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Her real name was Hind, but she was better known as Sayyidah Umme Salma (may Allah be pleased with her). She was the daughter of the well-known chief Abu Umayya, who came from Bano Makhzoom, and belonged to the Quraish tribe. Her mother, Atikah bint Amir came from Bano Faras. Abu Umayya’s generosity was legendary. Whenever he and his companions set out on a journey, he would ensure that the caravan received everything they needed along the way. It was precisely because of such extraordinary generosity that he was called “Zad-ar-rakib” which means “Owner of gifts and generosity to his companions and fellow travelers.”
Sayyidah Umme Salma (may Allah be pleased with her) was married to Abdullah bin Abdul Asad. He was better known as Abu Salma. He was the cousin of Sayyidah Umme Salma (may Allah be pleased with her) and the “milk brother” of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). They had four children together; Salma, Omar, Durra and Zainab.
Abu Salma was among the first 10 companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to become Muslim. Sayyidah Umme Salma (may Allah be pleased with her) followed her husband and became Muslim. This led to them having many opponents in Makkah, who harassed and mocked them. Finally, they fled to Abyssinia, also called Habsha. After a period in Abyssinia, the couple returned to Makkah. Some sources say that they returned after hearing that two strong and leading figures such as Omar ibn Khattab and Hamza had converted to Islam. However, when they returned to Makkah, they quickly realized that it was not a good choice. Therefore, with the permission of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), they decided to flee further to Madinah.
When the couple were about to flee to Madinah, Sayyidah Umme Salma was held back in Makkah by her family. Abu Salma (may Allah be pleased with him) had to flee alone. Salma, who was still an infant, was taken from her mother by Bano Makhzoom. Thus the entire family was divided. This was painful for her. After this sad incident, she used to go to the place where her son was taken away and cry all day. This went on for a period without anyone from Bano Makhzoom reacting or sympathizing with her. Finally, she received support from her cousin, who helped her out of the whole situation, so that she could flee to Madinah with her son.
Sayyidah Umm Salma (may Allah be pleased with her) traveled alone from Makkah, but on the way to Madinah, she met Othman ibn Talha, who recognized her. He was a close friend of Abu Salma. When he saw that she was alone, he decided to accompany her all the way to Madinah. According to Sayyidah Umm Salma (may Allah be pleased with her), she had never met such a gentle and respectable personality before. He walked in front of her camel. When she was about to dismount from the camel, he moved to a certain distance, after the camel had sat down. So that she could dismount the camel herself. He did the same if she was going to mount the camel again. When they reached Quba near Madinah, Othman returned to Makkah. Thus the family was reunited, and lived happily with his children until the Battle of Badr 2 A.H., in which they actively participated. The following year, when the Battle of Uhud took place, Abu Salma (may Allah be pleased with him) was seriously injured. After this he never fully recovered and died from his injuries on the 4th of April.
After the death of Abu Salma, the merciful Prophet (peace be upon him) did not want to leave Umme Salma alone in grief and hardship, since she was the widow of his foster-brother and an honest servant of Islam. Therefore, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) invited her to marriage. Sayyidah Umme Salma became uncertain due to her advanced age and four children, but after the Prophet (peace be upon him) showed humility and assumed responsibility for her children’s upbringing, they entered into marriage.
Umm Salma (may Allah be pleased with her) was known as a wise, capable and devoted woman, with an unusually good rhetoric. At the Treaty of Hudaibiya, which did not seem to be a beneficial agreement for the Muslims, the Prophet (peace be upon him) asked all the Muslims to shave their hair and offer animals for sacrifice to Allah the Exalted. But this had no effect, which caused the Prophet (peace be upon him) to become depressed, and he mentioned it to Umm Salma. She expressed that the Muslims were very sad because of the Treaty of Hudaibiya, and advised that the best solution was for the Prophet (peace be upon him) to shave his hair and offer animals for sacrifice without saying anything else to the people. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) did this, everyone followed him.
Umm Salma (may Allah be pleased with her) died in 60 AH, at the age of 84. Abu Huraira led her funeral prayer, and she was buried in Jannat al-Baqi in Madinah.
