Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (2/222)

Siyar Aʿlām al-NubalāʾShams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi

It was also said that when Abū Sufyān came to the Prophet ﷺ to reaffirm the truce, he visited his daughter Umm Ḥabībah, but she would not allow him to sit on the Messenger of Allah’s ﷺ bedding because of its association with idolatry. (1)

As for the report that Abū Sufyān asked the Prophet ﷺ to marry him to Umm Ḥabībah, it is not sound.

Nevertheless, the ḥadīth is found in Muslim (2), and the commentators have taken it to mean that he was seeking a renewal of the marriage contract.

Others say that he actually requested the hand of another of his daughters, whose name was ʿAzza, and that the transmitter of the ḥadīth confused her with Umm Ḥabībah. (3)

Umm Ḥabībah enjoyed great honor and distinction, especially during the rule of her brother, because of his close relationship to her. People would say to him, “You are the maternal uncle of the believers.”

Al-Wāqidī, Abū ʿUbayd, and al-Fasawī stated that Umm Ḥabībah died in the year 44 AH, while al-Mufaḍḍal al-Ghallābī placed her death in 42 AH. Aḥmad ibn Zuhayr offered a lone opinion, claiming that she passed away one year before Muʿāwiyah.

Al-Wāqidī reported: ʿAbd Allah ibn Jaʿfar told us, from ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ibn Abī ʿAwn, who said: When Abū Sufyān learned that the Prophet ﷺ had married his daughter, he exclaimed, “That stallion—no one dares strike his nose!” (4)

(1) Recorded by Ibn Saʿd, al-Tabaqat al-kubra, vol. 8, pp. 99–100, through the chain al-Waqidi → Muhammad b. Abd Allah → al-Zuhri. (2) Hadith no. 2501 in Fadaʾil al-Sahaba, chapter “The merits of Abu Sufyan b. Harb.” Several leading scholars judged its isnad defective. Ibn al-Qayyim discussed it in Jalaʾ al-Afham, pp. 185 and 195, and concluded: “The correct view is that the hadith is not preserved; it has been confused. Allah knows best.” (3) This view is refuted by the Prophet’s answer “Yes,” which shows he granted the request; had the request been that he marry her sister, he would have replied, “She is not lawful to me,” as he said to Umm Habiba. The name ʿAzza was missing in the base manuscript and has been supplied from Jalaʾ al-Afham. (4) Reported by Ibn Saʿd, 8/99, and by al-Hakim, 4/22. The expression “That stallion whose nose is not struck” means: he is a noble and suitable match who is not to be refused.

وَقِيْلَ: إِنَّ أُمَّ حَبِيْبَةَ لَمَّا جَاءَ أَبُوْهَا إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ لِيُؤَكِّدَ عَقْدَ الهُدْنَةِ، دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا، فَمَنَعَتْهُ أَنْ يَجلِسَ عَلَى فِرَاشِ رَسُوْلِ اللهِ ﷺ لِمَكَانِ الشِّرْكِ (١) . وَأَمَّا مَا وَرَدَ مِنْ طَلَبِ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ مِنَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنْ يُزَوِّجَهُ بِأُمِّ حَبِيْبَةَ، فَمَا صَحَّ. وَلَكِنَّ الحَدِيْثَ فِي مُسْلِمٍ (٢) ، وَحَمَلَهُ الشَّارِحُوْنَ عَلَى الْتِمَاسِ تَجْدِيْدِ العَقْدِ. وَقِيْلَ: بَلْ طَلَبَ مِنْهُ أَنْ يُزَوِّجَهُ بِابْنَتِهِ الأُخْرَى، وَاسْمُهَا عَزَّةُ، فَوَهِمَ رَاوِي الحَدِيْثِ، وَقَالَ أُمَّ حَبِيْبَةَ (٣) . وَقَدْ كَانَ لأُمِّ حَبِيْبَةَ حُرْمَةٌ وَجَلاَلَةٌ، وَلاَ سِيَّمَا فِي دَوْلَةِ أَخِيْهَا؛ وَلِمَكَانِهِ مِنْهَا. قِيْلَ لَهُ: خَالُ المُؤْمِنِيْنَ. قَالَ الوَاقِدِيُّ، وَأَبُو عُبَيْدٍ، وَالفَسَوِيُّ: مَاتَتْ أُمُّ حَبِيْبَةَ سَنَةَ أَرْبَعٍ وَأَرْبَعِيْنَ. وَقَالَ المُفَضَّلُ الغَلاَبِيُّ: سَنَةَ اثْنَتَيْنِ وَأَرْبَعِيْنَ. وَشَذَّ أَحْمَدُ بنُ زُهَيْرٍ، فَقَالَ: تُوُفِّيَتْ قَبْلَ مُعَاوِيَةَ بِسَنَةٍ. الوَاقِدِيُّ: أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ بنُ جَعْفَرٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الوَاحِدِ بنِ أَبِي عَوْنٍ، قَالَ: لَمَّا بَلَغَ أَبَا سُفْيَانَ نِكَاحُ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ ابْنَتَهُ، قَالَ: ذَاكَ الفَحْلُ لاَ يُقْرَعُ أَنْفُهُ (٤) .

(١) أخرجه ابن سعد ٨ / ٩٩، ١٠٠ من طريق الواقدي، عن محمد بن عبد الله، عن الزهري. (٢) رقم (٢٥٠١) في فضائل الصحابة: باب من فضائل أبي سفيان بن حرب، وقد أعله غير واحد من الأئمة، وفصل القول فيه ابن القيم في " جلاء الافهام ": ١٨٥، ١٩٥ ثم قال: فالصواب أن الحديث غير محفوظ، بل وقع فيه تخليط، والله أعلم. (٣) لكن يرد هذا أن النبي ﷺ قال: نعم وأجابه إلى ما سأل، فلو كان المسؤول أن يزوجه أختها لقال: إنها لا تحل لي، كما قال ذلك لام حبيبة، وقد كان مكان " عزة " بياض في الأصل، استدركناه من " جلاء الافهام ". (٤) أخرجه ابن سعد ٨ / ٩٩، والحاكم ٤ / ٢٢، وقوله: ذاك الفحل لا يقرع أنفه، أي أنه كفء كريم لا يرد.