The African Mother of the Prophet ﷺ: Barakah bint Tha’labah (رضي الله عنها)

Photo by Mari Potter on Unsplash

 “…this is the one religion that erases from its society the race problem.” - Malcolm X

“I believe that Islam and the Holy Quran offer all men and women the opportunity to understand how to live a decent, disciplined and meaningful life." - Sister Souljah

“I try not to live my life…in reaction to racism.” - Sister Souljah 

“The very serious function of racism is distraction. It keeps you from doing your work. It keeps you explaining, over and over again, your reason for being. Somebody says you have no language and you spend twenty years proving that you do.

Somebody says your head isn’t shaped properly so you have scientists working on the fact that it is. Somebody says you have no art, so you dredge that up. Somebody says you have no kingdoms, so you dredge that up. None of this is necessary. There will always be one more thing.” - Tony Morrison

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It is Allah who shows us how to honor people, not by the color of their skin or status or place of birth but by their character and goodness. Those whom Allah attached to the Messenger ﷺ are the ones who receive nobility in character and deed. Thus we remember and venerate Barakah bint Tha'labah (رضي الله عنها), who was also known as Umm Ayman.

She was an enslaved Abyssinian when she was taken captive from the army of Abrahah and became the servant of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abdul Muttalib, the father of the blessed Prophet ﷺ. She thereafter became part of the Prophet’s ﷺ inheritance, serving his blessed mother Aminah  (رضي الله عنها). After her demise, she took on the role of the Prophet's ﷺ mother on Lady Aminah's behalf.

'O Barakah, I shall depart from this world shortly. I commend my son Muhammad for your care. He lost his father while he was in my abdomen. Here he is now, losing his mother under his very eyes. Be a mother to him, Barakah. And don't ever leave him’.

She buried Lady Aminah (رضي الله عنها) at Abwa, between Madina and Mecca, and stayed with the Prophet ﷺ at his grandfather’s home. Abdul Muttalib would commend her to protect him ﷺ.

'O Barakah, do not neglect my son, for I found him with young men near Sidra, and the People of the Book claim that this my son, is the prophet of this ummah’.

She was freed when Rasul-Allah ﷺ married Sayyida Khadijah (رضي الله عنها) and was one of the first to accept Islam.  She delivered secret messages to the Prophet ﷺ at the House of Al-Arqam, at great risk to her life. Acknowledging her bravery, he ﷺ smiled and said:

“You are blessed, Umm Ayman. Surely you have a place in paradise.”

She first married ‘Ubaid ibn Zaid al Khazraji (رضي الله عنه)‎ and had their son Ayman (رضي الله عنه)‎, and so she became known as Umm Ayman. Ayman (رضي الله عنه)‎ was martyred in the Battle of Hunayn.  ‘Ubaid ibn Zaid al Khazraji (رضي الله عنه)‎ was martyred in the Battle of Mutah.

After she was widowed, the Prophet ﷺ later arranged for Barakah to marry his adopted son, Zayd ibn Harithah (رضي الله عنه)‎. There was a twenty-five year age gap between them; she was close to fifty years old and past the bloom of her youth. But the Prophet ﷺ said:

“If ever someone wanted to marry a woman of paradise, it is Umm Ayman.”

In response, Zayd ibn Harithah, stood and said, "Messenger of Allah, I shall marry Umm Ayman. By Allah, she is better than women who have grace and beauty." From this marriage, Barakah bore a son named Usamah bin Zayd (رضي الله عنه)‎, who grew up to lead a Muslim expedition into the Byzantine Empire.

Barakah made Hijrah to Abyssinia and Medina. Despite being of an older age, Barakah fearlessly completed the harsh journey alone, fasting and without provision, and was given water from Jennah to sustain her. Upon reaching Medina, the Prophet ﷺ turned to the fatigued Barakah and exclaimed:

 "Ya Umm Ayman! Ya Ummi! (O Umm Ayman! O my mother!) Indeed for you is a place in Paradise!"

Barakah was known for her fierce bravery. When the Quraysh plotted against the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, she risked her life to gather information about their plans. She also accompanied the Prophet ﷺ in various battles, such as the Battle of Uhud and the Battle of Khaybar. At the Battle of Uhud, she fetched water for the Muslim soldiers and helped treat the wounded.

When the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was rumored to have died during the Battle of Uhud, many of the Muslims ran away from the battlefield while Barakah stood her ground. She threw dust on the runaway soldiers, offered them a spindle, and said, “Give me your sword and you spin the spindle.” She approached the battlefield with some other Muslim women, intending to fight, and was injured by Hebban bin Araqa's arrow.

At every moment of grief, she was there for the Prophet ﷺ. Companions came to her when they wanted to speak with the Prophet ﷺ, as only she could speak to him in the way a mother could. She related many ahadith. 

Barakah was about 70 years old by the time of the death of her husband, and was often visited by the Prophet ﷺ. When he ﷺ asked if she was well, Barakah would reply: 

I am well, O Messenger of God, so long as Islam is well.

Sayidina Abu Bakr and Sayidina Umar (رضي اللہ عنھم) came to her for comfort after the Prophet ﷺ passed from this world.

After the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had died, Abu Bakr said to ‘Umar: ‘Let us go and visit Umm Ayman as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to visit her.’ He said, ‘When we reached her she wept.’ They said, ‘Why are you weeping? What is with Allah is better for His Messenger.’ She said, ‘I know that what is with Allah is better for His Messenger, but I am weeping because the Revelation from heaven has ceased.’ She moved them to tears and they started to weep with her.

Barakah’s grief over the death of the Prophet ﷺ was compounded by the loss of Revelation. The precious link that the first Muslim community had to the Divine had been severed. She understood that the beloved Prophet ﷺ could have no better place than with Allah ﷻ, but her recognition of the implications of his death for the Muslim community awed Companions even as pious as Abu Bakr and Umar (رضي اللہ عنھم).

She passed away five months after the Prophet ﷺ. She was cast into irrevocable wilayah due to her love for the Prophet ﷺ and due to his ﷺ love for her. Wilayah is the sainthood of the great friends of Allah (awliya). It is a Divine gift and the height of human perfection. The distinguishing mark and basis of sainthood is gnosis, not holiness or piety. The friend upon whom sainthood is bestowed has no choice in this.