429.
• ⁶  Izz Al-Din Ali ibn Muhammad Al-Shaibani ibn Athir (2003), Usud Al-Ghaba Fi Ma’rifat Al-Sahaba, Maktaba Al-Tawfiqiya, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 7, Pg. 326.
• ⁷  Abu Al-Fadl Ahmed bin Ali Al-Asqalani (1415 A.H.), Al-Isaba fi Tamyeez Al-Sahaba, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 8, Pg. 404.
• ⁸  Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Yasar Al-Madani (2009), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Ishaq, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 281.
• ⁹  Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Abu Bakr ibn Qayyam Al-Jawzi (2005), Zaad Al-Ma’ad, Muassasah Al-Risala, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 81.
• ¹⁰  Abu Al-Fadl Ahmed bin Ali Al-Asqalani (1415 A.H.), Al-Isaba fi Tamyeez Al-Sahaba, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 8, Pg. 404.
• ¹¹  Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1990), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 3, Pg. 181.
• ¹²  Abu Al-Fadl Ahmed bin Ali Al-Asqalani (1415 A.H.), Al-Isaba fi Tamyeez Al-Sahaba, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 8, Pg. 404-405.
• ¹³  Abul Fida Ismael ibn Kathir Al-Damishqi (1976), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Kathir, Dar Al-Marifat lil Taba’at wal-Nashr wal-Tawzi, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 2, Pg. 216-217.
• ¹⁴  Muhammad ibn Yusuf Al-Salihi Al-Shami (1993), Subul Al-Huda wal-Rashad fe Seerat Khair Al-Abad, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 11, Pg. 187.
• ¹⁵  Izz Al-Din Ali ibn Muhammad Al-Shaibani ibn Athir (2003), Usud Al-Ghaba Fi Ma’rifat Al-Sahaba, Maktaba Al-Tawfiqiya, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 7, Pg. 326.
• ¹⁶  Abd Al-Malik ibn Hisham (1955), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Hisham, Shirkah Maktabah wa Matba’ Mustafa Al-Babi, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 2, Pg. 645.
• ¹⁷  Ahmed ibn Yahya ibn Jabir ibn Dawood Al-Baladhuri (1996), Jumal min Ansab Al-Ashraf, Dar Al-Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 207.
• ¹⁸  Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Umar Al-Waqdi (1989), Al-Maghazi, Dar Al-A’lami, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 1, Pg. 340.
• ¹⁹  Abu Abdullah Shams Al-Din Al-Zahabi (2010), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah Min Kitab Tareekh Al-Islam, Dar Ibn Hazam, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 404.
• ²⁰  Abul Fida Ismael ibn Kathir Al-Damishqi (1976), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Kathir, Dar Al-Marifat lil Taba’at wal-Nashr wal-Tawzi, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 3, Pg. 121.
• ²¹  Hafiz Al-Zahabi (2010), Al-Seerah Al-Nabawiyah min Kitab Tareekh Al-Islam, Dar ibn Hazam, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 404.
• ²²  Muhammad ibn Saad Al-Basri (1990), Tabqat Al-Kubra, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 3, Pg. 182.
• ²³  Muslim ibn Al-Hajjaj Al-Neshapuri (2000), Sahih Al-Muslim, Hadith: 2130, Dar Al-Salam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Pg. 370.
• ²⁴  Muhammad ibn Yusuf Al-Salihi Al-Shami (1993), Subul Al-Huda wal-Rashad fe Seerat Khair Al-Abad, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 11, Pg. 189.
• ²⁵  Abu Al-Fadl Ahmed bin Ali Al-Asqalani (1415 A.H.), Al-Isaba fi Tamyeez Al-Sahaba, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 8, Pg. 405.
• ²⁶  Muhammad ibn Yusuf Al-Salihi Al-Shami (1993), Subul Al-Huda wal-Rashad fe Seerat Khair Al-Abad, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 11, Pg. 188.
• ²⁷  Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Yasar Al-Madani (2009), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Ishaq, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 282.
• ²⁸  Muhammad ibn Yusuf Al-Salihi Al-Shami (1993), Subul Al-Huda wal-Rashad fe Seerat Khair Al-Abad, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 11, Pg. 188.
• ²⁹  Muhammad ibn Ishaq ibn Yasar Al-Madani (2009), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Ishaq, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 283.
• ³⁰  Abd Al-Malik ibn Hisham (1955), Al-Seerat Al-Nabawiyah le-ibn Hisham, Shirkah Maktabah wa Matba’ Mustafa Al-Babi, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 2, Pg. 645.
• ³¹  Muhammad ibn Yusuf Al-Salihi Al-Shami (1993), Subul Al-Huda wal-Rashad fe Seerat Khair Al-Abad, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 11, Pg. 191.
• ³²  Ibid.
• ³³  Abu Al-Fadl Ahmed bin Ali Al-Asqalani (1415 A.H.), Al-Isaba fi Tamyeez Al-Sahaba, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 8, Pg. 406.
• ³⁴  Abu Al-Fadl Ahmed bin Ali Al-Asqalani (1415 A.H.), Al-Isaba fi Tamyeez Al-Sahaba, Dar Al-Kutub Al-Ilmiyah, Beirut, Lebanon, Vol. 8, Pg. 407.
• ³⁵  Abu Abdullah Shams Al-Din Al-Zahabi (2006), Siyar A’lam Al-Nubala, Dar Al-Hadith, Cairo, Egypt, Vol. 3, Pg. 467.
• ³⁶  Muhammad ibn Habib Al-Baghdadi (N.D.), Al-Muhabbar, Dar Al-Aafaq Al-Jadeeda, Beirut, Lebanon, Pg. 85.