Chief of the Prophets — Page 74
Chapter Five 74 Not long after this dream, Khaulah bint Ḥakīm ra came to Muḥammad sa and asked, “O Messenger of Allah, why do you not marry?” Muḥammad sa said, “Who should I marry?” She said, “‘Ᾱ’ishah, the daughter of your friend Abū Bakr ra , is unmarried, and also there is Saudah bint Zam‘ah, the widow of the late Sakrān bin ‘Amr. ” Muḥammad sa told her to approach both families on his behalf. The relatives of both families approved of the marriage considering it to be their good fortune. The marriage ceremonies were performed in the Shawwāl of 10 th Nabawī at a dowry of 400 dirhams each. The traditional wedding-farewell ceremony ( rukhṣati) of Saudah ra from her parent’s house took place right afterwards. But the farewell of ‘Ᾱ’ishah ra was delayed for some time because of her young age. As Saudah ra had the good fortune of accepting Islam in its early period she had the honour of being the first one to marry Muḥammad sa after the advent of Islam. 1 The Journey of Ṭā’if, Shawwāl, 10 th Nabawī As mentioned before, Muḥammad’s troubles increased after the death of Abū Ṭālib and Khadījah ra , and preaching in Makkah became more difficult. In Shawwāl of 10 th Nabawī, Muḥammad sa decided to go to Ṭā’if, a well-known city forty miles northeast of Makkah, where he stayed for ten days. The chieftains of the city mocked him and the most prominent chieftain, ‘Abd Yālail bin ‘Amr, went so far as to say, “If you are truthful, then I do not dare to speak to you, and if you are a liar, then talk is useless. ” To ensure that the youth of the city were not influenced by Muḥammad sa , ‘Abd Yālail made the miscreants of the city chase after him. They pursued him for more than three miles, taunting, jeering and pelting stones at him to the point that he was covered in blood. There is a tradition narrated by ‘Ᾱ’ishah ra that on the way back from Ṭā’if, Allah the Exalted sent an angel to Muḥammad sa. The angel 1 Read a brief note about the number of wives in Sīrat Khātamun-Nabiyyīn, Urdu edition, published by Islam International Publications, 1996, p. 432.