Thus Umm Salamah and her husband stood at the vanguard of those who went back.

But the returning emigrants soon realized that the reports reaching them had been exaggerated. The upsurge that followed the Islam of Hamzah and ʿUmar had been met by Quraysh with an even fiercer onslaught. The idol-worshippers devised new forms of torture and intimidation for the believers, subjecting them to hardships the like of which they had never known.

In those circumstances the Messenger of Allah—may blessings and peace be upon him—granted his Companions permission to migrate to Medina. Umm Salamah and her husband therefore resolved to be the very first of the migrants, fleeing with their religion and seeking deliverance from Quraysh’s persecution.

Yet the migration of Umm Salamah and her husband proved far from the smooth, effortless journey they had imagined. It was grueling and bitter, leaving behind a tragedy that dwarfed every sorrow they had ever faced.

Let us now yield the floor to Umm Salamah herself, that she may relate the story of her ordeal