be anyone’s but you. So he took her from Dihyah and compensated him with seven captives (1). When she had become pure, the Prophet ﷺ married her, making her emancipation her bridal gift (2).
ʿAlī ibn al-Ḥusayn, Isḥāq ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Ḥārith, Kinānah her freedman, and others narrated from her. She was a noble, intelligent woman of distinguished lineage, beauty, and piety—may Allah be pleased with her.
Abū ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-Barr said: We have transmitted that a maidservant of Safiyyah came to ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb and said, “Safiyyah is fond of the Sabbath and keeps relations with the Jews.” ʿUmar therefore sent for her and asked about it. She replied, “As for the Sabbath, I have loved it no longer since Allah exchanged it for Friday; and as for the Jews, I have kin among them, so I maintain the bonds of kinship.” She then said to the maidservant, “What prompted you to…"
(1) Reported by Ahmad, 3:123 and 246; Muslim, no. 1365 (variant 87) in the Book of Marriage, chapter “The merit of emancipating a slave-girl and then marrying her”; Abu Dawud, no. 2997, in the Book of Land Tax and Governance, chapter “The commander’s special share”; and Ibn Saʿd, 8:122 – all with the chain Hammad b. Salama → Thabit al-Bannai → Anas b. Malik.
Muslim also transmits it (no. 1365, variant 84) through ʿAbd al-ʿAziz b. Suhayb from Anas: “When the captives of Khaybar were assembled, Dihya came and said, ‘Messenger of Allah, give me a slave-girl from the captives.’ He replied, ‘Go and take one.’ Dihya took Safiyya bt. Huyayy. A man came to the Prophet and said, ‘You have given Safiyya bt. Huyayy, the lady of Qurayza and al-Nadir, to Dihya, yet she is only suitable for you.’ The Prophet said, ‘Call him with her.’ When she was brought and the Prophet looked at her, he said, ‘Take another slave-girl from the captives instead.’ He then set her free and married her.”
Al-Bukhari records it as well, 7:360, Book of Military Expeditions, chapter “The expedition of Khaybar,” through Hammad b. Zayd → Thabit → Anas, with the wording: “Safiyya was among the captives; she first fell to Dihya al-Kalbi and then to the Prophet.”
(2) The same narration from Anas appears in: al-Bukhari 7:360, Book of Military Expeditions, chapter “The expedition of Khaybar”; 9:111, Book of Marriage, chapter “One who makes the emancipation of a slave-girl her dower”; and 9:205, Book of Marriage, chapter “The wedding banquet even with a single sheep.” It is also in Muslim, no. 1365 (variant 85) in the same chapter; Abu Dawud, no. 2054; al-Tirmidhi, no. 1115; al-Nasaʾi, 6:114; and ʿAbd al-Razzaq, 7:269.