Umm Habibah bint Abi Sufyan

One of the Ummahāt al-Muʾminīn (Mothers of the Believers), wives of the Prophet (SAW). She was the daughter of Abū Sufyān ibn Ḥarb, one of the most powerful enemies of Islam in Makkah, and the wife of ʿUbaydullāh ibn Jaḥsh, a cousin of the Prophet (SAW), with whom she emigrated to Abyssinia.

ʿUbaydullāh ibn Jaḥsh died in Abyssinia, leaving Umm Ḥabībah a widow in a foreign land far from her family (who were hostile to Islam) and with no one to care for her. After her prescribed ʿiddah (waiting period), the Prophet (SAW) sent her a marriage proposal, relayed through the Najāshī himself.

The Najāshī presided over the marriage and, without being asked, paid the Mahr (bridal gift) on behalf of the Prophet (SAW) from his own wealth. He also personally organized a delegation to escort Umm Ḥabībah back to Madinah. This act of generosity further demonstrated the depth of his faith and care for the Muslims in his kingdom.

Upon returning to Madinah, she became one of the Mothers of the Believers (رضي الله عنها). Her marriage to the Prophet (SAW) was also politically significant: she was the daughter of Abū Sufyān, Quraysh's leader and Islam's chief opponent, yet she was now the Prophet's wife. This connection may have softened some of the eventual dynamics of the Conquest of Makkah.