Home
Discover Islam
Quran Recitations
Lectures
Fatwa
Articles
Fiqh
E-Books
Women
Boys & Girls 
Enter Question
View By Subject
Fatwa Of The Week
Selected Fatwa
Fatwa CenterBiography of Umm Habeebah
Question
Could you please send me some information about the biography of Umm ul-Mu'mineen Umm Habibah (may Allah be pleased with her)?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
Umm Habeebah 
is one of the Mothers of the Believers, Ramlah bint Abu Sufyaan ibn Harb, the leader of the children of Umayyah. She married Ubaydallaah ibn Jahsh when she was sixteen. She and her husband became Muslims and after encountering great hardship from the polytheists of Quraysh, migrated to Habashah (Abyssinia) where her daughter Habeebah was born. Later, her husband abandoned Islam and tried to convince her to join him, but Allaah The Almighty strengthened her faith in Islam and so she refused to obey him and remained Muslim. Then she separated from her apostate husband and stayed in Habashah.
When the Prophet heard her story, he wanted to do good to her. He then sent somebody to tell her that he wanted to marry her even before seeing her. Her Wali (guardian) was Khaalid ibn Sa'eed ibn al-'Aas 
and when the marriage was concluded an-Najashi (Negus) gave a lavish celebration on the occasion. He then provided two ships for her and the other Muhajireen (Emigrants) who were with her to return to the Prophet .
Umm Habeebah entered into wedlock with the Prophet just after his triumphal return from his war against the Jews. Her faith was so strong that she once refused to let her father – who was the leader of the Quraysh – to sit on the bed of the Prophet when her father visited her in Madeenah. She said to him, 'This is the bed of the Prophet and you are a Mushrik (polytheist)'. Then she asked Allaah The Almighty to guide her father to Islam, and He gave her what she wanted.
Thus, she attained a great rank as the wife of the master of the children of Aadam 
and the daughter of the leader of the Quraysh. 'Aa'ishah used to become very jealous of Umm Habeebah . However, when Umm Habeebah was on her deathbed she said to 'Aa'ishah 'O 'Aa'ishah, you know there was between me and you what usually happens between fellow wives, would you forgive me?' 'Aa'ishah then forgave her and supplicated Allaah The Almighty for her. Umm Habeebah then said, 'Indeed you have made me happy. May Allaah make you happy!'
Umm Habeebah died in the year 44 A.H. and was buried in al-Baqi'.
Allaah Knows best.
Search Fatwa
Fatwa Subject
