Umm Ḥakīm bint al-Ḥārith ibn Hishām ( ar, أم حكيم بنت الحارث بن هشام) was a female companion of

Muhammad Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet divinely inspired to preach and confirm the mo ...

and later a wife of

Umar 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 A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...

Family life

Umm Hakim was daughter of al-Harith al-

Makhzum The Banu Makhzum () was one of the wealthy clans of the Quraysh. They are regarded as being among the three most powerful and influential clans in Mecca before the advent of Islam, the other two being the Banu Hashim (the tribe of the Islamic proph ...

i (ibn Hisham ibn

al-Mughira Abu Abd Allah al-Mughira ibn Shu'ba ibn Abi Amir ibn Mas'ud al-Thaqafi ( ar, المغيرة بن شعبة بن أبي عامر بن مسعود الثقفي, Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Mughīra ibn Shuʿba ibn Abī ʿĀmir ibn Masʿūd al-Thaqafī); –6 ...

ibn Abd Allah ibn Umar ibn Makhzum). His mother's name was Fatima bint al-Walid ibn al-Mughira ibn Abd Allah ibn Umar ibn Makhzum. She was wife of Ikrima Abi Jahl, who was killed in the

Battle of the Yarmuk The Battle of the Yarmuk (also spelled Yarmouk) was a major battle between the army of the Byzantine Empire and the Muslim forces of the Rashidun Caliphate. The battle consisted of a series of engagements that lasted for six days in August 63 ...

in 634 CE. Later in 634 CE she was married to Abu Sa'id Khalid ibn Sa'id on the evening preceding Battle of Marj al-Saffar, Abu Sa'id was killed in the battle. Later she was married to

Umar ibn al-Khattab 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 ...

, from him she had a daughter named Fatima.

Battle of Uhud

In the battle of Uhud she accompanied Ikrima and other Quraysh of

Mecca Mecca (; officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, commonly shortened to Makkah ()) is a city and administrative center of the Mecca Province of Saudi Arabia, and the holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow ...

who fought against the

Muslims Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

. She, along with other women, beat drums as they led the group of Quraysh women onto the battlefield.

Conquest of Mecca

In 630 CE, when the Muslims conquered Mecca, Umm Hakim converted to Islam along with the other Quraysh. Subsequently, Umm Hakim convinced her husband Ikrima to accept Islam.

Battle of Marj al-Saffar

After Abu Sa'id was killed, Umm Hakim single-handedly killed seven

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

soldiers with a tent pole near a bridge which is now known as the Bridge of Umm Hakim near Damascus, during the battle of Marj al-Saffar in 634.

References

Women companions of the Prophet Women in medieval warfare Women in war in the Middle East Arab people of the Arab–Byzantine wars 7th-century Arabs Banu Makhzum Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Arab women in war {{Asia-mil-bio-stub