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The Islamic Bulletin
Volume X No. 23
Page 20
“I shall never
leave you. Does a
mother abandon
her son?”
On the way back to Makkah, Aminah became seriously ill with
fever. Halfway between Yathrib and Makkah, at a place called al-
Abwa, they stopped. Aminah’s health deteriorated rapidly. One
pitch dark night, she was running a high temperature and called
out to Barakah in a choking voice.
Barakah related: “She whispered in my ear: ‘O Barakah, I shall
depart from this world shortly. I commend my son Muhammad
(SAW) to your care. He lost his father while he was in my
abdomen. Here he is now, losing his mother under his very
eyes. Be a mother to him, Barakah. And don’t ever leave him.’
“My heart was shattered and I began to sob and wail. The child
was distressed by my wailing and began to weep. He threw
himself into his mother’s arms and held tightly onto her neck.
She gave one last moan and then was forever silent.”
Barakah wept. She wept bitterly. With her own hands she dug a
grave in the sand and buried Aminah, moistening the grave
with whatever tears were left in her heart. Barakah
returned with the orphan child to Makkah and placed
him in the care of his grandfather. She stayed at his
house to look after him. When Abd al-Muttalib
died two years later, she went with the child to
the house of his uncle Abu Talib and continued
to look after his needs until he was grown up
and married the lady Khadijah.
Barakah then stayed with Muhammad (SAW) and
Khadijah in a house belonging to Khadijah. “I
never left him and he never left me,” she said.
One day Muhammad (SAW), may Allah bless him
and grant him peace, called out to her and said:
“Ya Ummah!” (He always called her “Mother”)
“Now I am a married man, and you are still
unmarried. What do you think if someone should
come now and ask to marry you?” Barakah looked at
Muhammad (SAW) and said: “I shall never leave you.
Does a mother abandon her son?” Muhammad (SAW) smiled
and kissed her head. He looked at his wife Khadijah and said to
her: “This is Barakah. This is my mother after my own mother.
She is the rest of my family.”
Barakah looked at the lady Khadijah who said to her: “Barakah,
you have sacrificed your youth for the sake of Muhammad
(SAW). Now he wants to pay back some of his obligations to
you. For my sake and his, agree to be married before old age
overtakes you.”
“Whom shall I marry, my lady?” asked Barakah. “There is Ubayd
ibn Zayd from the Khazraj tribe of Yathrib. He has come to us
seeking your hand in marriage. For my sake, don’t refuse.”
Barakah agreed. She married Ubayd ibn Zayd and went with him
to Yathrib. There she gave birth to a son whom she called Ayman
and from that time onwards people called her “Umm Ayman”,
the mother of Ayman.
Her marriage, however, did not last very long. Her husband died
and she returned once more to Makkah to live with her “son”
Muhammad (SAW) in the house of the lady Khadijah. Living in
the same household at the time were Ali ibn Abi Talib and Zayd
ibn Harithah.
Zayd was an Arab from the tribe of Kalb who was captured as a
boy and brought to Makkah to be sold in the slave market. He
was bought by Khadijah’s nephew and put in her service. In
Khadijah’s household, Zayd became attached to Muhammad
(SAW) and devoted himself to his service. Their relationship was
like that of a son to a father. Indeed when Zayd’s father came to
Makkah in search of him, Zayd was given the choice by
Muhammad (SAW) of either going with his father or staying with
him. Zayd’s reply to his father was:
“I shall never leave this man. He has treated me nobly, as a
father would treat his son. Not a single day have I felt that I am
a slave. He has looked after me well. He is kind and loving
towards me and strives for my enjoyment and happiness. He is
the most noble of men and the greatest person in creation. How
can I leave him and go with you?...I shall never leave him.”
Later, in public Muhammad (SAW) proclaimed the freedom of
Zayd. However, Zayd continued to live with him as part of his
household and devoted himself to his service.
When Muhammad (SAW) was blessed with Prophethood,
Barakah and Zayd were among the first to believe in the
message he proclaimed. They bore with the early Muslims the
persecution which the Quraysh meted out to them.
Barakah and Zayd performed invaluable services to the
mission of the Prophet (SAW). One night the
mushrikun blocked off the roads leading to the place
where the Prophet (SAW) gathered his companions
regularly to instruct them in the teachings of
Islam. Barakah had some urgent information from
Khadijah which had to be conveyed to the
Prophet (SAW). She risked her life trying to reach
this gathering. When she arrived and conveyed
the message to the Prophet (SAW), he smiled
and said to her:
“You are blessed, Umm Ayman. Surely you have
a place in Paradise.” When Umm Ayman left, the
Prophet (SAW) looked at his companions and
asked: “Should one of you desire to marry a woman
from the people of Paradise, let him marry Umm
Ayman.”
All the companions remained silent and did not utter a word.
Umm Ayman was neither young nor attractive. She was by now
about fifty years old and looked rather frail. Zayd ibn al-Harithah
however came forward and said:
“Messenger of Allah, I shall marry Umm Ayman. By Allah, she is
better than women who have grace and beauty.”
Zayd and Umm Ayman were married and were blessed with a
son whom they named Usamah. The Prophet (SAW), may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, loved Usamah as his own son.
Often he played with him, kissed him and fed him with his own
hands. The Muslims would say: “He is the beloved son of the
beloved.” From an early age Usamah distinguished himself in the
service of lslam, and was later given weighty responsibilities by
the Prophet (SAW).
When the Prophet (SAW) migrated to Yathrib, henceforth to be
known as al-Madinah, he left Umm Ayman behind in Makkah to
look after affairs in his household. Eventually she migrated to
Madinah on her own. She made the long and difficult journey
through the desert and mountainous terrain on foot. The heat
was killing and sandstorms obscured the way but she persisted,
borne along by her deep love and attachment for Muhammad
(SAW), may God bless him and grant him peace. When she
reached Madinah, her feet were sore and swollen and her face
was covered with sand and dust.
“Ya Umm Ayman! Ya Ummi! (O Umm Ayman! O my mother!)
Indeed for you is a place in Paradise!” exclaimed the Prophet
(SAW) when he saw her. He wiped her face and eyes, massaged
her feet and rubbed her shoulders with his kind and gentle
hands.