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Who she was:
She was an Ansaari woman from Madeenah. Her two brothers, Hiram bin Milhan and Salim bin Milhan, took part in the Battles of Badr and Uhud. She was also related by marriage to Abu Talhah, another distinguished Companion. Her husband was Amr bin Quays bin Zayd, and her son was Quays bin Amr bin Quays - these were two eminent Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who were martyred at the Battle of Badr. After her husband's death she married Ubadah bin Samit, a distinguished General of the Muslim army. She had a son by this marriage, Muhammad bin 'Ubadah bin Samit.

Ubaadah was one of the first Ansari men to participate in the Pledge of Aqabah. He was one of the chiefs of his clan and he was one of those who took part in the Battle of Badr. Such was his love for Islam that he never failed to attend any battle or campaign with the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. He was also one of the shining heroes in the battle of Apostasy and later fell a martyr in the Battle of Yarmook.

Ubadah was the first teacher and judge in Palestine; a position Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, had wisely appointed him to. He witnessed the conquest of Egypt and was the leader of one quarter of the contingent.

His first marine war was in order to conquer Cyprus. It was in this war that Umm Haram participated.

The family house of Milhan was in Quba. They lived among palm dates and plantations, springs of palatable water and pleasant breezes and lived an honourable life and upright life.

Anas bin Malik narrated that once he was at his house when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came there. His mother and her sister were also there. He (the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him) bestowed upon them a beautiful gift when he told them to rise and he would lead them in a special prayer; it was not the time for one of the obligatory prayers. After prayers he made a supplication to Allah to bless the family both in this world and the Hereafter.

Milhan’s house, which was the house of Umm Sulaym and Umm Haram, was a familiar house to the Prophet, peace be upon him, in this regard. We have already mentioned that whenever he would be asked about his frequent visits to their house he would respond by stating that he did so as a consolation for the family, and would add, “Their brother was killed while fighting on my side." It was therefore out of a sense of obligation by the Prophet, peace be upon him, that these visits were made.

Her brother Haram was among the delegates of reciters that were treacherously killed by ‘Amar ibn at-Tufayl on the day of Bi’r Ma’oonah. These reciters were seventy in number, and were all enclosed and killed. They were among the greatest companions of the Prophet in terms of knowledge and piety. Their martyrdom caused the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) much grief as Haram (may Allah be pleased with him) was a man of great faith, courage, decency and knowledge. We can see this in his response towards martyrdom. When he was going to be struck by swords and spears, he screamed as loud as he could, “I won, by the Lord of the Ka’bah!"

During one of his visits, Umm Haram cheerfully received the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). She then served him his favourite food after which the Prophet (peace be upon him) then went to a section of her home to take a siesta. After a short nap he awoke smiling. Umm Haram asked him as to why he was smiling to which he replied, “Some people among my followers were shown to me riding over the green sea like kings over their thrones." Umm Haram, wisely taking hold of the opportunity made a request: “O Messenger of Allah invoke Allah that He makes me one of them." The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, “You will be among the first."

Umm Haram accompanied her husband Ubadah ibn as-Samit wherever he went. Especially since he had joined the Syrian army under the command of Abu ‘Ubaydah and ‘Amar ibn Abdullah ibn al-Jarrah, ‘Ubadah took part prominently in all the battles until the Muslims conquered the entire Syrian territories.

Then a request came to Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, from the people of Palestine. They need a scholar who could teach them the matters of their religion and a judge who could arbitrate between them and settle their disputes. In order to demonstrate his confidence in ‘Ubaadah and show his recognition of his virtues, knowledge and status, Umar appointed him as the teacher and judge for the Palestinians.

Ubadah and his wife Umm Haram then began living in Palestine. Ubadah discharged his duties in the best manner, which made him a popular and well-known companion. The people highly respected his views and his decision-making.

Amr ibn al-Aas left Palestine to conquer Egypt as the presence of the Romans there was becoming a great threat to the Muslims in Syria. He consulted the leader of the faithful Umar ibn al-Khattab and the latter issued his consent.

Amr went deep into the land of Egypt and fought the Roman army in a number of wars and defeated them. When he came to the Babylon fortress in old Egypt, he laid siege on it and the siege lasted for a long time.

At one point, Amr, may Allah be pleased with him, had to request the leader of the faithful, Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, for reinforcements. An army was sent as a reinforcement, a fourth of which was commanded by Ubaadah.

Umm Haram accompanied her husband in this battle. The chivalrous Ubaadah was put to a meritorious test in the land of Egypt, strategically moving about, fighting in the way of Allah until the Romans were defeated and driven out. After the victory Ubaadah went to Damascus, which is situated in Syria and began living there.

In the era of the third righteous caliph Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, n the year 27th, after Hijrah, Damascus, the headquarters of the Syrian governorate was full of different civilizations and cultures. It was hugely populated by people, especially the Prophet’s companions. These companions didn’t seek luxury or enjoyment but only knowledge and guidance. They were only interested in spreading the teachings of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger, peace be upon him. Some of these eminent companions were Aboo Dharr, ‘Ubaadah ibn as-Saamit (the husband of Umm Haram), as well as others.

During the caliphate of 'Uthman bin 'Affan, in the year 27th, after Hijrah, Mu'awiyah bin Abu Sufyan was given permission to conquer the Island of Cyprus. To reach there a naval force was readied. This was the first time in Islamic history that such a measure was taken. 'Ubadah bin Samit was accompanied by his wife Umm Hiram accompanying the General Mu'awiyah with his wife Fakhtah bint Qurdhah.

Mu’aawiyyah Ibn Abi Sufiyan, may Allah be pleased with him, then commanded the army to sail on. The ships were detached from the anchors and sailed through the waves in the Name of Allah.

The ship finally arrived at the Cyprus coasts. The soldiers surged out, unloaded their luggage and prepared themselves for war, after already having defeated a Roman guard-boat which had tried to impede their way. The Muslims then began planning how to creep into the heart of the Island. Umm Haram had lead a momentous life in Madeenah and different parts of the world, such as Hijaaz, Syria, Palestine, Egypt and then back to Syria and lastly in Cyprus. It was a life full of thrilling events, an extensive life full of long journeys.

While in Cyprus, Umm Haram was riding on an animal. The horse shied, was extremely frightened and then jumped violently. Umm Haram fell off of it and died shortly thereafter smiling and was buried where she fell. May Allah be pleased with her and please her!

Today, centuries after this memorable event, the grave of Umm Haram, the righteous and martyred Muslim woman, still stands in the land of Cyprus for all to see. There is a Masjid nearby testifying that Umm Haram was really one of the first (i.e. to die there) and that indeed the Messenger of Allah, may the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him, said the truth!

Sources

The web site Islam's Women

The web site Ideal Muslimah

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