Umm Aiman, A Pious Virtuous Woman

Umm Aiman, A Pious Virtuous Woman

Anas bin Malik (raa) reported: After the death of Messenger of Allah (saws), Abu Bakr said to ‘Umar (raa) : “Let us visit Umm Aiman (raa) as Messenger of Allah (saws) used to visit her”.

As we came to her, she wept. They (Abu Bakr and ‘Umar (raa)) said to her, “What makes you weep? Do you not know that what Allah has in store for His Messenger (saws) is better than (this worldly life)?”

She said, “I weep not because I am ignorant of the fact that what is in store for Messenger of Allah (saws) (in the Hereafter) is better than this world, but I weep because the Revelation has ceased to come”.

This moved both of them to tears and they began to weep along with her.

The Book Pertaining to the Merits of the Companions (raa) of the Holy Prophet (saws) (Kitab Al-Fada’il Al-Sahabah) – Muslim: Book 31, Hadith 6009

Commentary: The Book of Miscellany
Visiting The Pious Person – Loving Them And Adoption Of Their Company

Riyadh as-Saaliheen (The Gardens of the Righteous), by Imam an-Nawawi

Umm Aiman (raa) belonged to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) and was a slave-girl of the Prophet’s father (‘Abdullah bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib). After the death of ‘Abdullah, Umm Aiman (raa) remained with the Prophet’s mother, Aminah, and took great care in his upbringing. Subsequently, the Prophet (saws) set her free and she was married to Zaid bin Harithah (raa)

This Hadith holds justification for weeping over the death of the pious and also shows that it is desirable to visit such persons to whom one’s friends go to pay respect.

The incident mentioned in this Hadith also shows the love that the Companions (raa) of the Prophet (saws) had for him.