The Firsts (Sahaba Stories) | The Forerunners of Islam
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Life of the Prophet (seerah)
Khawla Bint Hakim & Uthman Ibn Madhun: The Righteous Couple | The Firsts
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Life of the Prophet (seerah)
Al-Shifa bint Abdullah (ra): The Healer and Scholar | The Firsts Shorts
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Life of the Prophet (seerah)
Shurahbil Ibn Hasana (ra): The Scribe and Commander | The Firsts Shorts
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Life of the Prophet (seerah)
Khalid ibn al-Walid (ra): The Legendary Military General | The Firsts
126
Life of the Prophet (seerah)
Amr ibn al-As (ra): His Wicked Father and “Better” Brother | The Firsts
146
Life of the Prophet (seerah)
Tulayha ibn Khuwaylid (ra): From False Prophet to Shaheed | The Firsts
147
Life of the Prophet (seerah)
Zayd ibn al-Khattab (ra): The Quiet Brother of Omar (ra) | The Firsts
Umm Ayman (ra): The Woman Who Never Stopped Caring
In episode 5 of the Firsts, Sh. Omar Suleiman introduces us to Barakah Bint Thalaba (ra), or Umm Ayman, the woman who never stopped caring. Umm Ayman was a second mother to the Prophet ﷺ after his mother passed. Not only is she the second woman to accept Islam, she is the only woman to have been with him from his birth till his death.
Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim. Alhamdulilahi Rabbil Alameen. Wa ala adwani ila ala al zalimeen. Wa ala aqibatu lilmuttaqeen. Allahumma salli wa sallim wa barak ala abdika wa rasulika Muhammadin salallahu alayhi wa sallam wa ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallim tasliman kathiran. So tonight I was thinking about going into Ali ibn Abi Talib radiAllahu ta'ala anhum but I'm saving Ali for January for a reason inshallah which you'll understand in late January. So just a sort of an understanding of how we're going to proceed inshallah. So tonight we will cover the life of a very particular special woman, Umm Ayman radiAllahu ta'ala anhum. And then next week we're actually going to take a break from this series and we're instead going to talk about the antichrist, the dajjal, the false messiah, al-Masih al-Dajjal. And we're going to talk about the second coming of Isa alayhi salam. So we're going to talk about Jesus peace be upon him particularly about the return of Isa alayhi salam. So we'll break from the series for one week inshallah to talk about that and then we'll take two weeks off and then we'll continue inshallah ta'ala in the second half of January with the story of Ali radiAllahu ta'ala anhum. But tonight again we're going to talk about a woman that doesn't usually get spoken about. So before that I need to set my bodyguards inshallah. So someone to guard the manbar and someone to guard the camera inshallah to make sure that no one goes in front of the camera bi'din Allah ta'ala. And of course none of the children or the adults run up to the manbar inshallah. Some of the adults were thinking about it I could see it in your eyes. Second half of January we'll go to Ali and we'll continue but who is this woman, Umm Ayman radiAllahu ta'ala anhum. Umm Ayman is someone I spoke about in the past in the stories of the particularly a series that I did a long time ago called Black and Noble where I talked about some of the famous black companions of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam.
But I'm going to go a lot deeper into her story today because this is a woman that is unlike any other woman. In fact unlike any other human being is that she was literally with the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam from the moment that he was born until the moment that he died. There is no one else that could actually claim that distinction. Khadija radiAllahu anha knew the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam when he was in his 20s. Aisha radiAllahu anha knew the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam when he was an adult. This is a woman that would carry the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam when he was born and stay with the Messenger of Allah salallahu alayhi wasalam until the moment that he died and even outlived the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam. So to set the scene of Mecca and to understand where this woman comes from she was born approximately 13 years before the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam. So approximately in the year 557 because everyone knew that the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam was born in 570 right? Okay two of you know Alhamdulillah. So she was born about 557 and she was from Abyssinia and she actually was a slave from Abyssinia. Of course they used to have particularly in the days of Jahiliyya and the days of ignorance the slave market and Suq Al-Uqad which was the famous market in Mecca and she was the only one purchased by the father of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam Abdullah ibn Abdul Muttalib as a young girl and he was the only one or she was the only one that was ever brought into that household. And so in the household of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam you had Abdullah Amina bint Wahab and this one girl Baraka, her name was Baraka bint Tha'laba radiyaAllahu ta'ala anha. So Baraka bint Tha'laba, Abdullah and Amina lived together in this home
and soon after the marriage of Abdullah and Amina the parents of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam Abdullah actually set out on to a journey. Where do you think he went for his trade route? Where do you think he went? Syria, Asham, greater Syria. I want to test your knowledge as we're going week to week to see if you're connecting things to the previous lesson because every single one is going to connect to the previous lesson. When would they go to Syria in the winter or in the summer? They had two trade routes Yemen and Syria. Why would they go to Syria in the summer? Because if you could go to Yemen or Syria in the summer which one would you go to? No offense to the Yemenis. If you could go in the winter to Yemen or Syria where would you go? Yemen. Okay good. So they used to go to Syria for their trade routes in the summer. When Abdullah actually left for Asham he did not know that Amina was pregnant. He wasn't even aware that his wife was pregnant at the time. So he sets out to Asham and a few months after he sets out to Asham Amina had a dream and in that dream she saw a light coming from her stomach lighting up the hills and the valleys of Mecca all the way to Asham, all the way to greater Syria. Now there's only one other person in the home at this time and who is that? Baraka. Okay. This young girl Baraka. So she told Baraka, this Abyssinian servant of hers, what she saw and said what do you think? And Baraka said, you know, hopefully it's a blessed child with good news. You know that's the only thing I could think about and she noticed that Amina was getting sick more often so she thought maybe these are the signs of pregnancy and indeed they were. So Amina became pregnant.
She spent a few months on the bed all by herself longing for the return of her son, of her husband Abdullah. And as she waited for her husband to return she used to send Baraka to the place where the people would return from Asham every single day to see if the news had come that Abdullah had returned from Asham. So Baraka would stay with her. She used to entertain her with the stories of Al-Habasha, the stories of Abyssinia, the stories, some of the things that she had heard. She kept her good company and every day she goes out looking for the return of Abdullah, the husband of Amina bint Wahab until finally she went out and she was told that all that had gone out to Asham had returned and that Abdullah had not made it back with the caravan. Meaning that Abdullah, the father of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam, passed away. Baraka was the one who was tasked with actually giving the news to Amina that her husband Abdullah had passed away on that trade route to Asham. She consoled the mother of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam through that difficulty. She was the one that had to stay with her throughout her pregnancy. And when that day comes, when Amina goes into delivery to give birth to Muhammad salallahu alayhi wasalam, the only other person in the room was this young girl Baraka. The first one to hold the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam. Think about that. The first one to hold the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam in her hands. She said, I saw a light when the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam was born. It came out of the house and I said, this is the interpretation of your dream. She held the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam. She cleaned the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam. She handed the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam to his mother Amina bint Wahab.
She's one of three women who would nurse the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam. That is authentically narrated. Of course, as the mother of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam herself, Amina bint Wahab. And Baraka, Umm Ayman. And thirdly, Halima al-Sa'diyya. Halima radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu would nurse the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam when he went out into the open desert, which was a ritual. They would spend some time raising the children in the open desert. So this is the first girl, first woman to hold the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam. Nurses the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam. Takes care of the mother of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam. In the house, it's only those three. And then the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam goes to Halima. She brings the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam back. And Amina, and there are different narrations about how Amina bint Wahab, the mother of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam, actually passed away. Some of them say that she went out to actually visit the grave of her husband. She got sick on the journey of going to visit the grave of Abdullah, the father of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam and her husband. And I want you to think of this scene now. When the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam came out of the womb of his mother into the hands of Baraka, now she's sitting. Baraka is sitting there. And the mother of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam is dying in front of his eyes. Six-year-old orphan who never knew his father. The Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam never met Abdullah, never knew him. And he's watching his mother pass away. Amina actually whispered to Baraka and told her that I'm dying now. After she had gotten that fever. And wasat Baraka, she entrusted Baraka radiyaAllahu ta'ala anha, she said take care of him as if you are his mother. Take care of him as if you are his mother. Care for him, stay with him. Make sure that he doesn't know any sadness beyond this.
So Baraka radiyaAllahu ta'ala anha was there the moment that the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam came out into this world, out of the womb of Amina. And he was there the moment that Amina passed away in front of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam and had to console the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam, a six-year-old boy at the death of his mother, Amina. So think of the scene, scene two, holding the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam, comforting the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam. At this point now, she's only about 19 years old. And she is the only woman that the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam really knows as that figure. Then the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam goes to the house of Abdul Muttalib, his grandfather. And Abdul Muttalib dies when the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam was how old? Just nine years old. Once again, she consoled the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam at the death of his grandfather. So she was there when Amina died. She was there when Abdul Muttalib died. She stayed with him salallahu alayhi wasalam throughout his entire life. Technically, the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam inherited her, but the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam freed her. So technically she was the inheritance of Abdullah to the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam, but he freed her salallahu alayhi wasalam as an adult. He stays with her, and when the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam marries Khadija radiyaAllahu ta'ala anha, this was the woman that was with him his entire life. He introduces Baraka to Khadija with the following. He says, هي أمي بعد أمي. She is my mother after my mother. And that was the way that the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam would always refer to this woman. She is my mother after my mother. Meaning this is not just some servant, not just some woman that's to be disregarded. هي أمي بعد أمي. Baraka did not get married throughout that entire time. So just like the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam did not want to get married, he wanted to take care of Abdullah and his children, and serve as a productive member without being distracted by marriage or anything of that sort.
Baraka also did not want to get married because of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam. And so when he introduced Baraka to Khadija هي أمي بعد أمي, she is my mother after my mother, the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam said to her, يا باركة, I'm married and you're not, so maybe you should think about getting married now. She said never. She said I'm gonna stay with you, ya Rasulullah. I'll move in with you and Khadija, and I'm going to stay with you. I'm not going anywhere. The Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam told her, you donated your youth for my cause, now go out there, it's time for you to get married, and to have a life of your own. She's free. She's not property anymore, she's free. She's not bound in any way to the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasalam. And she insists, Khadija radhiyaAllahu ta'ala told her, also insisted, said that I will bring you the best of men, and I will pay for all the expenses of your marriage. Remember Khadija used to do that for the poor women, she used to pay for their wedding expenses, she used to pay the mahr, she used to do all of those things. She said look, I'll bring you the best of men, and I'll also pay for all of your wedding expenses. Baraka had said something very beautiful, that just sticks and shows and shines in her life. Baraka said, I never left him and he never left me. ما تركته ولم يتركني. I never left him and he never left me. I'm always been by his side. But after they insisted upon her, she agreed to get married. Khadija radhiyaAllahu ta'ala actually found the suitor for Baraka, and his name was Ubaid ibn Zayd. And he was from Al-Khazraj, the tribe in Medina, in Yathrib. At that time it was still Yathrib, so he was a good man, a noble man from Yathrib, from the tribe of Al-Khazraj. They got married before Islam. So this is actually before the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam receives Wahy.
And she had a son from him, who can guess what his name was? Ayman, mashallah you got it. I said if no one gets this one, I'm just gonna shut this off and just stop. There's no point at this point. Umm Ayman, right? Ayman, she had a son named Ayman. Ayman would live to see Islam, and Ayman would believe. And Ayman would actually die radhiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu as a shaheed, as a martyr. But her husband died before Islam. Her husband died before Islam. So she moved in with Ayman back into the home of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and Khadija radhiyaAllahu ta'ala anha, when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam received revelation. When the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam received revelation, we know that he came to the arms of Khadija radhiyaAllahu ta'ala anha. And obviously all of the family members were going to embrace Islam at some point. The second woman to believe in the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam was this woman, Umm Ayman radhiyaAllahu ta'ala anha. So she's considered the second woman to believe in the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Did not hesitate, believed in him immediately when she heard the message. And dedicated herself to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, just like anyone who had loved him that way or knew his character alayhi salatu wassalam would do so. Now when she believed in the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and her husband had passed away, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said something about her seeing her grow in her age and she didn't have a husband, she just had her child Ayman. The Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, and this is still in Mecca, man sarrahu an yatazawaj mra'atan min ahlil jannah, fal yatazawaj Umm Ayman. He said, look, whoever wants to marry a woman from Jannah, a woman from paradise, let him marry Umm Ayman. Her lineage is unknown, she's not wealthy, she's an old woman, she's a widow.
But the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, she's a woman from Jannah. Guess who volunteers to marry her? Zayd ibn al-Harithah radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu. Zayd was at least, at least 20 years younger than her. Zayd was at least 20 years younger than Umm Ayman, had never been married before. Zayd said, if she's a woman from Jannah, I want to marry her. Because if she's in Jannah, then I get to be in Jannah too. So he said, I want to marry this woman, and he volunteered herself, he rushed to marry her. And this was about 6 years after the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam received the message. Why? Because the child that would come from them, Usama ibn Zayd, was 17, turning 18 when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam passed away. So this was about 6 years after the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam received revelation. Zayd radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu has a similar background, in that Zayd also was purchased from the same suq, the same market, and freed by the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. But Zayd radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu was freed and taken as a son by the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Baraka, Umm Ayman, was freed and became like the mother of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. But somehow, subhanAllah, they were married. And she was not expected to give birth. She was past the age of childbearing. She wasn't expected to give birth, but Allah subhanAllah ta'ala blessed them with Usama ibn Zayd radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu, Hibbu Rasulillah ibn Hibbi Rasulillah, the beloved one of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, the son of the beloved one of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. So it's an interesting, subhanAllah, way that they both came into the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam's house through a very unique story. And they were married in a very unique way. And they had a child, Usama ibn Zayd, who the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam loved like his own children. Usama ibn Zayd would jump on the back of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and sit on his lap with Al-Hassan, Husayn, Zaynab, Umama.
It was known that Usama was like his own child. And the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam appointed him to be the commander of the Muslim army after he had passed away. And of course, this was to the objection of some people, that this young man, how is he going to lead the way, lead the army? But this was the son of Baraka, Umm Ayman and Zayd ibn Haritha radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhum ajma'in. So she believed in the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. She married Zayd radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhum. She would give birth to Usama ibn Zayd, even though it wasn't expected of her to give birth. And when the hijrah came around, when the migration came around, she made the hijrah in her old age, and it was a very difficult journey for her. And there's an authentic narration about something that happened to her that was miraculous and that would have an impact on her for the rest of her life. During the hijrah of the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, and at that point she was over the age of 70 years old, or she was reaching the age of 70 years old. So she's an elderly woman now, making the hijrah, making that difficult journey between Mecca and Medina. Umm Ayman radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhum found herself in a situation where she couldn't find any water. And she was starting to worry that she wouldn't have anything to drink, that she was going to die of thirst. And of course this happened even to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, that there was a point in his journey where they go to the house of Umm Ma'bad. They found the house of Umm Ma'bad, and that's where the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam got something to drink. Umm Ayman radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhum has a similar situation. And while this was happening, she tells this story, she says, فلما غابت الشمس إذا أنا بإيناء معلق عند رأسي She said that when the sun set, she saw a bucket coming down from the heavens at her head.
And there was a rope that was holding it, and she said, Wallahi I could not see the top of that rope. And she said, so I took from that pitcher, from that bucket, I drank from it, and there was still water inside of it. After I satisfied my thirst, she said, I dumped the rest of the water on my body to cool me off. And she was known for something. She says, بعد ذلك كنت بعد ذلك أصوم في اليوم الحار ثم أطوف في الشمس كي أعطش She said that I used to, after that day, I would fast on the hottest of days. I would do tawaf under the sun. I would do all these different things. And she said, Wallahi I never became thirsty again in my entire life. So fasting was the easiest ibadah for me, the easiest act of worship. That Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala even provided for me that water from the heavens in that difficult journey when I migrated for the cause of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wasallam. When she got to Medina, her feet were swollen. The Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam looked at her with her face covered in dust. And the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam said to her, يا أمهة يا أمهة, Oh my mother, indeed for you is a place in Al-Jannah. So this was the second time that the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam actually بشرها بالجنة, gave her the glad tidings of a place in paradise. So he looked at her covered in dust, this woman that was with him all the time that was undergoing these difficulties still with the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam and said that you have a place in Al-Jannah. Umm Ayman witnessed every battle of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam. She used to follow the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam and Anas radiyaAllahu ta'ala Anhu says that she would go around the battlefield and she'd keep her eyes on the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam, like a mother. And she just kept her eyes on him the entire time, making sure that the Messenger of Allah salallahu alayhi wasallam would not become hurt. At the end of the battle, she used to care for the wounded,
she used to bandage those that were hurt, and she used to give even from her own abaa' from her own clothes to wrap the wounded as much as she could. In the battle of Uhud, she was one of those who grabbed a sword and who started to swing around the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam. We know in the battle of Uhud many people fled from the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam and she was one of those who actually grabbed the sword and went to the side of the Messenger salallahu alayhi wasallam to defend him while everyone was fleeing away from him salallahu alayhi wasallam. Her life was basically the life of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam. وكان إذا نظر إليها يقول هذه بقية أهل بيتي. When the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam used to see her, he used to look at her and he used to say, this is the entirety of what's left of my family. This is the entirety of what's left of my family. So he would call her his mother, Ya Ummah. He addresses her as his mother. He introduces her as Ummi ba'da Ummi, my mother after my mother. And he says هذه بقية أهل بيتي, that this is the entirety of the rest of my family. This is all I have. This is the only mother that the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam would know throughout his entire life. The only one that would stay with him throughout that entire time. وكان عليه الصلاة والسلام يزورها كل يوم. The Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam used to visit her every single day. And on one of those visits, the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam asked her, Ya Ummah, oh my mother, كيف حالك؟ How are you? Listen to the answer that she gave. She said, مادام الإسلام بخير فأنا بخير. She said, as long as Islam is good, I'm good. As long as Islam is okay, meaning as long as your message is protected, I'm okay as well. And that's just subhanAllah, something
extremely beautiful that she's showing the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam her dedication to his cause. That at no point, at no point am I ever going to forsake you. I'm not going to complain. This is a woman that would live to see into her late 70s in the life of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam, would not tell the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam, you know, my feet are hurting, my eyes hurt, I'm swollen, I've gone through all of this, I miss Mecca. She just tells the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam, أنا بخير, that I'm okay as long as Islam is okay. And that was something that would comfort the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam. Let the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam know that she had his back, that she was dedicated to the message of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam throughout his entire life and no matter what he needed. What are some of the stories of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam with her? Her mawaqif, her station with the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam. Well for one, she was extremely motherly. And there's a funny narration from Anas radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu, Sahih Muslim, that the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam would visit her and if the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam was fasting or he didn't want to eat, the messenger that she would actually take, JazakAllah khair, speaking of food and I'm not fasting by the way, my throat just hurts. Anas radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu says that the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam went to her home and as he sat in her home, Ayman radiyaAllahu anhu brought out the bread, brought out all the food. And the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam, if he was fasting or he did not want to eat, that she would force the food into his mouth salallahu alayhi wasallam and say, kul. She would put the food right in front of him and say, eat, eat, eat, just like a mom would do. So that's the relationship that she has with the messenger salallahu alayhi wasallam. A very quiet woman, her reputation, which is just a beautiful thing to have with the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam, kanatudhahikuhu salallahu alayhi wasallam, she was the person who would make the Prophet salallahu alayhi
wasallam laugh. There's no one that would make the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam laugh like Umm Ayman radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhu. You can actually trace several of these incidents through the seerah. It starts off with her language. She was an Abyssinian woman, modern day Ethiopia. Her Arabic was very poor and she had a hard time pronouncing things. So sometimes she would say things with the opposite meaning. So when she would say salamu alaykum, instead of saying salamu alaykum, one time she said to the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam salamu alaykum, which means salam la alaykum, may peace not be on to you. Just because of her tongue, just because of the way that she would speak. And she had a hard time saying salamu alaykum, so she would say salam la alaykum. So the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam told her, you can just say asalam. So you know when we do text and we say salams, or salam, we got the narration. Except we're not tongue tied, but still the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam told her, you know what, when you enter upon me, just say asalam. You don't have to say more than that. Abu al-Huwayrath, he narrates, he says that Umayman radiallahu anha used to be behind the battle lines, in the battle, and she would give these encouraging messages. But sometimes because of her language, she'd mess things up. So the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam used to look at her and he would laugh. And on the day of Hunayn, she was saying sabbatallahu akdamakum. Instead of thabbat, may Allah make your feet firm, she was saying sabbatallahu akdamakum. May Allah make your feet, it actually has no meaning, sabbat. So the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam looked at her and he laughed and he said uskuti ya Umayman, fa innaki isra'il lisan. He said be quiet Umayman, you have a rough tongue. So even on the day of battle, the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam would joke with her. He wasn't saying that to be mean to her. One of the famous stories between the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam and her, Umayman came to the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam
and said to him, ahmilni, carry me. Now she doesn't mean carry me physically, she means bring me a camel or something. So the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam said to her, ahmiluki ala waladin naqa. He said look, I'll bring you the son of a she-camel, the child of a she-camel, the baby of a she-camel to carry you. So Umayman radiallahu ta'ala anha said, la yutiqni wala uridu. It's not going to be able to carry me, nor do I want a baby of a she-camel. So the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam said, I'm not going to carry you except on the baby of a she-camel. And she was confused by that. She said, what are you talking about? Why don't you want to get me a camel? So he said to her, ya Umayman, is there any camel except that it's the child of another camel? So the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam kani yumazihuha. He used to always laugh with her, joke with her, call her his mother. But this was the woman salallahu alayhi wasallam that when the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam looked at her, he was comforted. When she looked at him, she was always looking at him with the eye of care, with that eye of love. And of course, in the serious moments, she followed the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam through and through. Ibn Abbas radiallahu ta'ala anhu, he actually narrates that when the daughter, when a young child of the Messenger salallahu alayhi wasallam was dying, the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam picked up the child and he held the child to his chest salallahu alayhi wasallam. And the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam put his hand on the child and then the child died in front of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam. So there's a child that died in the hands of the Messenger salallahu alayhi wasallam and Umm Ayman radiallahu anha was present. So the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam started to cry. And so when Umm Ayman saw the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam crying, she too started to cry. Seeing the death of that child in the hands of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam, and the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam was very soft-hearted and his eyes were swelled with tears and so she started to cry as well. So the Prophet
salallahu alayhi wasallam said to her, Ya Umm Ayman, Atabkeen, Oh Umm Ayman, why are you crying? She said, Ya Rasulullah, I'm crying because you're crying. Of course I'm crying, you're crying too. We're both crying over the same thing. And so she said, Ma li la abki wa Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam yabki. Why should I not cry when the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam is crying? So the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam said, Inni lastu abki walakinna rahma. He said, Look, I'm not weeping, but instead it is mercy. What he means by that salallahu alayhi wasallam is that the crying that I have is not one of displeasure or questioning of God. It's one of compassion. I'm crying out of compassion and love for the child just so she does not mistake the crying of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam as one of questioning Allah's decree with the death of that child. So the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam said to her, Al mu'minu bi khayrin ala kulli hal, sunza'u nafsuhu min bayni janbayhi, wa huwa yahmadu Allah azza wa jal. He said, The believer is in good, the believer is in good whatever the situation. Meaning the believer is fine and is in a state of contentment no matter what the situation is. The Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam said, Even when his soul is being pulled from his body, he remains in praise of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. He remains in praise of his Lord. Meaning that this is compassion, this is mercy, but I'm not questioning the decree of Allah. Even with this child, even with this death, even with something that naturally brings out the rahma, the mercy from the heart of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam. I'm not crying over that authentic hadith in Sunan Nisa'i that's narrated on the part of Ibn Abbas radiallahu ta'ala anhuma. So Umm Ayman radiallahu anha has this history with the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam but it's mainly in the background. You don't actually have many narrations from her, but
you know that she is his mother, you know that she is the first one to carry him, you know that she is someone that the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam honored throughout all circumstances, and you can imagine this woman when the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam died. Can you imagine her entire purpose in life was defined by that moment that she held the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam. It's a miracle that she did not die when the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam died. And what's said about Umm Ayman radiallahu anha who was with the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam when that child died and heard those messages from the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam, that she went completely silent, wouldn't talk to anybody, sort of withdrew from society. She watched the scene in Medina as the people wept and cried and as they buried the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam. The only person that was in the room when the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam came out of his mother's womb and she sees this Umm of over a hundred thousand people now crying and weeping over the death of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam and she watches from afar as they bury the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam and she keeps a distance from the people. She becomes very quiet, very silent, doesn't really talk much, doesn't really joke much anymore, being the only person who was with the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam from the day that he was born until the day of his death alayhi salatu wasalam. And she was someone who witnessed, subhanallah, she witnessed the death of her first husband. Then she witnessed the death of her son Ayman al-Habashi who was martyred at the battle of Hunayn. Then she witnessed the death of her second husband Zayd ibn al-Harithah who was martyred in the battle of Mu'tah. Then she witnessed the death of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam. Then she witnessed the death of her second son Usama ibn Zayd radiyaAllahu ta'ala anhum Asum. Ayman radiyaAllahu anha actually lived, some of the scholars say she lived to see the age of a hundred years old. So she lived all the way through, every single person that came into her life from the Prophet
salallahu alayhi wasallam onwards and she lived through the Khilafah of Abu Bakr and she lived through the Khilafah of Umar. May Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala be pleased with them both and she saw all of those people that were beloved to her one by one buried. There's a story, a narration in Bukhari that after the death of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam Abu Bakr and Umar wanted to visit Umm Ayman because the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam used to visit Umm Ayman. Think about your status in society when Abu Bakr and Umar want to visit you after the death of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam. They're going together to visit her, to help her grieve, to help her get over her situation and they get into the home, they sit with the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam and as soon as they sit, I'm sorry, they sit with Umm Ayman radiyaAllahu ta'ala anha, as soon as they sit with her she starts to cry. When they see her crying what are they assuming? Why is she crying? She misses the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam right? They assume that she's crying over that. That's a pretty safe assumption to make. This is the only purpose that she had in her entire life was being that watchful eye right over the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam trying to preserve him, to protect him, to take care of him. And so as she starts to cry Abu Bakr and Umar they start to tell her don't cry Umm Ayman, don't you know that what Allah had in store for the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam is better than what he had over here? Meaning they're speaking to the natural emotion of a mother that don't you know that what is with him now, what Allah has given him now is better than that which he left here. And she says something extremely profound. She says to them I know that what Allah has given to the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam is better than what he had over here. She said that's not why I'm crying. He said then why are you crying? She said,
I'm crying because the revelation has ceased to come from the heavens. And so Abu Bakr and Umar started to weep and Anas Ibn Malik radiAllahu ta'ala said all three of them wept for a long time together. SubhanAllah imagine the scene of Umm Ayman, Abu Bakr and Umar all sitting together crying over that profound statement that we used to have a direct connection to the heavens and the presence of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam. The revelation was coming fresh through the mouth of that man salallahu alayhi wasallam, that boy who I carried and nursed and took care of. And now that revelation has ceased to come down. So it was a longing for the revelation as well when the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam passed away. She then outlived Abu Bakr and then she lived to see the assassination of Umar and she died about 20 days after Umar bin Al-Khattab radiAllahu ta'ala was assassinated and she was buried in Al-Baqi' which is the graveyard right next to the masjid of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam. But Ibn Asakir has a beautiful narration. He says that when they buried Umm Ayman radiAllahu ta'ala they made sure that they buried her where she was directly in line with the grave of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam. So it's like she's adjacent to the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam, she's facing the qibla just like the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam buried there in Al-Baqi' radiAllahu ta'ala looking forward that way. And there's so many lessons we can learn from this woman and her life. Obviously her place in history. The character of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam in honoring this woman and upholding her. When the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam says that there is no virtue of an Arab over a non-Arab or a non-Arab over an Arab or a white person over a black person or a black person over a white person. The Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam elevated this woman in her
status despite her not having a tribe, despite her skin color, despite her gender, despite her poverty, despite all of that the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam held her in that esteem and it forces society as a whole to look at this woman that otherwise would be neglected and look at her with that status of being the mother of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam. So it's the attitude of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam, the testimony of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam towards her that's so powerful. It's also her connection, her love of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam, her sacrifice. One of the things about Umm Ayman radiAllahu ta'ala anha is that you find a woman that never once complained, never once complained about being in the service of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam, being in the service of something greater, about the hardship that she faced in that purpose because she understood that it was something purposeful. And you see that humanity of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam, you see that deep love and that affection of the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam, but you also see this deep commitment of this woman to the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam. And you have to ask yourself that question, you know, when we do work for this higher purpose of deen, right, and someone asks you, how are you? And you say, you know what, Muslims are driving me crazy. The masjid is this, these people are this, sometimes I want to just give it all up, right, I'm sick of dealing with it all. And what was her answer? Ana bi khair, madame islam bi khair. I'm good as long as Islam is good. Meaning, you know, for the cause that I'm dedicated to, I'm okay. I'm okay. So that idea of commitment is something that you find in Khadija radiallahu ta'ala anha and something that you find in this remarkable woman, Baraka Um Ayman radiallahu ta'ala anha. We ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to be pleased with her, to elevate her and we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala to reward her for her care for the Prophet salallahu
alayhi wasallam, her sacrifice and to join us with her and with the Prophet salallahu alayhi wasallam on the highest level of Jannatul Firdaus. Allahuma Ameen.
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