Umm Habiba — Ramla bint Abi Sufyan (rha)
Ramla bint Abi Sufyan; widowed emigrant wed via the Najashi; a Mother of the Believers.
Hijri married c. 7 AH CE 628 CE
A wife of the Prophet ﷺ (a Mother of the Believers), daughter of the Quraysh war-leader Abu Sufyan — an early emigrant to Abyssinia whose steadfastness there was crowned by a marriage arranged from across the sea.
Story (EP 068, 070)
Ramla emigrated to Abyssinia with her husband Ubaydullah ibn Jahsh — who there abandoned Islam for Christianity (perhaps the only Companion to apostatise) and died, leaving her a widowed believer alone in a foreign land. The Prophet ﷺ sent a marriage proposal to her via the Najashi, who acted as her wali, gifted the mahr on the Prophet’s ﷺ behalf, and held the grandest wedding feast of any of the wives — about a month before Khaybar.
Significance
Beyond honouring her faith and sacrifice, the marriage bound the Prophet ﷺ to the house of Abu Sufyan, the most powerful man in Makkah — a bond of great political weight on the eve of the Conquest.
Character & lessons
Reward for the patience of the Abyssinian emigrants (see the “People of Two Hijrahs” at The Battle of Khaybar); and the honour that a king served as her guardian and host.
Cross-references
Abu Sufyan ibn Harb (ra) · The Najashi (Negus) — As'hama ibn Abjar · The Migrations to Abyssinia · The Battle of Khaybar · Muhammad ﷺ · Seerah Timeline
Sources
- S009 — Yasir Qadhi Seerah EP 068 & 070. The proposal via the Najashi and the walima via Ibn Sa’d’s Tabaqat and Ibn Ishaq.