Her lineage. Her real name was Hind. She was the daughter of one of the notables in the Makhzumi clan of Makkah nicknamed "Zad ar-Rakib" because he was well known for his generousity particularly to travellers.
Her family life. Umm Salamah's husband was Abdullah bin Abdul-Asad otherwise known as Abu Salamah (RA) and they both were among the first persons to accept Islaam. Only Abu Bakr (RA) and a few others, who could be counted on the fingers of one hand, became Muslims before them. One of her children was Abdullah bin Abi Salamah, the one famous for his stay with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessing be upon him).
Her persecution and migration. As customary with the earliest Muslims, when the Quraysh found out that they had become Muslims, they began hounding and persecuting Umm Salamah and her husband. Umm Salamah (RA) narrated that "When Abu Salamah decided to leave for Madeenah, he prepared a camel for me, put me on it and placed our son, Salamah on my lap, and we set off.
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 ower 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 my child and me. They became hot with rage. "No! By Allaah," 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 Madeenah by himself and his clan had snatched my son away from me.
My own clan, Banu Makhzum, 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 in the spot where this tragedy occurred. I would recall those terrible moments and weep until night fell. I continued like this for a year or 50 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.
At last they agreed. Go and join your husband if you wish." Death of husband and marriage to the Prophet. She lost her husband to the injuries he sustained after the battle of Uhud. Once while Umm Salamah was nursing him, he said to her: "I heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessing be upon him) saying: Whenever a calamity afflicts anyone he should say, Surely from Allaah we are and to Him we shall certainly return." And he should pray, 0 Lord, give me in return something good from it which only You Exalted and Mighty, can give." After her husbands death and up0 n completion of her - Iddah the waiting period, Abu Bakr. (RA) proposed , marriage to her but she refused. Then Umar (RA)asked to marry her but she also declined the proposal.
The Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) then approached tier and she replied: "0 Messenger of Allaah, I have three characteristics. I am a woman who is extremely jealous and I am afraid that you will see in me something that cause you to be angry with me and cause Allaah to punish me.1 am a woman who is already advanced in age and I am a woman who has a young family." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) replied: "Regarding the jealousy you mentioned, I pray to Allaah, 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. Thus she became the wife of Allaahs Messenger. Allaah answered the prayer of Umm Salamah (RA) and gave her someone better than Abu Salamah (RA).From that day on Hind al Makhzumiyah was no longer the mother of Salamah alone but became the mother of all believers, Umm al-Mumineen.
This article was culled from the publications of Deen Communication Limited