Fatima bint al-Khattab

Sister of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb and wife of Saʿīd ibn Zayd (son of Zayd ibn ʿAmr ibn Nufayl, one of the Ḥunafāʾ). She accepted Islam before her brother, while he was still one of Islam's most dangerous enemies.

The Prophet (SAW) assigned Khabbāb ibn al-Aratt (رضي الله عنه) to teach her and her husband Sūrat Ṭāhā and other portions of the Qurʾān. They were studying in secret in their home when ʿUmar arrived with a sword, having set out to kill the Prophet.

Her courage: when ʿUmar tried to strike her husband Saʿīd and the blow landed on her instead, cutting her lip and drawing blood, she and Saʿīd together declared loudly: "If'al mā badā lak, do as you please! We HAVE accepted Islam and we believe in the Prophet (SAW)." Her defiance in the face of her brother's rage, while bleeding, was the turning point of the encounter. It broke through his aggression and caused him to pause.

Her knowledge of Islamic etiquette: when ʿUmar asked to read what they had been studying, she insisted he take Ghusl (ritual bath) before touching the Qurʾān. This shows that even in the earliest Meccan period, the companions understood the sanctity of the Qurʾān and the requirement of purity to handle it. This early display of Islamic knowledge is remarkable given the circumstances.

She is considered among the earliest female companions to accept Islam in Makkah.