Download PDF: Sayyidah Umme Sulaim_s

Hadrat Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik May Allah be pleased with him narrates that once the husband of Sayyidah Umme Sulaim May Allah be pleased with her, Hadrat Sayyiduna Abu Talha May Allah be pleased with him, approached her and mentioned that he had heard the blessed voice of Sayyiduna Rasoolullah May Allah send peace and blessings upon himand which was very weak. He also mentioned that perhaps this was because Sayyiduna Rasoolullah May Allah send peace and blessings upon him was was suffering from extreme hunger.

 

Hadrat Sayyiduna Abu Talha May Allah be pleased with him asked her whether she had anything to eat. She told him that she had a few pieces of barley bread. This was then wrapped and handed to Hadrat Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik May Allah be pleased with him to be handed to Sayyiduna Rasoolullah May Allah send peace and blessings upon him.

 

Hadrat Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik May Allah be pleased with him continues, “At that moment, Sayyiduna Rasoolullah May Allah send peace and blessings upon him was in the Masjid and he was also surrounded by the blessed Ashaab. I then approached him and he asked me, ‘Did Abu Talha send you?’ I replied that indeed, he had sent me. He then turned to the other Ashaab and asked them to stand up and follow him to the house of Hadrat Sayyiduna Abu Talha May Allah be pleased with him. I then walked quickly to the house of Hadrat Sayyiduna Abu Talha May Allah be pleased with him and informed them of what had happened. Hadrat Sayyiduna Abu Talha May Allah be pleased with him obviously became very disturbed and said to his wife, Sayyidah Umme Sulaim May Allah be pleased with her, ‘What can we now do, the food is obviously very less as well the Sayyiduna Rasoolullah May Allah send peace and blessings upon himis also arriving with a large group of people.’ However, Sayyidah Umme Sulaim May Allah be pleased with her replied, “These things are known to Allah Almighty and His Prophet May Allah send peace and blessings upon him, (in other words, there is nothing to be fearful about).”

 

When Sayyiduna Rasoolullah May Allah send peace and blessings upon him arrived, Hadrat Sayyiduna Abu Talha May Allah be pleased with him then went out to him and brought him inside the house. Sayyiduna Rasoolullah May Allah send peace and blessings upon him then asked Sayyidah Umme Sulaim May Allah be pleased with her to bring whatever food she had and she presented these few pieces of barley bread. Sayyiduna Rasoolullah May Allah send peace and blessings upon him then added some ghee to this and after reading something on this food, he then called ten companions at a time. They all arrived and began to eat this food as much as they could. Everyone was then satisfied and left and the amount of people on this occasion was about eighty.” (Mishkaat Shareef)

 

Lesson

 

One of the lessons which we learn from this incident is that the female has to support her male counterpart in occasions like this. If she also starts to wail and scream, then it creates even more tension and concern and nothing is solved. We see that Sayyidah Umme Sulaim May Allah be pleased with her was someone who had this blessed qualities and quietly assured her husband that there was nothing to worry about.

 

At the same time, as Sunni Muslims, we also come to learn that it is permissible to say words like, “Allah Almighty and His Prophet May Allah send peace and blessings upon him know better”, “Allah Almighty and His Prophet May Allah send peace and blessings upon him protect you,” “Allah Almighty and His Prophet May Allah send peace and blessings upon him grace you with good habits”, “Allah Almighty and His Prophet grace you with Mercy,” etc.

 

They also learnt these words from the Qur’an itself. In Surah Taubah, verse 59, the Qur’an declares that:

 

وَلَوْ اَنَّہُمْ رَضُوْا مَاۤ اٰتٰىہُمُ اللہُ وَرَسُوۡلُہٗ ۙ وَقَالُوۡا حَسْبُنَا اللہُ سَیُؤْتِیۡنَا اللہُ مِنۡ فَضْلِہٖ وَرَسُوۡلُہٗۤ ۙ اِنَّاۤ اِلَی اللہِ رٰغِبُوۡنَ ﴿٪۵۹﴾

And what a good it had been, if they would have been pleased with what Allah and His Messenger had given them and would have said, ‘Sufficient for us is Allah. Now Allah is to give us of His Bounty, and so the Messenger of Allah. To Allah only we lean.

 

Again in Surah Taubah, verse 74, the Qur’an declares that:

یَحْلِفُوۡنَ بِاللہِ مَا قَالُوۡا ؕ وَلَقَدْ قَالُوۡاکَلِمَۃَ الْکُفْرِ وَکَفَرُوۡا بَعْدَ اِسْلٰمِہِمْ وَہَمُّوۡا بِمَا لَمْ یَنَالُوۡا ۚ وَمَا نَقَمُوۡۤا اِلَّاۤ اَنْ اَغْنٰہُمُ اللہُ وَرَسُوۡلُہٗ مِنۡ فَضْلِہٖ ۚ فَاِنۡ یَّتُوۡبُوۡا یَکُ خَیۡرًا لَّہُمْ ۚ وَ اِنۡ یَّتَوَلَّوْا یُعَذِّبْہُمُ اللہُ عَذَابًا اَلِیۡمًا ۙفِی الدُّنْیَا وَ الۡاٰخِرَۃِ ۚ وَمَا لَہُمْ فِی الۡاَرْضِ مِنۡ وَّلِیٍّ وَّلَا نَصِیۡرٍ ﴿۷۴﴾

They swear by Allah that they said it not, and no doubt, necessarily they uttered the word of infidelity and became infidels after accepting Islam and they had desired that Which they could not get; and what they felt bad, only this that Allah and His Messenger has enriched them out of His grace; then if they repent, it is good for them, and if they turn their faces, then Allah will chastise them with a severe torment in the world and the Hereafter and on the earth they shall have neither any supporter nor any helper.

 

At the same time, by the words uttered by Sayyidah Umme Sulaim May Allah be pleased with her, this also proves to us that she had complete confidence that Allah Almighty and His Prophet May Allah send peace and blessings upon him would provide for them.

 

We also make Du’a that Allah Almighty and His beloved Prophet May Allah send peace and blessings upon him also grace the Muslim sisters with this certainty and sincerity. Aameen.