Chief of the Prophets — Page 121
Chapter Seven 121 Marriage of Ummi Kulthūm bint Muḥammad ra , Rabī‘ul- Awwal, 3 A. H. The first wife of ‘Uthmān bin ‘Affān ra was Ruqayyah bint Muḥammad ra , the daughter of Muḥammad sa. When Muḥammad sa was about to depart for the Battle of Badr, she became gravely sick. Muḥammad sa asked ‘Uthmān ra to stay in Madīnah to take care of her, but she did not survive the sickness and passed away after a few days. After her death, Muḥammad sa married his second daughter Ummi Kulthūm with ‘Uthmān. For this reason, ‘Uthmān ra was also known as Dhun-Nῡrain , meaning the one with two lights. Marriage of Ḥafṣah bint ‘Umar ra , Sha‘bān, 3 A. H. After the Battle of Badr, Khunīs bin Ḥudhāfah, the first husband of Ḥafṣah ra ,and the son-in-law of ‘Umar bin al-Khaṭṭāb ra fell ill and died. ‘Umar ra was concerned about the second marriage of his daughter, Ḥafṣah ra. He approached ‘Uthmān ra and Abū Bakr ra , but they avoided the subject. ‘Umar ra was very upset about his daughter, so he approached Muḥammad sa and narrated the entire story. Muḥammad sa comforted ‘Umar ra , and after some time considering the high degree of his sincerity, the unique relationship, and his circumstances, sent a marriage proposal for her that ‘Umar ra gladly accepted. In the Sha‘bān of 3 A. H. , Ḥafṣah ra was married to Muḥammad sa and became part of the holy household of Muḥammad sa. At that time, Ḥafṣah ra was 20 years of age. After the marriage, Abū Bakr ra said to ‘Umar ra : Perhaps your heart had been saddened on my account. The fact is that I was aware of the intention of Muḥammad sa , but did not want to mention it. Of course, if Muḥammad sa had not intended so, I would have most gladly married Ḥafṣah. Muḥammad’s marriages with the widows are a testament of the respect and the regard he had for the sincere parents of the widows as well as for the widows of sincere Muslims. Otherwise, a person in