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UM'MU
SALAMAH Radhia
Allahu Anaha
Umm
Salamah! What an eventful life she had! Her real name was
Hind. She was the daughter of one of the notables in the
Makhzum clan nicknamed "Zad ar-Rakib" because he
was well known for his generosity partlcularly to
travellers. Umm Salamah's husband was Abdullah ibn
Abdulasad and they both were among the first persons to
accept Islam. Only Abu Bakr and a few others, who could be
counted on the fingers of one hand, became Muslims before
them.
As
soon as the news of their becoming Muslims spread, the
Quraysh reacted with frenzied anger. They began hounding
and persecuting Umm Salamah and her husband. But the
couple did not waver or despair and remained steadfast in
their new faith.
The
persecution became more and more intense. Life in Makkah
became unbearable for many of the new Muslims. The
Prophet, peace be upon him, then gave permission for them
to emigrate to Abyssinia. Umm Salamah and her husband were
in the forefront of these muhajirun, seekers of refuge in
a strange land. For Umm Salamah it meant abandoning her
spacious home and giving up the traditional ties of
lineage and honour for something newÑhope in the
pleasure and reward of Allah.
Despite
the protection Umm Salamah and her companions received
from the Abyssinian ruler, the desire to return to Makkah,
to be near the Prophet and the source of relevation and
guidance persisted.
News
eventually reached the muhajErun that the number of
Muslims in Makkah had increased. Among them were Hamzah
ibn Abdulmuttalib and Umar ibn al-Khattab. Their faith had
greatly strengthened the community and the Quraysh they
heard, had eased the persecution somewhat. Thus a group of
the muhajErun, urged on by a deep longing in their hearts,
decided to return to Makkah.
The
easing of the persecution was but brief as the returnees
soon found out. The dramatic increase in the number of
Muslims following the acceptance of Islam by Hamzah and
Umar only infuriated the Quraysh even more. They
intensified their persecution and torture to a pitch and
intensity not known before. So the Prophet gave permission
to his companions to emigrate to Madinah. Umm Salamah and
her husband were among the first to leave.
The
hijrah of Umm Salamah and her husband though was not as
easy as they had imagined. In fact, it was a bitter and
painful experience and a particularly harrowing one for
her.
Let
us leave the story now for Umm Salamah herself to tell . .
.
When
Abu Salamah (my husband) decided to leave for Madinah, he
prepared a camel for me, hoisted me on it and placed our
son Salamah on my lap. My husband then took the lead and
went on without stopping or waiting for anything. Before
we were out of Makkah however some men from my clan
stopped us and said to my husband:
"Though
you are free to do what you like with yourself, you have
no power over your wife. She is our daughter. Do you
expect us to allow you to take her away from us?"
They
then pounced on him and snatched me away from him. My
husband's clan, Banu Abdulasad, saw them taking both me
and my child. They became hot with rage.
"No!
By Allah," they shouted, "we shall not abandon
the boy. He is our son and we have a first claim over
him."
They
took him by the hand and pulled him away from me. Suddenly
in the space of a few moments, I found myself alone and
lonely. My husband headed for Madinah by himself and his
clan had snatched my son away from me. My own clan, Banu
Makhzum, overpowered me and forced me to stay with them.
From
the day when my husband and my son were separated from me,
I went out at noon every day to that valley and sat at the
spot where this tragedy occurred. I would recall those
terrible moments and weep until night fell on me.
I
continued like this for a year or so until one day a man
from the Banu Umayyah passed by and saw my condition. He
went back to my clan and said:
"Why
don't you free this poor woman? You have caused her
husband and her son to be taken away from her."
He
went on trying to soften their hearts and play on their
emotions. At last they said to me, "Go and join your
husband if you wish."
But
how could I join my husband in Madinah and leave my son, a
piece of my own flesh and blood, in Makkah among the Banu
Abdulasad? How could I be free from anguish and my eyes be
free from tears were I to reach the place of hijrah not
knowing anything of my little son left behind in Makkah?
Some
realised what I was going through and their hearts went
out to me. They petitioned the Banu Abdulasad on my behalf
and moved them to return my son.
I
did not now even want to linger in Makkah till I found
someone to travel with me and I was afraid that something
might happen that would delay or prevent me from reaching
my husband. So I promptly got my camel ready, placed my
son on my lap and left in the direction of Madinah.
I
had just about reached Tan'im (about three miles from
Makkah) when I met Uthman ibn Talhah. (He was a keeper of
the Ka'bah in preIslamic times and was not yet a Muslim.)
"Where
are you going, Bint Zad ar-Rakib?" he asked.
"I
am going to my husband in Madinah."
"And
there isn't anyone with you?"
"No,
by Allah. Except Allah and my little boy here."
"By
Allah, I shall never abandon you until you reach
Madinah," he vowed.
He
then took the reins of my camel and led us on. I have, by
Allah, never met an Arab more generous and noble than he.
When we reached a resting place, he would make my camel
kneel down, wait until I dismounted, lead the camel to a
tree and tether it. He would then go to the shade of
another tree. When we had rested he would get the camel
ready and lead us on.
This
he did every day until we reached Madinah. When we got to
a village near Quba (about two miles from Madinah)
belonging to Banu Amr ibn Awf, he said, "Your husband
is in this village. Enter it with the blessings of God.
"
He
turned back and headed for Makkah.
Their
roads finally met after the long separation. Umm Salamah
was overjoyed to see her husband and he was delighted to
see his wife and son.
Great
and momentous events followed one after the other. There
was the battle of Badr in which Abu Salamah fought. The
Muslims returned victorious and strengthened. Then there
was the battle of Uhud in which the Muslims were sorely
tested. Abu Salamah came out of this wounded very badly.
He appeared at first to respond well to treatment, but his
wounds never healed completely and he remained bedridden.
Once
while Umm Salamah was nursing him, he said to her:
"I
heard the Messenger of God saying. Whenever a calamity
afflicts anyone he should say, "Surely from Allah we
are and to Him we shall certainly return." And he
would pray, 'O Lord, give me in return something good from
it which only You, Exalted and Mig hty, can give.'"
Abu
Salamah remained sick in bed for several days. One morning
the Prophet came to see him. The visit was longer than
usual. While the Prophet was still at his bedside Abu
Salamah passed away. With his blessed hands, the Prophet
closed the eyes of his dead companion. He then raised
these hands to the heavens and prayed:
"O
Lord, grant forgiveness to Abu Salamah. Elevate him among
those who are near to You. Take charge of his family at
all times. Forgive us and him, O Lord of the Worlds. Widen
his grave and make it light for him."
Umm
Salamah remembered the prayer her husband had quoted on
his deathbed from the Prophet and began repeating it,
"O Lord, with you I leave this my plight for
consideration . . ." But she could not bring herself
to continue . . . "O Lord give me something good from
it", because she kept asking herself, "Who could
be better than Abu Salamah?" But it did not take long
before she completed the supplication.
The
Muslims were greatly saddened by the plight of Umm
Salamah. She became known as "Ayyin al-Arab"Ñ
the one who had lost her husband. She had no one in
Madinah of her own except her small children, like a hen
without feathers.
Both
the Muhajirun and Ansar felt they had a duty to Umm
Salamah. When she had completed the Iddah (three months
and ten days), Abu Bakr proposed marriage to her but she
refused. Then Umar asked to marry her but she also
declined the proposal. The Prophe t then approached her
and she replied:
"O
Messenger of Allah, I have three characteristics. I am a
woman who is extremely jealous and I am afraid that you
will see in me something that will anger you and cause
Allah to punish me. I am a woman who is already advanced
in age and I am a woman wh o has a young family."
The
Prophet replied:
"Regarding
the jealousy you mentioned, I pray to Allah the Almighty
to let it go away from you. Regarding the question of age
you have mentioned. I am afflicted with the same problem
as you. Regarding the dependent family you have mentioned,
your family is my family."
They
were married and so it was that Allah answered the prayer
of Umm Salamah and gave her better than Abu Salamah. From
that day on Hind al Makhzumiyah was no longer the mother
of Salamah alone but became the mother of all believersÑ
Umm al-Mu'mineen.
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