Khawla and Uthman ibn Maz'un: The Righteous Couple

Among the first to accept Islam were a husband and wife of unusual devotion: ʿUthmān ibn Maẓʿūn of Banū Jumaḥ and Khawlah bint Ḥakīm. ʿUthmān had abstained from wine even in the days of ignorance and was so trusted that Quraysh honoured him; he led the first emigration to Abyssinia and made hijrah three times for Allāh's sake. Khawlah, a friend of Khadījah, known for her intelligence and her knowledge of medicine, remained close to the Prophet's ﷺ household all her life.

❧Balance in Worship

ʿUthmān's piety ran so deep that he began to withdraw from his wife altogether, giving his nights to prayer and his days to fasting, turning away from the world. Khawlah mentioned his state to ʿĀʾishah, who was troubled by it, and word reached the Prophet ﷺ. He summoned ʿUthmān and asked why he was turning away from his Sunnah, for the Prophet ﷺ prayed and slept, fasted and broke his fast, and married women; a believer owes his own body and his family their rights. ʿUthmān took the correction and returned to a balanced life. It is a lesson the couple's story preserves: that Islam is moderation, not the abandonment of the world.

❧A Death the Prophet ﷺ Wept For

ʿUthmān was the first of the Muhājirūn to die in Medina. The Prophet ﷺ was at his side as he passed, and wept for him, and kissed his forehead, so that his tears were seen upon ʿUthmān's face. He was buried in al-Baqīʿ, and when others of the family later died the Prophet ﷺ spoke of ʿUthmān as one who had gone ahead to a good end. Khawlah outlived him, remembered above all for the two marriages she arranged for the Prophet ﷺ after Khadījah's death.