Halima bint Abi Dhu'ayb

Halima bint Abi Dhu'ayb
حليمة بنت أبي ذؤيب
Died
Known forFoster-mother of the Islamic prophet Muhammad
Children
  • Hothafa bint Al-Harith (also known as Shaima bint Al-Harith)
  • Abd-Al·lah ibn al-Hàrith as-Sadí
  • Anissa bint Al-Harith
  • Abdullah ibn Al-Harith
Died630 CE
HouseBanu Sa'ad

Halima bint Abi Dhu'ayb al-Sa'diyya (Arabic: حليمة بنت أبي ذؤيب السعدية) was the foster-mother of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Halimah and her husband were from the tribe of Sa'd b. Bakr, a subdivision of Hawazin (a large North Arabian tribe or group of tribes).[1]

Relationship with Muhammad

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Aminah bint Wahb, the mother of Muhammad, was waiting for the arrival of the Banu Sa'd; the women within the tribe of the Banu Sa'd were foster mothers. They would take the children of Mecca to the desert and teach them classical Arabic and other skills; in return, they would receive a salary from the family of the child in Mecca.[2] Halimah's husband was al-Harith bin Abdul Uzza and his nickname was Abu Kabsheh. Halima's father was Abu Dhu'ayb Abd Allah bin Harith bin Shejna Saadi, from the tribe of Saad bin Bakr bin Hawazin.[3] Her son was named Abdullah, while the daughters were named Unaysa and Hudhafa. While traveling to Mecca, she was unable to feed her child because her she-camel stopped lactating. In Mecca, all those looking for foster children rejected taking care of the half-orphan Muhammad because they feared not getting paid since his father was dead. Halimah felt sad that every woman in her tribe had received a child except her. So she told her husband al-Harith: "By God, I do not like the idea of returning with my friends without a child; I will go and take that orphan." Her husband agreed.[4] Immediately after accepting him, blessing came to her and her family. Her husband's flock during a time of great famine was healthy and producing milk while the rest of the people's flocks were dying.[4]

A few months later Muhammad's foster brother shouted: that two men in white cut Muhammad's chest. When Halimah and Al-Harith asked Muhammad what happened, he said: "Two men came and opened my chest and took a portion of it". After this she gave up fostering him and told his mother what had happened.[4] Muhammad spent five years in the BaniSaad bin Bakr tribe. Then Halima brought him back to his mother and grandfather Abdul Mutalib when he was five years old.

Years later, after Muhammad married Khadijah, Halimah went to him in Mecca and complained about the hardships of the times. Muhammad talked about her with Khadija and Khadija gave her some sheep and camels. After the advent of Islam, Halima joined Muhammad and along with her husband converted to Islam[5]

Halima bint Abi Dhu'ayb later accepted Islam after the Battle of Hunayn.[citation needed]

Death

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She died in 9 A.H. and her grave is in Jannatul Baqi, Medina.[6] The remains of the place she used to live in and where Muhammad grew up still stand today.[citation needed]

Family tree

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Kilab ibn MurrahFatimah bint Sa'd
Zuhrah ibn Kilab
(progenitor of Banu Zuhrah)
maternal great-great-grandfather
Qusai ibn Kilab
paternal great-great-great-grandfather
Hubba bint Hulail
paternal great-great-great-grandmother
`Abd Manaf ibn Zuhrah
maternal great-grandfather
`Abd Manaf ibn Qusai
paternal great-great-grandfather
Atikah bint Murrah
paternal great-great-grandmother
Wahb ibn `Abd Manaf
maternal grandfather
Hashim ibn 'Abd Manaf
(progenitor of Banu Hashim)
paternal great-grandfather
Salma bint `Amr
paternal great-grandmother
Fatimah bint `Amr
paternal grandmother
`Abdul-Muttalib
paternal grandfather
Halah bint Wuhayb
paternal step-grandmother
Aminah
mother
`Abdullah
father
Az-Zubayr
paternal uncle
Harith
paternal half-uncle
Hamza
paternal half-uncle
Thuwaybah
first nurse
Halimah
second nurse
Abu Talib
paternal uncle
`Abbas
paternal half-uncle
Abu Lahab
paternal half-uncle
6 other sons
and 6 daughters
MuhammadKhadija
first wife
`Abd Allah ibn `Abbas
paternal cousin
Fatimah
daughter
Ali
paternal cousin and son-in-law
family tree, descendants
Qasim
son
`Abd-Allah
son
Zainab
daughter
Ruqayyah
daughter
Uthman
second cousin and son-in-law
family tree
Umm Kulthum
daughter
Zayd
adopted son
Ali ibn Zainab
grandson
Umamah bint Zainab
granddaughter
`Abd-Allah ibn Uthman
grandson
Rayhana bint Zayd
wife
Usama ibn Zayd
adoptive grandson
Muhsin ibn Ali
grandson
Hasan ibn Ali
grandson
Husayn ibn Ali
grandson
family tree
Umm Kulthum bint Ali
granddaughter
Zaynab bint Ali
granddaughter
Safiyya
tenth wife
Abu Bakr
father-in-law
family tree
Sawda
second wife
Umar
father-in-law
family tree
Umm Salama
sixth wife
Juwayriya
eighth wife
Maymuna
eleventh wife
Aisha
third wife
Family tree
Zaynab
fifth wife
Hafsa
fourth wife
Zaynab
seventh wife
Umm Habiba
ninth wife
Maria al-Qibtiyya
twelfth wife
Ibrahim
son
  • * indicates that the marriage order is disputed
  • Note that direct lineage is marked in bold.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Mubarakpuri, Safiur Rahman (1979). The Sealed Nectar. Saudi Arabia: Dar-us-Salam Publications. p. 56.
  2. ^ Haykal, Muhammad Husyan (1968). The Life of Muhammad. India: Millat Book Center. p. 47.
  3. ^ "Foster-mother of the Islamic prophet Muhammad". Encyclopedia of Islamic World.
  4. ^ a b c Alfred, Guillaume (1955). The Life of Muhammad. Oxford. p. 72.
  5. ^ "Foster-mother of the Islamic prophet Muhammad". Encyclopedia of Islamic World.
  6. ^ بلغة الظرفاء في تاريخ الخلفاء. January 2010. ISBN 9782745162526.
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