By Dr Hassan Suleiman
SOME people may be doubting their perceptions of Safiyyah bint Huyay bin Akhṭab; may Allah be pleased with her. In the conflict with Prophet Muhammad’s army, she lost her father, brother, and husband. However, she eventually married Muhammad 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 Safiyyah’s (RA) captivity. So, who is Safiyyah bint Huyay bin Akhṭab in reality?
She is Safiyyah bint Huyay bin Akhṭab bin Sa’nah, Ummu al- Mu’minīn. Her father is Lawi bin Ya’aqub bin Ishāq bin Ibrahim, the chief of the Bani Nadhir tribe. Additionally, she is descended from Prophet Harun bin Imran, Prophet Musá ‘s brother; may Allah be pleased with them all.
However, why is she known as “Safiyyah “? 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 “Safiyyah ” even though her original name was “Habibah”.
Despite being captured or taken prisoner, Safiyyah 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 Allah Muhammad SAW’s wife as well as the mother of the believers “Ummu al- Mu’minin “, as Allah SWT declared in the Glorious Quran: “And the wives of Muhammad SAW are like mothers to the believers.” (Al- Ahzāb: 6)
The fact that Safiyyah bint Huyay 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, Hafsah addressed Safiyyah as a “Jewish child!” When Safiyyah 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, “Hafsah 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 Hafṣah, saying, “O Hafsah, fear Allah.”
According to this hadith, Safiyyah is a descendant of Prophet Harun bin Imran, and Prophet Musa bin Imran is her uncle.
She is also the wife of the best of humankind, the Prophet SAW’s wife. Safiyyah 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 Tabaqat al Kubra that the Prophet SAW told Safiyyah when she met him: “Your father used to be someone who hated me the most among the Jews until Allah took his life”. Safiyyah retorted: “O Messenger of Allah, indeed, Allah says in the Quran, “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 Allah, 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 Allah 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 Malik in Sahih al Bukhari, after Allah granted His Messenger victory to open the fort, the Prophet Muhammad SAW was informed about the beauty of Safiyyah bint Huyay bin Akhtab (whose husband was killed shortly after they had been married).
When we arrived at a location called Sidd-as-Sahba, Safiyyah 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 Safiyyah. 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 Safiyyah to put her feet up and climb the camel.
The Prophet SAW also once revealed to Safiyyah what had transpired between him and her father; he frequently discussed it and again apologized to Safiyyah for what had occurred till she lost all resentment for him. Therefore, contrary to what some have stated, Safiyyah did not live with the Prophet SAW in circumstances where she did not want to or had to.
They have lived together since Safiyyah embraced Islam after they were married. Since Safiyyah’s internal animosity vanished, therefore, Allah SWT awarded her with the honor of being a mother to the believers (Ummu al- Mu’minin).
Safiyyah reportedly remarked, “Actually, I used to hate the Messenger of Allah, SAW, because he had killed my husband, my father, my brother, but he always apologized to me.” This statement was recounted in Sahih Ibnu Hibban.
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 Allah (because he always apologized for it).” Safiyyah also had a dream that she would marry the Prophet SAW, as interpreted by her ex-husband when he was still alive.
The following ḥadith, recounted by Abdullah bin Umar RA, provides clear evidence for this claim:
The Messenger of Allah SAW noticed a bruise on Safiyyah ‘s face and said, “O Safiyyah, why is there a bruise on your face? Safiyyah 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 Muhammad? 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 Safiyyah? This question is a crucial question that we must consider. Is it only because of her beauty? Obviously not! In fact, Safiyyah’s leanage and high status were the main reasons the Prophet SAW wanted to marry her. Safiyyah, 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 Safiyyah 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. Safiyyah, 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 Allah SWT more than she loved her father, her husband, her family, and the entire humankind in this world.
Safiyyah 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-Kubra, that Zayd bin Aslam had said:
When the wives of the Prophet SAW were gathered when he was in his sick-bed condition, Safiyyah bint Huyay said, “For Allah’s sake! O Messenger of Allah, 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, Safiyyah means what she says.” Therefore, this unquestionably demonstrates her true and abiding love for the Prophet SAW.
May Allah be pleased with Safiyyah bint Huyay. 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.”
Safiyyah 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 Safiyyah.
Numerous incidents from Safiyyah’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-Khattab and declared, “Sure Safiyyah likes Saturday (like the Jews) and frequently forms relationships with the Jews.”
Then ‘Umar questioned Safiyyah directly about the situation, to which she responded, “Actually, I do not like Saturday anymore since Allah 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 Safiyyah, she was asked by Safiyyah, “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”, Safiyyah told her: “Go, you are now free”.
Safiyyah 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 Quran 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, Safiyyah, who was behind the curtain, asked them, “You have prostrated and read the Quran, but why are you not crying?” Safiyyah 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 Allah is mentioned, feel a fear in their hearts and when His verses (al- Quran) 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 (Iqamat al-Salat), 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- Anfal: 2-4)
Finally, Safiyyah also lived in the same period as the Khulafa’ ar-Rasyidin and Mu’awuyah. Before she passed away, she left about a thousand dinars to Aisyah bint Abu Bakar as-Wasiyyah. When she passed away in the 50th year of the Hijrah, she was buried in the Baqi cemetery.
Department of Fiqh & Usul al-Fiqh, Faculty of Abdulhamid Abu 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
Reference
- Abu Isa Muhammad bin Isa at-Tirmidzi, al-Jami’ as-Sahih Sunan at-Tirmidzi, (Beirut: Dar al-Gharb al-Islami, 1998).
- Muhammad bin Saad bin Muni’ Abu Abdillah al-Basri, at-Tabaqat al-Kubra, (Beirut: Dar Sadir, 1968).
- Ibnu Kathir, Abu al-Fida’, Ismail bin Umar, al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah, (Giza: Dar Hijr, cet 1, 1997).
- Al-Bukhari, Muhammad bin Ismail bin Ibrahim, al-Adab al-Mufrad, (Beirut: Dar al-Basyair al-Islamiyah, cet 3, 1989).
- Ibnu Hibban, Muhammad bin Hibban bin Ahmad, Sahih Ibn Hibban, (Beirut: Muassasah ar-Risalah, cet 2, 1993).
- Ibnu Hajar, Ahmad bin Ali, Abu al-Fadhl al-Asqalani, Fathul Bari, (Beirut: Dar al-Ma’rifah, cet 2).
- Ibnu Hajar, Ahmad bin Ali, Abu al-Fadhl al-Asqalani, al-Isabah fi Tamyiz as-Sahabah, (Kaherah: Dar al-Jiil, 1992).
- An-Nawawi, Muhyiddin Abu Zakariyya, Yahya bin Syaraf, Syarh Muslim bi Syarh an-Nawawi, (Beirut: Dar al-Kitab al-‘Arabi, 1987).
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