Ḥafsah bint ‘Umar
Ḥafsah bint ‘Umar ' onMouseout='HidePop("76850")' href="/topics/Umar">Umar

Umar

`Umar ibn al-Khattāb c. 2 November , was a leading companion and adviser to the Islamic prophet Muhammad who later became the second Muslim Caliph after Muhammad's death....

 (Umar ibn al-Khattab) and wife of the Islamic prophet

Prophets of Islam

Muslims identify the Prophets of Islam as those humans chosen by God and given revelation to deliver to mankind. Muslims believe that every prophet was given a belief to worship God and their respective followers believed it as well...

 Muhammad

Muhammad

Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...

, and therefore a Mother of the Believers.

Biography

She was married to Khunais ibn Hudhaifa

Khunais ibn Hudhaifa

Khunais ibn Hudhaifa was a sahaba of Muhammad, from the Banu Sahm of Quraish.-Biography:He was married to Hafsa bint Umar. According to Sunni sources:-External links:...

, but became a widow when she was eighteen and according to Islamic tradition her father offered her to Abu Bakr

Abu Bakr

Abu Bakr was a senior companion and the father-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He ruled over the Rashidun Caliphate from 632-634 CE when he became the first Muslim Caliph following Muhammad's death...

 and Uthman Ibn Affan. They both refused to marry her because Muhammad had told them that he was interested in her, which they failed to mention to Umar. When her father, Umar, went to Prophet Muhammad to complain about their behavior, Muhammad replied, "Hafsa will marry one better than Uthman and Uthman will marry one better than Hafsa."

Muhammad married her after the battle of Badr

Battle of Badr

The Battle of Badr , fought Saturday, March 13, 624 AD in the Hejaz region of western Arabia , was a key battle in the early days of Islam and a turning point in Muhammad's struggle with his opponents among the Quraish in Mecca...

 in 2 AH. At the time of the marriage, Hafsa was around twenty years old and Muhammad fifty-six. With this marriage, Muhammad strengthened his ties to Umar, who now became his father-in-law

Father-in-law

A parent-in-law is a person who has a legal affinity with another by being the parent of the other's spouse. Many cultures and legal systems impose duties and responsibilities on persons connected by this relationship...

.

According to Islamic tradition, Hafsa had memorized the Qur'an. The copy of Zayd ibn Thabit

Zayd ibn Thabit

Zayd ibn Thabit was the personal scribe of Muhammad and an Ansar.-Early life: 610 – 612:When Zayd was 6 years old his father died in the Battle of Bu'ath. Zayd was 13 years old when he asked permission to participate in the Battle of Badr. Since he was younger than 15 years old, Muhammad...

 which was recorded by the instructions of Abu Bakr was given to Hafsa. Uthman Ibn Affan, when he became Caliph

Caliph

The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word   which means "successor" or "representative"...

, used Hafsa's copy when he authorized a single text of the Qur'an

Qur'an

The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...

 to be designated.

Sunni view

Sunnis

Sunni Islam

Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....

believe that the reason why Abu Bakr and Uthman did not agree to marry Hafsa was that they knew Muhammad wanted to marry her.