Safiyya bint Huyayy

Safiyyah was born in Medina to Huyayy ibn Akhtab, the chief of the Jewish tribe Banu Nadir. Her mother, Barrah bint Samawal, was from the Banu Qurayza tribe. Her maternal grandfather was Samaw'al ibn 'Adiya, a celebrated pre-Islamic Arabian Jewish poet from the Banu Harith tribe. According to a source, she was married off to Sallam ibn Mishkam, who later divorced her.[3]

When the Banu Nadir were expelled from Medina in 625, her family settled in Khaybar, an oasis near Medina.[3] Her father and brother went from Khaybar to join the Meccan and Bedouin forces besieging Muhammad in Medina during the Battle of the Trench. When the Meccans withdrew Muhammad besieged the Banu Qurayza. After the defeat of the Banu Qurayza in 627 Safiyya's father, a long-time opponent of Muhammad, was captured and executed by the Muslims.[4]

In 627 or early in 628, Safiyya was married to Kenana ibn al-Rabi, treasurer of the Banu Nadir; she was about 17 years old at that time.[3] Muslim sources claimed that Safiyya is said to have informed Kenana of a dream she had in which the moon had fallen from the heavens into her lap. Kenana interpreted it as a desire to marry Muhammad and struck her in the face, leaving a mark which was still visible when she first had contact with Muhammad.[2][5]

In May 628, Muhammad and the Muslims invaded Khaybar, and several Jewish tribes (including the Banu Nadir) were defeated and surrendered. Some of the Jewish tribes were allowed to remain in the city on the condition that they give half of their annual produce to the Muslims. The land itself became the property of the Muslim state.[6] This settlement, according to Stillman, did not extend to the Banu Nadir tribe, who were given no mercy.[7]

Safiyya's then-husband, Kenana ibn al-Rabi, who had custody of the Banu Nadir treasure, was brought to Muhammad, who asked him where the treasure was. Kenana claimed ignorance, but then a Jew revealed that he often circled around a certain ruin. Muhammad ordered excavations in the area, and part of the treasure was found. When Muhammad asked where the rest was, Kenana refused to tell, and Muhammad ordered Zubayr ibn al-Awwam to torture him with hot steel applied to his chest until he was almost dead. Muhammad then took him to Muhammad ibn Maslama, who beheaded him in revenge for his brother Mahmud,[8][9] who was killed in the battle.[10]

Dihya al-Kalbi, one of Muhammad's companions, asked Muhammad for a slave from among the captives, so he let him to take whomever he wanted, and Dihya went and took Safiyya. But someone informed Muhammad that Dihya had taken Safiyya, the chief mistress of Banu Qurayza and the Nadir and a woman of renowned beauty, and he thought she was fit only for Muhammad. So Muhammad ordered to call them.[11][12]

When Safiyya was delivered, she was with another woman, and when the woman saw the headless corpses of the beheaded Banu Nadir men, she cried out wildly, smacked herself in the face, and poured sand on her own head.[13][14] Muhammad ordered that what he considered a "she-devil" be taken away.[8] Muhammad then took Safiyya for himself and told Dihya to take any other slave girl from the captives.[11][12] It was reported that Dihya got seven slaves in exchange.[15] Muhammad then married her and took her to his bed that very night. She was 17 years old at the time and known to be exceptionally beautiful.[16][17]

According to Muhammad al-Bukhari, Muhammad stayed for three days between Khaybar and Medina, where he consummated his marriage to Safiyya. His companions wondered if she was to be considered a slave (Arabic: ma malakat aymanukum) or a wife. The former speculated that they would consider Safiyya as Muhammad's wife, and thus "Mother of the Believers".

Muhammad advised Safiyya to convert to Islam, she accepted and agreed to became Muhammad's wife.[18] Safiyya did not bear any children to Muhammad.[19]

Regarding Safiyya's Jewish descent, Muhammad once said to his wife that if other women insulted her for her "Jewish heritage" and were jealous because of her beauty, she was to respond,

"My father (ancestor) Harun (Aaron) was a prophet, my uncle (his brother) Musa (Moses) was a prophet, and my husband (Muhammad) is a prophet."[20]

After Muhammad's death, she became involved in the power politics of the early Muslim community, and acquired substantial influence by the time of her death.[3] In 656, Safiyya sided with caliph Uthman ibn Affan, and defended him at his last meeting with Ali, Aisha, and Abd Allah ibn al-Zubayr. During the period when the caliph was besieged at his residence, Safiyya made an unsuccessful attempt to reach him, and supplied him with food and water via a plank placed between her dwelling and his.[3]

Safiyya died in 670 or 672, during the reign of Muawiyah I, and was buried in the Jannat al-Baqi graveyard.[21] She left an estate of 100,000 dirhams in land and goods, one-third of which she bequeathed to her sister's son, who followed Judaism. Her dwelling in Medina was bought by Muawiyya for 180,000 dirhams.[3]

Her dream was interpreted as a miracle, and her suffering and reputation for crying won her a place in Sufi works. She is mentioned in all major books of hadith for relating a few traditions and a number of events in her life serve as legal precedents.[3]

• Saffiyah (name)
• Rayhana bint Zayd
• Judaism's views on Muhammad
• List of non-Arab Sahaba

• Awde, Nicholas Women in Islam: An Anthology from the Qur'an and Hadits, Routledge (UK) 2000, ISBN 0-7007-1012-4
• John Esposito and Yvonne Yazbeck Haddad, Islam, Gender, and Social Change, Oxford University Press, 1997, ISBN 0-19-511357-8
• Leila Ahmed, Women and Gender in Islam: Historical roots of a modern debate, Yale University Press, 1992
• Valentine Moghadam (ed), Gender and National Identity.
• Karen Armstrong, "The Battle for God: Fundamentalism in Judaism, Christianity and Islam", London, HarperCollins/Routledge, 2001