Safiyya bint Huyayy | |
|---|---|
صفية بنت حيي | |
| Born | c. 610–614 CE Yathrib, Arabia |
| Died | c. 664–672 CE |
| Resting place | Al-Baqi Cemetery, Medina |
| Spouse(s) | Sallam ibn Mishkam (m. 624;div. 625) Kinana ibn al-Rabi (m. 627; died 628) Muhammad (m. 628; died 632) |
| Parents |
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| Family | Banu Nadir (by birth) Ahl al-Bayt (by marriage) |
Safiyya bint Huyayy[a] (c. 610/614 – 664/672) was thetenth wife of Muhammad. Born inYathrib to theBanu Nadir, one of theJewish tribes of Arabia, Safiyya's fatherHuyayy ibn Akhtab and husbandKinana ibn al-Rabi were killed at theBattle of Khaybar in 628, after which she was taken captive by theearly Muslims and subsequently married to the Muhammad. Like other wives of Muhammad, she is known toMuslims as a "Mother of the Believers" and is buried at theal-Baqi cemetery inMedina.
Safiyya bint Huyayy was born inYathrib,Arabia toHuyayy ibn Akhtab, the chieftain of the Arabian Jewish tribeBanu Nadir.[1] Her motherBarra bint Samaw'al belonged to theBanu Qurayza clan.[1] Safiyya's year of birth is uncertain with various sources recording it as aroundc. 610 andc. 614.[1]
According to a source, she was married off toSallam ibn Mishkam, who later divorced her.[1] When the Banu Nadir were expelled from Medina in 625, her family settled inKhaybar, anoasis 153 kilometers from Medina.[1] Her father and brother went from Khaybar to join theMeccan andBedouin forces besieging Muhammad in Medina during theBattle of the Trench. When the Meccans withdrew, Muhammad besieged the Banu Qurayza. After the defeat of the Banu Qurayza in 627, Safiyya's father, a long-time opponent of Muhammad, was captured andexecuted by the Muslims.[2]
In 627 or early 628, Safiyya was married toKinana ibn al-Rabi, treasurer of the Banu Nadir; she was about 17 years old at that time.[1] Muslim sources claimed that Safiyya is said to have informed Kinana of a dream she had in which the moon had fallen from the heavens into her lap. Kinana interpreted it as a desire to marry Muhammad and struck her in the face, leaving a mark which was still visible when she first had contact with Muhammad.[3][4]
In May 628,Muhammad and theMuslimsinvaded Khaybar, and severalJewish tribes (including theBanu Nadir) were defeated and surrendered. Some of the Jewish tribes were allowed to remain in the city on the condition that they give half of their annual produce to the Muslims. The land itself became property of the Muslim state.[5] This settlement offer, according toStillman, did not extend to the Banu Nadir tribe, who were given no mercy.[6] As a result of the battle, Safiyya's then-husband, Kinana ibn al-Rabi, was killed.
Dihya al-Kalbi, one of Muhammad's companions, requested a slave from the captives, and Muhammad granted him the choice. Dihya thus went and took Safiyya. Witnessing this, another companion informed Muhammad, highlighting Safiyya's beauty and her status as the chief mistress ofBanu Qurayza and the Nadir. The companion believed she was fit only for Muhammad, leading Muhammad to give the order to call them.[7][8]
When Safiyya was delivered, she came along with another woman. The latter was distressed by the sight of the slain Jews, which prompted her to cry out and induce self-injury on her face. In response, Muhammad ordered her to be taken away.[9][10] He directed that Safiyya be placed behind him, with his cloak covering her, indicating to the Muslims that he had chosen her for himself, and told Dihya to take any other slave girl from the captives.[8] It was reported that Dihya got seven slaves in exchange.[11] Muhammad married Safiyya.[12][13]
According toMartin Lings, Muhammad had given Safiyyah the choice of returning to the defeated Banu Nadir or becoming Muslim and marrying him, and Safiyyah opted for the latter choice.[14]W. Montgomery Watt and Nomani believe that Muhammad married Safiyya as part of reconciliation with the Jewish tribe and as a gesture of goodwill.[15][16] John L. Esposito states that the marriage may have been political or to cement alliances.[17][18] Haykal opines that Muhammad's manumission of and marriage to Safiyaa was partly in order to alleviate her tragedy and partly to preserve their dignity, and compares these actions to previous conquerors who married the daughters and wives of the kings whom they had defeated.[19] According to some, by marrying Safiyyah, Muhammad aimed at ending the enmity and hostility between Jews and Islam.[18] Muhammad advised Safiyya to convert to Islam, she accepted and agreed to became Muhammad's wife.[20][21] Safiyya did not bear any children to Muhammad.[22]
Regarding the consummation of their marriage and her 'idda (waiting period), several authentic hadith addressed this topic.[23]
Her marriage was nullified after her husband was killed and she was taken as a slave, which is different from the typical case of a divorce or death of a woman's husband. Because of this, consummation was based on istibra' (assurance of being free of pregnancy via menses) rather than 'idda.[23] Numerous authentic hadith reports describe this:
Ahadith attributed toRuwaifi‘ ibn Thabit al-Ansari reports:[24]
Sunnis tend to view this asHasan and have included it inAbu Dawud.
Ahadith attributed toAnas bin Malik reports:[25]
Sunnis tend to view this asSahih and have included it inSahih Bukhari.
Ahadith attributed toAnas bin Malik reports:[26][27]
Safiyya is honored by Muslims as one of the "Mothers of the Believers".[3][28] After Muhammad's death, she became involved in the power politics of the earlyMuslim community, and acquired substantial influence by the time of her death.[1] In 656, Safiyya sided withcaliphUthman ibn Affan, and defended him at his last meeting withAli,Aisha, andAbd Allah ibn al-Zubayr. During the period when thecaliph was besieged at his residence, Safiyya made an unsuccessful attempt to reach him, and supplied him with food and water via a plank placed between her dwelling and his.[1]
Safiyya died in 670 or 672, during the reign ofMu'awiya I, and was buried in theJannat al-Baqi graveyard.[29] She left an estate of 100,000dirhams in land and goods, one-third of which she bequeathed to her sister's son, who followedJudaism. Her dwelling in Medina was bought by Mu'awiya for 180,000 dirhams.[1]
Her dream was interpreted as a miracle, and her suffering and reputation for crying won her a place inSufi works. She is mentioned in all major books ofhadith for relating a few traditions and a number of events in her life serve as legal precedents.[1]
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