The theme for this Ramadhan 1443/2022 is Family.

Under this theme, our focus on the Iftaar program during weekdays, will be to take a look at incidents from the lives of the illustrious Sahabah رضي الله عنهم and see how they overcame the trials they faced whether it was because of family or the absence of it.

Today we take a look at this great Sahabi:

Umm Salamah

Umm Salamah! What an eventful life she had! Her real name was Hind. She was the daughter of one of the notables in the Makhzum clan nicknamed “Zad ar-Rakib” because he was well known for his generosity particularly to travellers. Umm Salamah’s husband was Abdullah ibn Abdulasad and they both were among the first persons to accept Islam. Only Abu Bakr RA and a few others, who could be counted on the fingers of one hand, became Muslims before them.

As soon as the news of their becoming Muslims spread, the Quraysh reacted with frenzied anger. They began hounding and persecuting Umm Salamah RA and her husband. But the couple did not waver or despair and remained steadfast in their new faith.

The persecution became more and more intense. Life in Makkah became unbearable for many of the new Muslims. The Prophet ﷺ then gave permission for them to immigrate to Abyssinia. Umm Salamah RA and her husband were in the forefront of these muhajirun, seekers of refuge in a strange land. For Umm Salamah RA it meant abandoning her spacious home and giving up the traditional ties of lineage and honour for something new, hoping in the pleasure and reward of Allah.

Despite the protection Umm Salamah RA and her companions received from the Abyssinian ruler, the desire to return to Makkah, to be near the Prophet ﷺ and the source of revelation and guidance persisted.

News eventually reached them that the number of Muslims in Makkah had increased. Among them were Hamzah ibn Abdul Muttalib and Umar ibn al-Khattab. Their faith had greatly strengthened the community and the Quraysh they heard, had eased the persecution somewhat. Thus a group of the muhajirun, urged on by a deep longing in their hearts, decided to return to Makkah.

The easing of the persecution was but brief as the returnees soon found out. The dramatic increase in the number of Muslims following the acceptance of Islam by Hamzah RA and Umar RA only infuriated the Quraysh even more. They intensified their persecution and torture to a pitch and intensity not known before. So the Prophet ﷺ gave permission to his companions to emigrate to Madinah. Umm Salamah RA and her husband were among the first to leave.

The hijrah of Umm Salamah and her husband though was not as easy as they had imagined. In fact, it was a bitter and painful experience and a particularly harrowing one for her. Let us leave the story now for Umm Salamah herself to tell…

When Abu Salamah (my husband) decided to leave for Madinah, he prepared a camel for me, hoisted me on it and placed our son Salamah on my lap. My husband then took the lead and went on without stopping or waiting for anything. Before we were out of Makkah, however, some men from my clan stopped us and said to my husband:

“Though you are free to do what you like with yourself, you have no power over your wife. She is our daughter. Do you expect us to allow you to take her away from us?”

They then pounced on him end snatched me away from him. My husband`s clan, Banu Abdulasad, saw them taking both me and my child. They became hot with rage.

“No! By Allah,” they shouted, “we shall not abandon the boy. He is our son and we have a first claim over him.” They took him by the hand and pulled him away from me. Suddenly in the space of a few moments, I found myself alone and lonely. My husband headed for Madinah by himself and his clan had snatched my son away from me. My own clan, Banu Makhzum, overpowered me and forced me to stay with them.

From the day when my husband and my son were separated from me, I went out at noon every day to that valley and sat in the spot where this tragedy occurred. I would recall those terrible moments and weep until night fell on me.

I continued like this for a year or so until one day a man from the Banu Umayyah passed by and saw my condition. He went back to my clan and said: “Why don’t you free this poor woman? You have caused her husband and her son to be taken away from her.” He went on trying to soften their hearts and play on their emotions. At last they said to me. ‘Go and join your husband if you wish.”

But how could I join my husband in Madinah and leave my son, a piece of my own flesh and blood, in Makkah among the Banu Abdulasad? How could I be free from anguish and my eyes be free from tears if I were to reach the place of hijrah not knowing anything of my little son left behind in Makkah?

Some realized what I was going through and their hearts went out to me. They petitioned the Banu Abdulasad on my behalf and moved them to return my son. I did not now even want to linger in Makkah till I found someone to travel with me and I was afraid that something might happen that would delay or prevent me from reaching my husband. So I promptly got my camel ready, placed my son on my lap and left in the direction of Madinah.

I had just about reached Tanim (about three miles from Makkah) when I met Uthman ibn Talhah. (He was a keeper of the Kabah in pre-lslamic times and was not yet a Muslim.)

“Where are you going, Bint Zad ar-Rakib?” he asked.

“I am going to my husband in Madinah.”

“And there isn’t anyone with you?”

“No, by Allah. Except Allah and my little boy here.”

“By Allah. I shall never abandon you until you reach Madinah,” he vowed.

He then took the reins of my camel and led us on. I have, by Allah, never met an Arab more generous and noble than he. When we reached a resting place, he would make my camel kneel down, wait until I dismounted, lead the camel to a tree and tether it. He would then go to the shade of another tree. When we had rested he would get the camel ready and lead us on.

This he did every day until we reached Madinah. When we got to the village near Quba belonging to Banu Amr ibn Awf, he said, “Your husband is in this village. Enter it with the blessings of Allah. ”

He turned back and headed for Makkah. Their roads finally met after the long separation. Umm Salamah RA was overjoyed to see her husband and he was delighted to see his wife and son.

Lesson to Learn:

The Sahabah RA had to witness their families being split up and Hadhrat Umm Salamah RA had to remain apart from her husband and son for approx. a year.

The Sahabah RA`s families were split and broken up for the sake of Islam, and today we can`t join family ties for the sake of Islam.