Barakah (Umm Ayman) (RA)
Early Life and Enslavement:
Barakah, a young Abyssinian slave, was one of the many children who was captured and taken as a slave in Makkah, where was bought by Abdullah, the father of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and she became his servant.
Abdullah’s Departure:
Around two weeks after Abdullah married the Prophet’s mother Aminah, Abdullah’s father, Abdul Muttalib came to his house and instructed him to go to Syria for a trading expedition.
Aminah was upset by this and she said: How strange! How strange! How can my husband go on a trading journey to Syria while I am yet a bride and the traces of henna are still on my hands?
When Abdullah departed, Aminah fainted.
Barakah’s Narration of Aminah’s Pregnancy:
Barakah said regarding this: When I saw Aminah unconscious, I shouted in distress and pain. Aminah opened her eyes and looked at me with tears streaming down her face, she groaned and said: Take me to bed, Barakah.
Barakah continued: Aminah stayed bedridden for a long time. She spoke to no one, neither did she look at anyone who visited her except Abdul Muttalib. Two months after the departure of Abdullah, Aminah called me at dawn one morning. Her face was beaming with joy. She said to me: O Barakah! I had a strange dream. I saw lights coming from my abdomen lighting up the mountains, the hills and the valleys around Makkah.
Barakah asked: Do you feel pregnant? Aminah replied: Yes Barakah, but I do not feel any discomfort as other women feel.
Barakah then told Aminah: You shall give birth to a blessed child who will bring goodness.
Aminah’s Faith in Allah SWT as Abraha’s Army Approached to Destroy the Kabah:
Eventually, Abdul Muttalib came and told Aminah that she had to leave her home and go to the mountains.
This was because of the attack on Makkah that was being planned by the ruler of Yemen, Abraha.
Aminah told Abdul Muttalib that she was too weak to leave Makkah and she said Abraha could never destroy the Kabah because it was protected by Allah SWT.
Death of Abdullah ibn Abdul Muttalib:
Barakah was present at Abdul Muttalib’s house when the news came from Yathrib that the Prophet’s father Abdullah had died.
When Aminah heard this news, she fainted but Barakah stayed by her side and continued to look after her, as she was the only one in her house at this time.
Birth of the Prophet:
Eventually, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was born and Barakah was the first person to hold him in her arms.
Abdul-Muttalib then came and took him to the Kabah with the city of Makkah celebrating his birth.
Barakah stayed with Aminah while the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was sent to be looked after by Halima Sadia.
The Prophet’s Return to Makkah:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was then brought back to Makkah after spending around five years with Halima Sadia.
When the Prophet was six years old, Aminah decided to visit the grave of her husband, Abdullah, in Yathrib.
Aminah’s Final Illness:
Barakah and Abdul Muttalib tried to prevent her from going but Aminah was determined to visit the grave of her husband.
On the way back from visiting Abdullah’s grave, Aminah became seriously ill with a fever.
They stopped by a place called al-Abwa which was in between Yathrib and Makkah and at this point, Aminah’s health deteriorated.
One night, she had a very high temperature and called out to Barakah.
Barakah Narrates Aminah’s Last Moments:
Barakah said: Aminah whispered in my ear: O Barakah, I shall depart from this world shortly. I commend my son Muhammad 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.
Barakah continued: My heart was shattered and I began to sob and wail. The child (the Prophet) 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 passed away.
Burial of Aminah:
Barakah then dug a grave and buried Aminah with her own hands in the village of Al-Abwa.
Care of the Prophet:
Barakah brought the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ back to Makkah and his grandfather, Abdul Muttalib was now his guardian. Barakah now stayed at the house of Abdul-Muttalib to look after the Prophet.
When Abdul Muttalib died two years later, she went with the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to the house of his uncle Abu Talib and Barakah continued to look after him until he married Khadijah bint Khuwaylid.
Relationship with the Prophet and Khadijah:
Barakah then stayed with the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and Khadijah in their house and she said about this: I never left him and he never left me.
One day, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ called out to her and said: Ya Umma! ( ‘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 the Prophet and said: I shall never leave you. Does a mother abandon her son?
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ smiled and kissed her head. He then looked at Khadijah and said: This is Barakah, this is my mother after my own mother. She is the rest of my family.
Barakah’s Marriage to Ubayd ibn Zayd:
Khadijah then said to her: Barakah, you have sacrificed your youth for the sake of Muhammad, 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.
Barakah asked: who should I marry? Khadijah replied: 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 to this proposal and she married Ubayd ibn Zayd and lived with him in Yathrib.
Barakah – ‘Umm Ayman’:
Eventually, Barakah gave birth to a son who she called Ayman and from this point, people called her ‘Umm Ayman’ – the mother of Ayman.
Early Conversion and Service in Islam:
Barakah’s marriage did not last very long as Ubayd ibn Zayd passed away.
After her husband’s death, she returned to Makkah to live with the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ in Khadijah’s house.
When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was blessed with prophethood, Barakah was among the first to believe in him and just like the rest of the early Muslims, she suffered from the persecution of the Quraysh.
Risking Her Life to Deliver Messages to the Prophet:
One night, the Quraysh blocked off the area leading to the House of al-Arqam where the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ would teach his companions.
Khadijah had given Barakah some important information to tell the Prophet and despite the threat that the Quraysh posed, she risked her life trying to reach the House of al-Arqam.
When she arrived and informed the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, he smiled and said to her: You are blessed, Umm Ayman. Surely you have a place in Paradise.
Zayd ibn al-Harithah’s Marriage to Bakarah:
When Barakah left, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ 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!
The companions remained silent as Barakah was not the most attractive at the time and she was around fifty years old.
Zayd ibn al-Harithah came forward and said: I shall marry Umm Ayman. By Allah, she is better than women who have grace and beauty.
Zayd and Barakah were married and they had son named Usamah ibn Zayd.
Barakah Migrates to Madinah:
When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ migrated to Madinah, he left Barakah behind in Makkah to look after his household.
Eventually, she migrated to Madinah and out of her love for the Prophet, she overcame sandstorms and intense heat on her travels.
When she reached Madinah, Barakah’s feet were sore and swollen and her face was covered with sand and dust.
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: Ya Umm Ayman! Ya Ummi! (O Umm Ayman! O my mother!) Indeed for you is a place in Paradise!
The Prophet wiped her face and eyes, massaged her feet and rubbed her shoulders with his hands.
The Martyrs of Barakah’s Family:
Barakah’s son Ayman was martyred in the Battle of Hunayn, and her husband, Zayd ibn al-Harithah, was killed at the Battle of Mu’tah.
Visits from the Prophet:
The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, accompanied by Abu Bakr and Umar often visited her and asked: Ya Ummi! Are you well?
She replied: I am well, O Messenger of Allah so long as Islam is.
After the Death of the Prophet:
After the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ passed away, Barakah would often cry.
She was once asked, Why are you crying? Barakah replied: By Allah, I knew that the Messenger of Allah would die but I cry now because the revelation from Allah has come to an end for us.
Uniqueness of Barakah:
Barakah was special as she was the only one who was so close to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ from the first day he was born up until the moment when he passed away.
Death of Barakah:
Barakah remained devoted to following the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and she passed away during the caliphate of Uthman ibn Affan.
The End of the Revelation:
Anas ibn Malik reported: After the Messenger of Allah died, Abu Bakr said to Umar: Let us go visit Umm Ayman as the Messenger of Allah used to visit her. He (Abu Bakr) said: when we reached her she wept. They said: Why are you weeping? What is with Allah is better for His Messenger.
Umm Ayman replied: I know that what is with Allah is better for His Messenger, but I am weeping because the Revelation from heaven has ceased.
She moved Abu Bakr and Umar to tears and they started to weep with her. (Ibn Majah)