Moment 1 of 1
The two waistbands
Makkah, during the three nights the Prophet ﷺ and Abu Bakr were hidden in the cave of Thawr.
Makkah and the cave of Thawr1 AH around 622 CE1 min read
The Hijrah was not a single dramatic departure. It was three nights of hiding in a cave outside Makkah while search parties looked for them, and somebody had to keep them fed.
That somebody was Asma. She prepared provisions and carried them out of the city to the cave.
When she came to tie the food and the waterskin, she had nothing to fasten them with. So she took the waistband she was wearing, tore it in two, and used one half for the provisions and the other for herself.
That is where the name Dhat an-Nitaqayn comes from — she of the two waistbands. It is a small, practical detail, and it became the title she is known by for the rest of history.
It is worth remembering what the risk actually was. Makkah was searching for these two men, and had put a price on finding them. A young woman carrying food out of the city to where they were hiding was not doing something safe.
In this moment: Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr
Quick recall
How did Asma get the title Dhat an-Nitaqayn?
Sources & review
Draft content — undergoing reviewThis content was written for SahabaMate and has not yet been checked by a reviewer against the works below. Treat it as a starting point, not a citation.
Sahih al-Bukhariصحيح البخاري
Hadith collection · Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari
As-Sirah an-Nabawiyyahالسيرة النبوية
Classical biography · Ibn Hisham, from the recension of Ibn Ishaq
Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabirالطبقات الكبرى
Classical biography · Ibn Sa'd
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