Hafsah bint 'Umar

One day the Angel Jibril told Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) about Hafsah:
"She is an often fasting and worshipping lady and
she will be your wife in Paradise too." [Mustadrak
Al-Hakim 4/15]
Hafsah was the daughter of 'Umar Faruq, and the
niece of another famous Sahabi, 'Uthman bin
Maz'un. Her uncle from the paternal side was Zayd
bin Khattab. 'Abdullah bin 'Umar was her brother.
Hafsah was an extremely religious lady who used
to spend her time in prayer and fasting. An
excellent writer and orator, an ardent follower of
Islam.
Hafsah had such noble qualities and such an
amiable nature that 'A'ishah remarked that among
wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon
him) only she could compare with her. Her life is
exemplary, brought up as she was by a Companion
of the calibre of 'Umar bin Khattab.
Hafsah was born in the family of a great warrior
and wrestler, 'Umar bin Khattab who was well
known for his martial skills. In her growing years
she was brought up in an Islamic environment,
both her parents and her aunts and uncles having
already converted to the new religion. When she
was old enough, she was married to Khanis bin
Huthafah As-Sahmi. He was influenced by the
teaching of Abu Bakr Siddiq and had accepted
Islam.
Due to worst cruelty and oppression, Khanis had to
migrate to Al-Madinah with his wife. He was
welcomed by Rafa'h bin 'Abdul Munthir and stayed
in his house as his guest.
Both Khanis and Hafsah loved the new life in Al-
Madinah. Hafsah made special arrangements to
memorize the Ayat of the Quran as and when they
were revealed. Then she would give deep thought
and attention to the meaning and interpretation of
the Ayat. Her husband meanwhile was
enthusiastically preparing himself for Jihad and
improving his martial skills. He was constantly
alert to the movements of the enemy and was ever
ready to meet them head on.
News came that the Quraysh of Makkah, after
making elaborate preparations for a war to wipe
out the Muslims, were marching towards Al-
Madinah under the leadership of Abu Jahl.
The Muslims under the leadership of the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him), practically
unarmed, reached Badr and set up camp taking
control of the only source of water. All they had
with them was their strong faith in the Allah.
Khanis bin Huthafah, 'Umar Faruq and the
maternal and paternal uncles of Hafsah and her
cousin were all part of this courageous band. Her
husband was determined to win the battle for Allah
and bring to dust the pomp and grandeur of Abu
Jahl's forces. Finally the forces met and Khanis bin
Huthafah went tearing through the ranks of the
enemy. He was seriously wounded, but most of the
leaders of the disbelievers were killed, and Islam
triumphed. It is one of the greatest battles fought
in history where a handful of unarmed and
outnumbered men routed a powerful and well-
equipped army.
When Hafsah heard of her husband's heroic deeds
she was very happy, and praised his valour in
battle; but she also realized that in this condition
he would need the best care possible. She
immediately recited the Ayah of Surat Al-Anfal
which were revealed in connection with the Battle
of Badr,
"Allah made it only as glad tidings, as that your
hearts be at rest therewith. And there is no victory
except from Allah. Verily, Allah is All-Mighty, All-
Wise." [Noble Quran 8:10]
These Words of the Allah Almighty promising
victory inspired her and she happily turned to the
task of nursing her husband back to health. But it
was not to be, for he was to be blessed with an
exalted position. A few days later he succumbed to
his injuries and joined the ranks of those who are
blessed with eternal life. When the Prophet (peace
and blessings be upon him) heard of his passing
away he arranged for him to be buried in Jannatul
Baqi, next to the uncle of Hafsah; he personally led
the funeral prayers. Hafsah was, naturally, grief
stricken, but being a true believer she respectfully
submitted to the Will of Allah. She turned towards
her Maker and courageously gave herself even
more to prayer and meditation. She was at this
time barely twenty-one years old.
For her father it was very painful to see his
daughter in this state. Her silent courage under
these circumstances, her patient prayers and her
study of the Quran irradiated her countenance with
a spiritual beauty and innocence, but there was
also a sadness because of the harsh loneliness
that had become part of her life. After deep
thought 'Umar Faruq decided to approach 'Uthman
bin Affan, whose wife Ruqayyah the Prophet's
daughter, had passed away. He thought that
sharing a common bond would help to alleviate
their sorrow in losing worthy spouses. So, having
taken this decision he went direct to 'Uthman.
After the formal greeting and expression of
condolences on his wife's death he broached the
topic closest to his heart. 'Uthman lowered his
eyes and then after a few moments pause, he said
he needed time to think it over.
'Umar Faruq met him again after a few days and
asked him if he had thought over the proposal.
'Uthman answered that he was not presently
planning on marriage. From there he went to Abu
Bakr Siddiq and offered him his daughter in
marriage. He too lowered his gaze and did not
answer him. Imam Bukhari in his book of Hadith,
As-Sahih Al-Bukhari, has given a whole chapter to
the topic of an honorable man offering his sister or
daughter in marriage.
'Umar Faruq was very upset because both the men
he approached had either avoided or refused
marriage to his daughter. He was confident of a
willing and joyful acceptance but things turned out
otherwise. He was very upset and worried at the
turn of events; in a sense it was an affront to him
and his position as a sincere defender of the faith.
People, he thought, would consider it an honor to
have an alliance by marriage with him. With this
grievance he went to the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) and explained to him the
position he found himself in. The Prophet (peace
and blessings be upon him) smilingly answered
that he should neither grieve nor worry, and Allah
willing he would find a man better than 'Uthman
for Hafsah and 'Uthman in turn, would find for
himself a better woman than Hafsah.
'Umar Faruq was pleased on hearing this from the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
himself, but also a little perplexed over who such a
man could be? A few days later the Prophet (peace
and blessings be upon him) married his daughter,
Umm Kulthum to 'Uthman. 'Umar Faruq realized
that one part of the prediction had come true, but
he continued to puzzle over the second half of the
statement. Who could possibly be a better man
than 'Uthman? Then the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) proposed marriage to
Hafsah. 'Umar Faruq could not believe his ears; his
daughter would have the honor of joining the select
band of women who were known as the Mothers of
the believers! 'A'ishah and Sawdah were already
part of the Prophet's household. It seemed too
good to be true. Thus Hafsah was joined in
marriage to the Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) in the 3rd year after Hijrah, before the
Battle of Uhud. She was about twenty-two years
old at the time. On seeing off his daughter to her
husband's house, 'Umar Faruq told her that she
should never try to compete with 'A'ishah, who
was the Prophet's favorite and better than her in
many respects. He said she should respect her
sincerely and live happily as a member of the first
and foremost family.
Sa'id bin Al-Musayyab, a learned scholar, states
that the Prophet's prediction that he was a better
husband for Hafsah than 'Uthman was proved
right, as was his statement that Umm Kulthum
was a better wife for 'Uthman than Hafsah. After
the marriage Abu Bakr Siddiq met with 'Umar
Faruq and told him the truth, which was that the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had
mentioned to him that he planned to marry
Hafsah. That was the reason he had remained
silent, as it would not have been proper to betray
his confidence. If matters were different he would
have been only too happy to accept her hand in
marriage. 'Umar Faruq expressed his happiness by
quoting the following Ayah,
"This is by the Grace of my Lord - to test me
whether I am grateful or ungrateful! And whoever
is grateful, truly, his gratitude is for himself; and
whoever is ungrateful, (it is for the loss of only
himself). Certainly my Lord is Rich,
Bountiful." [Noble Quran 27:40]
After attaining the position of the Mother of the
Believers, Hafsah became even more absorbed in
studying the finer points of religion. She would
store in her mind conversations of Muhammad
(peace and blessings be upon him) which would
lead to a better understanding of Islam. Often she
would discuss any points that arose in her mind
about the Shari'ah.
Jabir bin 'Abdullah Ansari narrates an incident
which was related to him by Umm Mubasher. She
and Hafsah and the Prophet (peace and blessings
be upon him) were sitting and chatting together.
He said that all the people who had given the
pledged of allegiance at Hudaybiyah under the tree
would go to Paradise, and not to Hell. She asked
how that was possible. The Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) got annoyed, but Hafsah
did not give up and quoted an Ayah from Surah
Maryam.
"There is not one of you but will pass over it (Hell)
." [Noble Quran 19:71]
In reply he quoted the very next Ayah, also from
Surah Maryam.
"Then We shall save those who use to fear Allah
and were dutiful to Him. And We shall leave the
wrongdoers therein to there knees (in Hell)." [Noble
Quran 19:72]
This news of Hafsah disputing with the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) spread in Al-
Madinah. On that day the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) was very disturbed; and
when 'Umar Faruq heard about it he chided his
daughter. She replied that 'A'ishah too spoke in
the same manner to him. Her father again
cautioned her not to compete with 'A'ishah and
maintain a certain decorum, or else she would
bring trouble on herself.
Among the Mothers of the believers, 'A'ishah, Umm
Habibah, Sawdah and Hafsah all belonged to the
tribe of Quraysh. The others came from various
other tribes. Everyday after the 'Asr prayer, the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would
visit them all for a little while to see if they needed
anything; the time of the visits was routine and
each would wait eagerly for his arrival. On several
occasions, it so happened that he spent more time
with Zaynab. This upset 'A'ishah, and she spoke
about it to Hafsah and Sawdah. They got together
and found out that a certain relative had sent
Zaynab a special kind of honey and she used to
offer it to the Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) everyday. This was his favorite and he
used to be delayed in her apartment, enjoying it.
'A'ishah was so fond of the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) that she could not bear for
him to be late coming to her apartment. Because
of her regard for him she could not object directly.
So she consulted Hafsah and Sawdah, and they
decided that when he comes to each of us by turn,
we would all say that there is a strange smell
emanating from his mouth. When he heard the
same thing from all three of them, he believed it
must be due to the honey he had, and decided to
give it up for good. If this had been an incident in
the life of an ordinary person it would have been of
no consequence. But this was with the last Prophet
of Allah and his every word and every action would
become the law or Shari'ah for all Muslims for all
time to come. Thus it had a special significance.
So Allah rebuked him in Ayah of Surat At-Tahrim.
"O Prophet! Why do you forbid (for yourself) that
which Allah has allowed to you, seeking to please
your wives? And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most
Merciful." [Noble Quran 66:1]
It was around the same time that the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) confided a
secret matter to Hafsah, and warned her not to
speak to anyone about it. But she told 'A'ishah.
Allah then revealed to the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) what happened. Allah
revealed this in the following Ayah of Surat At-
Tahrim,
"And when the Prophet disclosed a matter in
confidence to one of his wife, then she told it. And
Allah made it known to him; he informed part
thereof and left a part. Then when he told her
thereof, she said: "Who told you this?" He said:
"The All-Knower, the All-Aware has told
me." [Noble Quran 66:3]
The year, when the Peninsula was under the
Islamic government, the granaries were full and all
the riches were reaching the centre from the
different regions of Arabia; many of the wives of
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him),
who lived lives of luxury, put forward demands for
an increase in their household allowances. When
'Umar Faruq heard of this he was very upset; he
told his daughter Hafsah that she should ask her
father if she needed anything and not make any
demands on the Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him). He also advised all the Mothers of the
Believers not to make any demands. Umm
Salamah did not quite like this and felt that he had
the habit of interfering in every matter. She told
him frankly that he should refrain from meddling in
the affairs of the Prophet's wives.
It was at this time that the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) had fallen from his horse
and been injured; keeping all these things in view
he decided to go into seclusion and moved to an
upper room adjacent to the apartment of 'A'ishah.
The whole city was buzzing with the gossip the
hypocrites spread saying that he divorced his
wives. But actually no such thing happened. All the
Companions were disturbed by this situation, but
no one had the courage to approach the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) and talk to him
directly. Finally 'Umar Faruq known for his
forthrightness went to him and asked him if the
rumor was true. When he denied it he was
delighted. Then he asked if he could announce this
good news to the rest of the Muslims. When he
received permission, he joyfully informed the
community that everything was fine with the
Prophet's household. The whole city was relieved
that the Messenger of Allah had not been offended
in any way. On the twenty-ninth day he came
down into the apartment of 'A'ishah. She asked
him smilingly why he came down before the month
was over. He replied that often the lunar month did
consist of only twenty-nine days. Hafsah promised
her father that she would never ever ask for a raise
in her allowance and she stood by her word to the
end of her life.
Hafsah died in the year 41st after Hijrah aged fifty-
nine. At the time of death she was fasting. The
funeral prayers were led by the governor of Al-
Madinah, Marwan bin Al-Hakam. Abu Hurairah and
Abu Sa'id Khudri, the eminent Companion of the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) were
among those who carried the shroud to Jannatul
Baqi'. Her two brothers, 'Abdullah bin 'Umar and
'Asim bin 'Umar placed her gently into her final
resting place. Salem bin 'Abdullah, 'Abdur-Rahman
bin 'Abdullah and Hamzah bin 'Abdullah, all the
sons of 'Abdullah bin 'Umar also attended the
funeral.
And so a righteous and learned writer and reciter of
the Noble Quran who devoted herself from her
youth to prayer, fasting and meditation passed into
history.
These Ayat from Surat Al-Qamar express an apt
tribute to this great Mother of the Believers.
"Verily, the pious will be in the midst of Graders
and Rivers (Paradise). In a seat of truth, near the
Omnipotent King." [Noble Quran 54:54-55]