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 alAbwa, 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.
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