(Arabic: صفية بنت عبدالمطلب, Romanised: Ṣafīya bint ʿAbd
al-Muṭṭalib; c. 569–c. 640; 53 BH to 18 AH) was
a companion and aunt of Rasulullahﷺ.
Safiyya
bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي
الله عنه was the daughter of Abd al-Muttalib ibn
Hashim and Halah bint Wuhayb ibn Abd Manaf ibn Zuhrah, hence
the full sister of Hamzah and an aunt
of Muhammad and Ali. Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي
الله عنه was also the maternal aunt of Uthman's mother Arwa
bint Kurayz. Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه was
about ten years old when her father died, and an elegy for him is attributed to
her.
I could
not sleep for the voices of the keening women,
Bewailing a man on the crown of life's road ...
The generous Shayba, full of merits ...
A very rain when camels had no milk ...
Could men be immortal through ancient glory,
(Alas immortality is unobtainable!)
He would make his last night endure forever
Through his surpassing glory and long descent.
Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي
الله عنه was first married to Harith ibn Harb, and their son was Safi
ibn Harith. They were apparently divorced by 593
Her second husband was Awwam ibn Khuwaylid, a brother of Saydatuna Khadijah رضي الله عنه, who lived next door to them. Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه and Awwam had three sons: Al-Zubayr, Al-Sa'ib and Abdul Ka'ba. Awwam died while their children were young.
Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي
الله عنه used to beat her son Al-Zubayr severely. The neighbors protested
about this. "You have killed him! You have wrenched his heart. Will you
destroy the boy?" Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه
replied, "I beat him so that he will be intelligent and will be bold in
the battle
When Rasulullahﷺ began preaching
in public, he gave a special warning to the members of his immediate family.
"O Quraysh people! Buy
yourselves! I cannot save you from Allah. O Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib! I
cannot save you from Allah. O Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله
عنه! I cannot save you from Allah. O Fatima bint Muhammad! Ask what
you wish from my property, but I cannot save you from Allah.
Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي
الله عنه became a Muslim and took the oath of allegiance to Rasulullahﷺ. Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي
الله عنه joined the general emigration to Madinah in
622
Emigration to Madinah
When the Muslims fled from Uhud in 625, Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه met them with a spear in her hand, accusing them of deserting their prophet. Her son Al-Zubayr warned her, "Mother, keep back!" Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه approached and looked at what her son had tried to hide from her: the mutilated corpse of her brother Sayidina Hamzahرضي الله عنه. An elegy for Hamza is attributed to her:
God the true, the Lord of the Throne,
called him to live in Paradise in joy ...
I'll never forget thee as long as the east wind blows,
in sorrow and weeping, whether at home or in travel ...
Would that my limbs and bones were there for hyenas and vultures to visit
Battle
of the Trench
Main
article: Battle of the Trench
During the Battle of the Trench in 627, Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه was among the Muslim women who were placed for safety in Fari, the fortress of Hassan ibn Thabit. Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه noticed a Jew in the grounds of the fortress and "feared that he would discover our weakness and inform the Jews who were in our rear while the apostle and his companions were too occupied to help us. Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه told Hassan to go down and kill him. When Hassan hesitated, she went down "stealthily", opened the door "little by little, until she could creep up behind the spy, then hit him with a club and killed him. Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه then told Hassan to strip the corpse, but Sayidina Hassanرضي الله عنه still refused to act. (Note that Ibn Saad attributes this episode to the Battle of Uhud. )
Battle
of Khaybar
Main
article: Battle of Khaybar
Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه was among the women who went to Khaybar as battle-auxiliaries in 628. Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه witnessed the duel between her son Al-Zubayr and the Jewish warrior Yasir
and saw that her son was victorious.
In the
distribution, Rasulullahﷺ assigned Safiyya an income of 40 wasqs of
grain and dates from Khaybar.
The Caliphates:
Several elegies for Rasulullahﷺ are attributed to Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه, the following among them.
O my eyes! shed tears flowing,
since one quickens having a dilapidated place.
O my eyes! weep and pour forth
rapture, grief, and deep sorrow
for the one chosen by God, the Lord of servants,
Lord of Heavens and Creator of mankind;
for the one who pleased God with guidance, piety,
leading and light after darkness;
for the pure one, the Messenger, the Chosen,
the Messenger whom the Lord of Benevolence chose.
Marriage of her children.
- Al-Zubayr ibn Awwam (father
of Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr,
caliph in Mecca for 9 years during the Second Fitna), married Atikah
bint Zayd, Rubab bint Anif, Umm Khalid bint Khalid, Umm Kulthum bint Uqba,
Tumadir bint al-Asbagh, Asma bint Abi Bakr and Hala bint Qays. He also had
many sons and daughters.
- Abdul Ka'ba (Abdulrahman ibn Awam) married
Jamila bint Abd-al-Uzza and had son Abdullah bin Abdurrahman.
The Story of Safiyyah bint Abdul Muttalib, the Clever Woman Mujahid
Among the previous companions
of Rasulullahﷺ, most came from his close family. They believed in Muhammad
not only as his family but also because they believed in the preaching of
Islam that Rasulullahﷺ called. Among others is Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه..
In addition to consisting of
men, Sabiqunal al Awalun also consists of some great and pious women. Their
prowess in fighting the brutal violence of the Quraish is astonishing, given
that the Quraish are so famous for their torture that goes beyond the limits of
humanity.
Friends from among women
Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه is a companion of
Rasulullah from among women and also the sister of the companion of Hamzah bin
Abdul Muttalib who is famous as a brave lion of Allah.
Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه has a strong and
intelligent personality as well as having an eloquent and gentle speech like a
woman. As a woman, she was very persistent in defending Islam as well as
protecting her nephew, Rasulullahﷺ. In fact, he is one of the Mujahids whose
existence should be taken into account.
Just like Hamzah who has the
ability in the military to make his name so well known, Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه is also able
to make his enemies tremble with his intelligence.
The courage of
It is narrated that during the Khandaq war, a war between Muslims against a coalition of Jews, Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنهprotected a group of women who were hiding in a fort located in the hills surrounded by a strong fence. These women were hidden in the hills at every war, where groups of men would advance to the battlefield and leave groups of women in safe and guarded hiding places. Hasan bin Thabit was a guard who was ordered to guard the hill during the Khandaq war.
Amid the intensity of the war,
the Jews of Bani Qurayzah broke the treaty by sending someone to spy on a group
of women who were hiding. They intend to make the group of women a prisoner if
there is no guardian.
Fortunately, Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه knew of the spy's whereabouts. Bravely, she took a pole and
carried it with courage and hit the spy's head until he died. Then he beheaded
the spy with both hands and threw it to be seen by his group, making the group
of spies shrink to continue their plan. They thought that there was a guard
inside the fort. True, it was Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه who guarded the fort with courage.
Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه died at the age of more than 70 years during the caliphate of Sayidina Umar bin Khattab..
SIRAH NABI: SAFIYYAH BINTI ABDUL MUTTALIB - A
COURAGEOUS WOMAN FROM THE FAMILY OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD S.A.W.
In the Sirah of Rasulullahﷺ, there are two people named ‘Safiyyah’ who are very close to him. The
first is "Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه", the aunt of the Prophet
himself who was the mother and cousin of Sayidina Hamzah bin Abdul Muttalib.
The second is "Safiyyah bint Huyyay", one of the wives of
Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه is better known for her courage which is comparable to her own sister, Sayidina Hamzah “Asadullah” R.A.
THE FAMILY OF SAFIYYAH BINTI ABDUL MUTTALIB
Sayidina Hamzah was born in 570 AD through the fourth wife of Abdul Muttalib. Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه was born in 569 AD, a year older than Sayidina Hamzah through the same mother. Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه was also the mother of Al-Zubayr bin Awwam, a companion and member of the temple of the Prophet S.A.W who was very famous for her prowess on the battlefield.
Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه was married to Al-Awwam bin Khuwaylid through a second marriage. Al-Awwam was the brother of Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, the first wife of Rasulullahﷺ. Al-Zubayr lost his father at an early age and Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه herself raised Al-Zubayr and her two younger brothers, Al-Sa’ib and Abdul Kaaba.
Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه is a mother who is firm towards her children. Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه often punished Al-Zubayr harshly and painfully. His neighbors often stopped her. “You almost killed your son! You have frightened her. Do you want to ruin your child” Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه replied, "I hit him with so that he becomes more intelligent and thicker on the battlefield!
Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه is said to have
embraced Islam and swore allegiance from the very beginning when Rasulullahﷺ. preaching to his family members. Among those who also embraced
Islam with him was Sayidina Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib. His son Al-Zubayr was among
the first five men to convert to Islam at the age of 17. Safiyyah followed the
first group of Hijrah to Madinah after Rasulullahﷺ in 622 AD.
THE DEATH OF SAIDINA HAMZAH IN THE BATTLE OF UHUD
(YEAR 3 HIJRAH)
.Narrated from Ibn Humayd, from Salamah, from Ibn Ishaq, from Muhammad bin Jaafar bin Al-Zubayr: When Rasulullahﷺ. Seeing the condition of Sayidina Hamzah's body, Rasulullahﷺ said "If I think about Safiyyah who will be sad and I myself do not want this to become Sunnah after me, I will definitely let her body be eaten only by wild animals or become bird food".
"If Allah gives me victory over the Quraish at any time, I will surely tear 30 of them!" His Majesty said again. Seeing the anger of Rasulullahﷺ at that time, the Muslim army responded by saying "We will tear their corpses more horribly than what they have ever seen before!"
Narrated Ibn Abbas: Through this incident, Allah S.W.T rebuked Rasulullahﷺ by sending down verses 126-128, Surah An-Nahla:
And if thou wilt not go forth,
then thou shalt not know what thou oughtest to do unto him;
"And if you retaliate,
then retaliate with what has been imposed on you, and if you are patient, it is
indeed better for those who are patient."
.وَاصْبِرْ
وَمَا صَبْرُكَ اِلَّا بِللّهِ وَاصْبِرْ وَمَا صَبْرُكَ
"And be patient, and your patience is only with Allah, and do not grieve over them, and do not be narrow-minded because of their plots."
God is with the nations, and
the earth is full of cursing and bitterness.
"Surely Allah is with those who guard (against evil), and those who do good."
(QS. An -Nahl 16: Verses 126 -
128)
. Then Rasulullahﷺ and his companions chose to forgive, be patient and avoid any persecution to the corpse.
Narrated Ibn Ishaq: It was narrated to me that Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه came in search of her sister, Sayidina Hamzah. Rasulullahﷺ. has said to his son Al-Zubayr "Go you to your mother, and take her home so that she does not have to see what happened to her brother."
Al-Zubayr met his mother, then
said "My mother, Rasulullahﷺ wants you to turn back." His mother
replied "Why? I've heard my brother's body has been dismembered. For Allah’s
sake, that was a small thing and I fully accepted what happened. I must accept
Allah's provisions and be patient with Him ".
.
Al-Zubayr returned to Rasulullahﷺ to convey his mother’s words. Then Rasulullahﷺ allowed
him to come. Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه came to see Sayidina Hamzah's body and prayed for
forgiveness for him. After that, Rasulullahﷺ continued to order the
funeral of Sayidina Hamzah R.A.
Battle of Khandaq (Trench) (YEAR 5 HIJRAH)
.From ‘Abbad bin Abdullah bin Al-Zubayr narrated: Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه took refuge in Fari’, a fort led by Hassan bin Thabit. Together they are women and children. Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه saw a Jew riding a horse through their area and then surrounded their fort.
Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه narrated - “The Jews of Bani Qurayzah were involved in this war and had broken their agreement with Rasulullahﷺ. No one can protect us from them because Rasulullahﷺ and all the Muslim soldiers are fighting on the front lines. They cannot leave the enemy alone to save us. ”
Then Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه said to Hassan bin Thabit - “O Hassan! You can see, these Jews are circling this fort. For God’s sake, I’m worried if he finds out our place is open and tells the Jews who are behind us when Rasulullahﷺ. is busy fighting in front. You go down and kill him! ”
Hassan bin Thabit replied “May Allah forgive you, O daughter of Abdul Muttalib! You know I'm not the right man for that! ” When Hassan said so, nothing more could be expected through the man. Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه prepared herself with a club, then went downstairs. She rushed towards the Jew, confronted him, and managed to kill him!
When she finished defeating her enemy, Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه returned to Hassan and said “O Hassan, you go down and take off his clothes to seize his property. I can't do that because I'm a woman. " Hassan bin Thabit rejected the order "I do not want any booty, O daughter of Abdul Muttalib."
Battle of Uhud
When the Muslims fled
from Uhud in 625, Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه met them
with a spear in her hand, accusing them of deserting their prophet. Her son
Al-Zubayr warned her, "Mother, keep back!" She approached and looked
at what her son had tried to hide from her: the mutilated corpse of her brother
Hamza. An
elegy for Hamza is attributed to her:
God the true, the Lord of the Throne,
called him to live in Paradise in joy ...
I'll never forget thee as long as the east wind blows,
in sorrow and weeping, whether at home or in travel ...
Would that my limbs and bones were there for hyenas and vultures to visit.
Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه was among the women
who went to Khaybar as battle-auxiliaries in 628. She witnessed the
duel between her son Al-Zubayr and the Jewish warrior Yasir and saw that her
son was victorious.
In the distribution, Rasulullahﷺ assigned Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه an income of 40 wasqs of grain and dates from
Khaybar.
Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه showed the character of a mother who was firm and brave so that her actions
surprised many people including Rasulullahﷺ. As a single mother, Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه has taken on the role of her husband to educate her son to be a strong and courageous
man.
Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه herself was an
orphan after Abdul Muttalib died when he was 10 years old and Hamzah was 9
years old. She and Hamzah’s life full of suspicion shaped their strong
personalities. She educated her children with discipline and firmness so that
his descendants also inherited that strength.
His son Al-Zubayr bin Awwam became the person whom Rasulullahﷺ trusted to carry out important missions. He was sent on a mission to Ethiopia and included an early group of migrants to Madinah. Al-Zubayr was one of the companions involved in all the wars and great expeditions with Rasulullahﷺ. Until the death of Rasulullahﷺ, he was one of those who managed the remains of Rasulullahﷺ.
Abdullah bin Al-Zubayr was the son of Al-Zubayr and his mother was Saidatuna Asma 'bint Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه , better known as Ibn Zubayr. He also participated in war missions during the time of Caliph Ar-Rashidin. His courage was acknowledged by Sayidina Umar Al Khattab رضي الله عنه when he was only 15 years old. He was involved in the "Two Great Slanders" of Muslims during his lifetime.
In the “First Slander” incident, he sided with his father during Jamal’s war against the army of Sayidina Ali Ibn Abi Talib رضي الله عنه In the "Second Slander", Ibn Zubayr rose as the Islamic Caliph in Makkah to oppose the Umayyad rule in Damascus. He was eventually killed defending Makkah which was attacked by the Umayyad army led by al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf.
.Such is the story of Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه and those related to it as a le
Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه died during the caliphate of Umar Al Khattab رضي الله عنه ( and was buried in Al-Baqi' "in the courtyard of the house of al-Mughira ibn Shuba at the wudu place
The tomb of Safiyya bint Abd al-Muttalib رضي الله عنه, located at the known
graveyard of Baqi, in Madinah
.
.
