Chief of the Prophets — Page 144
Chapter Seven 144 intelligent and wise woman, sent her a proposal for marriage out of empathy for her situation. At first, she excused herself because of her mature age but later accepted it. Ummi Salamah ra was a very wise and pious lady, and was literate too. She especially took on the education and training of the Muslim women. Many of the traditions in the books of Aḥādīth were narrated by her. She was blessed with an extraordinarily long life, and passed away at the age of 84 years in the time of Yazīd bin Mu‘āwiyah. Muḥammad sa greatly valued her opinion. At the time of the Ḥudaibiyyah treaty, which will be mentioned later, when Muḥammad sa asked the Companions to give up their plan of performing ‘Umrah 1 and instead asked them to offer sacrifices and shave their heads, the Companions hesitated a bit. Sensing this, Muḥammad sa went to Ummul-Mu’minīn Ummi Salamah ra and mentioned about the Companions. Salamah ra said, “O Prophet sa , do not talk with anyone; just shave your own head and sacrifice your animal. ” Muḥammad sa did so, and the Companions immediately followed him with tremendous fervour. Ummi Salamah ra also has the distinction of being the first woman to migrate to Madīnah. 2 Ghazwah of Dummatul-Jandal, Rabī‘ul-Awwal, 5 A. H. So far the battles fought by the Muslims were all defensive battles; however, a Muslim’s responsibility is not only limited to his own defence, but also to always protect the oppressed from the oppressors. Muḥammad sa found out that some merciless bandits at Dummatul-Jandal were attacking the travelers who were traveling in ones and twos and in small caravans, and robbing them of their goods and possessions. There was also the concern that these villains might turn their sights towards Madīnah and begin doing the 1 Pilgrimage to Makkah undertaken on any days of the year except during the days of Ḥajj. [Publisher] 2 Please see Sīrat Khātamun-Nabiyyīn for a very beneficial note about the gathering and the ordering of the Qur’ān, Urdu edition, published by Islam International Publications, 1996, p. 534 to 539.