How old was the Prophet (pbuh) when he left his wet nurse? Did he meet his wet-nurse and foster sister after that?
How old was the Prophet (pbuh) when he left his wet nurse? Did he meet his wet-nurse and foster sister after that?
Submitted by on Tue, 06/03/2018 - 12:16
Dear Brother / Sister,
The Sun of Happiness (Muhammad) was now four years old. He had become quite robust and had flourished considerably.
The peculiarities that were seen on him, particularly the slit on his chest, caused Hazrat Halima to think through and through and to worry deeply. In fact, she was now anxious because she was afraid that some ill fate would come upon to our Pride (PBUH), who she loved as one of her own children.
This thought, anxiety, and fear forced Halima and her husband to make the following decision:
“We must return this child to his mother before anything happens”.
Halima was burning sizzlingly inside, but what could she do? After all, The Radiant Child was given to her for temporary custody and she was not going to seize what had been entrusted to her.
The Sun of Happiness, who had emitted radiance in Sa’ds’ homeland for four years, was now being brought to Mecca by his foster mother so that he could emit light to the world with a completely different kind of majesty and magnificence.
Halima and her husband arrived in Mecca at night. At one point, our Beloved Pride (PBUH) disappeared. Halima and her husband began to panic. They went to inform his grandfather, Abdulmuttalib.
The compassionate grandfather immediately became overwhelmed with concern as soon as he heard that his lovely grandson was missing. He rushed to look for him in sadness. However, our Pride (PBUH) was nowhere to be seen. Abdulmuttalib was desperate. He opened his hands and begged,
“My Lord, please return my Muhammad to me”.
In the meantime, two individuals were seen with a child alongside of them. They were Waraqa bin Nawfal, a friend of Waraqa, and our Holy Prophet (PBUH). Abdulmuttalib pressed his Sun of Happiness whom he had been yearning for against his chest, embraced him to his heart’s content, and then mounted him upon his neck. They went straight towards the Kaa’ba and circumambulated it together. Afterwards, he took our Beloved Holy Prophet (PBUH) to his mother.
At a later time, Abdulmuttalib had some animals sacrificed and threw a special banquet for the Meccans to celebrate the happy and blissful occasion of having been reunited with his grandson.
Our Holy Prophet (PBUH) was now in his saintly mother’s warm lap, in between her compassionate arms, and in his happy and humble home.
His foster mother, Halima, left her Sun of Happiness in Mecca and returned to her homeland. However, neither she nor our Pride (PBUH) forgot one another throughout their entire lives. He never lost deference and respect for the arms that embraced him for four years. Whenever he saw her, he would call her, “mother dearest”, would address her with respect and deference, and would always honor and be kind to her. He would consistently ask if she needed anything, and if he she did, he would rush to fulfill her needs.
A long period of time would pass and yet another drought and famine would beset Sa’ds’ homeland. Halima was unable to bare the dread of this famine and drought, so she went to Mecca hopes of seeing the Holy Prophet (PBUH).
When she saw the Pride of the Universe (PBUH), she complained to him about the drought and famine in her homeland. Our Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) pure hearted wife, Hazrat Khadija, who was wealthy as well as appreciative and benevolent, immediately gave Halima forty sheep and a camel to carry both her and her luggage.
Here is another example of fidelity and benefaction:
Shayma was one of our Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) foster siblings. He spent many sweet and lovely days with her in Sa’ds’ homeland. Many years later during the Hunain War, Shayma was among the slaves taken captive from the Muslims’ side. When Shayma introduced herself, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) showed her the utmost of affection that a little sister could ever receive.
From time to time, our Holy Prophet (PBUH) would reminisce about the days from his childhood that he spent with his foster mother, Halima, to his companions (Sahaba) and would say:
“I am the most pure Arab among you, because I am a Qurayshi. At the same time, I was nourished near Bani Sa’d bin Bakr and that is why my dialect is the same as theirs”.
Questions on Islam
- The Prophet is Taken to his Mother
- Why was the Prophet (pbuh) delivered to a wet-nurse? What were the extraordinary incidents that took place while the Prophet (pbuh) stayed with the wet-nurse?
- Halima (r.anha)
- The Prophet is Given to a Foster Mother
- Who are the breastfeeders of the Prophet?
- How many years did the Prophet (pbuh) stay with his mother after he returned from Madinah; and did he visit his father's grave during this period?
- Who is the first wet-nurse of the Prophet (pbuh)?
- How did the splitting open of the chest of the Prophet (pbuh) take place and what does it mean?
- How did Abu Talib, who took the Prophet (pbuh) under his protection, and his wife, Fatima, treat the Prophet?
- The Messenger of God Continues Conveying the Message