When Hind came to pay allegiance (to the Prophet to become a Muslim), was she asked to apply henna on her hands?

Is it true that when Hind came to the Prophet to become a Muslim, she was asked to apply henna on her hands?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Yes, it is true. We will try to explain the issue briefly.

Hz. Aisha narrates:

"Hind Bint Utba said to the Prophet, "O Messenger of Allah! Accept my allegiance!" The Prophet said, "No. I will not accept your allegiance unless you change your hands. Your hands are like the feet of wild animals." [Abu Dawud, Tarajjul 4, (4165)]

Hind, who is mentioned in the narration, is Abu Sufyan's wife and Muawiya’s mother. She became a Muslim with her husband during the conquest of Makkah. Hz. Prophet accepted their previous marriage and found a new nikah (marriage) unnecessary. However, as it is seen, he did not accept her allegiance before she applied henna on her hands.

Acting upon this hadith, scholars regard men’s applying henna as makruh. When a woman’s hands have no henna, they resemble a man’s hands. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) likened them to the feet of wild animals in order to express this karahah. (İbrahim Canan, Kütüb-i Sitte, 7/489)

However, this does not mean that women absolutely have to apply henna; it aims to make it understood whether the hands belong to a woman or man. 

One of the decorative elements that distinguishes a woman from a man is the thing that is spread on the body. It can scent but it must be colorless for men; it can be colorful but it must be odorless for women. The Prophet (pbuh) did not like it when men and even boys spread things whose color was seen; he showed his dislike by rejecting their demand for allegiance and by not complimenting them when such people visited him.

Henna is something that distinguishes a woman from a man. Narrations show that the Prophet (pbuh) did not regard it normal for a woman not to have any traces of henna on her hands. In another narration, Hz. Aisha states that when the Prophet (pbuh) reached out to take a letter extended from behind a curtain, he retreated his hand without taking the letter and by saying, "I do not know whether it is the hand of a man or woman." When the owner of the letter said, "O Messenger of Allah! It is a woman’s hand", the Prophet said, "If it were a woman’s hand, you would change your nails (with henna)." He meant applying henna with it. [Abu Dawud, Tarajjul 4, (4166); Nasai, Ziynah 18, (8, 142)]

Hind, whose name almost all Muslims knew because of her role in the martyrdom of Hz. Hamza, who was martyred at the Battle of Uhud, wass the daughter of Utba b. Rabia, who was a Makkan that belonged to family of Abdu Shams, who were relatives of Hashimis. She was Abu Sufyan b. Harb’s wife and the mother of Muawiya, who would be a caliph later. The exact dates of her birth and death are not known. Her deeds before she became a Muslim were famous. She was one of the primary figures that harmed Islam in that period.

Despite her husband Abu Sufyan’s cold-blooded, patient and moderate traits, it is said that Hind was very angry, hot-tempered and ambitious. It is known that her husband, who knew her extreme characteristics, listened to her ideas to some extent after making his decision. It will be seen that Abu Sufyan nurtures less enmity toward the Prophet (pbuh) than his wife and Abu Jahl when their attitudes are compared.  

Muawiya narrates how his mother and father were invited to Islam by the Prophet (pbuh) when he was a child:

“Abu Sufyan went to the countryside; Hind was riding pillion. I was in front of them, riding my donkey. I was a child. Then, we heard the voice of the Messenger of Allah. I dismounted from my donkey and he mounted on it. He rode in front of us for a while. Then, he turned to us and said,

“O Abu Sufyan b. Harb! O Hind bint Utba! I swear by Allah that you will die one day. Then, you will be resurrected. He who does good deeds will go to Paradise. He who does bad deeds will go to Hell. I am telling you the truth. You are among the first ones that are warned.”

Then, he read verses 1-11 of the chapter of Fussilat. Then, the Prophet dismounted from the donkey and I mounted. Hind turned toward Abu Sufyan and said, “Did you make my son dismount from the donkey for this magician?" Abu Sufyan said, “No, by Allah, he is neither a magician nor a liar.”

Makkan polytheists were astonished due to the terrible defeat at the Battle of Badr. When the news about the result of the Battle of Badr reached the people of Makkah, the polytheists were astounded. The Qurayshi women went to Hind bint Utba. They said, “Do you not cry for your father (Utba b. Rabia), your brother (Walid b. Utba) and your uncle (Shayba b. Abu Sufyan, who was enslaved)?" Hind said, “I do not cry because if Muhammad and his friends hear that I cry, they and the women of Khazraj will be happy because of what happened to us. My distress will not end unless their revenge is taken.”

Hind bint Utba went to the Battle of Uhud with her husband Abu Sufyan, who was the leader of Quraysh. She encouraged the polytheists to fight the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). She was the fuel of her husband for revenge. She said to Wahshi Ibn Harb, an Abyssinian slave, “My father was killed on the day of Badr. If you kill one of those three people: Muhammad, Hamza b. Abdulmuttalib or Ali b. Ebu Talib, you will be freed.” She made some other promises. After she saw the martyrdom of Hz. Hamza, she kept her promise and gave Wahshi more than what she had promised.

Hind, who was about to be killed by Abu Dujana but narrowly escaped death, was among those who were going to be killed wherever they were seen. First, she hid. Then, she said to her husband Abu Sufyan, “I want to go and pay allegiance to Muhammad.” He said, “I saw you cursing yesterday.” She said, “By Allah, I had never seen that Allah was worshipped truly in this mosque before last night (the night of conquest). The Muslims performed prayers until the morning." Thereupon, Abu Sufyan said to her, “You will definitely do what you plan to do. Take one of your relatives when you go.” She formed a group of ten people with some other Qurayshi women and went to the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) to pay allegiance to him.

Hind bint Utba disguised so as not to be known and put a veil on her face. When it was her turn to pay allegiance, she said, “O Messenger of Allah! Shall we hold hands while I pay allegiance?” The Messenger of Allah said, “I do not hold hands with women for allegiance.” According to narrations, when the Prophet (pbuh) accepted the allegiance of women, the women would place their hands on the hand of the Prophet (pbuh) that was wrapped in a piece of cloth or the Prophet (pbuh) would put his hand in a receptacle full of water, give that receptacle to the women and they would put their hands in the receptacle. According to another narration, the Prophet (pbuh) accepted their allegiance through words. The answers given by Hind in the meeting of allegiance with Hind and the other women show how superior and talented Hind was.

When Hind bint Utba became a Muslim, she broke the idol in her house into pieces and said, “We were in conceit and deception because of you.”

After Hind became a Muslim, she had two kids slaughtered and sent them to the Messenger of Allah. The Prophet (pbuh) became pleased with it and prayed so that her sheep and lambs would increase. As Hind’s sheep increased, she said, “Alhamdulillah! This happened thanks to the prayer of blessing of the Messenger of Allah.”

Hz. Hind’s perseverance in Islam was better than her efforts in unbelief in the Era of Jahiliyya. She lived as a sincere believer. She took part in the Battle of Yarmuk with her husband. She encouraged the warriors of Islam to fight against the Byzantine. Thus, the following statement of the Messenger of Allah that he had said to Hind came out to be true: “By Allah, as the light of belief settles in your heart, your love toward me will increase.”

Questions on Islam