Umm Ayman (r.anha).Part1

The Prophet lost his father before he was born and her mother when he was six years old. He grew up as an orphan. However, several women took care of him showing him the compassion of a mother. They did their best so as not to make him feel as a motherless child.

• One of those women was Umm Ayman. 

The real name of this great Islamic woman, whom the Prophet regarded to be from Ahl al-Bayt and complimented her by saying “my mother after my mother” is “Baraka bint  Thalaba”. She served in the house of the Prophet for long years. She stayed in the same house after the death of Abdullah, the father of the Prophet. After that, she helped both Amina, the Prophet’s mother, and the Prophet himself.

When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) became six years old, Amina went to Madinah with Umm Ayman. Her intention was to visit her relatives and the grave of her husband Abdullah there. They stayed in Madinah for a month.

Umm Ayman narrates one of her memories in Madinah as follows:

“Once, two Jewish scholars came to me and said, ‘Bring us Ahmad.’ I went home and brought him. They examined him carefully. They said, ‘This child is a prophet. This is the place where he will migrate. There will be big wars in this land.’”

Umm Ayman felt scared after their talk. She was worried that they would harm her “beloved son”. She tried not to leave the Prophet alone in order to protect him from any danger.

Finally, it was time to return to Makkah. Umm Ayman was glad to hear it. She felt relieved because the Jews would not be able to harm Muhammad (pbuh) after they set off.

This three-person caravan left Madinah. They started to head for Makkah. They were travelling happily. However, something unexpected took place after a while. Hz. Amina got ill suddenly. She realized that she would die of this illness. She looked at the face of the Prophet and remembered a dream she had seen. She said,

“If what I saw in my sleep is true, you will be sent as a prophet by Allah to all human beings to tell them the allowed and prohibited things and acts. You will settle Islam, the religion of your ancestor, Ibrahim. Allah Almighty will protect you from the idols and idolatry that have existed for a long time.
All living things face death every minute of the day, each new thing will have to grow old, and each great thing will fade. I will also die, but my name will remain forever; for I gave birth to a pure child and I leave the best here as I leave.”

Hz. Amina entrusted her child to Umm Ayman and asked her to look after him very well. Soon, she passed away. She was 30 years old then. Thus, the Prophet was left motherless when he was six. Allah Almighty made his beloved Messenger to experience all kinds of pains and made him perfect so that he would be a good example for his ummah. Thus, those who believed in him would remember the hardships he underwent and console themselves by showing patience at the misfortunes that would hit them.

Umm Ayman undertook a heavy burden. She wanted to sob and wail but she did not because she thought the Prophet would feel sad. She pulled herself together. She decided not to make him feel the lack of his mother. She was going to act in a self-sacrificing way. She hugged him as if he was her own son. Then, she consoled him as follows:

“Do not feel sad. O Muhammad! Do not cry. We have to surrender to divine qadar. Allah owns our souls and property. They were entrusted to us. He takes back the things that He entrusted us as He wishes.”

There were tears in the eyes of the Prophet. He was left as both a fatherless and motherless child. He did not see the face of his father even once. He would not be able to see the face of his mother after that. He spoke as follows in tears:

“I know. I always surrender to His decree. However, the face of one’s mother is a face that cannot be forgotten. I feel sad that I will not see that face again.” 

However, he pulled himself together soon. He wanted to fulfill his last duty for his mother. He said to his nanny as if he was an adult,

“Come on! She entrusted her soul to her owner. Let us put her body into the ground so that she will find rest.”

After a while, they buried the most honorable and luckiest mother together.

• The duty to take the Messenger of Allah to Makkah belonged to Umm Ayman now. 

She put the Prophet on the camel. They set off together. After a tiring journey that lasted five days, they reached Makkah. Umm Ayman gave him to Abdulmuttalib, his grandfather, in tears. However, she served the Prophet both when he was with his grandfather and after his death when he was under the protection of Abu Talib, his uncle. She regarded it as great honor for her.

Many years passed. The Prophet became 25 years old. Everybody loved him and called him “Mu­hammad al-Amin”. He married Hz. Khadija, who was a widow 15 years older than him but who was the most honorable woman in Makkah. She was very rich. She entrusted all of her wealth to her beloved husband.

• The Prophet did not forget his nanny who loved him with the compassion of a mother and who sacrificed herself for him like a mother. 

He helped his nanny financially and showed her respect like a son showing respect to his mother. He also helped his nanny to get married. He married her off to Ubayd bin Zayd.