Ah-ul-Bayt, the beloved family of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) holds a special place in our hearts as well as Islamic history. The remarkable daughters of the Prophet (ﷺ), Zainab (RA), Ruqayyah (RA), Umm Kulthum (RA) and Fatimah (RA) were one of the earliest Muslims, who demonstrated incredible righteousness, resilience and compassion through the many hardships they faced.

In our ‘Daughters of the Prophet (ﷺ)’ series, we will explore the lives and legacies of these four women, who were strong, knowledgeable and greatly loved and cherished by their beloved father (ﷺ). Their lives are filled with profound lessons that are relevant to this day, guiding and inspiring us as we navigate our lives as Muslim women, hoping to personify some of their characteristics of faith and steadfastness.

The remarkable life of Umm Kulthum (RA)

Umm Kulthum bint RasulAllah (RA) was the third daughter of RasulAllah (ﷺ), close in age to Ruqayyah (RA). Together, they witnessed the moment that their household changed from that of a high-status, a respected noble home of Quraysh, to the vilified but ultimately honoured home of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). 

As young women, both Ruqayyah (RA) and Umm Kulthum (RA) were betrothed to the sons of Abu Lahab. When Abu Lahab and his wife spitefully ended the betrothals, intending it as a source of humiliation for them, Umm Kulthum (RA) remained with her family while her sister Ruqayyah (RA) married Uthman (RA). Umm Kulthum’s story is testament to the tarbiyah of the Prophet (ﷺ) and his beloved wife Khadijah (RA), as Umm Kulthum (RA) demonstrated unshakeable faith in Allah (SWT) and His message while undergoing painful trials and struggles. 

Exile and Hardship

While Ruqayyah (RA) and Uthman (RA) left for Abyssinia, Umm Kulthum (RA) was exiled to Shi’b Abi Talib alongside her parents, her sister Fatimah (RA), and the rest of their tribe. 

She’eb Abi Talib, was a subsection of one of the gorges that ran down to Makkah. The valley rested between Mount Abu Qubais to the south, and Mount Abyad to the north.

The Prophet (ﷺ), along with Abu Talib and clan members of Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib were forced to withdraw from Makkah and live there, facing devastating boycott and starvation from the Quraysh of Makkah for three years. 

There, Umm Kulthum (RA) experienced starvation whilst living in the barren valley and its frigid temperatures, and witnessed her own mother become weakened and ill. When Khadijah (RA) died, it was Umm Kulthum who became head of their shrunken, grief-stricken household, caring for her father (ﷺ) and sister Fatimah (RA) with all that she had. She remained faithfully at their side, accompanying them to Madinah, though she longed for her older sister Zaynab (RA) to join them.

Marriage

Some time after Ruqayyah (RA) passed away in Madinah, Umar (RA) approached Uthman (RA) and asked him if he wanted to marry Hafsah, his daughter. Uthman refused, and Umar became quite upset, as he respected Uthman (RA) and had hoped that he would marry Hafsah (RA). When Umar (RA) went to RasulAllah (ﷺ) to complain, RasulAllah (ﷺ) told him, “Hafsah will marry someone better than Uthman, and Uthman will marry someone better than Hafsah.” While this sounded confusing in the moment, the meaning of his words quickly became clear: RasulAllah (ﷺ) himself married Hafsah (RA), while Uthman (RA) married Umm Kulthum (RA). Uthman became known as “Dhun-Noorayn” (the one with two lights) due to having been married to two of RasulAllah’s (ﷺ) daughters.

RasulAllah (ﷺ) loved Uthman (RA) so much that he told him, “If I had ten daughters, I would have them all marry you, one after the other” (since no Muslim man can marry two sisters at the same time). Uthman (RA) played an influential role in the Islamic politics, such as the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, while Umm Kulthum (RA) supported him lovingly. Alas, 9 years after the hijrah of RasulAllah (ﷺ) to Madinah, Umm Kulthum (RA) passed away as well, and RasulAllah (ﷺ) found himself burying yet another one of his children.

Legacy of Faith

Although we don’t know too many details about the life of Umm Kulthum (RA), we do know that she wasn’t  merely silent observers in Islamic history – she was part and parcel of the earliest days of Islam, witnessing and experiencing the struggles of RasulAllah (ﷺ) much like her sisters. Most importantly, all of them chose Islam for themselves and willingly undertook their own hardships for the sake of Allah (SWT). Whether it was enduring Abu Lahab and Umm Jameel’s torment, or watching their mother die from starvation, or doing the difficult hijrah from Makkah to Madinah: Umm Kulthum (RA) was a testament to the quiet strength of the early believing women, of their unwavering faith in Allah (SWT), and their resolution to hold fast to Islam even in the midst of constant tragedy. In all of them, we have an example that will last until the end of time.

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References:

Women Around the Messenger by Muhammad Ali Qutb

The Firsts series by Yaqeen Institute

Builders of a Nation series by Dr. Sh. Haifaa Younis