Chief of the Prophets

Chief of the Prophets — Page 196

Chapter Eight 196 marry the King of Arabia. ” 1 The national symbol of Arabia was the moon. Therefore, if a woman would see that the moon had fallen in her lap, it was interpreted that she had established a link with the King of Arabia. The motivation behind this marriage was the desire that the Jews would stop creating mischief, make peace with the Muslims, and incline towards Islam. After the Nikāḥ , when the couple left Khaibar, the wedding reception and the banquet were arranged at a place called Aṣ-Ṣahbā’. Ṣafiyyah ra loved Muḥammad sa dearly. When Muḥammad sa was indisposed, she said with great desperation, “O Prophet of Allah! I pray that your affliction had befallen me. ” Muḥammad sa addressing all of his wives said, “By God, she is only telling the truth. ” Muḥammad sa also loved her greatly and took special care of her. He was particularly sensitive to the fact that the Jews were disgraced in the eyes of the Muslims because of their misdeeds, and that she was from Jewish descent. Once, someone from the Prophet’s wives taunted her on her Jewish lineage. When Muḥammad sa found out about it, he said, “Why did you not tell them that Aaron was your father, Moses was your uncle, and Muḥammad is your husband? Who could be better than you?” Ṣafiyyah ra was a very generous and contented person and had great sympathy for others. She died in the 50 A. H. , at the age of 60 years and was buried in the Jannatul-Baqī‘. 2 Marriage with Maimūnah ra , 7 A. H. Maimūnah’s first marriage was with Mas‘ūd bin ‘Amr who divorced her. She then married Abū Arham bin ‘Abdul-’Adiyy who died in 7 A. H. , and she became a widow. ‘Abbās ra , Muḥammad’s uncle, was also her uncle. ‘Abbās ra , observing her situation requested that 1 Sīratul-Ḥalbiyyah 2 A cemetery in Madīnah close to the Mosque of the Prophet.