In the Name of Allāh.
By the grace of the Lord of the Majestic Throne, we begin anew. Alḥamdulillāh for this blessing!
What advice would you offer a woman who wakes up in the morning to find her husband declaring his rejection of Islām and embracing Christianity? Is mental gymnastics needed first?
This leads us to the profile of a noblewoman, one of the Mothers of the Believers, renowned for her piety, patience, and consciousness of Allāh. She is among the Prophet’s (ﷺ) female cousins and stands out as the closest to him in lineage compared to his other wives.
Her name is Umm Ḥabībah, Ramlah Bint Abī Sufyān Ibn Harb Ibn Umayyah Ibn Abdul-Shams Al-Qurayshi Al-Umawwi (Raḍiyallāhu ‘Anha).
Ramlah, our mother, was initially wed to the Prophet’s cousin, Ubaydullāh Ibn Jaḥsh (brother to Zaynab Bint Jaḥsh [Raḍiyallāhu ‘Anha]). As the persecution of Muslims intensified in Makkah, Ubaydullāh, alongside Ramlah, who had converted to Islām, joined fellow Muslims in migration to Habasha (known today as Ethiopia). One night, she was startled awake from a distressing dream where she saw her husband in a distorted form. Tragically, shortly after that ominous night, her husband renounced Islām and accepted Christianity.
He then offered her the choice of divorce or submitting to Christianity. What a significant trial this was for Umm Ḥabībah! Faced with her husband’s abandonment of Islām, she responded with patience and dignity, choosing divorce rather than forced conversion. Her steadfast faith in Allāh shone through as she chose to remain in Abyssinia, unable to return home to her father, Abu Sufyān, who still clung to polytheism.
Moved by her situation, the Prophet (ﷺ) proposed marriage to her. He sent a message to the king of Habasha, Najāshi, requesting him to seek her hand in marriage on his behalf and to provide her dowry as a gesture of compassion for her ordeal and a reward for her perseverance. Thus, she was married to the Prophet (ﷺ) in Al-Habasha (Abyssinia), with Najāshi providing her with a generous dowry of four hundred Dinars along with numerous other gifts. Among the Prophet’s wives, none received a more extravagant dowry than hers.
Allāh elevated and honored Umm Ḥabībah as one of the Mothers of the Believers, which is indeed a great privilege for her. She truly deserves to be referred to as our mother.
The story of Umm Ḥabībah serves as a poignant reminder of the significance of perseverance and steadfastness in our faith amid the trials we may encounter. May her example inspire us to remain faithful to our beliefs and values, placing trust in the Will and Wisdom of Allāh.
I beseech Allāh to extend His Special Mercy to Umm Ḥabībah Ramlah Bint Abī Sufyān and to grant us the strength and tranquility to overcome any challenges in our lives, guiding us toward a path of faith, patience, and virtue. Aameen.
Picture Credit: DOC On The Run
