The Special Status of the Wives of Prophet Muhammad
Umm Salamah (RA)
The Quran explicitly distinguishes the wives of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ from other women and grants them a unique status and responsibility. Allah says:
“O wives of the Prophet, you are not like any other women, if you fear Allah”
(يا نِساءَ النَّبِيِّ لَستُنَّ كَأَحَدٍ مِنَ النِّساءِ إِنِ اتَّقَيتُنَّ) (Quran 33:32).
Because of their close relationship with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and their role as the Mothers of the Believers, they were held to higher standards of conduct and were entrusted with conveying knowledge, guidance, and the teachings of Islam to future generations. Allah honored the wives of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ by granting them the noble status of the Mothers of the Believers. In addition, Allah says in the Quran: “And his wives are their mothers” (Quran 33:6). Muslims are required to love, respect, and honor the wives of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, who are the Mothers of the Believers. They should recognize their virtue and high status among women, speak of them with respect, and refrain from any form of insult or harm toward them. Today’s article is about a remarkable woman who was renowned for her wisdom, strength, and unwavering faith; she is Umm Salamah (RA).
Umm Salamah (RA)
Umm Salamah (RA), whose full name was Hind bint Abi Umayyah Hudhayfah ibn Al-Mughirah Al-Makhzumiyyah Al-Qurashiyyah, was a noble woman from one of the most respected families of Quraysh. Her father was among the prominent leaders of Makkah, and she was a cousin of both Khalid ibn Al-Walid (RA), the renowned Muslim commander, and Abu Jahl ibn Hisham. She was known for her exceptional beauty and noble lineage. Before her marriage to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, Umm Salamah (RA) was married to Abu Salamah Abdullah ibn Abd Al-Asad, one of the earliest converts to Islam. He was among the first ten people to embrace the faith, and Umm Salamah (RA) also accepted Islam alongside him, making her one of the earliest Muslim women to enter Islam. When the persecution of Muslims in Makkah intensified, Umm Salamah (RA) and her husband migrated to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in search of safety and the freedom to practice their faith.
Umm Salamah’s Migration to Madinah
When Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gave his companions permission to migrate to Madinah, Umm Salamah (RA) and her husband, Abu Salamah (RA), decided to join the migration and set out for the blessed city. Umm Salamah (RA) said: “When Abu Salamah decided to leave for Madinah, he prepared a camel for me, seated me upon it, and placed our son Salamah in my lap. Then he set off, leading the camel, without turning his attention to anything else. Before we had left Makkah, some men from my tribe, Banu Makhzum, saw us and confronted us. They said to Abu Salamah, ‘You may have taken yourself away from us, but what about your wife? She is our daughter. Why should we allow you to take her away from us?’ Then they seized me from him.
When Abu Salamah’s clan, Banu Abd al-Asad, saw them taking me and my child, they became enraged and said, ‘By Allah, we will not leave the boy with your people after you have taken his mother away from our man. He is our son, and we have more right to him.’ Then they began pulling the child from one another until his arm was injured, and they took him away.
In a matter of moments, my family was torn apart. My husband went on to Madinah, fleeing with his religion and his life, while my son was snatched away from me by Banu Abd Al-Asad. I was left alone, separated from both my husband and my child.
A Year of Tears and Patience
Umm Salamah (RA) continued her story, saying:
“As for me, my people, Banu Makhzum, kept me with them, and in a single moment I was separated from my son. From then on, every morning I would go out to Al-Abtah and sit in the place where my tragedy had unfolded. There, I would relive the painful moments when I had been separated from my husband and child, and I would weep until nightfall. I remained in that state for nearly a year.
Then one day, a man from among my relatives passed by me. He felt compassion for me and said to my people, ‘Will you not let this poor woman go? You have separated her from her husband and her child.’ He continued to plead with them until they finally said to me, ‘You may join your husband if you wish.’
But I said, ‘How can I join my husband in Madinah while leaving my beloved son behind in Makkah with Banu Abd al-Asad?’ Some people saw the grief and sorrow I was enduring, and their hearts softened toward me. They spoke to Banu Abd Al-Asad on my behalf and appealed to them until they returned my son, Salamah, to me.
Then I prepared my camel, placed my son on my lap, and set out for Madinah in search of my husband, with no one to accompany me but Allah.”
Heading to Madina
She continued: “I had not yet reached Al-Tan’im when I met Uthman ibn Talhah. He asked me, ‘Where are you going, O daughter of Zad al-Rakib?’ I replied, ‘I am heading to join my husband in Madinah.’ He said, ‘Is there no one accompanying you?’ I answered, ‘No, by Allah, except Allah and this son of mine.’
Uthman then said, ‘By Allah, I will not leave you until you reach Madinah.’ He took hold of my camel’s reins and accompanied me on the journey. By Allah, I never met a man more noble or more honorable than him.
When we reached Quba, the settlement of Banu Amr ibn Awf, he said, ‘Your husband is in this village. Enter it with the blessing of Allah.” Then he returned to Makkah. Thus, Umm Salamah (RA) was reunited with her husband and son, bringing great comfort and joy to her heart.
Afterward, Abu Salamah (RA) participated in the Battle of Badr and returned with the victorious Muslim army. He also fought bravely in the Battle of Uhud, where he distinguished himself in battle. However, he suffered a severe wound, and although it appeared to heal over time, its effects would later return and contribute to his death.
Umm Salamah’s Marriage to Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
After the death of her husband, Abu Salamah (RA), Umm Salamah (RA) was left to care for their four children: Barrah, Salamah, Umar, and Durrah. Seeing her situation, Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (RA), the close companion of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, proposed marriage to her. However, she declined the proposal and devoted herself to raising her children with patience and perseverance.
Umm Salamah (RA) narrated: “I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: ‘Whenever a Muslim is afflicted with a calamity and says what Allah has commanded: Indeed, we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return. O Allah, reward me in my affliction and replace it for me with something better, Allah will surely replace it with something better.’
When Abu Salamah died, I said to myself, ‘Who among the Muslims could be better than Abu Salamah? He was among the first households to migrate to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.’ Yet I recited the supplication, and Allah replaced him for me with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ proposed to Umm Salamah (RA), she said, “O Messenger of Allah, there are three things about me: I am a woman who is intensely jealous, and I fear that you may see something from me that displeases you and causes Allah to punish me. I am also a woman advanced in age, and I have children to care for.”
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ replied, “As for the jealousy you mentioned, I will pray to Allah to remove it from you. As for your age, I have been affected by the same thing that has affected you. And as for your children, your children are my children.”
Umm Salamah (RA) then married the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
