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  In the history of Islam, one particular woman was very close to Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him (PBUH) throughout his life from birth till death. She spent her life in total unselfish service in the Prophet's household, and remained deeply devoted to the Prophet. We do not know precisely how the young Abyssinian girl, Barakah, ended up for sale in Makkah, nor who her mother was, or her father or her ancestors. There were many like her, boys and girls, Arabs and non-Arabs, who were captured and brought to the slave market of the city to be sold.

  Most of those ended up in the hands of cruel “owners” who exploited their labor to the full and treated them most inhumanly. But few were more fortunate. They were taken into homes of more gentle and caring people.

  Barakah was one of the more fortunate ones. She was saved by Abdullah, the son of Abd al-Muttalib and became the only servant in his household, and when he was married, to Amenah, she looked after her affairs as well.

  Barakah recalls how Abdullah's father came to their house after two weeks of the marriage and instructed his son to accompany a trading caravan leaving for Syria. Amenah was deeply distressed and on the day of his departure, she fainted and Barakah had to carry her to bed.

  Amenah stayed bedridden for a long time. Two months after the departure of Abdullah, she called Barakah at dawn one morning and her face was beaming with joy, as she had seen a strange dream. She added that she saw lights coming from her abdomen lighting up the mountains, the hills and the valleys around Makkah. Brakah asked her is she was pregnant.

  "Yes, Barakah," she replied. "But I do not feel any discomfort as other women feel." "You shall give birth to a blessed child who will bring goodness," Barakah replied.

  Day and night, Barakah stayed beside Amenah , sleeping at the foot of her bed and listening to her groans at night as she called for her absent husband.

  The caravan eventually returned but without Abdullah. Later, Barakah was at Abd al-Muttalib's house when news came from Yathrib that Abdullah had died. She  screamed when she heard the news and she ran home deliver the disastrous news to Amenah, who fainted on the spot.

  When Mohammed (PBUH) was born, Barakah was the first to hold him in her arms. His grandfather came and took him to the Kabah and with all Makkah, celebrated his birth. Barakah stayed with Amenah while Muhammad was sent to the badiyah with the lady Halimah who looked after him in the bracing atmosphere of the open desert. At the end of five years, he was brought back to Makkah and Amenah received him with tenderness and love and Barakah welcomed him with joy and admiration.

  When Mohammed was six years old, his mother decided to visit the grave of her husband Abdullah, in Yathrib, but she did not tell Mohammed that she was going to visit the grave of his father.

  In Yathrib, she left him with his maternal uncles of the Banu Najjar, while she stayed at the grave.

  On the way back to Makkah, Amenah became seriously ill with fever and her health deteriorated rapidly. In one pitch dark night, she was running high temperature and she called out to Barakah.

  Barakah recalls: "She whispered in my ear: 'O Barakah, I shall depart from this world shortly. I commend my son Mohammed to your care. He lost his father while he was in my womb, and now, he is losing his mother. Be a mother to him, Barakah. And don't ever leave him.’ My heart was shattered and I began to sob and wail. The child was distressed by my wailing and began to weep. He threw himself into his mother's arms and held tightly onto her neck. She gave one last moan and then was gone forever."

  Barakah dug with her own hands a grave in the sand and buried Amenah , then returned with the orphan child to Makkah and placed him in the care of his grandfather. She stayed at his house to look after him. When Abd al-Muttalib died two years later, she went with the child to the house of his uncle Abu Talib and continued to look after his needs until he was grown up and married the lady Khadijah, and she moved with him to his new home.

  One day Mohammed called Barakah and said: "Now I am a married man, and you are still unmarried. What do you think if someone should come now and ask to marry you?" Barakah looked at Mohammed and said: "I shall never leave you. Does a mother abandon her son?" Mohammed smiled and kissed her head. He looked at his wife Khadijah and said to her: "This is Barakah. This is my mother after my own mother. She is the rest of my family."

  Barakah looked at the lady Khadijah who said to her: "Barakah, you have sacrificed your youth for the sake of Mohammed. Now he wants to pay back some of his obligations to you. For my sake and his, agree to be married before old age overtakes you." Khadijah told her that Ubayd ibn Zayd from the Khazraj tribe of Yathrib has come to seeking her hand in marriage.

  Barakah agreed. She married Ubayd ibn Zayd and went with him to Yathrib. There she gave birth to a son whom she called Ayman and from that time onwards she became known as "Umm Ayman", the mother of Ayman. But her marriage did not last very long. Her husband died and she returned again to Makkah to live in the house of Khadijah. Living in the same household at the time were Ali ibn Abi Talib, Hind (Khadijah's daughter by her first husband), and Zayd ibn Harithah.

  Zayd was an Arab from the tribe of Banu Kalb who was captured as a boy and brought to Makkah to be sold in the slave market. He was bought by Khadijah's nephew and put in her service. In Khadijah's household, Zayd became attached to Mohammed and devoted himself to his service. Their relationship was like that of a son to a father. Indeed when Zayd's father came to Makkah in search of him and Zayd was given the choice by Mohammed of either going with his father or staying with him, the boy chose to stay with the Prophet (PBUH).

  Later, in public Mohammed proclaimed the freedom of Zayd. However, Zayd continued to live with him as part of his household and devoted himself to his service.

  When Mohammed was blessed with prophethood, Barakah and Zayd were among the first to believe in the message he proclaimed. They bore with the early Muslims the oppression of the Quraysh. They performed invaluable services to the mission of the Prophet. The Prophet valued her extremely, and once he told the believers "Should one of you desire to marry a woman destined to go to Paradise, Umm Ayman is the woman."

  Umm Ayman was neither beautiful nor attractive. She was by now about fifty years old and looked rather frail. Zayd ibn al-Harithah however came forward and asked for her hand.

  Zayd and Umm Ayman were married and were blessed with a son whom they named Usamah. The Prophet loved Usamah as his own son. Often he played with him, kissed him and fed him with his own hands. From an early age, Usamah distinguished himself in the service of lslam, and was later given weighty responsibilities by the Prophet.

  When the Prophet migrated to Yathrib, Umm Ayman played her full part in the affairs of the Muslims. At Uhud she distributed water to the thirsty and tended the wounded. She accompanied the Prophet on some expeditions, to Khaybar and Hunayn for example.

  Her son Ayman, a devoted companion of the Prophet was martyred at Hunayn. Barakah's husband, Zayd, was killed at the Battle of Mu’tah in Syria after a lifetime of distinguished service to the Prophet and Islam. Barakah at this time was about seventy years old and spent much of her time at home. The Prophet often visited her and looked after her welfare.

  After the Prophet had died, Barakah would often be found with tears in her eyes. She was so close to the Prophet throughout his life from birth till death. Her life was one of selfless service in the Prophet's household and she remained deeply devoted to him. Above all, her devotion to the religion of Islam was strong and unshakable. She died during the caliphate of Uthman. Her roots were unknown but her place in Paradise was assured.