Umm Ayman Barakah

Umm Ayman Barakah — The Abyssinian Woman Who Raised the Prophet After His Mother's Death, Whom He Called 'My Mother After My Mother,' and Who Was One of the First to Emigrate to Abyssinia

أُمُّ أَيمَنَ بَرَكَة — المَرأَةُ الحَبَشِيَّةُ الَّتِي رَبَّتِ النَّبِيَّ بَعدَ وَفَاةِ أُمِّه وَالَّتِي سَمَّاهَا أُمِّي بَعدَ أُمِّي وَكَانَت مِن أَوَّلِ مَن هَاجَرَ إِلَى الحَبَشَة

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Umm Ayman Barakah (أُمُّ أَيمَنَ بَرَكَة; c. 540-635 CE; Abyssinian [Ethiopian] woman; given the name Barakah; acquired by Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib [the Prophet's father] who gave her to his wife Amina; when both Abdullah and Amina died [leaving Muhammad an orphan at age 6], Barakah became his nurse and caretaker, raising him in his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib's household; after Abd al-Muttalib's death, she continued with Muhammad's uncle Abu Talib's household; the Prophet, throughout his life, referred to her as 'ummi ba'd ummi' — my mother after my mother; she was manumitted [freed] by the Prophet when he was young; she then married Ubayd ibn al-Harith and had a son Ayman [whose name she took as Umm Ayman]; after her first husband died she was married to Zayd ibn Haritha [the Prophet's freed slave, Companion, and the only Companion mentioned by name in the Quran]; they had a son Usama ibn Zayd; she emigrated to Abyssinia with the first emigration group; she emigrated to Medina on foot — the Prophet saw her and said he had a special place for her in paradise; narrated approximately 23 hadith) is one of the Prophet's closest and longest-serving companions from his earliest childhood.

The Orphan’s Caretaker

Muhammad’s childhood was marked by successive losses:

His father Abdullah died before his birth
His mother Amina died when he was approximately 6 years old
His grandfather Abd al-Muttalib died when he was approximately 8

Barakah (Umm Ayman) was the constant in these transitions — she was with him from infancy through the deaths of his mother and grandfather, and remained connected to him through his adult life.

”My Mother After My Mother”

The Prophet’s repeated description of Umm Ayman as ummi ba’d ummi (my mother after my mother) is one of the clearest expressions in the Sira of the emotional weight of the care she gave him. After the Prophet’s prophethood, he maintained his relationship with her, and Abu Bakr and Umar would visit her specifically because the Prophet had said she was a person of paradise.

Marriage to Zayd ibn Haritha

After the death of her first husband, the Prophet arranged her marriage to his beloved Zayd ibn Haritha. Their son Usama ibn Zayd became one of the most beloved young Companions — the Prophet called him “the son of my love” (ibn hibbi). Umm Ayman thus connects through Zayd and Usama to one of the most intimate circles of the Prophet’s family.

Umm Ayman Barakah — The Abyssinian Woman Who Raised the Prophet After His Mother's Death, Whom He Called 'My Mother After My Mother,' and Who Was One of the First to Emigrate to Abyssinia

The Orphan’s Caretaker

”My Mother After My Mother”

Marriage to Zayd ibn Haritha

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