Ḥafṣah bint ʿUmar
حفصة بنت عمر
- Dates
- 605–665 CE / 18 BH–45 AH
- Relation to the Prophet ﷺ
- Wife of the Prophet ﷺ; daughter of ʿUmar
The wife to whom the first collected muṣḥaf of the Qurʾan was entrusted after Abū Bakr's death.
Life
Ḥafṣah was widowed young when her first husband died of wounds sustained at Badr. The Prophet ﷺ married her — in part, the scholars say, to honor ʿUmar and his house. She was literate, which was rare, and she memorised the whole Qurʾan.
When Abū Bakr commissioned the first complete written muṣḥaf, it was stored in Ḥafṣah's house after his death. When ʿUthmān later produced the canonical standard, he borrowed Ḥafṣah's copy to verify against. She died in Madinah around 665 CE.
Passages that mention Ḥafṣah
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"Allah, peace be upon him, two units before Dhuhr, two after it, two after Maghrib in his house, and two after Aisha in his house. Hafsa informed Ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, would pray two units when dawn broke and the caller called out. Ayyub added, and I think he said they were light. Ibn Umar also memorized from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, eight units, two before Dhuhr, two after it, two after Maghrib, and two after Aisha. He mentioned that Hafsa informed him about the two units of the dawn prayer, which he had not seen from the Prophet, peace be upon him. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her,"
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"He said, 'A'isha, shall we not be shy before a man before whom, by God, the angels are shy?'" Ahmad alone related it by this route. Another Route, from Hafsa Al-Hasan ibn Arafa and Ahmad ibn Hanbal related it from Rawh ibn Ubada, from Ibn Jurayj: Abu Khalid Uthman ibn Khalid informed me, from Abdullah ibn Abi Sa'id al-Madani: Hafsa told me, and he mentioned the like of A'isha's hadith, and in it: he said, "Shall we not be shy before one before whom the angels are shy?""
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"Khalifa Ibn A'di al-Khazraji, Kulayd Ibn Qais Ibn al-Numan Ibn Sinan Ibn Ubaid al-Ansari al-Salami, and Kunays Ibn Hudhafas Ibn A'di Ibn Sa'd Ibn Sa'm Ibn Amr Ibn Hussays Ibn Kab Ibn Luway al-Sami, who was killed that day, leaving Hafsa, the daughter of Umar Ibn al-Khattab. Qawad Ibn Jubayr al-Ansari struck him with his arrow and received his reward, although he did not witness the battle himself."
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"She replied, Indeed, the wives of the Messenger of God, peace be upon him, argue with him, and he is better than you. Umar then said, Hafsa is doomed if she argues with him. He advised Hafsa not to be influenced by the daughter of Ibn Abi Qohafa, as she was beloved to the Messenger of God, peace be upon him, and warned her against arguing."
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"me, greet her, and ask for Umar's permission. If she grants it, bury me, if not, return me to the Muslims' burial grounds. And when Um al-Mumin in Hafsa and the women came to veil him, we rose to leave, but then entered. We heard her weeping. People asked, Make a will, O leader of the believers, appoint a successor. He said, I see no one more eligible for this matter than these individuals who were pleased by the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, naming Ali, Uthman, Zubayr, Talha, Sa'd, and Abd al-Rahman, and involve Abdullah ibn Umar, though he shall have no say except to comfort them. If the leadership falls to"
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"for a needle to mend Joseph's torn shirt, he would not give them one. It is said that Marwan ibn Abi Hafsa would not eat meat due to miserliness except when he craved it. In such cases, he would send his servant to buy a head and eat it. When asked why he only ate heads in both summer and winter, he replied, I know the price of the head, so I feel secure from the servant's deceit and cannot be deceived about its price. It is not like meat that the servant cooks and could consume some. If he touches an eye, ear, or cheek, I will notice, and I enjoy its different colors, its eye one color, its ear another, its tongue"
Also from this generation
- Khadījah bint Khuwaylid
خديجة بنت خويلد
The first person to accept Islam. The Prophet ﷺ, after her death, never said her name without his eyes filling.
- ʿĀʾishah bint Abī Bakr
عائشة بنت أبي بكر
The most learned of the companions in matters of fiqh, the most prolific female narrator, and the primary source for the inner life of the Prophet ﷺ.
- Fāṭimah bint Muḥammad
فاطمة بنت محمد
The Prophet's ﷺ most beloved daughter. The only one of his children to survive him — by less than six months.