Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ - Shams al‑Din al‑Dhahabi - (2/315)

She was an early convert to Islam, and her son ʿAbdullāh used to say, “My mother and I were counted among the vulnerable—women and children.” Al-Bukhārī narrated this (1). This indicates that the two of them accepted Islam before al-ʿAbbās but were unable to perform the hijra.

Umm al-Faḍl was one of the eminent women; after the Conquest al-ʿAbbās moved with her to Medina.

She transmitted hadiths. Among those who reported from her were her two sons, ʿAbdullāh and Tammām, as well as Anas ibn Mālik, ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Ḥārith, and others. Her narrations appear in all six canonical collections.

I believe she died during the caliphate of ʿUthmān.

In the Musnad of Baqiyy ibn Makhlad she has thirty hadiths, counting repetitions. Al-Bukhārī and Muslim share one hadith from her; another is found only in al-Bukhārī, and a third only in Muslim (2).

It has been said that, after Khadījah, no woman embraced Islam before her.

(1) 8/192, in the Tafsir of Surat al-Nisa, chapter: “And what is wrong with you that you do not fight in the way of Allah…”. Al-Bukhari also relates—through Ibn Abi Mulaika—that Ibn Abbas recited the verse “except the oppressed among men, women, and children” (4:98) and said: “My mother and I were among those whom Allah has excused.” (2) See al-Bukhari 4/206–207; Muslim, no. 1123; also al-Bukhari 2/204; Muslim, nos. 462 and 1451.

قَدِيْمَةُ الإِسْلاَمِ، فَكَانَ ابْنُهَا عَبْدُ اللهِ يَقُوْلُ: كُنْتُ أَنَا وَأُمِّي مِنَ المُسْتَضْعَفِيْنَ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ وَالوِلْدَانِ. أَخْرَجَهُ: البُخَارِيُّ (١) . فَهَذَا يُؤْذِنُ بِأَنَّهُمَا أَسْلَمَا قَبْلَ العَبَّاسِ، وَعَجِزَا عَنِ الهِجْرَةِ. وَكَانَتْ أُمُّ الفَضْلِ مِنْ عِلْيَةِ النِّسَاءِ، تَحَوَّلَ بِهَا العَبَّاسُ بَعْدَ الفَتْحِ إِلَى المَدِيْنَةِ. وَرَوَتْ أَحَادِيْثَ. حَدَّثَ عَنْهَا: وَلَدَاهَا؛ عَبْدُ اللهِ وَتَمَّامٌ، وَأَنَسُ بنُ مَالِكٍ، وَعَبْدُ اللهِ بنُ الحَارِثِ، وَغَيْرُهُمْ. خَرَّجُوا لَهَا فِي الكُتُبِ السِّتَّةِ. أَحْسَبُهَا تُوُفِّيَتْ فِي خِلاَفَةِ عُثْمَانَ. وَلَهَا فِي (مُسْنَدِ بَقِيِّ بنِ مَخْلَدٍ) : ثَلاَثُونَ حَدِيْثاً، أَعْنَي بِالمُكَرَّرِ. وَاتَّفَقَ البُخَارِيُّ وَمُسْلِمٍ لَهَا عَلَى حَدِيْثٍ وَاحِدٍ، وَآخَرُ عِنْدَ البُخَارِيِّ، وَثَالِثٌ عِنْدَ مُسْلِمٍ (٢) . وَقِيْلَ: لَمْ يُسْلِمْ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ أَحَدٌ قَبْلَهَا -يَعْنِي: بَعْدَ خَدِيْجَةَ-.

(١) ٨ / ١٩٢ في تفسير سورة النساء: باب: (ومالكم لا تقاتلون في سبيل الله ... ) وأخرجه البخاري أيضا عن ابن أبي مليكة أن ابن عباس تلا (إلا المستضعفين من الرجال والنساء والولدان) . قال: كنت أنا وأمي ممن عذر الله. (٢) انظر " البخاري " ٤ / ٢٠٦، ٢٠٧، ومسلم (١١٢٣) ، والبخاري ٢ / ٢٠٤، ومسلم (٤٦٢) و (١٤٥١) .