Account of Ṣafiyyah daughter of Ḥuyayy ibn Akhtab al-Naḍariyyah (1)

When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ expelled the Jews of Banū al-Naḍīr from Madinah, as mentioned earlier, the majority of them—including Ḥuyayy ibn Akhtab and the clan of Abū al-Ḥuqayq—moved to Khaybar. They were people of wealth and high standing among their folk. Ṣafiyyah was then a young girl, below the age of puberty. When she came of age and was ready for marriage, a paternal cousin of hers married her. On the night she was brought to him and the marriage was consummated, and after a few nights had passed, she saw in her sleep that the moon in the sky had fallen into her lap. She related her dream to her husband, who struck her on the face and said, “Do you fancy that the king of Yathrib will become your husband?”

Not long afterwards the Messenger of Allah ﷺ arrived, laid siege to them, and Ṣafiyyah was taken captive while her husband was among the slain. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ selected her for himself and she came under his ownership—as will be detailed—he married her after her waiting-period had passed and she had become lawful for him. Noticing the trace of that slap on her cheek, he asked, “What is this?” She told him about the blessed dream she had seen, whereupon he accepted her explanation and reassured her.

Al-Bukhārī (2) records: Sulaymān ibn Ḥarb related to us; Ḥammād ibn Zayd related to us, from Thābit, from Anas ibn Mālik, who said: “The Prophet ﷺ prayed the dawn prayer near Khaybar while it was still dark, then proclaimed, ‘Allāhu akbar! Khaybar is ruined. When we descend into the courtyard of a people, evil is the morning for those who have been warned.’ They came running through the lanes, and the Prophet ﷺ killed the fighting men and captured the women and children. Among the captives was Ṣafiyyah. She first fell to Dihyah al-Kalbī, then she came to the Prophet ﷺ, who made her emancipation her bridal gift.”

Muslim (3) also transmits this report through several routes from Ḥammād ibn Zayd, on the authority of Anas.

Al-Bukhārī (4) likewise narrates: Ādam related to us; Shuʿbah related to us, from ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Ṣuḥayb, who said: “I heard Anas ibn Mālik say: ‘The Prophet ﷺ captured Ṣafiyyah, set her free, and married her.’” Thābit said to Anas, “What was her dowry?” He replied, “He gave her her freedom; that was her dowry.” Al-Bukhārī alone records this wording through this chain.