Hafsa bint Umar
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Hafsa bint Umar Mother of the Believers | |
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| حفصة بنت عمر | |
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| Born | Hafsa bint Umar c. 605 CE |
| Died | Sha'ban 45 AH; October/November, c. 665 (aged 59–60) |
| Resting place | Jannat al-Baqi, Medina |
| Known for | Wife of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, Mother of the Believers |
| Title | ʾumm ul-mumineen |
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Ḥafṣah bint ʿUmar (Arabic: حفصة بنت عمر; c. 605–665), was a wife of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. She's also a daughter of Omar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, the second caliph of the Rashidun caliphate. In Islamic writings, her name is thus often prefixed by the title "Mother of the Believers" (Arabic: أمّ المؤمنين, romanized: ʾumm al-muʾminīn).
Early life
Hafsah was the daughter and eldest child of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab and Zainab bint Madh'uwn. She was born "when Quraysh were building the House Ka'abah, five years before the Prophet was sent," i.e., in 605.[1]
Marriage
She was married to Khunais ibn Hudhaifah but became a widow in August 624.[2]
As soon as Hafsah had completed her waiting period, her father Umar offered her hand to Uthman ibn 'Affan, and thereafter to Abu Bakr; but they both refused her. When Umar went to Muhammad to complain about this, Muhammad replied, "Hafsah will marry one better than Uthman and Uthman will marry one better than Hafsah."[3]
Muhammad married Hafsah in Shaaban AH 3 (late January or early February 625).[4] This marriage "gave the Prophet the chance of allying himself with this faithful follower,"[5] i.e., Umar, who now became his father-in-law.
Notable work
Uthman, when he became Caliph, used Hafsa's copy when he standardized the text of Qur'an.[6] She is also said to have narrated sixty hadith from Muhammad.[7]
Death
She died in Shaban AH 45, i.e., in October or November 665. She is buried in al-Baqi next to the other Mothers of the Faithful.[8][9]
Contrasting Views
Sunni View
Hafsa is seen as scholarly and inquisitive by the Sunnis. She is also respected as a Mother of The Believers.
Shi'a View
The Shi'a view is rather different from the Sunni. Most Twelver Shi'a criticize Hafsa for supporting the caliphate of her father Umar.
See also
References
- ^ Muhammad ibn Saad, Tabaqat vol. 8. Translated by Bewley, A. (1995). The Women of Madina p. 56. London: Ta-Ha Publishers.
- ^ Muhammad ibn Saad, Tabaqat vol. 3. Translated by Bewley, A. (2013). The Companions of Badr, p. 307. London: Ta-Ha Publishers.
- ^ Ibn Saad/Bewley vol. 8 pp. 56-58. The story is told in five separate traditions.
- ^ Ibn Saad/Bewley vol. 8 p. 58.
- ^ Margoliouth, D. S. (1905). Mohammed and the Rise of Islam, p. 307. New York & London: G. P. Putnam's Sons.
- ^ Bukhari 6:60:201.
- ^ Siddiqi, M. Z. (2006). Hadith Literature: Its Origin, Development, Special Features and Criticism, p. 25. Kuala Lumpar: Islamic Book Trust.
- ^ Ibn Saad/Bewley vol. 8 p. 60.
- ^ Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Sayyari (2009). Kohlberg, Etan; Amir-Moezzi, Mohammad Ali (eds.). "Revelation and Falsification: The Kitab al-qira'at of Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Sayyari: Critical Edition with an Introduction and Notes by Etan Kohlberg and Mohammad Ali Amir-Moezzi". Texts and studies on the Qurʼān. 4. BRILL: 103. ISSN 1567-2808.
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