Umm Ma'bad: Hostess of the Prophet Muhammad and his companion Abu Bakr during the Hijra (migration)
Umm
Ma'bad was Atika bint Khalid al-Khuza'iyya, a noble female companion who hosted
the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in her tent during his
migration from Mecca to Yathrib (Medina).
It
was narrated by Hubaysh ibn Khalid that he said, "When the Prophet (peace
and blessings be upon him) left Mecca, migrating to Medina, he was accompanied
by Abu Bakr (may God be pleased with him), a freed slave of Abu Bakr named Amir
ibn Fuhayra, and their guide, Abdullah ibn Urayqit al-Laythi." They passed
by the tents of Umm Ma'bad al-Khuza'iyya, who was a strong and robust woman.
She appeared to the people (she did not hide herself), with sound judgment and
reason, and she was an example of steadfastness and firmness. She would sit in
the courtyard of the dome (the courtyard of her tent, leaning on a piece of
cloth or a covering), and then she would give water and food. They asked her
for dates and meat to buy from her, but they did not find anything of that with
her. The people was very thin and weak (a very thin and weak sheep). The Messenger
of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, looked at a sheep in the corner
of the tent and said, "What is this sheep, O Umm Ma’bad?" She said,
"It is a sheep that was left behind by the flock due to hardship." He
said, "Does it have any milk?" She said, "She is more tired than
that." He said, "Do you permit me to milk her?" She said,
"Yes, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you." If you see
milk in it, then milk it. So the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant
him peace, called for it and wiped its udder with his hand and mentioned the
name of God, the Exalted and Glorified, and prayed for her and her sheep. Then
it became full and gave milk and chewed its cud. Then he called for a vessel
that would satisfy the group (quench the thirst of the people until they were
satisfied), and he milked it abundantly (flowing strongly) until it was filled
with splendor (beauty, radiance, and magnificence). Then he gave it to her to
drink until she was satisfied, then he gave it to his companions to drink until
they were satisfied, then he drank the last of it, then he milked it a second
time. After he started until he filled the vessel, he left it, and he pledged
allegiance to her and departed from her. It was not long before her husband,
Abu Ma’bad, came driving lean goats that were emaciated and weak, and their
milk or fat was very little. When Abu Ma’bad saw the milk, he was amazed and
said, “Where did you get this, Umm Ma’bad, when the sheep is far from the
pasture and there is no milk in the house?” She said, "No, by God, except
that a blessed man passed by us, of such and such character." He said,
"Describe him to me, O Umm Ma'bad." She said, "A man of radiant
countenance, with a bright face, of good build, with neither a large belly nor
a small head detracting from his appearance." He was handsome and
well-proportioned, with intensely black eyes, long eyelashes, a melodious or
slightly husky voice, a high neck, a thick beard, and arched eyebrows. They
were tall, arched, and slender (bow-set) and joined at the nose (connected). If
he was silent, he exuded dignity; if he spoke, his eloquence was sublime. He
was the most handsome and radiant of men from afar and the sweetest and most
beautiful up close. His speech was sweet and concise and neither rambling nor
verbose (his words were measured and carefully chosen, combining brevity and
eloquence). His speech was like beads strung down, cascading down. He was of
medium height, neither too tall nor too short, a perfect match. He was the most
handsome of the three and the most distinguished in stature. Companions
surround him; if he speaks, they listen attentively, and if he commands, they
hasten to obey. He is revered and respected (his companions serve him and obey
him, and people gather around him and surround him). He is neither frowning nor
fault-finding (he does not frown, his words are not criticized, and he does not
make many mistakes). Abu Ma'bad said, "By God, this is the man of Quraysh
about whom they have spoken so much. I have intended to accompany him, and I
will do so if I find a way." And a loud voice arose in Mecca; they heard
the voice but did not know who it belonged to. It said, "May God, the Lord
of mankind, reward with His best reward two companions who said, 'The tents of
Umm Ma'bad are theirs. They entered them with guidance, and she was guided by
it. Indeed, he who spends the night as a companion of Muhammad has triumphed. O
Qusayy, what deeds and glory God has withheld from you! May the sons of Ka'b be
pleased with the place of their young woman and her seat for the
believers." By the watchful eye, ask your sister about her situation and
her vessel, for if you ask the sheep, it will testify. He called her with a
barren sheep, and the sheep's udder was frothy with milk. He left her as a
pledge with her for a milker who would take her back to the source and then to
the watering place. When Hassan ibn Thabit al-Ansari, may God be pleased with
him, heard of this, he composed a poem in response to the caller, saying,
"A people have failed who have lost their way." Their prophet, and
sanctified is he who travels to them by night and comes in the morning. He
departed from a people whose minds had gone astray and descended upon a people
with a renewed light. Their Lord guided them through him after their straying,
and He guided them. Whoever follows the truth will be guided. Can the straying
of a people who acted foolishly be equal to their blindness? A guide through
whom every seeker is guided. And from him descended upon the people of Yathrib
a caravan of guidance that arrived. Upon them is the most blessed of prophets,
who sees what people around him do not see and recites the Book of God in every
scene. And if he says something about someone absent, its truth will be
confirmed that day or the next morning. May Abu Bakr be blessed with the
happiness of his grandfather, for in his company is he whom God makes happy.
(Source: Itharat al-Fawa'id; Summary of the Hadith scholar's ruling (Salah
al-Din al-'Ala'i): Hasan Mahfuz, narrated by Hizam ibn Hisham). After that, Umm
Ma'bad and her husband migrated to Yathrib. They embraced Islam.
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