Umm Salamah was one of the wives of the Holy Prophet (S). Her name was Hind Bint Abu Umayyah. Her father, Abu Umayyah, was named Suhayl Ibn al­Mughirah Ibn 'Abdullah Ibn 'Umar Ibn Makhzum, al-Qurashiyyah al­Makhzumiyyah, and was known by his epithet Zad al-Rakib."1 Her mother was 'Atikah Bint 'Amir Ibn Rabi'ah Ibn... Ibn Kinanah. Her first husband, Abu­Salamah ('Abdullah Ibn 'Abd al-Asad from the Banu-Makhzum tribe), was her cousin.

Umm Salamah migrated twice with her husband to Abyssinia along with a group of the Muslims.2 Their children were Zaynab, Salamah, 'Umar and Durrah.3

Umm Salamah passed away in al-Madinah in the year 62 A.H.L during the reign of Yazid. She was 84 years old at the time of her death. She was buried in the al-Baqi' cemetery and was the last of the Mothers of the Believers to pass away. There are different accounts as to the year of her death, but 62 A.H. seems the likeliest of all. It is said that she died after the martyrdom of Imam al­Husayn Ibn 'Ali ('a).4

Ibn Sa'd, relying on his own sources, has written, "Umm Salamah told her husband (Abu Salamah), 'I have heard that a woman whose husband dies first and goes to paradise, and who goes to paradise as well after her death, if she does not marry again, will be reunited with her husband in paradise. The same is true if the wife dies first and her husband survives her. So, let us make a covenant that whoever dies first, the one who survives the other will not marry again.'

Abu Salamah answered, 'If I die, do not do such a thing and make trouble for yourself.' Then he raised his hands in supplication to God and said, 'O God, give Umm Salamah a husband better than me after I die.'"5

Abu Salamah died in 4 A.H. After the mourning period which Islam specifies and during which a widowed woman cannot marry again had passed, Abu Bakr asked for her hand in marriage, but Umm Salamah rejected him. After him, 'Umar asked for her hand, but was equally unsuccessful. In the year 5 A.H., the Holy Prophet (S) proposed to her and they were married. Her dowry is reported to have been ten Dirham, and another report says that it consisted of a hand mill, two pitchers, a pillow made from date fibers, a comforter, a bowl, a cooking pot and a large wooden tray. The Prophet (S) provided her housing in the home of Zaynab Bint Khuzaymah who had passed away.6

Despite this very modest dowry, the Holy Prophet (S) respected Umm Salamah very much.7

Her Merits

Umm Salamah was one of the first women to accept Islam, and one of the first to migrate to Abyssinia. Ibn al-Athir writes, "Umm Salamah was the first woman to enter al-Madinah on a chair on a camel."8 Umm Salamah was a faithful wife who loved her family and her husband. She was always present at her husband's side whether in her homeland or in a foreign country. The conversation between her and her husband that was quoted above is vivid proof of their attachment to each other.

When the Messenger of God (S) asked for her hand in marriage, Umm­Salamah said, "I am an elderly woman, the mother of orphans, very devoted (to my deceased husband), and caring, and you already have wives."

The Messenger of God (S) said, "These are not a problem. God will remove that devotion, and your orphans are the responsibility of God and His Messenger (S)." So, Umm Salamah accepted.9

After Fatimah Bint Asad passed away, the Holy Prophet (S) entrusted his daughter Lady Fatimah ('a) to Umm Salamah's care. She happily accepted this responsibility and (later) said, "They think I am teaching and training Fatimah, but this is not so. She is my teacher."

In any case, Umm Salamah devoted herself wholeheartedly to caring for Fatimah ('a). She also helped in the wedding preparations for Fatimah ('a). When Umm Salamah later gave witness in favor of Fatimah ('a) over the garden of Fadak, Abu Bakr and 'Umar deprived her of her pension for a full year.10

Shaykh al-Saduq, relying on his own sources, quotes Imam al-Sadiq ('a) as saying, "The Holy Prophet (S) married fifteen women, and..... the best among them was Khadijah Bint Khuwaylid, and after her Umm Salamah..."11

Umm Salamah was the guardian of the legacies and secrets of the Prophet's family ('a). 'Allamah al-Majlisi quotes a tradition from the book Basa'ir al­Darajat, which can be summarized as follows, "The messenger of God called Umm Salamah and gave her a sheepskin full of knowledge and told her, 'Whoever asks you for this sheepskin after my death will be the Imam and my successor."'

In another tradition narrated by 'Allamah al-Majlisi it is said, "When Amir al-Mu'minin departed for Iraq, he gave his books, his weapons, and the legacy of the Imamate to Umm Salamah,12 so that after his martyrdom, she would be able to give them to Imam al-Hasan ('a). When Imam al-Hasan ('a) was poisoned, he gave those weapons and legacies to Umm Salamah again so that she could give them to Imam al-Husayn ('a), who in turn gave them to her when he departed for Iraq so that she would give them to Imam 'Ali Ibn al-Husayn ('a).13

These traditions prove that Umm Salamah was deeply respected by all members of the Holy Prophet (S)'s family, knew their secrets, and was the guardian of their possessions.

Umm Salamah spent many hours talking to 'A'ishah and advising her against going to war against Amir al-Mu'minin ('a). Even after she had departed for battle, Umm Salamah wrote her a letter advising her to refrain from fighting. Ibn Abu al-Hadid quoted her very eloquent words in his book Sharh Nahj al­Balaghah.14

'Umar Ridha Kahhalah has related Umm Salamah's advice to 'Uthman Ibn 'Affan and her letter to Mu'awiyah.15

When Umm Salamah realized that it was useless to continue advising and arguing with A'ishah, she felt compelled to write a letter from Makkah to Amir al-Mu'minin ('a). She gave it to her son 'Umar, telling him, "Take this letter to Amir al-Mu'minin ('a) as fast as possible, stay by his side, and do whatever he tells you to." ln her letter to Imam 'Ali ('a), Umm Salamah related everything that had happened between her and 'A'ishah. Then, she wrote, "O Amir al-Mu'minin ('a)! If the Messenger of God (S) had not ordered us (his wives) to stay confined in our houses (after his death), I would have stayed by your side myself. In this situation, I send you my son so that he may obey your orders."16

The Messenger of God (S) had told Umm Salamah what would happen to the members of his household in the future and how they would become martyrs. He had even given her some dirt from where Imam al-Husayn ('a) would be buried. This is why when Imam al-Husayn ('a) departed for Iraq, Umm­Salamah said, "O light of my eyes! Do not cause me to grieve, because I heard your grandfather, the Messenger of God (S), say, 'My beloved son Hussein is going to be killed in Iraq, in a place called Karbala', by the sword of oppression and injustice."'

Umm Salamah took part in the battle of Khaybar, in the conquest of Makkah, in the siege on al-Ta'if, and in the battles of Hawazin and Thaqif. And, she was at the side of the Holy Prophet (S) during his last Hajj pilgrimage. She could read, but could not write.17

Al-Barqi, Shaykh al-Tusi, Ibn Abd al-Barr, Ibn Mandah18 and Abu Nu'aym19 consider Umm Salamah to be among the companions of the Holy Prophet (S) and there is no doubt about this fact.20 Ahmad Ibn Hanbal has listed Umm­Salamah among the transmitters of traditions from the Prophet (S).21

Allamah Mamqani has written, "Her exaltation in fidelity to Amir al-Mu'minin ('a), Fatimah ('a), Imam al-Hasan ('a), and Imam al-Husayn ('a) is so famous that there is no need to mention it, and so obvious that there is no need to remind of it."22 Shaykh Maallati has written, "All Muslim scholars agree that Umm Salamah's knowledge, piety, eloquence, and obedience and love for the family of the Holy Prophet (S) can only be compared to a light shining on a lofty mountain."23

'Umar Ridha Kahhalah has written, "She is one of the women who migrated for the sake of Islam, an exalted lady with sound opinions and reasoning, a lady of great perfection and beauty who migrated to Abyssinia as well as al-Madinah."24

Umm Salamah has related traditions from the Holy Prophet (S), Fatimah ('a) and Abu Salamah Ibn 'Abd al-Asad (her first husband). And, 'Umar Ibn Abi­Salamah, 'Amir Ibn Abi Umayyah (her brother), Mus'ab Ibn 'Abdullah (her nephew), 'Abdullah Ibn Rafi', Nafi' (Umm Salamah's slave, whom she had freed), Safinah (the Holy Prophet's servant), Abu Kathir (Umm Salamah's servant), Yahya Ibn al-Muhallab al-Bajali, Ibn Safinah, Khayrah Umm'l­Hasan al-Basri, Sulayman Ibn Yasar, Usamah Ibn Zayd Ibn Harithah, Hind Bint al-Harith Fazariyyah, Safiyyah Bint Shaybah, Abu 'Uthman al-Nahdi, 'Abd al­Rahman Ibn Mull, Humayd Ibn 'Abd al-Rahman Ibn 'Awf, Sa'id Ibn al-Musayyab, Abu Wa'il al-Asadi, Safiyyah Bint Mihsan, al-Shi'bi, 'Abd al­ Rahman Ibn Abi Bakr, 'Abd al-Rahman Ibn Harith Ibn Hisham, 'Ikrimah Ibn 'Abd al-Rahman Ibn al-Harith, Abu Bakr Ibn 'Abd al-Rahman Ibn al-Harith, 'Uthman Ibn 'Abdullah Ibn Mawhab, 'Urwah Ibn al-Zubayr, Kurayb, the manumitted slave of Ibn 'Abbas, Qabisah Ibn Dhu'ayb, Nafi' the manumitted slave of Ibn 'Umar, Zaynab Bint Abi Salamah (her daughter), Nabhan (her slave who bought his freedom from her), 'Abdullah Ibn Rafi', Ya'la Ibn Mumlik, and others have related traditions from her.25

Umm Salamah has related 387 traditions from the Holy Prophet (S). Fatimah ('a) and Abu Salamah. Sahih Muslim and Sahih al-Bukhari altogether related 29 of them. Thirteen of these traditions are related in both of them. Al-Bukhari has related three traditions that Muslim has not related, and Muslim relates 13 traditions that cannot be found in Sahih al-Bukhari.26

Ibn Sa'd, relying on his own sources, relates approximately ten traditions from Umm Salamah quoting different transmitters. These traditions talk about the reward of enduring hardships, the passing away of her husband, Abu Salamah, and the circumstances of Umm Salamah's marriage to the Holy Prophet (S).27

Ibn al-Athir, relying on his own sources and quoting 'Abdullah Ibn Wahab, relates that Umm Salamah said, "Fatimah ('a) came to see the Messenger of God (S) and he whispered something into her ear, whereupon she wept. Then, he again whispered into her ear, and she laughed. I asked her what the Holy Prophet (S) had told her and she answered, 'He gave me the news that he is going to die this year, and I wept. Then, he said...'"28

'Allamah al-Majlisi relates that Umm Salamah said, "Fatimah ('a) was the one most similar to the Holy Prophet (S) in countenance."29

Al-Majlisi relates a tradition from Umm Salamah about the Holy Prophet documenting the line of Imamate, "The Holy Prophet used to say, 'There will be twelve Imams after me, the same number as the heads of the Israelites (i.e., the children of Israel), and nine of them will be from the progeny of Imam al-Husayn. God has given them my knowledge and wisdom; so, woe to their enemies."'30

Al-Tabarani, relying on his own sources, relates a tradition from Abu Sa'id al­Khidri, quoting Umm Salamah as saying, "This verse was revealed in my house:

………اِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمُ الرّ‌ِجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهّـِرَكُمْ تَطْهِيراً…………

“…………Verily Allah intends but to keep off from you (every kind of) uncleanness, O’ you the people of the House! And purify you (with) a thorough purification.” (Surah Al-Ahzab, 33:33).

I was sitting next to the door, and I said, ‘O Messenger of God, am I not one of the members of your Household?' He answered, 'You are on a good path. "'31

Shaykh al-Saffar, relying on his own sources, relates that Umm Salamah, the wife of the Holy Prophet (S) said, "During the sickness that led to his death, the Holy Prophet (S) said, 'Call my devoted friend.' A'ishah sent for her father, but when he, Abu Bakr, came, the Holy Prophet (S) covered his face and said, 'Call my devoted friend.' Abu Bakr left in confusion. Hafsa sent for her father, but when 'Umar came, the Holy Prophet (S) covered his face and said, 'Call my devoted friend.' 'Umar also departed in confusion. Then, Fatimah ('a) sent for 'Ali ('a). When he came, the Holy Prophet arose. 'Ali ('a) entered and the Holy Prophet (S) wrapped him in his own garment." Later on, 'Ali ('a) said, '(The Holy Prophet (S)) talked to me about a hundred subjects, each of them opened a hundred doors, until I was sweating and the Holy Prophet (S) was sweating too.32

Al-Tabarani relates 518 traditions from Umm Salamah, quoting different lines of transmitters, which deal with different subjects, such as: Islamic jurisprudence, the situation of the Holy Prophet (S), and the purity of the members of his Household.33

Al-Majlisi has included a chapter entitled "Umm­Salamah" in his biography on the Holy Prophet (S).34 He has also related a tradition from Umm Salamah in the section about the martyrdom of Imam al­Husayn ('a).35

Umm Salamah is one of those who transmits the tradition about the sun returning for Imam 'Ali ('a).36

Umm Salamah has related, "We were uncovered in front of Ibn Ummi-Maktum.37 The Prophet ordered us to cover in front of him.38

Umm Salamah has related, "The Messenger of God (S) was asked about Imam al-Mahdi ('aj)." He answered, 'He is a descendant of Fatimah ('a).'"39

• 1. Zad al-Rakib, A person who would pay all of the expenses of those accompanying him on a journey, and they were his guests for the time of the journey. [Tarikh al­Tabari, vol. 3, p. 1138; The Dih-Khuda Encyclopedia.)
• 2. Tarikh al-Tabari, vol. 1, p. 482.
• 3. A'lam al-Nisa', vol. 5, p. 222.
• 4. Thiqat Ibn Habban, vol. 3, p. 439; Tahdhib al-Kamal, p. 320.
• 5. Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, vol. 8, p. 88.
• 6. Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, p. 98.
• 7. It was an Arab custom that the more value they attached to a woman, the higher her dowry would be. However, the Prophet (S) had a special respect for Umm-Salamah, regardless of the value of her dowry.
• 8. Usd al-Ghabah, vol. 5, p. 589.
• 9. Al-'Tabaqat al-Kubra, vol. 8, p. 90.
• 10. Rayahin al-Shari'ah, vol. 2, pp. 25 and 294.
• 11. Al-Khisal, vol. 2, p. 419.
• 12. Basa'ir al-Darajat, p. 169.
• 13. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 22, p. 223; Tanqih al-Maqal, vol. 3, p. 72, from the chapter about women.
• 14. Shar Nahj al-Balaghah, vol. 2, pp. 77 - 80.
• 15. A'lam al-Nisa', vol. 5, pp. 224 - 226.
• 16. Rayahin al-Shari'ah, vol. 2, p. 301.
• 17. A'lam al-Nisa', vol. 5, p. 227.
• 18. Yahya Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab was one of the leaders of the renown Banu-Mandah tribe. He was one of the famous religious authorities on the transmission of Shi'ah traditions with great virtues.
• 19. Al-Fadl Ibn Dukayn was one of the famous religious authorities on the transmission of Shi'ah traditions and he had memorized the Qur'an. The traditions which he has related are very reliable and trustworthy for both Shi'ah and Sunnah. He is listed as one of the notable, learned men by both Muslim and al-Bukhari. He passed away in either 210 or 218 A.H. in al-Kufah. (Rayhanat al-Adab, vol. 7, p. 287; al-Dhari'ah, vol. 4, p. 240)
• 20. Rijal al-'Tusi, p. 32; Tanqih al-Maqal, vol. 3, p. 72; Mu'jam Rijal al-Hadith, vol. 23, p. 177.
• 21. Al-Jami' fi'I-'llal...p. 244.
• 22. Tanqih al-Maqal, vol. 3, p. 72.
• 23. Rayahin al-Shari'ah, vol. 2, p. 288.
• 24. A'lam al-Nisa ", vol. 5, p. 221.
• 25. Tahdhib al-Kamal, pp. 319 - 371.
• 26. A'lam al-Nisa', vol. 5, p. 221.
• 27. Al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, vol. 8, pp. 87 - 96.
• 28. Usd al-Ghabah, vol. 5, p. 523.
• 29. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 43, p. 55.
• 30. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 36, p. 347.
• 31. al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, vol. 23, p. 249.
• 32. Basa'ir al-Darajat, p. 313.
• 33. Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, vol. 23, pp. 241 - 248.
• 34. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 22, p. 221.
• 35. Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 44, p. 241.
• 36. Kashf al-Ghummah, vol. 2, p. 282.
• 37. Ibn Ummi-Maktum was one of the Prophet's companions who was blind.
• 38. Al-'Tabaqat al-Kubra, vol. 8, p. 178; Wasa'il al-Shi'ah, vol. 20, p. 232.
• 39. Al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, vol. 23, p. 267.