Hafsah

Hafsa bint Umar (; 605–665) was the fourth wife of Muhammad and a daughter of the second caliph Umar (). In Islamic writings, her name is thus often prefixed by the title "Mother of the Believers" (Arabic: أمّ المؤمنين, romanized: ''ʾumm al- muʾminīn'').

Early life

Hafsa was the daughter and eldest child of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab and Zaynab bint Maz'un. She was born "when Quraysh were building the House ''Kaʿbah'', five years before the Prophet was sent," i.e., in 605.

Marriage

She was first married to Khunays ibn Hudhafa but became a widow in August 624.

As soon as Hafsa had completed her waiting period, her father Umar offered her hand to Uthman ibn 'Affan, and thereafter to Abu Bakr; but they both refused her. Disappointed, Umar went to Muhammad to complain about this, and Muhammad replied, "Hafsa will marry one better than Uthman and Uthman will marry one better than Hafsa."

Muhammad married Hafsa in Sha'ban AH 3 (late January or early February 625). This marriage "gave the Prophet the chance of allying himself with this faithful follower", i.e., Umar, had become his father-in-law.

Surat al-Tahrim

There are two stories related to the revelation of the opening verses of Surat al-Tahrim. One is authentic according to Imams al-Bukhari and Muslim and found in Sahih Muslim 1474, narrated by the Prophet's wife Aisha. In this first narration, the Prophet prevented himself from drinking honey to please his wives.

The latter narration is '' mursal'' (meaning the chain of narration was interrupted) and ''ḍaʻīf'' ''(''weak), narrated by Zaid ibn Aslam from the third generation who did not witness the event and found in Tafsir al-Tabari (who was known to record numerous kinds of narrations, both authentic and inauthentic, as a compendium for hadith scholars to peruse and criticize narrations). In this weak narration, the Prophet was intimate with Maria al-Qibtiyya while Hafsa was away visiting her father, then asked him "In my home and on my bed?" upon returning and discovering about their act. He then made Maria forbidden upon himself to please Hafsa. Al-Qurtubi states that the first one is authentic and the second is weak.

Ibn Al-Arabi wrote in ''Ahkam al-Qur'an'' that: "Indeed, the only authentic narration is that it was about honey, that the Prophet drank it with Zainab, and Aisha and Hafsa pretended to be offended by it. There occurred what occurred and the Prophet made an oath never to drink it again. He confided that to his wife and the verse was revealed regarding all of them".

Notable work

Uthman, when he became Caliph, used Hafsa's copy when he standardized the text of
Qur'an. She is also said to have narrated sixty ''hadiths'' from Muhammad.

Death

She died in Sha'ban AH 45, i.e., in October or November 665. She is buried in Al-Baqi Cemetery next to the other Mothers of the Faithful.

Contrasting Views

Sunni View

Hafsa is seen as scholarly and inquisitive by the Sunnis. She is also respected as a Mother of The Believers.

Shi'a View

Due to the honey incident with the prophet, Shi'as disapprove of Hafsa and Aisha in this particular incident and cite the beginning of Surat al-Tahrim and the accompanying hadith as evidence. But they do not curse them generally, which is extremism.

See also

*Companions of the Prophet

External links

Story of Hafsa and Maria in Surat at-Tahrim

References

Sources

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hafsa Bint Umar
Umar
605 births
660s deaths
7th-century Arab people
Family of Muhammad
Wives of Muhammad
Banu Adi
Muslim female saints
Arab Muslims
7th-century Muslims
Children of Rashidun caliphs
Burials at Jannat al-Baqī
Daughters of caliphs