Wet-nurses of Prophet Muhammad - I

Wet-nurses of Prophet Muhammad - I

After his mother Aaminah, who suckled the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) for the first seven days, many women suckled him:

Thuwaybah: She was a female slave of Abu Lahab, and the first woman to suckle him  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) after his mother. She also suckled his paternal uncle Hamzah bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib, may Allah be pleased with him, who thus became his brother through suckling. Abu Lahab manumitted her when the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) migrated to Madeenah. Some history books mention that Abu Lahab manumitted her when she gave him the glad news of the birth of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) and that after Abu Lahab’sdeath some of his family members saw him in a dream and asked him about his situation. He replied, “I am in the worst condition, except that punishment is reduced every Monday because I rejoiced upon hearing the news of the birth of Muhammad and set Thuwaybah free when she informed me.”
Based on this story, some deviant people justify the celebration of the birthday of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) which can by no means be justified. The narration to which they refer is, Umm Habeebah, daughter of Abu Sufyaan, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated, “I said, 'O Apostle of Allah! Marry my sister, the daughter of Abu Sufyaan.' The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said: 'Would you like that this happens?' I replied: `Yes, for even now I am not your only wife and I like that my sister should share the good with me.` The Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said: 'But that is not lawful for me.' I said: `We have heard that you want to marry the daughter of Abu Salamah.’ He  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said: '(You mean) the daughter of Umm Salamah?' I said, ‘Yes.’ He  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) said: 'Even if she were not my step-daughter, she would be unlawful for me to marry, as she is my foster niece. Abu Salamah and I were suckled by Thuwaybah. So you should not present to me your daughters or your sisters (in marriage).'
'Urwah(one of the people in the chain of narrators) said, “Thuwaybah was the freed slave girl of Abu Lahab whom he had manumitted, and then she suckled the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ). When Abu Lahab died, one of his relatives saw him in a dream in a very bad state and asked him, `What have you encountered?` Abu Lahab said, `I have not found any rest since I left you, except that I have been given water to drink in this (the space between his thumb and other fingers) and that is because of my manumitting Thuwaybah.'" [Al-Bukhari]
Scholars of the science of Hadeeth (Prophetic narrations) have stated that there is no mention of the day of Monday or the birth of the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) in the narration or that Abu Lahab manumitted Thuwaybah because she conveyed the good news to him. Moreover, the story of the dream was proven to be inauthentic; and even if it was factual, it remains a mere dream upon which one is not permitted to base any judgment or ruling.
After the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) married Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid, may Allah be pleased with her, Thuwaybah used to visit him, and Khadeejah, may Allah be pleased with her, would honor her and be very hospitable towards her.Moreover, he  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) would send her gifts from Madeenah after the migration, until she died in the year 7 AH. Her son Masroohdied before her and he was the son whom she was suckling at the same time as the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ).
A woman from the tribe of Banu Sa’d: This was a woman other than Haleemah, and she was the same woman who suckled him along with his uncle Hamzah, may Allah be pleased with him.
Khawlah bint Al-Munthir bin An-Najjaar: Her full name was Khawlah bint Al-Munthir bin Zayd bin Lubayd bin Khidaash bin ‘Aamir bin ‘Adiyy bin An-Najjaar, Umm Bardah from the Ansaar (the Helpers).
Umm Ayman: What is widely believed is that she was known to be his nursemaid and not someone who suckled the Prophet  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ).
Three women from Banu Sulaym: Imaam Abu ‘Aamir  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him said that he  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allah exalt his mention ) was taken to three women from the tribe of Banu Sulaym and they all suckled him. Whenever his mouth was put on any of their breasts, they became filled with milk and he nursed from each of them.
Umm Farwah: Imaam Al-Mustaghfiri  may  Allah  have  mercy  upon  him mentioned her as one of his suckling mothers.

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