Umm Kulthum bint Uqba

Born in Mecca, she was the daughter of Uqba ibn Abu Mu'ayt and Arwa bint Kurayz; Umm Kulthum's father Uqba was an outspoken opponent of Muhammad, but she became a Muslim before 622. She remained in Mecca after the Hijra. After the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah in 628, Umm Kulthum left Mecca for Medina in the company of a man from the Khuza'a tribe. Her brothers, Walid and Ammara, pursued her, and she arrived in Medina only one day ahead of them. Her brothers asked Muhammad to return her to them, in accordance with the treaty, which stated that Muslims who escaped from Mecca to Medina should be returned to their families. Umm Kulthum pleaded that "women are weak" and that she might not have the strength to remain firm in her faith if she had to live among polytheists. Muhammad then announced the new revelation: Umm Kulthum was asked whether she had come to Medina "for love of Allah and his Apostle and Islam" or whether she was seeking or escaping a husband or hoping to make money. After she had passed the test, Muhammad told her brothers: "Allah has broken the treaty regarding women by what you know, so leave." Other women then followed Umm Kulthum's example and also left Mecca for Medina. == Marriage ==

Four men asked for her hand in marriage, and in fact she was to marry all four of them in rotation. She asked her brother Uthman which suitor she should accept, and he advised her to consult Muhammed. He instructed her to marry Zayd ibn Harithah. The couple had two children, of whom Zayd died in infancy, but Ruqayya lived to come under the protection of Uthman. Zayd divorced Umm Kulthum, but was killed soon afterwards at the battle of Mu'tah. ==References==