Hind
bint Utbah was born before the Hijra and died in 14 AH. Her father was Utbah
ibn Rabi'ah al-Abshami al-Qurashi al-Kinani, a leader among the Quraysh and
Banu Kinanah. Her mother was Safiyyah bint Umayyah ibn Harithah ibn al-Awqas
from Banu Sulaym. Her father, Utbah ibn Rabi'ah, her uncle, Shaybah ibn
Rabi'ah, and her brother, al-Walid ibn Utbah, were killed at the Battle of
Badr. She was known for her wisdom and sound judgment, and her fame spread both
before and after Islam.
In
the pre-Islamic era, Hind married Hafs ibn al-Mughirah al-Qurashi, with whom
she had her son, Aban ibn Hafs (Jamharat Ansab al-Arab, author: Ibn Hazm,
Volume 1, page 77). She then married al-Fakih ibn al-Mughirah al-Makhzumi
al-Qurashi but divorced him when he slandered her and caused people to gossip
about her.
The
story of Hind's divorce from Al-Fakihah is quite amusing, recounted in
traditional texts and passed down by many religious figures of widespread
renown. The story goes that Al-Fakih ibn Al-Mughira had a guest house where
people would come and go without permission. One day, he was in the house with
his wife. He then left her, leaving her asleep. Some of the regular visitors
came in, and upon finding the woman asleep, they turned away. Al-Fakih ibn
Al-Mughira saw them, went to Hind, and woke her, asking, "Who was that who
just left?" She replied, "By God, I didn't wake up until you did, and
I didn't see anyone." He said, "Go back to your father." People
then began to gossip about the matter, spreading his name and reputation. Her
father said to her, “My daughter, tell me your story. If the man is truthful, I
will send someone to kill him, and the shame will be lifted from you. But if he
is lying, I will take him to one of the soothsayers of Yemen for judgment.” She
replied, “By God, Father, he is lying.”
Then
Utbah came out and said, “You have accused my daughter of a grave matter.
Either you explain what you have said, or I will take you to one of the
soothsayers of Yemen for judgment.” Al-Fakih said, “That is up to you.” So
Al-Fakih went out with a group of men from Quraysh and women from Banu Makhzum,
and Utbah went out with men and women from Banu Abd Manaf. When they approached
the soothsayer’s land, Hind’s face changed, and she became distressed. Her
father said to her, “My daughter, why didn’t you do this before our departure
became known to the people?” She replied, “Father, by God, this is not due to
any ill will on my part, but you are going to a man who is fallible, and he
might give me a name that will remain on the tongues of the Arabs.” Her father
said to her, “You speak the truth, but I will tell it to you.” So he whistled
(or commanded) to his horse, and when it was lowered, he took a grain of wheat
and inserted it into its stallion, then he tightened (his gallop or command
intensified) upon it and rode on.
When
they arrived at the soothsayer's, he honored them and slaughtered an animal for
them. Utbah said to him, "We have come to you with a matter that we have
kept secret from you. What is it?" He said, "A fruit in a
sheath." Utbah said, "I want something clearer than that." He
said, "A grain of wheat in the stallion of a colt." He said,
"You speak the truth. Look into the matter of these women." He began
to stroke the head of each one, saying, "Go about your business."
When he reached Hind, he stroked her head and said, "Go, you are not a
prostitute, nor are you a sinner. You will bear a king named Mu'awiya."
When
she left, he took the fruit from her hand, but she snatched it away and said,
"By God, I will make sure that child is not yours!"
I
hesitated a great deal before relating this story about Hind, but I ended up
relating it as it appears in the books of tradition and on the tongues of
scholars whose fame has spread far and wide. The story stirs emotions and
captivates hearts. As soon as people hear it, they hear cries of "Allahu
Akbar" accompanied by prayers upon the Prophet. In the clamor of these
emotions, reason fades away, and the verses that God inscribed in His Holy Book
are lost amidst this overwhelming onslaught of captivating feelings. This story
is rich with doctrinal deviations. The central point of the story is that the
priest knows the unseen, and the unseen is simply not known by anyone in the
world: humans or jinn, but God has reserved it to Himself. God Almighty has
informed us in His Most High words: “Then when We decreed death for him
[Sulaiman (Solomon)], nothing informed them (jinns) of his death except a
little worm of the earth, which kept (slowly) gnawing away at his stick, so
when he fell down, the jinns saw clearly that if they had known the unseen,
they would not have stayed in the humiliating torment. (Saba 34:14) The verse
makes it clear to anyone who listens attentively that if the jinn had known the
unseen, they would not have remained in humiliating torment. If anyone among
humankind possessed knowledge of the unseen, it would have been our Prophet
Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, whose words are recounted in the
Quran: “Say, ‘Say (O Muhammad SAW): "I possess no power of benefit or
hurt to myself except as Allah wills. If I had the knowledge of the Ghaib
(unseen), I should have secured for myself an abundance of wealth, and no evil
should have touched me. I am but a warner, and a bringer of glad tidings unto
people who believe."
(Al-A'raf 7:188). Neither
jinn nor humankind, nor anyone else in the world, possesses knowledge of the
unseen. The unseen is something God alone possesses, as He, the Exalted, “‘Say:
"None in the heavens and the earth knows the Ghaib (unseen) except Allah,
nor can they perceive when they shall be resurrected" (An-Naml 27:65)
Let
us return to the story of Hind and recount what happened to her after her
divorce from Al-Fakihah. Narrations state that she said to her father, “Father,
you married me to this man (Al-Fakihah) without consulting me. What happened
between us has happened, so do not marry me to anyone else until you consult me
about him.” Then Suhayl ibn Amr and Abu Sufyan ibn Harb proposed to her. She
chose Abu Sufyan. And God blessed them with children: Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan,
Umm al-Hakam bint Abi Sufyan, Juwayriyah bint Abi Sufyan, and Utbah ibn Abi
Sufyan.
She
witnessed the Battle of Uhud on the side of the polytheists, and it is narrated
that she ate the liver of our master Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib on the day of
Uhud and that she was the one who hired Wahshi to kill him. However, this
narration is not authentic, although it is widely circulated and included in
school textbooks in many Muslim countries. What is authentic is what al-Bukhari
narrated in his Sahih: that the one who ordered Wahshi to kill Hamza was Jubayr
ibn Mut'im, in revenge for the killing of his uncle at Badr. On the authority
of Ja'far ibn Amr ibn Umayyah al-Damri, he said, "I went out with Ubayd
Allah ibn Adi ibn al-Khiyar, and when we arrived in Homs, Ubayd Allah ibn Adi
said to me, 'Would you like to go to Wahshi and ask him about the killing of
Hamza?' I said: 'Yes…" Then he said, on the authority of Wahshi, “Hamza
killed Tu’aymah ibn ‘Adi ibn al-Khiyar at Badr, and my master, Jubayr ibn
Mut’im, said to me, ‘If you kill Hamza in revenge for my uncle, you will be
free…’” and so on until the end of the story.
Hind
embraced Islam on the day of the conquest of Mecca, and her Islam was
considered good according to Sunni sources. On the day of the conquest of
Mecca, Hind said to Abu Sufyan, “I want to pledge allegiance to Muhammad.” He
said, “I saw you denying this hadith yesterday!” She said, “By God, I have
never seen God worshipped as He truly deserves in this mosque before tonight.
By God, they have spent the night only in prayer.” He said, “You have done what
you have done. Go with a man from your people.” So she went to Uthman ibn
Affan, or, it is said, to her brother Abu Hudhayfa ibn Utba. He went with her
and asked permission for her to enter. She entered veiled, and the Messenger
said, "Pledge allegiance to me on the condition that you will not
associate anything with God." When he said, "Nor steal nor commit
adultery," Hind said, "Does a free woman commit adultery and
steal?" When he said, "Nor kill their children," she said,
"We raised them as children, and you killed them as adults." She
complained to the Messenger of God about her husband, Abu Sufyan, saying,
"He is stingy and does not give me enough food for myself and my
children." The Messenger of God said to her, "Take from his wealth
what is sufficient for you and your children in a reasonable manner." Abu
Sufyan said, "I have not received anything." "From my wealth, it
is lawful for you" [Sahih Muslim - 1714].
Hind
witnessed the Battle of Yarmouk as part of the Muslim army. She urged the
Muslims to fight the Romans alongside her husband, Abu Sufyan, saying,
"Strengthen your ranks and strike the enemy with your swords." It is
narrated that Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab forbade Abu Sufyan ibn Harb from
sprinkling water on the door of his house so that pilgrims would not slip on
it. Abu Sufyan did not heed this warning. Umar passed by and slipped on the
door, so he struck him with his whip and said, "Didn't I order you not to
do this?" Abu Sufyan put his forefinger to his mouth, and Umar said,
"Praise be to God who showed me Abu Sufyan in the valley of Mecca,
striking him and he cannot prevail, and commanding him and he obeys." Hind
bint Utbah heard this and said, "Praise Him, O Umar, for if you praise
Him, you have been given a great blessing." When Umar ibn al-Khattab
appointed Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan to his post in Syria, Mu'awiyah went out to meet
him. Abu Sufyan said... Ibn Harb said to his wife, Hind, "How do you see
your son becoming subservient to my son?" She replied, "If the Arabs
fall into disarray, you will see where your son stands in relation to my
son." Yazid died in Syria, and Umar appointed Mu'awiya in his place. Hind
said to Mu'awiya, "By God, my son, a free woman has rarely given birth to
someone like you. This man has urged you to act in accordance with his wishes,
whether you like it or not." Abu Sufyan said to him, "My son, these
men from the Muhajireen preceded us, and we lagged behind. Their precedence
elevated them, and our lag behind held us back. They became leaders, and we
became followers. They have entrusted you with a significant responsibility, so
do not oppose them. You are striving towards a goal, so compete for it, and if
you reach it, you will bequeath it to your descendants."
Abu
Sufyan visited Mu'awiya in Syria. When he returned, he went to Umar, who said,
"Grant Abu Sufyan permission." Umar replied, "We have not gained
anything to grant you." So Umar took his ring and sent it to Hind. He told
the messenger, "Tell her: Abu Sufyan says to you, 'Look at the two
saddlebags you brought and bring them here.'" Soon after, Umar brought two
saddlebags containing ten thousand dirhams. Umar deposited them in the
treasury. When Uthman became caliph, he returned them to him. Abu Sufyan said,
"I would not take money that Umar criticized me for."
The
female companion Hind bint Utbah (may God be pleased with her) passed away
during the caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab (may God be pleased with him) in
the year fourteen AH, on the same day that Abu Quhafah, the father of Abu Bakr
al-Siddiq (may God be pleased with him), died (Ibn al-Attar, Kitab al-Uddah fi
Sharh al-Umdah fi Ahadith al-Ahkam by Ibn al-Attar, p. 1554).
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