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Umm Salama

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Umm Salama

Hind bint Abi Umayya (Arabic: هِنْد ابِنْت أَبِي أُمَيَّة, Hind ʾibnat ʾAbī ʾUmayya, c. 580 or 596 – 680 or 683), better known as Umm Salama (Arabic: أُمّ سَلَمَة) or Hind al-Makhzūmiyya (Arabic: هِنْد ٱلْمَخْزُومِيَّة) was the sixth wife of Muhammad.

"Umm Salama" was her kunya meaning, "mother of Salama". She was one of the most influential female companions of Muhammad. She is recognized largely for recalling numerous Hadiths, or sayings and narrations attributed to Muhammad. Twelver Shia Muslims believe that Umm Salama was Muhammad's most important wife after Khadija.

Umm Salama's birth name was Hind. Her father was Abu Umayya ibn Al-Mughira ibn Abdullah ibn Umar ibn Makhzum ibn Yaqazah also known as Suhayl or Zad ar-Rakib. He was an elite member of the Quraysh tribe, known for his great generosity, especially to travelers. Her mother was 'Ātikah bint 'Āmir ibn Rabī'ah, of the Firas ibn Ghanam branch of the Kinana.

Before her marriage to Muhammad, Umm Salama was married to Abu Salama Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Asad, whose mother was Barrah bint Abdul Muttalib. Abu Salama was Muhammad's foster brother and one of his close companions. Umm Salama bore with Abu Salama four children: Salama, Umar, Zaynab and Ruqayyah.

Umm Salama and her husband Abu Salama were among the first who converted to Islam. Only Ali and a few others were Muslims before them. Despite intense anger and persecution from the powerful Quraysh in response to their conversion to Islam, Umm Salama and Abu Salama continued their devotion to Islam.

As the persecution grew in severity, the new Muslims began to look for life away from Mecca. Muhammad instructed his newly converted followers, including Umm Salama and Abu Salama, to make a migration to Abyssinia. Umm Salama abandoned her honorable life in her clan in Mecca to migrate. While in Abyssinia, these Muslims were told that there had been a decrease in persecution along with an increase in numbers of Muslims in Mecca. This information caused Umm Salama, her husband, and the rest of the Muslim emigrants to travel back to Mecca. Upon their return to Mecca, the Quraysh again began viciously persecuting the Muslims. In response, Muhammad gave his followers instructions to make a migration to Medina, also known as the hijrah. Umm Salama, along with her husband and son planned to make the hijra together, however this was stopped when Umm Salama's clan forced her to stay in Mecca, while Abu Salama's clan took the child.

Umm Salama recounted this story:

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?' Then they pounced on him and snatched me away from him. My husband's clan, Banu 'Abd al-Asad, saw them taking me and 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.

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