أحمد محمد لبن Ahmad.M.Lbn
مؤسس ومدير المنتدى
عدد المساهمات : 52644
العمر : 72
 | | موضوع: Halima of Bani-Sa’ad الإثنين 12 فبراير 2018, 8:01 am | |
| Halima of Bani-Sa’ad
Book 5
(Scene 1)
On the second day of giving birth to her son, Amena prepared herself to feed her newborn but found that there was no milk in her breasts. This was because the death of her husband had hit her hard. She had fallen deep in melancholy and that had dried the milk in her breasts. However, the heat of Makkah was also very intense and she was afraid that her baby would get sick from it. Amena decided to look for a wet nurse from a nearby desert to take her baby away from the diseases in Makkah and from the heat there.
She found Thuwaiba, a young servant working for Abu-Lahab, the baby’s uncle, and who was also breastfeeding her own son. Amena handed the baby, Muhammad, to Thuwaiba while she looked for a wet nurse from the nearby desert. After three days, Amena heard that some wet nurses had come to Makkah looking for newborns to breastfeed. Therefore, she asked Abdul-Muttalib, the baby’s grandfather, to find one from among these wet nurses for Muhammad.
(Scene 2)
Hawazen was one of the many tribes on the Arabic peninsula, and this year had been a difficult year for the people living there. There was no rain on the pastures of Hawazen, which made ten women of the Bani Sa’ad tribe head towards Makkah with their husbands looking for newborn babies to breastfeed. Among these women was Halima the daughter of Abu-Zou’ayb. Her husband Al-Harith Ibn Abdul-Aziz also went with her and their baby son, Abdullah. Halima rode her white donkey and headed towards Makkah with an old she-camel that was weak and had no milk in its udder.
The night had fallen and the young family set up a camp to stay the night before they continued with their journey to Makkah the next day. Halima and Al-Harith could not find sleep at all. All night long Abdullah was crying out of hunger. Halima hoped that she would get to breastfeed the baby of a rich man who will pay her a lot of money, so she and her family could survive. In the morning, Halima and Al-Harith continued their journey to Makkah. They have fallen behind the rest of the caravan because the donkey was weak and skinny, and it needed more time to rest than the other animals. Finally, they reached Makkah and set up a temporary stay there until they would find a baby from a rich family and go back home to Hawazen.
(Scene 3)
Abdul-Muttalib approached the wet nurses showing them Muhammad, his grandson, and asked each one of them, “I have an orphan here. Won’t you take him?” All the wet nurses refused to take him saying, “There is no good in an orphan. We are looking for babies from rich fathers. What could his grandfather and his mother give us?” They all rejected him because he was an orphan; one who could not bring them any money.
Therefore, they all chose a baby other then Muhammad and started to return home, except for Halima. She looked at her husband and said, “By Allah, I hate to go back home with the caravan with no baby to breastfeed.” Abdul-Muttalib saw her waiting and went up to her asking, “Who are you?” “I am a woman from Bani Sa’ad’s tribe”, replied Halima. “What is your name?” he asked her. “Halima”, she replied.
Abdul-Muttalib smiled and said, “Sa’d (happiness) and Helm (forbearing); two things that would bring goodness in life and eternal honor. Halima, I have an orphan here and I showed him to Bani Sa’ad’s women but they all rejected him saying that no good will come from behind an orphan. Could you take him with you to breastfeed? You may be happy with him”. “Wait until I ask my husband”, she replied and went over to her husband to consult the matter with him. Al-Harith told her to take him so she went back to Abdul-Muttalib and asked, “Where is the boy?”
Abdul-Muttalib was very happy that he at last found a wet nurse for his grandson. Therefore, he took her to Amena’s place to show her Muhammad. Amena welcomed Halima inside her house and led her to where Muhammad was sleeping. Halima looked at the sleeping Muhammad and saw that he was wrapped in a white woolen cloth and was sleeping on his back on a green silken sheet. He was beautiful! Halima feared that she might awake him so she put her hand on his chest. He opened his eyes and smiled up to her. She had fallen in love with the baby at first sight. Halima leaned over to kiss baby Muhammad between the eyes. Then, she reached down and lifted him between her arms carrying him out of the room.
(Scene 4)
Halima was preparing to breastfeed Muhammad, so she put him on her lap and invited him to suck. Surprisingly she found that her breast had filled up with milk! Muhammad had sucked from her breast and was full, and then later Abdullah had sucked from her breast and was also full. Halima and Al-Harith could not find sleep the night before, since Abdullah cried all night from hunger! Tonight, the two babies were satisfied and sound asleep.
The next morning, Al-Harith milked the old she-camel and found that she too had more milk then usual. He drank some milk and brought some more for Halima to drink. Halima drank until she became full. “You know dear wife, you have taken a blessed child” said Al-Harith. “By Allah, I hope so,” replied Halima.
The family then started to get ready to head back to Bani Sa’ad’s tribe. Halima mounted her white donkey, carrying baby Muhammad, only to see that the donkey ran fast and caught up with the caravan that headed for Hawazen earlier. Halima and Al-Harith watched the donkey with amazement. “O Halima, isn’t that your donkey?” asked Al-Harith. “Yes this is it indeed!” replied Halima.
(Scene 5)
Muhammad lived amongst Bani Sa’ad’s tribe until he turned two years old. Halima then took him back to his mother Amena, but was sad that she will leave Muhammad and won’t see him anymore. Amena hugged her son lovingly and kissed him warmly and wanted him to stay with her in Makkah, close to her. However, she realized that Halima felt great love for Muhammad, so she turned to her and said,” Why not take him for one more year. I fear he will be vulnerable to the diseases we have in Makkah”
Halima was happy that she would have Muhammad for one more year, so she took him back home with her. Muhammad used to go outside Halima’s home and watch as other boys played, but he used to avoid them and look for Halima’s children. One day he searched for them and could not find them so he asked Halima, “Why don’t I see my brothers during the day?” “Dear child, they are on the pastures with our sheep to graze,” replied Halima. “Let me go with them”, he said. That’s how Muhammad began to go out on the pastures with the sheep to graze. He was so happy having to go out and come back home looking up at the sky on his way and reflecting on the wonders of it.
One day, Muhammad thought that he could climb on top of a mountain to look up at the sky there. On his way, Halima’s son saw him and ran to his mother and told her what Muhammad had been up to. Halima and Al-Harith raced up the mountain until they reached Muhammad. They found him sitting at the top of the mountain looking up at the sky and wondering about its magnificence, even in his young age. Halima picked him up and kissed him between the eyes and returned him home without realizing that the first link between Muhammad and the sky had already being established.
(Scene 6)
A new marketplace in Oqaz (an Arab city) was set up and all the Arabs gathered in it to boast about their products. Among these were lots of fortunetellers who waited for the people to bring their sons to them. Halima went to this marketplace and brought Muhammad to one of them. The fortuneteller looked at Muhammad and cried, “O you people of Arabia, O you people of Arabia!” The people gathered around him. He continued, “Kill that boy!” He turned towards the boy and couldn’t find him, for Halima was already fleeing with Muhammad close by. “What boy?” the people asked. “I saw a boy who will kill those who follow your religion, break your idols, and enforce his will on you” the fortuneteller replied.
(Scene 7)
When Muhammad turned six years old, Halima wanted to hand him back to his mother. As she approached Makkah, she turned to Muhammad but could not find him with her.
She searched for him and couldn’t find him. She became worried and so she went to his grandfather, Abdul-Muttalib. “I came with Muhammad tonight, but when we approached Makkah, I couldn’t find him anywhere”, said Halima anxiously to Abdul-Muttalib.
Meanwhile, two men from Quraysh were approaching Makkah when they saw a young boy in the valley of Tamama (a city near Makkah) looking up at the sky with wonder on his face. They asked him, “Who are you?” “I am Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul-Muttalib Ibn Hashem”, answered the young boy firmly. They took him to Abdul-Muttalib and when his grandfather saw him, he hugged him with love. Halima was glad that Muhammad was back so she took him back to his mother.
When Amena saw Halima not asking to take back Muhammad with her, she asked, “You were so anxious to keep him with you in the past. I wonder why you brought him back now?” “ I did what I had to do. You feared that he would be vulnerable to any diseases, so now I’m returning him back to you as you asked me”, replied Halima. She then left Muhammad with Amena and went back home. Muhammad did not live with his mother for long; it was only a few more months when Amena passed away. It was written that Muhammad would grow-up an orphan.
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8 Her maiden name at that time was: Barakah |
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