At a glance
Companions- Dates
- Widowed at the Farewell Hajj, 10 AH (632 CE); the year of her death is not recorded here
- Who
- A woman of the Aslam tribe, wife of Sa'd ibn Khawlah, whom the Prophet ﷺ told that she was free to marry once she had given birth
- Stages
- The Final Years
ProfileSubay'ah bint al-Harith
Subay'ah (may Allah be pleased with her) was the daughter of al-Harith, of the Aslam tribe. According to the early biographies, she and her husband Sa'd ibn Khawlah were among the early Muslims, and migrated to Abyssinia and to Madinah. According to the early biographies, Sa'd was an ally of the clan of Amir ibn Lu'ayy, a man without a strong tribe to protect him in Makkah, and he fought at Badr.
Subay'ah told that she was married to Sa'd ibn Khawlah, of the clan of Amir ibn Lu'ayy, who had fought at Badr. He died while she was pregnant, during the Farewell Hajj, and soon after his death she gave birth to a child. When she was clean again, she prepared herself for suitors. Abu as-Sanabil ibn Ba'kak, a man of the clan of Abd ad-Dar, came to her and said that he saw her dressed to be asked in marriage, and that by Allah she could not marry until four months and ten days had passed. She told that when he said this to her, she put on her clothes in the evening and went to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and asked him about it. He told her that she was free to marry, since she had given birth, and told her to marry if she wished (Sahih al-Bukhari). Al-Miswar ibn Makhramah told that she gave birth a few days after the death of her husband, and came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked leave to marry again, and he gave her leave, and she married (Sahih al-Bukhari).
Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas told that in the year of the Farewell Hajj the Prophet ﷺ visited him when he was ill and near death, and that the Prophet ﷺ asked Allah to complete the migration of his Companions and not to turn them back on their heels. He then said that he felt sorry for Sa'd ibn Khawlah, and the narrator added that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ mourned that he had died in Makkah (Sahih al-Bukhari).
According to the early biographies, she was counted among the scholars of the Companions, and the scholars of Madinah and Kufa narrated from her. According to the early biographies, the Companions went back to her case afterwards when they differed on how long a pregnant widow should wait.
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