29/06/2024
The Story of Barakah
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Once, the father of the world prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Abdullah, went to the market in Mecca for some shopping. At one place, he saw a man selling slaves on the roadside.
Among them, Abdullah noticed a small nine-year-old African Abyssinian girl. Abdullah felt great compassion for the girl. She was slightly frail but had a gentle and helpless look.
He thought that his wife Amina, who stayed alone at home, would have a companion if he brought the girl home. With this thought, he bought the girl.
Abdullah and Amina loved the girl very much. They noticed that their household was filled with more blessings and mercy than before. For this reason, Abdullah and Amina lovingly named the girl "Barakah."
This is the story of Barakah.
One day, Abdullah left for Syria for business purposes. That was his last farewell to Amina.
A few days after his departure, Amina had a dream in which a star from the sky fell into her lap, radiating a lot of light.
The next morning, she shared the dream with Barakah. Barakah smiled and said, "I feel that you will have a beautiful child."
At that time, Amina did not know that she was pregnant, but a few days later, she realized that Barakah's prediction was true.
Abdullah never returned; he passed away on the way to Syria.
During Amina's time of separation and grief, Barakah was her closest companion.
Eventually, Amina's waiting ended, and she gave birth to our beloved Prophet. According to Sheikh Omar Suleiman, Barakah, this African slave girl, was the first person to see and touch our Prophet.
She handed the newborn Prophet to Amina and, with joy and happiness, said, "I imagined he would be like the moon, but now I see he is even more beautiful than the moon."
This is Barakah. At the time of the Prophet's birth, she was thirteen years old. She took care of the young Prophet with Amina, bathed him, helped feed him, and lovingly put him to sleep.
During her final moments, Amina held Barakah's hand and requested her to take care of her son. Barakah did just that.
After losing both parents, the orphaned Prophet moved to his grandfather Abdul Muttalib's house.
By inheritance, the Prophet became Barakah's new master. But one day, the Prophet set Barakah free, saying, "You are free to go wherever you wish, you are free."
From his childhood, the Prophet wanted to end the practice of slavery. Barakah did not agree to leave the Prophet. She stayed by his side as a motherly figure.
Even the Prophet's grandfather tried several times to arrange her marriage, but she refused, saying, "I promised Amina, I will not go anywhere."
Then one day, the Prophet married Khadija (RA). On the wedding day, the Prophet introduced Barakah to Khadija, saying, "She is my second mother after my own mother."
After the marriage, the Prophet once called Barakah and said, "Ummi! Now Khadija is here to take care of me; you must get married." (The Prophet used to call her Ummi, not by her name.)
Then the Prophet and Khadija arranged her marriage to Ubaid Ibn Zaid. A few days later, Barakah had her own son, named Aiman. From then on, Barakah was known as "Umm Aiman."
Barakah was one of the earliest women to embrace Islam following the Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) declaration of Prophethood. Her family soon followed her lead.
One day, Barakah's husband Ubaid passed away. The Prophet took Aiman and Barakah to his house and let them stay there.
After some time, the Prophet gathered several companions and said,
"I know a woman who has no wealth, is elderly, and has an orphaned child, but she is from Jannah (Paradise). Would anyone among you like to marry a woman from Jannah?"
Hearing this, Zaid Ibn Haritha (RA) came forward and proposed marriage. The Prophet spoke to Umm Aiman and arranged the marriage.
On the wedding day, the Prophet hugged Zaid with joy and love, with tearful eyes and a voice choked with emotion, saying, "Do you know whom you have married, Zaid?"
- "Yes, Umm Aiman," replied Zaid. The Prophet said, "No, you have married my mother."
The companions used to say that the Prophet could never be forced to eat. He did not like it. But Umm Aiman was the only woman who would insist the Prophet eat and would sit beside him until he finished eating. The Prophet would quietly eat with a gentle smile.
When the Prophet saw his milk mother Halimah, he would spread his cloak for her to sit on. Similarly, after migrating to Medina, when Umm Aiman was exhausted from the long journey, the Prophet wet a part of his cloak in water, wiped the sweat and dust from her face with his own hands, and said, "Ummi! You will not have such discomfort in Jannah."
Her unwavering loyalty was further demonstrated when she risked her life to gather information about the Quraysh's plots against the Prophet (PBUH). She also accompanied him in various battles, including the Battle of Uhud and the Battle of Khaybar.
At the Battle of Uhud, Barakah provided water to the Muslim soldiers and assisted the wounded. When rumors of the Prophet's (PBUH) death spread during the battle, many Muslims fled, but Barakah stood firm. She scolded the fleeing soldiers, offering them a spindle, saying, "Give me your sword, and you spin the spindle."
Determined to fight, she approached the battlefield with other Muslim women but was sadly injured by an enemy arrow.
Before his death, the Prophet told his companions many things, including about Umm Aiman. He said, "Take care of Umm Aiman; she is like my mother. She is the only woman who has been with me from birth to the end. The only member of my family who has always been by my side."
The companions kept their word. Her skin color or former status as a slave did not matter. Her identity was that she was another mother of the Prophet. They loved and protected this elderly woman like a mother.
Source: Ibn Hisham and Sheikh Omar Suleiman. Collected
