Fakhitah bint Abi Talib

Fakhitah bint Abi Talib فاختة بنت أبي طالب
Born	bint Abi Talib 571 CE.
Died	unknown
Other names	Hind
Known for	Companion and cousin of Muhammad
Spouse	Hubayra ibn Abi Wahb
Children	Hani Ja'da Yusuf Umar Aqla Amr Fulan
Parents	Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib (father) Fatimah bint Asad (mother)

Fākhitah bint Abī Ṭālib (Arabic: فاختة بنت أبي طالب), also known as Hind and better known by her kunya Umm Hānī, was a cousin and companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Early life

She was the eldest daughter of Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib and Fatima bint Asad,^{[1]: 35, 109 [2]: 196} hence a sister of Ali and cousin of Muhammad.

Marriage

Before 595, the young Muhammad asked Abu Talib's permission to marry Fakhitah, but Abu Talib accepted an alternative proposal from Hubayra ibn Abi Wahb, a member of the wealthy Makhzum clan. Muhammad asked: "Uncle, why have you married her off to Hubayra and ignored me?" Abu Talib replied: "Nephew, they are our in-laws, and the noble is an equal for the noble."^[1]: 109 This cryptic reply might have meant that Abu Talib owed a favour to the Makhzum clan; but the more likely meaning was that Muhammad had no money.^[3]

Hubayra, who was a poet,^{[4]: 404, 557} is described as "wise and influential".^[4]: 356 He and Fakhitah had at least seven children, three daughters and four sons: Hani (from whom she took her kunya Umm Hani), Ja'da, Yusuf, Umar,^[1]: 110 Fulan,^[5] Aqla and Amr.^{[citation needed]}

Muhammad was a guest in Fakhitah's house one night in 621. The next morning, he told her that he had miraculously travelled to Jerusalem and then to Heaven during the night. She urged him not to tell anyone, as the Quraysh would only laugh at him, and she tried to restrain him physically. Muhammad ignored this advice.^[4]: 184

Conversion to Islam

Fakhitah became a Muslim when Muhammad conquered Mecca in January 630.^{[6]: 417 [2]: 197} Hubayra did not want to convert, so he fled from Mecca and took refuge in the Christian city of Najran.^{[4]: 557 [6]: 417–418} This caused an automatic divorce.^[1]: 109 Muhammad proposed to Fakhita again, but she refused him, saying that she would not be able to do justice to both young children and a new husband. Muhammad responded: "The Quraysh are the best women on camel-back! They are so kind to their children and so careful of their husbands' property!"^{[1]: 109–110 [7][2]: 197}

Later Fakhitah told Muhammad that her children had grown up and she was now ready to marry him. He told her that she was too late, since a new revelation had forbidden him to marry any first cousin who had not emigrated to Medina before the Conquest.^{[1]: 110 [2]: 197}

Death

Her date of death is unknown; however, she outlived her brother Ali,^[8] who was killed in 661.^[9]

References

1. Muhammad ibn Saad. Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir, vol. 8. Translated by Bewley, A. (1995). The Women of Madina. London: Ta-Ha Publishers.
2. Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari. Tarikh al-Rasul wa'l-Muluk. Translated by Landau Tasseron, E. (1998). Volume 39: Biographies of the Prophet's Companions and Their Successors. Albany: State University of New York University Press.
3. Lings, M. (1983). Muhammad: his life based on the earliest sources, p. 33. Islamic Texts Society.
4. Muhammad ibn Ishaq. Sirat Rasul Allah. Translated by Guillaume, A. (1955). The Life of Muhammad. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
5. Bukhari 1:8:353. Bukhari 4:53:396.
6. Muhammad ibn Umar al-Waqidi. Kitab al-Maghazi. Translated by Faizer, R., Ismail, A., & Tayob, A. K. (2011). The Life of Muhammad. London & New York: Routledge.
7. Muslim 31:6139, 6140, 6141.
8. Tirmidhi 3:23:1841.
9. Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari. Tarikh al-Rusul wa'l-Muluk. Translated by Hawting, G. R. (1996). Volume 17: The First Civil War: From the Battle of Siffeen to the Death of ‘Ali, pp. 213-216, 226-227. Albany: State University of New York Press.