أُمُّ سُلَيْم
رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا
Umm Sulaym
Ansariyyah · Mother of Anas · Her dower was Islam
may Allah be pleased with her
Khazraj — Banu an-Najjar, of Madinah · Madinah, from before the Hijrah
An Ansari woman of Madinah who accepted Islam early, made her husband's acceptance of it the condition of her marriage, and gave her son Anas into the Prophet's ﷺ service. She is remembered for a composure that the sources plainly found remarkable.
Known for
Her dower was that her husband accept Islam
Asked for in marriage by Abu Talhah while he was still an idolater, she told him she would take his acceptance of Islam and ask for nothing else.
She brought her son Anas to serve the Prophet ﷺ
She told her husband of their son's death only after the evening had passed
The report is in both Sahih collections. She kept the household as it was until the morning, and then put the news to him as a question about something borrowed and returned.
She went out with the army
The reports place her among the women who carried water and tended the wounded, and at Hunayn with a dagger.
Her story in moments
Short episodes from her life, in order. Read one at a time.
Life & legacy
Madinah
Umm Sulaym was of Banu an-Najjar in Madinah and among the first of the Ansar to accept Islam, before the Hijrah.
Her first husband did not accept it, and the marriage ended. When Abu Talhah — then still an idolater and by every account a considerable match — asked for her, she told him that a man in his position was not someone a Muslim woman could marry, and that if he accepted Islam that would be her dower and she would ask for nothing more.
When the Prophet ﷺ arrived in Madinah she brought her son Anas, then a boy, and offered his service. He stayed about ten years.
Later
She went out with the army on more than one occasion, carrying water and tending the wounded, and the reports of Hunayn have her carrying a dagger.
She narrated, and much of what is known about her comes through her son Anas, who is one of the largest transmitters among the Companions.
The sources do not settle the year of her death.
How the sources describe her
She did not let grief arrive at a bad moment
She knew what she wanted and named her price
Connect
People around her
Family
Her son, whom she brought to serve the Prophet ﷺ and who narrated most of what is known about her.
Alongside
- The Prophet Muhammad ﷺCompanion
She offered her son into his service on his arrival in Madinah.
Full timeline
- Shortly before the Hijrah
Accepts Islam in Madinah before the Hijrah
- Around the time of the Hijrah
Marries Abu Talhah, taking his acceptance of Islam as her dower
- 1 AH approximate
Brings her son Anas to serve the Prophet ﷺ
- The Madinan years
Their son dies, and she waits until morning to tell his father
Part of
Sources & review
In reviewBased on the listed sources. See something to correct? Tell us.
Sahih al-Bukhariصحيح البخاري
Hadith collection · Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari
Sahih Muslimصحيح مسلم
Hadith collection · Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj
Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabirالطبقات الكبرى
Classical biography · Ibn Sa'd
Al-Isabah fi Tamyiz as-Sahabahالإصابة في تمييز الصحابة
Classical biography · Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani
Siyar A'lam an-Nubalaسير أعلام النبلاء
Classical biography · Shams ad-Din adh-Dhahabi
SahabaMate editorial summary
Editorial summary
References follow the citation detail available in the source material.
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