Hazrat Umme Sulaim — Page 7
7 Exemplary Patience An exemplary instance of ra and her hus- band Hazrat Abu Talhah ra is when they displayed extraordinary patience on the death of their son, Abu Umair ra. Abu Umair ra, who was Umme Sulaim’s ra beloved son, suddenly fell ill. His father, Abu Talhah ra, was travelling at the time. In this state of illness, Abu Umair ra passed away all of a sudden. ra displayed immense patience on losing a child she loved so dearly. Neither did she display any anxiety, nor did she disturb her husband once he returned home. Instead, she displayed exem- plary patience by considering Abu Umair ra a mere trust granted by Almighty Allah. She advised everyone in the household not to inform Hazrat Abu Talhah ra about Abu Umair’s ra death. When Hazrat Abu Talhah ra returned home at night and inquired after his ill son, ra tactfully replied that the child was at peace. She actually meant that Abu Umair ra was now free of his pain and had met his Maker. Hazrat Abu Talhah ra, however, assumed that perhaps Abu Umair ra was healthy again. She then served him dinner and they went to sleep. In the morning, when Hazrat Abu Talhah ra was about to leave for offering morning prayers at the Prophet’s saw Mosque, ra stopped him and asked, ‘Abu Talhah! If someone entrusts us with something and then asks for its return, should we give it back or not?’ Hazrat Abu Talhah ra replied, ‘Yes! Why not?’ ra said, ‘Then you should have patience on your son’s death because he was also a trust from Allah that we were entrusted with. Now He has taken His trust back from us’. Hazrat Abu Talhah ra then went to the Holy Prophet saw at the