Asma bint Umais

Asma's birth year is unknown, however, being the firstborn of her mother's third marriage, narrows down her birth year to around 597 to 600 CE. She was born apparently in Mecca as the daughter of immigrants. Her father was Umays ibn Ma'ad from the Khath'am tribe, and her mother was Hind bint Awf from the Himyar tribe. Her full siblings were Salma bint Umays, wife of Hamza ibn Abdul Muttalib, and Awn ibn Umais. Her maternal half-siblings included two of Muhammad's wives, Zaynab bint Khuzayma and Maymunah bint al-Harith, as well as Umm Faḍl, the wife of Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib, Al-Sa'ib ibn al-Harith, Qatn ibn al-Harith, and the community treasurer Mahmiyah ibn Al-Jaz'. Asma and her sister Salma both converted to Islam "after the Messenger of Allah had entered the house of al-Arqam", i.e., between late 614 and early 616 CE. She is notable for having been the wife of three of Muhammad's close companions. ==Married life==

Marriage to Jafar Asma's first marriage was probably to Rabia ibn Riyab al-Hilali from Banu Hilal tribe in Hejaz, who either died before Islam or divorced her. Shortly afterwards, she was married to Ja'far ibn Abi Talib from the Banu Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe. In 616 she emigrated with him to Abyssinia, where she gave birth to their three sons, Abdullah, Muhammad and Awn. while "far away and banished," Ja'far fought at the Battle of Mu'tah against the Ghassanids, who were aided by the Byzantines, in September 629 and, Ja'far along with Zayd ibn Haritha and Abdullah ibn Rawahah, was killed there. ==Death and burial==

at the Cemetery of Bab as-Saghir, Damascus, Shaam There is no record about the exact date of her demise. However, 38/658-9 and after 60/679-80 were mentioned in some sources. In an account, it is only mentioned that she was alive after the martyrdom of Imam Ali (a) (40/661). It is believed that Asma's qabr (, grave) is at the Maqbarah al-Bāb aṣ-Ṣaghīr (, Bab al-Saghir Cemetery) in Damascus, present-day Syria. ==Legacy==

Asma narrated ahadith from Muhammad. Historical controversy The following historians state that Asma was present at Fatima's wedding ceremony in 1 AH: • The author of Kashf Al-Ghummah • Hadhrami in Rashfat al-Sadi, p. 10 • Ahmad ibn Hanbal in al-Manaqib. • Nur al-Din al-Haythami in ''Majma al-Zawa'id'' • Nisaee in Khasaes, pg 31 • Muhib Ad-Din Tabari in Dhakhaer al-Uqbi They depend on the narrations of: Abu Abbas Khawarazmi from Husayn ibn Ali, Sayid Jalal al-Din Abu al-Hamid Ibn Fakhr al-Musawi, and Dulabi from Imam Baqir and his father. This is a historical problem that has not yet been solved despite the various attempts made by Majlisi in Bihar al-Anwar vol. 10. One theory states that Asma Bint Umais had actually immigrated with her husband to Abyssinia, but repeatedly returned to Mecca and Medina. The distance between Jeddah and Abyssinia is limited to that of the width of the Red Sea, which is not very difficult for a journey. One narration makes a mention of Ja'far supporting this stance. ==See also==