Habiba bint Jahsh حبيبة بنت جحش | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Died | Medina, Hejaz |
| Burial place | Medina |
| Other names | bint Jahsh |
| Known for | Female Companion (Sahabiyyah) of the Prophet |
| Spouse | Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf |
| Parents |
|
| Relatives | |
| Family | Banu Khuzaymah (tribe) |
Ḥabiba bint Jaḥsh (Arabic: حبيبة بنت جحش) was an Arab woman who was one of the disciples (known in Arabic as Sahaba orcompanions) ofIslamic prophetMuhammad.
Her father wasJahsh ibn Riyab, an immigrant from theAsad ibn Khuzayma tribe who had settled inMecca under the protection ofHarb ibn Umayya. Her mother wasUmayma bint Abd al-Muttalib, a member of theHashim clan of theQuraysh tribe and a sister of Muhammad's father.[1] Hence Habiba and her five siblings were the first cousins of Muhammad.
Habiba was an early convert toIslam. She marriedAbdur Rahman bin Awf,[2] but was childless.[3] Habiba was among those who accompanied her brotherAbdullah on theHijra toMedina.[4]
Habiba suffered from a gynaecological disorder and had constant bleeding for seven years. She consulted Muhammad about how to become ritually clean, and he advised her: "This is a vein. It is notmenstruation.[5] Remain away (from prayer) equal (to the length of time) that your menstruation holds you back. After this, bathe yourself[6] and pray."[7] Habiba went to the house of her sisterZaynab (Muhammad's wife) and bathed in Zaynab's tub "till the redness of the blood came over the water"[8] and the tub was "full of blood".[9] Thehadith narrators believed that Muhammad had meant that Habiba should take theritual bath once a month like other women. However, of her own accord,[10] Habiba thereafter took the bath before every prayer,[11] apparently five times a day.
In 628 Muhammad granted Habiba 30wasqs of dates and grain from the revenues ofKhaybar.[12]
Habiba was known interchangeably asUmm Habib: both are feminine forms of the nameHabib ("beloved"). The Mesopotamian historianMuhammad ibn Saad referred to a tradition in which Habiba was confused with her sisterHamna, i.e., it was believed thatUmm Habib was thekunya of Hamna. Ibn Saad asserts that this is not so: they were two different individuals.[13]