Allah (swt) revealed the verse , “You are not captivated by the favors your Lord has bestowed upon you. You will have an everlasting reward. You are indeed in the best of manners.” (Qalam, 2-4) A prophet of a religion sent to all humanity regardless of language or race certainly has a high morality that will be an example. Just as Allah Almighty made Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) a man of high morals, He also chose his wives from among those with high morals. The wives of our Prophet were also people of high morals just like himself. The subject of this article is the life and personality of one of our mothers, Ummu Salamah (ra), who was known for her intelligence, morals and generosity .
Who is Umm Salamah (ra)?
Umm Salamah belonged to the Banu Mahzum branch of the Quraysh tribe. She was the daughter of a generous father named Abu Umayyah. She was known as the ” traveler’s provision ” because her father would give his provisions to people who did not have any while on a journey . Umm Salamah (ra) grew up in an honest environment and in a house of virtuous people since she was a child. Her family was always known for their generosity and virtue. Umm Salamah (ra) married her paternal uncle’s son, the foster brother of the Prophet (pbuh) and the paternal aunt’s son, Abu Salamah al-Mahzumi . She was one of the first Muslims to accept Islam, her husband being the eleventh and she being the twelfth.
Umm Salama migrated to Abyssinia with her husband . Their return to Mecca was based on the lie that the Meccans had embraced Islam. Although she wanted to migrate to Medina with her husband before the Pledge of Aqaba, the Mahzumites did not allow it. They took both her husband and her son Salama away from her, forcing Umm Salama to migrate alone. After she cried for a year, when they gave her child back to Umm Salama, Umm Salama (ra) and her son were accompanied to Medina by Uthman ibn Talha, who was not a Muslim at the time. Thus, they became the first Quraysh tribe to migrate to Medina .
Umm Salamah (ra) married our Prophet (pbuh) after her husband passed away. That is why she is one of our spiritual mothers. Umm Salamah rose to many honors such as being the wife of our Prophet (pbuh). Umm Salamah (ra) shone with her faith and her generosity and charity, which was also influenced by her family. Umm Salamah is among the women who narrated hadith. It is recorded that she narrated more than 300 hadiths. She was a beautiful and intelligent woman. It is said that she lived until the age of 84. She fainted when she heard the news of the martyrdom of Hz. Hussein , then she fell ill and passed away not long after. Abu Hurayrah (ra) performed her funeral.
Her Marriage with the Prophet (pbuh)
Umm Salamah’s husband, Abu Salamah, fell ill after being wounded in the Battle of Uhud . Although her husband wanted Umm Salamah not to marry anyone, he later changed his mind and prayed for her to marry someone better than him. After her husband passed away, Umm Salamah (ra) prayed as she heard the Prophet (pbuh) say after reciting the verse in Surah Al-Baqarah, “Surely we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return,” and then prayed: “O Allah! Grant me the reward for this calamity that has befallen me and grant me something better than it.”
When her husband died, Umm Salamah (ra) wept a lot and asked the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) what she should do. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) told her to pray for a good husband. Although Hz. Abu Bakr (ra) and Hz. Umar (ra) made offers to Ummu Salamah (ra), she did not accept. Later, the Prophet (pbuh) made offers to Ummu Salamah (ra). Although Ummu Salamah (ra) did not refuse, she hesitated and hesitated. When the Prophet (pbuh) asked the reason for this, Ummu Salamah (ra) said that she was old, had children and was jealous. Thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said, “You say that you are jealous, we will pray to Allah to remove that. As for your old age, that is not the issue. I am one year older than you. And the children belong to Allah and His Messenger.”
It is narrated that Umm Salamah (ra) was very beautiful. Hazrat Aisha (ra) said about Umm Salamah (ra) that she was jealous of her without seeing her beauty, but when she saw her face, she realized that she was more beautiful than what was said.
A Spouse to Consult
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) would occasionally consult Umm Salamah (ra) and seek her opinion because of her accurate and correct views. Umm Salamah has proven her mental maturity and foresight in many places. Her attitude during the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah is the best example of this.
The Muslims were upset when they thought that great concessions had been made to the Meccans in the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. While the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) was in Hudaybiyyah, he ordered his companions to sacrifice their animals and then shave their heads. When not one of the companions moved, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) repeated his words three times: “Get up and sacrifice your animals and then shave your heads.” However, no one moved or did as he was told. Later, the Prophet (pbuh) entered his tent, where his wife, Umm Salama, told him what the companions had done. Umm Salama (ra) said , “O Messenger of Allah, do you want this? They seem indifferent because of their grief. You should sacrifice your animals without talking to anyone and shave yourself. They will follow you.” Upon hearing this, the Prophet (pbuh) did as his wife said, went out and sacrificed his animal and shaved. When all the companions saw this, they quickly sacrificed their animals and shaved their heads.
The life of Umm Salamah (ra) shows us the importance and greatness of being mature not only in age but also in mind. A Muslim should be complete in every way and should try to be. He/she should want good and pray for good. The doors that will open in our lives will open when we want the best, just like Umm Salamah found the best in a spouse. We took a look at the life of Umm Salamah. May Allah be pleased with her and may her life be an example for us.