The Life & Character of the Seal of Prophets (sa) - Volume I — Page 135
IV - Early Life 135 when the country underwent a famine and Ḥalīmah ra came to Makkah, the Holy Prophet sa gave her forty goats and one camel. During the prophethood of the Holy Prophet sa , Ḥalīmah ra once came to visit; as soon as the Holy Prophet sa saw her, he immediately stood up fervently repeating the words, “My mother! My mother!” , and took off the mantle he had upon himself and spread it out before her, so that she could sit upon it. Then, during the Battle of Ḥunain when one thousand prisoners of war were captured from the tribe of the Hawāzin, the Prophet sa released them all for the sake of this very relationship and took not a penny from them as ransom for their freedom. 1 Moreover, the Holy Prophet sa bestowed abundant wealth upon one of his foster sisters who also happened to be a prisoner of war at that time. There is a disagreement regarding the acceptance of Islām by Ḥalīmah ra and her husband Ḥārith ra. However, the prevalent notion is that both Ḥalīmah ra and Ḥārith ra became Muslims and thus, died as Muslims. The foster brother of Muḥammad sa , ‘ Abdullāh and his sister Shīma, also died as Muslims. Mother’s Guardianship and Travel to Yathrib When Ḥalīmah ra brought Muḥammad sa to his mother, he was approximately four years of age. After this, the child remained in the guardianship of his dear mother. When the young Muḥammad sa reached the age of six, Āminah ra travelled to Yathrib with the intent of meeting her relatives from the Banū Najjār and also took Muḥammad sa along with her. Ummi Aiman also accompanied them. It is quite possible that during this trip, Āminah ra may have contemplated visiting the tomb of her deceased husband. In any case, she travelled to Yathrib and remained there for one month. The Holy Prophet sa remembered this precious time for the rest of his life. After approximately fifty years of age, when he migrated to Madīnah, he showed his companions the house in which he resided along with his mother during his stay in Madīnah. He also showed them the place where he used to play with the children of 1 Aṭ-Ṭabaqātul-Kubrā, By Muḥammad bin Sa‘d, Part 1, Dhikru Man Arḍa‘a Rasūlallāh wa Tasmiyyati Ikhwatihī wa Akhawātihi minar-Raḍā‘ah , p. 54, Dāru Iḥyā’it-Turāthil-‘Arabī, Beirut, Lebanon, First Edition (1996)