When Muhammad (pbuh) wanted to take care of Banu Sa'd tribe

 When Muhammad (pbuh) wanted to take care of Banu Sa'd tribe 

 

There was a special custom among the urban Arabs of the time regarding the rearing of suckling children. The practice was to raise the children in the open countryside, away from the ill effects of the crowded urban environment, so that they would have strong bodies and strong muscles and be able to learn the pure Arabic language, handing them over to Bedouin midwives for milk. In accordance with this tradition, Abdul Muttalib searched for a midwife to nurse the baby Muhammad (ﷺ) and finally handed him over to Halimah bint Abu Yuayb. This woman was a Khatun from the tribe of Banu Sa'd bin Bakr. Her husband's name was Harith bin Abdul Uzzah and surname was Abu Kabshah. He was also related to the tribe of Banu Sa'd. 

Halimah and Haris had several children. They earned the honor of the milk-related brothers and sisters of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Their names are respectively: Abdullah, Anisa, Huzafa or Juzamah. Huzafa was better known and popular as Shaima. It is said that mother Halimah helped in the upbringing of Shaymai Rasoolullah (ﷺ). Moreover, his cousin Abu Safiyyah bin Harith bin Abdul Muttalib was also a dairy brother according to Halimah. Hamzah bin Abdul Muttalib, the uncle of the Prophet (ﷺ), was also given milk by a woman from the tribe of Banu Sa'd. While Halimah was at home, this woman also made the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) drink milk one day. In this context, Nabi Kareem (ﷺ) and Hamzah (RA) became related about Dudhbhai. The first source is through Suwayba's relationship and the second source is through that woman in the tribe of Banu Sa'd. 

While drinking milk, Halimah was amazed and shocked to witness many miraculous and blessed scenes of the Prophet (ﷺ). According to Halimah's account, the historian Ibn Ishaq says that Halimah and her husband, along with a nursing child, went to Makkah with a group of Banu Sa'd women in search of a child to nurse in exchange for money. At that time there was great food and money shortage due to famine in the Arab lands. Halimah said, 'I was riding on the back of one of my white female donkeys. I had a camel with me. But what is the glory of Allah that not a single drop of milk was coming out of the camel's udder. There was not even a drop of milk in my breast for the baby. At this point the child was fussing so much due to hunger that we could not sleep the whole night. In such a situation, we were waiting for rain and prosperity. But as there was no improvement in the situation, finally we started walking again without seeing any other way. 

I mounted my donkey and continued on my way. The donkey was very weak, moving so slowly because of his weakness and lack of strength that the others in the caravan felt very annoyed and embarrassed. However, we arrived at Makkah in such an uncomfortable situation. Then there was not a woman in our party who was not offered milk to the infant Prophet (ﷺ). But when they came to know that the child was a fatherless orphan, they refused to accept him. Because, everyone expects to get a good return from the father of dairy cattle for giving milk. But there is no such possibility in this case. The mother is widowed, the grandfather is old, what can he expect to get in return for raising this child? Hesitantly thinking about all this, none of the party expressed interest in taking it. 

Meanwhile the other women of the group who came with me all collected one child each. Only I remained. I have not been able to collect any children. As the time to go back drew nearer, my mind gradually became heavy and burdened. Finally I said to my husband, 'I can't accept that all my wives are returning with babies to nurse and I have to go back empty handed. Rather than that, I take that orphan boy (which Allah does).' 

Swami said, 'Okay, no problem, you go and get her. It may also be that Allah has a blessing in store for us in the meantime. It was in such a state and context of mind that I took the baby Muhammad (ﷺ) to drink milk.' 

Then Halimah said, 'When I returned to my abode with the baby Muhammad (ﷺ) and placed him in my arms, he pressed his breasts against my chest and drank milk with full satisfaction. His suckling brother i.e. my unborn child also drank milk with full satisfaction. Then both fell asleep. We have never seen him sleep like this before. 

On the other hand my husband went to milk the camel and found that his olan was full of milk. She milked so much milk that we both drank it to our fill and passed the night with great comfort. After spending the night with full satisfaction, when the morning came, my husband said, 'Halima! By Allah, you have got a very lucky child.' 

Halimah also said that, 'Then our party left Makkah to return to their respective homes. With the baby Muhammad (ﷺ) on my breast I mounted my weak and dull female donkey and started the journey with them. But by Allah, my weak ass left everyone behind and kept moving ahead of everyone at a fast pace. No other donkey could keep up with him. Even the other wives kept saying, 'O daughter of Abu Zuwaib! The thing is, let's see what the ball is. Do us a favor! Is this not the donkey on which you came riding?' 

I said, 'Yes, by Allah, this is the donkey on which I came.'

 They said, 'Surely, something very mysterious has happened with it.'

Through such a mysterious situation, we finally arrived at the home of Banu Sa'd tribe. Before this I did not know whether the people of any region were more destitute than those of our region, but after our return from Makkah our goats used to eat from the pastures and return home with olans full of milk. We used to drink milk to our satisfaction by milking the milch goats. But other people did not get even a drop of milk. Their animals had no milk in their udders. In view of such a situation, the owners of the herds used to say to their herdsmen, 'Can't you take your herds to the pasture where the herdsman of Banu Zuwaib's daughter takes herds?' 

In this context, the shepherds of other peoples also took their herds to the pastures where our shepherds took their herds. But even then their animals would return hungry and hungry. All those animals did not have milk in their wool. But our goats would return home satisfied and full of milk. We continued to receive blessings from Allah Ta'ala in everything we did.

Thus two whole years of the boy passed and I stopped breastfeeding him. Compared to other children, this child continued to grow so beautifully that before the completion of two years, his body became quite strong and fit. After completing two years of fostering, we took him to his mother. But with the prosperity and blessings we have been enjoying in our family life since he was taken away, we have been harboring a secret desire in the corner of our hearts that he should stay with us for a little while longer. We expressed our secret wish to his mother to let him stay with us for some more time so that he becomes healthy and fit. Moreover, we are also somewhat apprehensive about the outbreak of an epidemic in Makkah. Reassured by our repeated requests and sincerity, he agreed to take Muhammad (ﷺ) back.