Sumayyah bint Khubbat, the First Muslim Martyr: An Example of Sacrifice, Devotion, and Steadfastness
Sumayyah
bint Khubbat (also known as Khayyat) was a prominent female companion of the
Prophet Muhammad. She, her husband Yasir ibn Amir, and her son Ammar ibn Yasir
embraced Islam at the dawn of its advent. She was the seventh of seven
non-Hashim Muslims to publicly declare their faith in Mecca. She and her family
were among the first to embrace Islam, the chosen group of whom God said:
"56:13 A [large] company of the former peoples 56:14 And a few of the
later peoples" (Al-Waqiah 13-14).
Sumayyah
was a slave of Abu Hudhayfah ibn al-Mughirah al-Makhzumi. Yasir ibn 'Amir, a
Qahtani Arab from the Banu 'Ans tribe, was an ally of Hudhayfah ibn al-Mughirah
al-Makhzumi (a freed slave or a client). He married her to him, and she bore
him 'Ammar, after whom he freed her. She was known as Umm 'Ammar, after her
eldest son, 'Ammar ibn Yasir.
The
polytheists of Banu Makhzum subjected the family of Yasir to the most severe
torture in the valley of Mecca because they had embraced Islam and abandoned
their idols and what they used to worship besides God. The Messenger of God,
peace and blessings be upon him, would pass by them, praying to God Almighty
that He would grant them Paradise as their abode and reward them with the best
of rewards.
Due
to the severity of the torment inflicted upon them, Ammar was forced to conceal
his faith from the polytheists and outwardly profess disbelief. Then the words
of God Almighty were revealed concerning him: “Whoever disbelieved in Allah
after his belief, except him who is forced thereto and whose heart is at rest
with Faith, but such as open their breasts to disbelief, on them is wrath from
Allah, and theirs will be a great torment” (Surat An-Nahl: 106). Ammar migrated
to Medina and participated in the Battles of Badr, Uhud, and the Trench, as
well as the Pledge of Ridwan and the Battle of the Camel. He was martyred at
the Battle of Siffin in the first or last spring of the year 37 AH. Among his
virtues was the construction of the first mosque in Islam, the Quba Mosque.
As
for Sumayya, Ammar's mother, she endured torture with patience. She was an
elderly and poor woman. When the polytheists failed to dissuade her from Islam,
Abu Jahl, driven by his folly, anger, helplessness, and pettiness, stabbed her
in her private parts with a spear. She died from this wound in the sixth year
after the Prophet's mission began (seventh year before the Hijra). She died
steadfast in her faith, unshaken by any attempt to sway her. She died with
Islam firmly rooted in her heart, the source and strength of her steadfastness
and patience in enduring the harm inflicted upon her by the polytheists.
God
did not grant Abu Jahl much respite. He was killed in the Battle of Badr by the
two sons of Afra, Mu'adh ibn al-Harith al-Khazraji al-Ansari and Mu'awwidh ibn
al-Harith al-Khazraji al-Ansari. They stabbed him, but he did not die from
their wounds due to his large size and the young age of the two sons of Afra.
He breathed his last at the hands of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, who finished him off.
Mu'adh and Mu'awwidh, the sons of Afra, were martyred in this battle.
The
two sons of Afraa, Mu'adh and Mu'awwadh, despite their young age, possessed a
courage and selflessness for the sake of God that words cannot describe, no
matter how eloquent or fluent one may be. A nation with such young men deserves
to soar to the highest heavens and to be the best nation ever raised up for
mankind.' Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Awf recounts the story of Afraa's sons, saying,
"I was in the ranks on the day of Badr when I turned around and saw two
young men, one on my right and one on my left. I felt uneasy about their
presence. Then one of them whispered to me, 'Uncle! Show me Abu Jahl!' I said,
'My nephew! What do you want with him?' He replied, 'I have made a covenant
with God that if I see him, I will kill him or die trying.'" The other man
confided in me, just like his companion, so I pointed him out to them. They
pounced on him like two falcons and struck him until they killed him.
Sumayyah
(may God be pleased with her), the first Muslim martyr on earth, set a
practical example of sacrifice, dedication, and steadfastness through her
patience and courageous stand against Abu Jahl and the polytheists of Mecca.
Every Muslim, man or woman, should emulate her patience and resilience in the
face of adversity and should not withhold anything for the sake of God
Almighty, after she (may God be pleased with her) gave her life for the sake of
spreading Islam and elevating its status.
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