Umm al-Muminin Sawda bint Zama
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Umm al-Mu'minin Sawda bint Zam'a (Mother of the Believers Sawda bint Zama) is a biographical treatise by Khalid al-Hamudi detailing the life, virtues, and standing of the Prophet Muhammad's wife Sawda bint Zama .
Background and Structure
The work is organized as a concise biographical narrative divided into distinct thematic sections that trace Sawda's life chronologically from her early upbringing through her marriage to the Prophet ﷺ, her life in Medina, and her death .
The text covers her lineage as Sawda bint Zama ibn Qays from Banu Shams and her mother al-Shamus bint Qays ibn Amr from Banu al-Najjar of Yathrib, her youth in Mecca, and her first marriage to al-Sakran ibn Amr . Both spouses embraced Islam early, endured persecution by Quraysh, and emigrated to Abyssinia . Following the conversions of Umar ibn al-Khattab and Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib, they returned to Mecca, where al-Sakran fell ill and died, leaving her widowed .
Marriage to the Prophet
The book describes the circumstances preceding her marriage to the Prophet ﷺ, following the death of Khadijah bint Khuwaylid and Abu Talib and the hardships encountered during the Prophet's mission to al-Ta'if . Khawla bint Hakim proposed Sawda as a widowed bride alongside Aisha as a maiden . The Prophet accepted the proposal to honor Sawda's sacrifices and faith, and Hatib ibn Amr finalized the marriage in Ramadan of the tenth year of prophethood . Sawda then took charge of the household and cared for the Prophet's young daughters, Umm Kulthum and Fatima, while Zaynab was married to Abu al-As ibn al-Rabi and Ruqayya to Uthman ibn Affan .
Key Events and Virtues
The author highlights several major milestones and characteristics of Sawda:
- Ceding her turn: In Medina, as Sawda grew older, she ceded her allotted day to Aisha to secure her place among the Prophet's wives in the Hereafter, which the text connects to the revelation of وَإِنِ امْرَأَةٌ خَافَتْ مِنْ بَعْلِهَا نُشُوزًا أَوْ إِعْرَاضًا (Surah an-Nisa: 128) . It also cites a report that the Prophet ﷺ once issued her a divorce, but revoked it when she pleaded to remain his wife on the Day of Resurrection .
- Humor and character: The book recounts her good humor, such as telling the Prophet ﷺ that she held her nose during a long nighttime prayer out of fear it would bleed, which made him laugh .
- Charity and detachment from wealth: It cites Aisha's narration regarding the wife with the "longest arm" in giving charity, identifying Sawda as an ardent giver of alms . She promptly gave away her share of the spoils of Khaybar (eighty wasqs of dates and twenty of wheat), as well as a large sack of dirhams sent to her during the caliphate of Umar ibn al-Khattab .
- Adherence to home: After the Farewell Pilgrimage, Sawda resolved alongside Zaynab bint Jahsh not to leave her house for further pilgrimages, adhering strictly to the Prophet's instructions .
Death
The treatise notes the historical disagreement regarding the date of her death: one report from Aisha indicates that Sawda was the first of the Prophet's wives to die after him, whereas other historians record that Zaynab bint Jahsh died first and that Sawda passed away later in 54 AH during the caliphate of Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan .
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