Ruqiyya (r.anha)
Ruqiyya was the second daughter of the Prophet (pbuh). She was born when the Prophet was 33 years old. She became a Muslim at a very young age. The Prophet married her off to Hz. Uthman, who was a symbol of good manners and modesty.
When the tortures of the polytheists became unbearable, Hz. Uthman migrated to Abyssinia with his wife. Their migration touched the Prophet a lot. When he saw them off, he said, “The first one to migrate in the way of Allah with his wife after Lot is Uthman.”
Ruqiyya felt very sad since she left her beloved father and her hometown. Meanwhile, they had a son. They called him “Abdullah”. This cute baby made them forget their sorrow a bit.
After staying in Abyssinia for a while, Hz. Uthman and Ruqiyya could not put up with the pain of being separated from the Prophet (pbuh) any longer. They returned to Makkah risking the tortures that would be inflicted upon them. When the permission to migrate to Madinah was given, they migrated to Madinah. Thus, they gained the reward of two migrations in the way of Allah.
Muslims had peaceful days in Madinah. The Islamic state had been established and Islam had enough strength to oppose its enemies. Meanwhile, Hz. Abdullah, the beloved grandson of the Prophet, became six years old. The Prophet loved his grandson Abdullah as much as he loved his other two grandsons Hasan and Husayn; therefore, the Prophet visited his daughter more often to see his grandson. However, something unexpected happened one day. A rooster pecked at Abdullah and wounded him on the face. Abdullah became very ill and died. His janazah prayer was performed by the Prophet (pbuh). After he was buried, the Prophet planted a stone on the grave. The tears coming from his eyes wetted his beard. When he was asked why he was crying, he said, “Allah shows mercy to the slaves who are merciful and tenderhearted.” Ruqiyya did not have any children except Abdullah.
Ruqiyya got ill when the Muslims were preparing for the Battle of Badr. Her illness was serious so the Prophet ordered Hz. Uthman not to join the army. Therefore, Hz. Uthman could not take part in the Battle of Badr though he wanted it so much. He stayed in Madinah and did his best to cure his wife. However, Hz. Ruqiyya could not get over her illness and died. Her dead body was washed by Umm Ayman, the nanny of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh).
When the news of victory came from Badr, her dead body was being buried. After a while, the Prophet arrived and stood next to the grave of his daughter. Then, he prayed for her. [1]
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[1] Tabaqat, 8: 36; Mustadrak, 4: 46.
