Ramlah bint Abi Sufyaan

موضوع: Ramlah bint Abi Sufyaan السبت مارس 02, 2013 11:41 am

Umm Habeebah Ramlah bint Abi Sufyaan RA

She was the daughter of Abu Sufyaan and the sister of the Khaleefah Muaawaiyah, and Yazeed, both who rendered valuable services in the cause of Islaam. She was married to Obaidullah bin Jahsh and they both accepted Islaam in the early years.

She and her husband were among the first group who migrated to Abyssinia, where her husband reverted to Christianity and died in that state. While most of her close friends had returned to Makkah, Umm Habeebah remained in Abyssinia and in her lonely hours would appeal to Allaah for help. One night she dreamt that someone called her “mother of the believers”.
In the meantime the Prophet had migrated to Madinah, where someone, during a conversation about the state of affairs in Abyssinia, mentioned Umm Habeebah’s plight; the daughter of one of the greats among the Arabs, living under tragic circumstances. The Prophet sent Amr bin Umayyah to the king of Abyssinia with the message that if Umm Habeebah wished, she could marry him. When the king received the message he sent his slave girl to Umm Habeebah with the proposal. Umm Habeebah was overjoyed and gave the girl all the silver jewellery she was wearing. She appointed a relative, Khaalid bin Sa ‘eed to represent her at the wedding ceremony. The king sent a message to Ja’far bin Abi Taalib, leader of the immigrants, to bring all the Muslims to his palace where he performed the ceremony and married Umm Habeebah to the Prophet with a dowry of four hundred dirhams.

Umm Habeebah proceeded to Madinah where she joined the household of the Prophet. Even her father who had not yet accepted Islaam, was happy with the marriage.

Once her father came to visit her and as he was about to sit down she quickly got up and rolled up the mattress on which he was going to sit. When he asked her why she did it she replied that it was the mattress used by a very pure and clean prophet, and that no idol worshipper could sit on it. She was overjoyed when, after the conquest of Makkah, her father and brother Muaawiyah accepted Islaam at the hands of the Prophet.

Umm Habeebah, due to her knowledge and mastery over hadeeth, was ranked third among the wives of the Prophet, preceded only by Aishah and Umm Salamah. She narrated sixty five ahaadeeth.

When Umm Habeebah heard the news of Uthmaan’s murder, she prayed to Allaah that the murderer’s hand be cut off and he be shamed in public and her prayer was answered. Someone attacked him in his house and cut his hands off. He ran into the street holding his sheet between his teeth, but he lost grip and the sheet fell to the ground, leaving him naked and disgraced in public.

She died in Madinah during the khilaafah of her brother Muaawiyah in the 44th year of the hijrah. Before her death she sent messages to Aishah and Umm Salamah aplologising for any offence she might have caused them when differences or disagreements occurred.