Ṣuwar min Ḥayāt al-Ṣaḥābiyyāt - Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha - (122)

Both the Emigrants (muhājirūn) and the Helpers (anṣār) felt that Umm Salama had a claim upon them. Hardly had her mourning period for Abu Salama ended when Abu Bakr al-Ṣiddīq came forward to ask for her hand, but she refused his proposal…
Then ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb approached her, and she turned him away just as she had turned away his companion…
Finally, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ proposed to her, and she said:
‘O Messenger of Allah, there are three qualities (1) in me:
• I am a woman of intense jealousy; I fear that you might see from me something that angers you, and that Allah would then punish me for it.
• I am a woman who has already advanced in age (2).
• And I am a woman with dependants.’
He ﷺ replied, ‘As for the jealousy you mentioned, I pray to Allah to remove it from you.’

(1) Khalalan: an adjective (descriptive quality). (2) "Entered the age": has reached the age for marriage.

شعر المهاجرون والأنصار معاً بحقِّ أم سلمة عليهم، فما كادت تنتهي من حداداها على أبي سلمة حتَّى تقدم منها أبو بكرٍ الصِّدِّيق يخطبها لنفسه، فأبت أن تستجيب لطلبه ... ثمَّ تقَّدم منها عمر بن الخطَّاب؛ فردَّته كما ردَّت صاحبه ... ثمَّ تقدَّم منها رسول الله ﷺ فقالت له: يا رسول الله، إنَّ فيَّ خِلالاً (١) ثلاثًا: فأنا امرأةٌ شديدة الغيرة فأخاف أن ترى منِّي شيئًا يغضبك فيعذِّبني الله به. وأنا امرأةٌ قد دخلت في السِّنِّ (٢). وأنا امرأةٌ ذات عيالٍ. فقال ﵊: وأمَّا ما ذكرت من غيرتك فإنِّي أدعو الله ﷿ أن يذهبها عنك.

(١) خلالاً: صفات. (٢) دخلت في السن: جاوزت سنَّ الزواج.