Salma Umm al-Khair
Salma Umm al-Khair bint Sakhar (Arabic: سَلْمَىٰ أُمّ ٱلْخَيْر ٱبْنَت صَخَر, Salmā ʾUmm al-Khayr ibnat Ṣakhar) was the mother of Abu Bakr, the first Caliph.
Salma Umm al-Khair bint Sakhar سَلْمَىٰ أُمّ ٱلْخَيْر ٱبْنَت صَخَر | |
|---|---|
| Born | Salma |
| Spouse(s) | Uthman Abu Quhafa |
| Children | Abu Bakr Mu'taq |
| Parent(s) |
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Biography
Salma was the daughter of Sakhar ibn Amir ibn Amr (Arabic: صَخَر ٱبْن عَامِر ٱبْن عَمْروْ), from the Taym clan of the Quraysh, and the brother of her uncle Uthman ibn Amir, later known as 'Abu Qahafa'. Her kenning was Umm Al-Khayr ("Mother of Goodness").[1]
Salma and Abu Quhafa had several sons who did not survive infancy. When Abu Bakr was born in 573,[1] Salma took him to the Kaaba and prayed to the gods: “If this one is granted immunity from death, then bestow him upon me!” Abu Bakr was therefore known as Atiq (" the exempted"), while his subsequent surviving brothers were given the related names Mu'taq and Utaiq.[2]
Salma was an early convert to Islam. She was among those who were "brought to the house of Arqam"[3] to meet Muhammad, i.e., after 614 but before the Hijra.[4]
She died during the Caliphate of her son Abu Bakr between 632 and 634.[5]
Legacy
Sunnis honour her as Umm al-Khair (Arabic: أُمّ ٱلْخَيْر), meaning "Mother of Goodness", referring to Abu Bakr, whom Sunni Muslims honour as one of The Ten Promised Paradise among Muhammad's early companions, the Sahaba.
See also
- Family tree of Salmā Ummu l-Khayr
- Sahāba
References
- Jalal ad-Din al-Suyuti (1881). Tarikh al-Khulafa(The History of the Caliphs). Calcutta: The Asiatic Society. p. 29.
- Jalal ad-Din al-Suyuti (1881). Tarikh al-Khulafa(The History of the Caliphs). Calcutta: The Asiatic Society. p. 27.
- Ibn Hajar. Al-Isaba, vol. 8.
- Muhammad ibn Ishaq (1955). Sirat Rasul Allah (The Life of Muhammad). Oxford University Press. p. 117.
- Ibn Hajar. Al-Isaba, vol. 4.