Ḥafṣa bint ʿUmar ( ar, حفصة بنت عمر; 605–665), was a wife of 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 and daughter of

ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb ( ar, عمر بن الخطاب, also spelled Omar, ) was the second Rashidun caliph, ruling from August 634 until his assassination in 644. He succeeded Abu Bakr () as the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate ...

, the second caliph of

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

. In Islamic writings, her name is thus often prefixed by the title "Mother of the Believers" (Arabic: أمّ المؤمنين, romanized: ''ʾumm al- muʾminīn'').

Early life

Hafsa was the daughter and eldest child of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab and

Zaynab bint Maz'un Zaynab bint Maẓʿūn (Arabic: زينب بنت مظعون) was the first wife of Umar. Biography She was the daughter of Maz'un ibn Habib of the Jumah clan of the Quraysh in Mecca;Muhammad ibn Saad. ''Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir'' vol. 3. Transl ...

. She was born "when Quraysh were building the House ''

Kaʿbah The Kaaba (, ), also spelled Ka'bah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah ( ar, ٱلْكَعْبَة ٱلْمُشَرَّفَة, lit=Honored Ka'bah, links=no, translit=al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah), is a building at the c ...

'', five years before the Prophet was sent," i.e., in 605.

Marriage

She was married to Khunays ibn Hudhafa but became a widow in August 624. As soon as Hafsa had completed her waiting period, her father Umar offered her hand to Uthman ibn 'Affan, and thereafter to Abu Bakr; but they both refused her. When Umar went to Muhammad to complain about this, Muhammad replied, "Hafsa will marry one better than Uthman and Uthman will marry one better than Hafsa." Muhammad married Hafsa in Sha'ban AH 3 (late January or early February 625). This marriage "gave the Prophet the chance of allying himself with this faithful follower," i.e., Umar, who now became his father-in-law.

Notable work

Uthman, when he became Caliph, used Hafsa's copy when he standardized the text of Qur'an. She is also said to have narrated sixty '' hadiths'' from Muhammad.

Death

She died in Sha'ban AH 45, i.e., in October or November 665. She is buried in Al-Baqi Cemetery next to the other Mothers of the Faithful.

Contrasting Views

Sunni View

Hafsa is seen as scholarly and inquisitive by the

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

s. She is also respected as a Mother of The Believers.

Shi'a View

The Shi'a view is rather different from the Sunni. Most Twelver Shi'a accuse Hafsa and

Aisha Aisha ( ar, , translit=ʿĀʾisha bint Abī Bakr; , also , ; ) was Muhammad's third and youngest wife. In Islamic writings, her name is thus often prefixed by the title "Mother of the Believers" ( ar, links=no, , ʾumm al-mu'min, muʾminīn), ...

for poisoning Muhammad and bringing about his death.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hafsa Bint Umar Umar 605 births 660s deaths 7th-century Arabs Family of Muhammad Wives of Muhammad Banu Adi Muslim female saints Arab Muslims 7th-century Muslims Children of Rashidun caliphs Burials at Jannat al-Baqī