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Abu
Sufyan Bin Harb was not an ordinary man. He was the
Chieftain of Quraysh, the tribe that dwelled and
controlled Mecca for many years, gaining a very
prominent status among Arab tribes. This explains why he
could not accept that anyone would dare challenge his
authority or go against his will. He was after all, the
Master of Mekkah whose orders must be obeyed and
followed without hesitation.
But it was
destined that His power and leadership would be
challenged by one of his own family, his daughter,
Ramlah, known as Umm Habibah. She in fact challenged not
only her father, but his whole tribe when she rejected
their deities and their idolatrous ways. Together with
her husband, Ubaydullah Binn Jahsh, she embraced Islam,
put her faith in Allah alone and accepted the message of
His prophet, Mohammed.
Abu Sufyan tried
with all the power and force at his disposal to bring
back his daughter and her husband to the religion of
their forefathers; but he failed. Her faith was so
deeply rooted that her father’s fury and attempts were
useless.
The father was
not only furious. He was as well worried that he would
not be able to face Quraysh after Ramlah had disobeyed
him, and his obvious failure to prevent her from
following Mohammed. However, the fury of Abu Sufyan
served only to further inflame Quraysh who began to
treat Ramlah and her husband savagely. Consequently,
life in Mekkah became unbearable and the two had no
other option but to leave the city.
In the fifth year
of his mission, the Prophet, peace be on him, gave
permission to the Muslims to migrate to Abyssinia.
Ramlah, her little daughter Habibah, and her husband
were among those who left.
Abu Sufyan and
Quraysh leaders found it difficult to accept that a
group of Muslims had slipped out of their reach and
found haven somewhere else, where they were enjoying the
freedom to hold their beliefs and practice their
religion, in the land of the Negus. They sent a
delegation to the Negus to seek their extradition.
The messengers
tried to incite the ruler against the Muslims. However,
after examining the Muslims beliefs and listening to the
Quran being recited, his verdict was simple: "What has
been revealed to your Prophet Muhammad and what Jesus
the son of Mary preached came from the same source." He
also announced his determination to protect the Muslim
emigrants.
However, Umm
Habibah did not know that the new-found freedom and
tranquility were destined to be shattered. And she was
about to be put through a horrible test of the most
severe kind.
One night, Umm
Habibah had a dream in which she saw her husband in the
midst of a fathomless ocean covered by wave upon wave of
darkness. He was in a most perilous situation. She woke
up, frightened, but did not tell her husband what she
had dreamt.
The day after
that ominous night was not yet through when the husband
announced his rejection of Islam and embracing of
Christianity. Ramlah's sense of peace was shattered. She
did not expect this from her husband who presented her
forthwith with the choice of a divorce or of following
his suit. Umm Habibah had three options before her: she
could remain with her husband and accept his call to
become a Christian. This was something she resolved she
would never do even if she were subjected to the most
horrible torture. Or, she could return to her father's
house - but she knew he remained a citadel of hostility
to Islam and she would be forced to live there subdued
and suppressing her faith. Last, she could stay alone in
the land of the Negus as a displaced fugitive - without
country, without family and without a provider.
She did not think
long. She made up her mind to stay in Abyssinia until
such time as God wills. She divorced her husband who
lived only a short while after accepting his new
religion.
Umm Habibah
stayed in Abyssinia for about ten years. Towards the end
of this time, relief and happiness came from an
unexpected quarter.
One morning
bright and early, there was a loud knocking on her door.
It was Abrahah, the special maid-servant of the Negus.
Abrahah was beaming with joy as she greeted Umm Habibah
and said: "The Negus sends his greetings and says to you
that Mohammed, (PBUH) wants you to marry him and that he
has sent a letter to appoint the Negus as his attorney
to make the contract the marriage between you and him.
If you agree, you are to appoint an attorney to act on
your behalf."
Umm Habibah was
extremely happy. She took off her jewelry, and gave them
to Abrahah. Finally she said to Abrahah: "I appoint
Khalid ibn Saeed ibn al-Aass to act on my behalf for he
is the closest person to me."
In the palace of
the Negus, set in the midst of beautiful gardens and in
one of the lavishly decorated, sumptuously furnished and
brightly lit halls, the group of the Muslims living in
Abyssinia gathered to celebrate. They included Jafar ibn
Abi Talib, Khalid ibn Said, Abdullah ibn Hudhafah al-Sahmi
and others.
When the marriage
was finalized, the Negus addressed the gathering: "The
Messenger of God, peace be on him, has requested me to
conclude the marriage contract between him and Umm
Habibah the daughter of Abu Sufyan. I agreed to do what
he requested and on his behalf I give her a mahr (dowry)
of four hundred gold dinars." He handed over the amount
to Khalid ibn Saeed who took the mahr and handed it over
to Umm Habibah. The Sahabah thereupon got up and
prepared to leave but the Negus said to them: "Sit down
for it is the practice of the Prophets to serve food at
marriages."
There was general
rejoicing at the court of the Negus as the guests sat
down again to eat and celebrate the joyous occasion. Umm
Habibah especially could hardly believe her good fortune
and she later described how she was eager to share her
happiness. She said: "When I received the money as mahr,
I sent some gold to Abrahah who had brought me the good
news.
"Shortly
afterwards, Abrahah came to me and returned the gold.
She also produced a case which contained the necklace I
had given to her. She returned that to me and said: “The
King has instructed me not to take anything from you and
he has commanded the women in his household to present
you with gifts of perfume.”
"On the following
day, she brought me ambergris, saffron and aloes and
said: 'I have a favor to ask of you.' 'What is it?' I
asked. 'I have accepted Islam,' she said, 'and now
follow the religion of Mohammed. Convey to him my
salutation of peace and let him know that I believe in
Allah and His Prophet. Please don't forget.' She then
helped me to get ready for my journey to the Prophet.
"When I met the
Prophet, peace be on him, I told him all about the
arrangements that were made for the marriage and about
my relationship with Abrahah. I told him she had become
a Muslim and conveyed to him her greetings of peace.” | 
