892 – On the authority of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), who reported that the Prophet ﷺ “set Safiyyah free and made her emancipation her bridal gift.” Agreed upon ⦗1⦘.

Key vocabulary:

• “He set Safiyyah free”: She had been taken captive during the expedition of Khaybar in the sixth year AH, and the Prophet ﷺ selected her from among the prisoners of war.
• “Safiyyah”: Daughter of Huyayy ibn Akhtab, the leader of Banū al-Naḍīr; her lineage traces back to Aaron son of ʿImrān (peace be upon him). She had been married to Kinānah ibn Abī al-Ḥuqayq, who was killed at Khaybar. Al-ʿAynī said that this was indeed her name before captivity.
• “Her emancipation”: Manumission is the freeing of a slave and releasing him or her from bondage. After victory in battle, any captured women become prisoners of war. The Prophet ﷺ freed her and made that act itself her dowry.

Lessons derived from the ḥadīth:

1. Safiyyah was the daughter of Huyayy, one of the chiefs of Banū al-Naḍīr, and the wife of Kinānah ibn Abī al-Ḥuqayq, who was killed at Khaybar. When the Prophet ﷺ conquered Khaybar by force, its women and children became slaves to the Muslims by virtue of capture.
2. Safiyyah initially fell to the lot of Dihyah ibn Khalīfah al-Kalbī. The Prophet ﷺ compensated Dihyah with another captive and chose Safiyyah for himself, consoling her and showing her mercy.
3. In his generosity, the Prophet ﷺ was not content to keep her as a humbled bondwoman; rather, he elevated her status by freeing her from slavery, marrying her, and thus placing her among the Mothers of the Believers—her manumission itself serving as her bridal gift.