The Two Hijras
Umm Salamah and her first husband Abu Salamah were among the earliest Muslims, numbered among the handful who responded to the Prophet’s first call. They made both of the early migrations: to Abyssinia (where they stayed until conditions forced return to Mecca), and then the Hijra to Medina.
During the journey to Medina, her Makhzumi relatives forcibly separated her from her husband and son. She spent months separated from her child before the tribes permitted their reunion. Her patience (sabr) under this prolonged separation became a spiritual model in the early community.
Al-Hudaybiyya: The Decisive Counsel
628 CE: The Prophet led 1,400 Muslims to Mecca for Umra. The Quraysh blocked them at Hudaybiyya and forced negotiations. The resulting treaty was deeply unfavorable on its surface: no entry to Mecca that year, future Muslims from Quraysh to be returned if they came to the Muslims, but Qurayshi converts to Islam could not be taken back.
After signing, the Prophet commanded the men to shave their heads and slaughter their sacrificial animals to exit ihram — effectively accepting that there would be no Umra that year. The men were so stunned and demoralized they refused to move.
The Prophet, troubled, went to Umm Salamah and described what was happening. She counseled: “O Prophet of Allah, go out yourself and slaughter your animal, and do not speak to anyone about it.” He did exactly that. When the men saw the Prophet shaving and slaughtering, they rushed to do the same. The crisis broke.
The Ayat of Inclusion
Umm Salamah is credited with questioning the Prophet about why Quranic address often seemed to be directed only at men: “O Messenger of Allah, I do not hear Allah mention women in [the discussion of] the Hijra.” Following this, the verse was revealed: “Indeed, the Muslim men and the Muslim women, the believing men and the believing women, the obedient men and the obedient women…” (33:35) — listing both genders explicitly across 10 categories of believers as equally deserving of Allah’s forgiveness and reward.
See also: Seerah Khadijah, Seerah Aisha, Hijra, Prophet Muhammad, Seerah Umar Ibn Khattab, Fiqh Al Nikah