Umm Ma’bad and the Frail Goat
During this migration, there is an incident recorded in reference to Umm Ma‘bad which is as follows:
During the migration, the caravan of the Holy Prophet (sa) stopped by a tent to acquire provisions for their journey. This was the tent of Umm Ma‘bad, whose real name was Atikah bint Khalid. She belonged to the branch of the Khuza‘ah tribe from the Banu Kaab. She was the sister of Hazrat Hubaish (ra) bin Khalid, who was a companion and had the honour of relating traditions [of the Holy Prophet (sa)]. Umm Ma‘bad’s husband was known as Abu Ma‘bad. It is said that he too had the honour of relating traditions of the Holy Prophet (sa). He passed away during the lifetime of the Holy Prophet (sa). The exact name of Abu Ma‘bad is unknown. The tent of Umm Ma‘bad was located in Qudaid, which is a small village close to Mecca, located a few miles south of Rabiq. This is also where the altar of the well-known idol, Manat, was located. The people of Medina would worship this idol.
*(Ibn Hisham, Al-Raud al-Unf fi Tafsir al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, Vol. 2, Nasab Umm Ma‘bad wa Zaujiha [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, 2013], p. 325) (Sayyid Fadl al-Rahman, Farhang-e-Sirat [Karachi, Pakistan: Zawwar Academy Publications, 2003], p. 232) *
Umm Ma‘bad was a brave and strong woman, who would sit by the front of her tent and feed those who passed by. The Holy Prophet (sa) and his companions asked to purchase meat and dates from her, but she did not have what they required. At that point in time, the people of Umm Ma‘bad were impoverished and drought-stricken. Umm Ma‘bad said, “If we had anything, we would not keep it from you.” The Holy Prophet (sa) saw a goat in one corner of the tent and enquired, “O Umm Ma‘bad, what is the condition of this goat?” She replied, “This goat has been overcome by weakness to the extent that it cannot keep up with the herd.” In other words, it is so weak that it cannot even go out to graze with the rest of the herd. The Holy Prophet (sa) asked, “Does it give milk?” She replied, “It is so weak that it would be impossible for it to produce any milk.” The Holy Prophet (sa) asked, “Would you permit me to try and draw milk from it?” She said, “If you sense that she will give milk, then by all means; I do not have any objection to it.” Thus, the Holy Prophet (sa) was brought the goat. He passed his hand over her udder, and with the name of Allah, the Mighty and Powerful, prayed for the goat of Umm Ma’bad to be blessed. The goat comfortably stood before the Holy Prophet (sa), began to produce a lot of milk and ruminate. Then, the Holy Prophet (sa) sought a vessel from them large enough to satiate an entire gathering. The goat produced so much milk to the extent that the froth overflowed from the vessel. The Holy Prophet (sa) offered the milk to Umm Ma‘bad, who became fully satiated. He then offered the milk to his companions, who also became fully satiated. After everyone else, the Holy Prophet (sa) himself drank from the milk and said, “He who serves others to drink should be the last to drink himself.” After a brief pause, the Holy Prophet (sa) milked the goat once more until the vessel was full again. He left that vessel with Umm Ma‘bad, purchased the goat from her and continued on his journey.”
(Mustafa Abd al-Wahid, Subul al-Huda wa al-Rashad fi Sirat Khair al-Ibad, Vol. 3, Fi Hijrat Rasul (sa) Allah… [Beirut, Lebanon: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 1993], pp. 244-245)
The Bravery of Umm Ma’bad
It is written, “On the one hand, the Holy Prophet (sa) and his exceptionally devoted companion who was with him on the journey, Hazrat Abu Bakr (ra), were journeying with divine help and in the shade of protective angels, while on the other hand, the Meccans had not given up in their search. They continued in their pursuit of the Holy Prophet (sa). It so happened that the pursuit of a search party from the Quraish led them to the tent of Umm Ma‘bad. As soon as they disembarked from their horses, they began to enquire about the Holy Prophet (sa). Umm Ma‘bad realised what was happening and said, ‘You are saying things that I have never heard of, nor do I understand what you people are after.’ As soon as the search party became more aggressive in their questioning, this brave and astute woman said, ‘If you do not leave from here at once, I will call upon the people of my tribe.’ They recognised the status of this woman and thus realised that it would be better for them to leave.”
(Abdul Hameed Jaudah al-Sahhar, Muhammad (sa) Rasul Allah wa alladhina ma‘ahu, Vol. 3, al-Hijrah [Egypt: Maktabat Misr], p. 67)