Barra bint Samaw'al ( ar, بَرَّة بِنْت سَمَوْأَل, he, ברה בת שמואל ) was the mother of Safiyya bint Huyayy, a wife and prominent figure in the life of Muhammad, and she was a member of an Arab Jewish tribe that interacted with Muhammad.

Biography

Barra was the daughter of the very distinguished warrior-poet from the tribe of Banu Harith,

Samaw'al ibn Adiya As-Samaw’al bin ‘Ādiyā’ ( ar, السموأل بن عادياء بن رفاعة بن الحارث بن كعب / he, שמואל בן עדיה) was an Arabian poet and warrior, esteemed by the Arabs for his loyalty, which was commemorated ...

who was known as "Samuel the Faithful," because his son was caught outside the castle and slaughtered when he refused to turn over the treasure entrusted to him. She had a brother, Rifa'a ibn Samaw'al. Note, however, that this Samaw'al died in 565; this would make Barra at least 45 years old when her daughter Safiyya was born. It is therefore possible that Barra's father was a different Samaw'al, although related to the first. One candidate is Samaw'al ibn Zayd, a prominent Qurayza who participated in the debates with Muhammad in 622-623. 'Azzal ibn Samaw'al may have been another brother; and Barra was probably related to the Qurayza chief,

Ka'b ibn Asad Ka'b ibn Asad ( ar, كعب ابن اسعد) was the chief of the Qurayza, a Jewish tribe that lived in Medina until 627. A tribesman, Al-Zabir ibn Bata, claimed that his face "was like a Chinese mirror, in which the girls of the tribe could se ...

. Barra married Huyayy ibn Akhtab, who was the

chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

of the

Banu al-Nadir The Banu Nadir ( ar, بَنُو ٱلنَّضِير, he, בני נצ'יר) were a Jewish Arab tribe which lived in northern Arabia at the oasis of Medina until the 7th century. The tribe refused to convert to Islam as Muhammad had ordered it to d ...

— one of the largest Jewish tribes of its time. Barra then lived in Medina and became a member of the Qurayza tribe. Together, they had at least three children: a son; a daughter Safiyya; and another daughter, whose own son was their only documented grandchild. When the Nadir were expelled from Medina in 625, Barra settled with her family in Khaybar. Barra enjoyed a prominent position in Khaybar, where her husband was acknowledged as a leader and where their Abu'l-Huqayq kin owned the fortress of Qamus. Conflict with Muhammad continued with the assassinations of her relatives

Abu Rafi Abu or ABU may refer to: Places * Abu (volcano), a volcano on the island of Honshū in Japan * Abu, Yamaguchi, a town in Japan * Ahmadu Bello University, a university located in Zaria, Nigeria * Atlantic Baptist University, a Christian university ...

and

Usayr ibn Zarim Usayr ibn Zarim (C. 587 – 631) was the war chief of the Banu Nadir, who succeeded Abu al-Rafi ibn Abu al-Huqayq upon his death. It has been recorded by one source that Usayr also approached the Ghatafan and rumors spread that he intended to att ...

. In May 627, her husband and son were beheaded for their involvement in the

Battle of the Trench The Battle of the Trench ( ar, غزوة الخندق, Ghazwat al-Khandaq), also known as the Battle of Khandaq ( ar, معركة الخندق, Ma’rakah al-Khandaq) and the Battle of the Confederates ( ar, غزوة الاحزاب, Ghazwat al- ...

, along with most of her Qurayza male blood-relatives. However, her brother Rifa'a survived, because he took refuge with a Muslim woman.Guillaume, A. The Life of Muhammad: A Translation of Ishaq’s Sirat Rasul Allah. Barra's daughter Safiyya was initially married to Sallam ibn Mishkam, a leader of the Nadir. Later she married

Kenana ibn al-Rabi Kenana ibn al-Rabi' ( ar, كِنَانَة ٱبْن ٱلرَّبِيع) also known as Kenana ibn al-Rabi'a and Kenana ibn al-Rabi ibn Abu al-Huqayq, was a Jewish Arab tribal leader of seventh-century Arabia and an opponent of Muhammad. He was a son ...

ibn Abu al-Huqayq, who killed after the events of the

Battle of Khaybar The Battle of Khaybar ( ar, غَزْوَة خَيْبَر, label=Classical Arabic, Arabic) was fought in 628 Common Era, CE between the early Muslims led by Muhammad and Jews living in Khaybar, an oasis located 150 km from Medina in the n ...

in 628. Safiyya was taken prisoner along with other women of Kenana's family, but her prisoner-of-war status ended with her marriage to the

Islamic prophet Prophets in Islam ( ar, الأنبياء في الإسلام, translit=al-ʾAnbiyāʾ fī al-ʾIslām) are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God in Islam, God's message on Earth and to serve as models of ideal human behaviour. So ...

Muhammad. Thus Barra binte Samaw'al became what is known today as a " mother-in-law" to Muhammad. However, it is not known what happened to her after 628.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barra binte Samawal Banu Nadir 7th-century Arabian Jews Sahabah ancestors 7th-century women