Dr. Ḥassan Suleimān

Department of Fiqh & Usūl al-Fiqh, Faculty of Abdulhamid Abū Sulayman Kulliyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), P.O.BOX 10, 50728, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. e-mail: Abuxzubair@iium.edu.my

Some people may be doubting their perceptions of Ṣafiyyah bint Ḥuyay bin Akhṭab; may Allāh be pleased with her. In the conflict with Prophet Muḥammad’s army, she lost her father, brother, and husband. However, she eventually married Muḥammad SAW, who had directed his forces to wage war against her family and her people. Some historical information can be the answer to this query and dispel the misconceptions of people who disagree with Islamic law regarding Ṣafiyyah’s (RA) captivity. So, who is Ṣafiyyah bint Ḥuyay bin Akhṭab in reality?

She is Ṣafiyyah bint Ḥuyay bin Akhṭab bin Sa’nah, Ummu al- Mu’minīn. Her father is Lāwi bin Ya’aqūb bin Ishāq bin Ibrāhim, the chief of the Banī Nadhir tribe. Additionally, she is descended from Prophet Hārun bin Imrān, Prophet Musá ‘s brother; may Allāh be pleased with them all. However, why is she known as “Ṣafiyyah “? Because she was a chosen and pure individual in the eyes of the Prophet SAW at the battle of Khaybar, she was given the name “Ṣafiyyah ” even though her original name was “Ḥabībah”. Despite being captured or taken prisoner, Ṣafiyyah was nevertheless moved by the way Islam treated its prisoners, and eventually, she converted. How lovely that she converted to Islam and became the Messenger of Allāh Muḥammad  SAW’s wife as well as the mother of the believers “Ummu al- Mu’minīn “, as Allāh SWT declared in the Glorious Qurān: “And the wives of Muḥammad  SAW are like mothers to the believers.” (Al- Ahzāb: 6)

The fact that Ṣafiyyah bint Ḥuyay is a descendant of the Prophet, her uncle is a prophet, and her husband is a prophet gives her a special relationship with the Prophet SAW that the other spouses of the Prophet SAW do not have. According to Anas, who reported it in Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Ḥafṣah addressed Ṣafiyyah  as a “Jewish child!” When Ṣafiyyah started crying, the Prophet abruptly burst into the house and noticed her. He asked, “Why are you crying?” She responded to the Prophet’s question, “Ḥafṣah said I am a Jewish child”. The Prophet then convinced her by saying: “You are from the descendants of the prophets, your uncle is a prophet, and you are also the wife of a prophet, is that not correct? After that, he addressed Ḥafṣah, saying, “O Ḥafṣah, fear Allāh.” According to this ḥadīth, Ṣafiyyah is a descendant of Prophet Hārun bin Imrān, and Prophet Musá bin Imrān is her uncle. 

She is also the wife of the best of humankind, the Prophet SAW’s wife. Ṣafiyyah and the Prophet never engaged in sexual activity before her conversion to Islam. She was freed and married to Him. Thus, it demonstrates unequivocally that the Prophet did not bed her while she was still a Jew and a slave. The Prophet SAW made her freedom from captivity a dowry for her when he married her and held a walīmah in conjunction with their weddings.  

It was narrated in the book Tabaqāt al Kubra that the Prophet SAW told Ṣafiyyah when she met him: “Your father used to be someone who hated me the most among the Jews until Allāh took his life”. Ṣafiyyah retorted: “O Messenger of Allāh, indeed, Allāh says in the Qurān, “Everyone will not bear the sins of others, he will only bear his sins”, then He said, “You choose, if you choose Islam, then I will marry you, and if you choose Jews, then I will free you, and then you can return to your people”. She retorted: “O Messenger of Allāh, I love Islam, and I already believed in you before you invited me, because I have followed your voyage, I no longer need Jews, and I also no longer have a Jewish parent or brother. But you still give me a choice for me to choose between Jews or Islam? Indeed, I love Allāh and His Messenger more than self-sufficiency or going back to my people’s side, and The Prophet answered, “So let me make you my wife”.

According to Anas ibn Mālik in Ṣaḥiḥ al Bukhārī, after Allāh granted His Messenger victory to open the fort, the Prophet Muḥammad  SAW was informed about the beauty of Ṣafiyyah bint Ḥuyay bin Akhṭab  (whose husband was killed shortly after they had been married). When we arrived at a location called Sidd-as-Sahba, Ṣafiyyah was clean from her period, so the Prophet SAW married her there after deciding to take her as his wife and set out with him. After that, an Arabic delicacy called hays is cooked on a little leather pad. Then the Prophet SAW said to me, “You may invite the people around you.” It then resembled the wedding feast of the Prophet SAW and Ṣafiyyah. The Prophet SAW was constructing a kind of pillow with his robe while riding a camel as we resumed our journey towards Madinah. He then sat down next to his camel and lowered his knees for Ṣafiyyah to put her feet up and climb the camel.

The Prophet SAW also once revealed to Ṣafiyyah what had transpired between him and her father; he frequently discussed it and again apologized to Ṣafiyyah for what had occurred till she lost all resentment for him. Therefore, contrary to what some have stated, Ṣafiyyah did not live with the Prophet SAW in circumstances where she did not want to or had to. They have lived together since Ṣafiyyah embraced Islam after they were married. Since Ṣafiyyah’s internal animosity vanished, therefore, Allāh SWT awarded her with the honor of being a mother to the believers (Ummu al- Mu’minīn).

Ṣafiyyah  reportedly remarked, “Actually, I used to hate the Messenger of Allāh, SAW, because he had killed my husband, my father, my brother, but he always apologized to me.” This statement was recounted in Ṣaḥiḥ  Ibnu Ḥibbān. He said to me: “Your husband was the one who always invited many Arabs to hate me and fight me, and he used to do that until I no longer felt hatred for the Messenger of Allāh (because he always apologized for it).” Ṣafiyyah also had a dream that she would marry the Prophet SAW, as interpreted by her ex-husband when he was still alive. The following ḥadīth, recounted by Abdullāh bin Umar RA, provides clear evidence for this claim: The Messenger of Allāh SAW noticed a bruise on Ṣafiyyah ‘s face and said, “O Ṣafiyyah, why is there a bruise on your face? Ṣafiyyah replied: “This is a bruise from when I was still with my ex-husband; I was sleeping on his lap at the time and dreamt of something. My lap appeared to be covered in moonlight to me. As soon as I opened my eyes, I told him about it. Do you want to marry Muḥammad? He asked as he suddenly smacked me.” Nevertheless, her ex-husband’s translation of her dream became true since she ended up marrying the Prophet SAW.  

What is the true reason for the Prophet SAW marrying Ṣafiyyah? This question is a crucial question that we must consider. Is it only because of her beauty? Obviously not! In fact, Ṣafiyyah’s leanage and high status were the main reasons the Prophet SAW wanted to marry her. Ṣafiyyah, too, lost her family and community, so the Prophet wed her to better make up for the loss. In addition, the Prophet’s marriage with Ṣafiyyah established a mixed marriage bond between him and the Jews, which was intended to lessen their animosity or hatred for Islam.

Additionally, the marriage served as the cornerstone for their acceptance of the Prophet SAW’s Islamic message. Ṣafiyyah, on the other hand, was already aware of the Prophet SAW’s noble intent and was able to detect its manifestations in her home. As a result, it is certain to assume that she was able to discern between the darkness of perverted Judaism and the light of Islam. She was so deeply moved by the Prophet SAW’s character and able to experience the serenity of faith that she loved Allāh SWT more than she loved her father, her husband, her family, and the entire humankind in this world.

 Ṣafiyyah herself was able to sense the Prophet SAW’s emotions when he was unwell. Because of her intense love for her spouse, she hoped she could be the one to get sick instead of him. Ibnu Ḥajar reported in his book ‘al-Iṣabah’. Likewise, Ibnu Sa’id reported in Tabaqāt al-Kubrá, that Zayd bin Aslam had said: When the wives of the Prophet SAW were gathered when he was in his sick-bed condition, Ṣafiyyah bint Ḥuyay said, “For Allāh’s sake! O Messenger of Allāh, let me stand in your place; I would rather experience this suffering than witness you ill.” The Prophet’s wives did not appear to trust her after hearing her speak, but the Prophet SAW remarked: “Truly, Ṣafiyyah  means what she says.” Therefore, this unquestionably demonstrates her true and abiding love for the Prophet SAW.

May Allāh be pleased with Ṣafiyyah bint Ḥuyay. Women today should look up to her and follow in her footsteps rather than emulate actresses, singers, or superstars. Even her good character made the other wives of the Prophet envious of her, to the point where Zaynab bint Jahsh said, “She is the most beautiful and good character among all of us.” Ṣafiyyah was an ideal noblewoman who was clever, descended from nobles, and attractive. It is for these qualities that other wives of the Prophets appear eager to compete with Ṣafiyyah.

Numerous incidents from Ṣafiyyah’s life are depicted in historical archives, demonstrating her loving and learned nature. One of these occurred when a slave girl approached ‘Umar bin al-Khattāb and declared, “Sure Ṣafiyyah  likes Saturday (like the Jews) and frequently forms relationships with the Jews.” Then ‘Umar questioned Ṣafiyyah  directly about the situation, to which she responded, “Actually, I do not like Saturday anymore since Allāh replaced it for me with Friday, and I developed a relationship with Jews because I am actually Jewish.” After the slave female spoke negatively about Ṣafiyyah, she was asked by Ṣafiyyah, “Why do you talk like that about me, as if you want to defame my name?” The servant responded: “The devil made me speak like that”, Ṣafiyyah told her: “Go, you are now free”.

Ṣafiyyah is also someone who constantly counsels, leads, and reminds the companions of the Prophet SAW. For instance, we may observe when some companions chant and recite verses from the Qurān in her room’s vicinity, but when they come to a verse with the symbol for prostration, they all fall to the ground. When they were not crying, Ṣafiyyah, who was behind the curtain, asked them, “You have prostrated and read the Qurān, but why are you not crying?” Ṣafiyyah may be referring to the verse.

﴿إِنَّمَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ اللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ آيَاتُهُ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَعَلَى رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ* الَّذِينَ يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنْفِقُونَ* أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ حَقًّا لَهُمْ دَرَجَاتٌ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ وَرِزْقٌ كَرِيمٌ﴾

“The believers are only those who, when Allāh is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts and when His verses (al- Qurān) are recited unto them, they (i.e. the Verses) increase their faith; and they put their trust in their Lord alone.” And when His verses are read to them, it makes them increase in faith, and to their Lord, they surrender. They are those who establish prayer and who donate part of what we have bestowed upon them. “Those who observe the Prayers (Iqāmat al-Salāt), and from our provisions to them, they give to charity.” “It is they who are the true believers. They attain high ranks at their Lord, as well as forgiveness and a generous provision.”  (Al- Anfāl: 2-4)

Finally, Ṣafiyyah also lived in the same period as the Khulafa’ ar-Rasyidin and Mu’āwuyah. Before she passed away, she left about a thousand dinars to Āisyah bint Abū Bakar as-Wasiyyah. When she passed away in the 50th year of the Hijrah, she was buried in the Baqi cemetery.

Reference

1. Abū Isa Muḥammad  bin Isa at-Tirmidzi, al-Jāmi’ as-Ṣaḥiḥ  Sunan at-Tirmidzi, (Beirut: Dār al-Gharb al-Islami, 1998).

2. Muḥammad  bin Saad bin Muni’ Abū Abdillāh al-Basri, at-Tabaqāt al-Kubra, (Beirut: Dār Sadir, 1968).

3. Ibnu Kathir, Abū al-Fida’, Ismail bin Umar, al-Bidāyah wa an-Nihāyah, (Giza: Dar Hijr, cet 1, 1997).

4. Al-Bukhāri, Muḥammad  bin Ismail bin Ibrāhim, al-Adab al-Mufrad, (Beirut: Dar al-Basyair al-Islāmiyah, cet 3, 1989).

5. Ibnu Hibbān, Muḥammad  bin Hibbān bin Ahmad, Ṣaḥiḥ  Ibn Hibbān, (Beirut: Muassasah ar-Risālah, cet 2, 1993).

6. Ibnu Hajar, Ahmad bin Ali, Abū al-Fadhl al-Asqalani, Fathul Bāri, (Beirut: Dar al-Ma’rifah, cet 2).

7. Ibnu Hajar, Ahmad bin Ali, Abū al-Fadhl al-Asqalāni, al-Isābah fi Tamyiz as-Sahābah, (Kaherah: Dar al-Jiil, 1992).

8. An-Nawawi, Muhyiddin Abū Zakariyya, Yahya bin Syaraf, Syarh Muslim bi Syarh an-Nawawi, (Beirut: Dar al-Kitāb al-‘Arabi, 1987).