Asma bint Abi Bakr

Eldest daughter of Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq from his first wife (who did not embrace Islam; Abū Bakr divorced her). Half-sister of ʿĀʾishah from a different mother. Known by her title Dhāt an-Niṭāqayn, "She of the Two Belts", earned on the night of the Prophet ﷺ's Hijrah.

When the Prophet ﷺ came to Abū Bakr's house in the midday heat with the announcement that permission to emigrate had been given, Asmāʾ had already prepared food and provisions for the journey. In the urgent moment, she had nothing to tie the food bag with. She took off her own belt (niṭāq), tore it in half with her teeth, used one half for her own garment and the other half to secure the Prophet ﷺ's food bag. The Prophet ﷺ told her: "Allah has given you two belts in Jannah in exchange." And this is how she received her famous title.

When Abū Bakr left Makkah with every dirham he had, not leaving a penny for the household, his father Abū Quḥāfah came mocking. Asmāʾ took the empty money bag, filled it with pebbles, wrapped it in cloth, and handed it to the blind old man, who felt its weight and was satisfied. He didn't know she had nothing.

She was later interrogated by Abū Jahl, who beat her physically trying to extract information about the Prophet ﷺ and her father's whereabouts. She refused to say a word.