THE PROPHET’S MARRIAGE TO UMM HABEEBAH RAMLAH BINT ABU SUFYAN
Al-Baihaqi related, after (relating the) incident of Al-Khandaq, through Al-Kalbi from Abu Saleh from Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, who said while commenting on the Verse: Perhaps Allah will make friendship between you and those whom you hold as enemies. (Surah Al-Mumtahinah 60:7):
“That was concerning the Prophet’s marriage to Umm Habeebah Bint
Abu Sufyan, may Allah be pleased with her, so she became one of the
Mothers of Believers and Mu‘awiyah, may Allah be pleased with him,
became the Uncle of the Believers.”
Umm Habeebah, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated that she was married to ‘Ubaidullah Ibn Jahsh and he traveled to Najashi but died. Thus Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, married Umm Habeebah, may Allah be pleased with her, while she was in Abyssinia and Najashi married her to him. Her Mahr was four thousand dirhams. She was sent with Shurahbil Ibn Hasanah, may Allah be pleased with him, and all her essentials were supplied by Najashi. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, did not send anything to her. He (the reporter) added, “Meanwhile, the Mahr of the Prophet’s wives was four hundred.”
The more authentic view is that the Mahr of the Prophet’s wives was twelve uqiyyah and nasha (uqiyyah and a waqiyyah equals forty dirhams and a nash is half a dirham) totaling five hundred dirhams.
I say: The representative of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in accepting the marriage was Najashi, the king of Abyssinia, as related by Yoonus from Muhammad Ibn Ishaq: Abu Ja‘far Muhammad Ibn ‘Ali Ibn Al-Husain narrated to me that: Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, sent ‘Amr Ibn Umayyah Ad-Damri, may Allah be pleased with him, to Najashi and he married Umm Habeebah to him and paid four hundred deenars on his behalf.
Al-Hafiz Ibn Al-Atheer says in Usdul-Ghabah, relating from Qatadah, that when Umm Habeebah, may Allah be pleased with her, migrated from Abyssinia to Madinah, Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, sought and married her. It is also related from some of them that he (the Prophet) married her after her father’s acceptance of Islam after the Conquest (of Makkah). This opinion adduced as evidence what is related by Muslim from Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, that Abu Sufyan said, ‘O Messenger of Allah grant me three things and the Prophet said: ‘Yes’. ‘Make me the commander (of the Muslim army) so that I may fight against the disbelievers as I fought against the Muslims.’ He said: ‘Yes.’ And he (Abu Sufyan) again said, ‘Accept Mu‘awiyah to serve as your scribe.’ The Prophet, peace and blessing of Allah be upon him, said: ‘Yes’. He (further) said, ‘I have with me the best and most pretty (woman) of all the Arabs, Umm Habeebah, daughter of Abu Sufyan; I marry her to you’, whereupon he said: ‘Yes’.
Ibn Atheer said: This Hadith is from the ones over which Muslim is criticized for when Abu Sufyan, may Allah be pleased with him, came to renew the contract just before the conquest of Makkah, he visited his daughter Umm Habeebah, may Allah be pleased with her, and she snatched the Prophet’s cushion from underneath him. He said, “My daughter, do you consider this bed unfit for me (i.e., my status) or me unfit for it?” She said, “It is the bed of Allah’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, and you are an unclean polytheist.” He said, “My daughter, you have been afflicted with evil after (you left) me.”
Ibn Hazm said: This Hadith is fabricated by ‘Ikrimah Ibn Ammar but this statement is unacceptable. Others say that he intended to renew the marriage contract due to its occurrence without his permission which constituted a blemish for him. Some others say: He believed that the marriage of his daughter was nullified with his own acceptance of Islam. All of these are however weak. The better view is that he wanted to marry to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, another daughter of his, ‘Azzah, due to the honor that would accrue to him and a recourse to her sister, Umm Habeebah, as related in the Saheehain and that is a misconception on the part of the narrator for mentioning Umm Habeebah. We have cited a report in corroboration of that.
By: Ibn Katheer
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