The Blessed Wet Nurse – Haleemah As-Sa‘Diyyah

Haleema As-saaiyah(may Allah be pleased with her) was the wet-nnurse of our beloved prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) she breastfed him until he weaned and the holy prophet remembered this as the favor from her.

Abu At-Tufayl said: “I saw the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, distributing meat in Al-Ji‘irraanah. A woman came to him and the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, stretched out his cloak for her (to sit on). When I asked who she was, it was said that she was his mother who had breastfed him (i.e. his mother through breastfeeding).” [At-Tabaraani]

Haleema(may Allah be pleased with her) came to Mekkah in quest of a baby to breastfeed. That year there was drought and she and other women of her tribe came to Mekkah to seek sustenance. They went to Makkah where people used to entrust their babies to the care of other women.

Haleemah, may Allah be pleased with her, related her story, saying: “I arrived in Makkah with some women from Banu Sa‘d, looking for suckling (kids) in a year of drought and I was riding a weak female donkey. There were a young baby-boy (i.e. her son) and an old she-camel with me.

By Allah, we could not sleep that night because our baby kept weeping bitterly from hunger and there was no milk in my breasts or the breast of the she-camel to give him. We moved in this state until we reached Makkah, and the caravan had arrived there before us.

I went to the Prophet, (peace be upon him) and took him, (and he was the only one left). Once, I returned to my mount with him, the milk gushed in my breasts and his brother (through suckling) was suckled to his fill. Moreover, my husband found the she-camel full of milk, so he milked it and we all drank to our fill. We spent the night in a state of plenty.

My husband said to me, ‘O Haleemah, I swear by Allah, I think that you brought us a blessed being. Do you not see the goodness and blessing we had this night since we took him?’ “

Haleema (may Allah be pleased with her) was trustworthy and cared for Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) just like she cared for her own children. She never retreated him, rather she loved him.

She, may Allaah be pleased with her, had children from her husband Al-Haarith ibn ‘Abdul-‘Uzza, who were the suckling siblings of the Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Their names were: ‘Abdullaah, Unaysah and Huthaafah (also known as Ash-Shaymaa’, may Allah be pleased with her).

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to love Haleema (may Allah be pleased with her) so much. He used to visit her often and give her gifts to express his gratitude and love towards her.

He (peace be upon him) stayed with her for four years. During those years he was bought up with good morals and values of chivalry, truthfulness, honesty and magnanimity. She bought him back to his mother (Aaminah bint Wahab) at the age of five years and 30 days.

She died after the conquest of Mekka. May Allah elevate her status in Jannah.