Umm Habiba

Here is a revised memorial biography of Umm Habiba (Ramla bint Abi Sufyan), carefully incorporating only well-supported facts:

Ramla bint Abi Sufyan, widely known by her kunya Umm Habiba, was born in Mecca around 589 or 594 CE into the prominent Umayyad clan of the Quraysh, as the daughter of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb and Safiyya bint Abi al-As (en.wikipedia.org). Her exact birth date is not preserved.

In the early years of Islam, she married Ubayd Allah ibn Jahsh, a fellow early convert. The couple emigrated to Abyssinia (modern-day Ethiopia) to escape persecution in Mecca. In Abyssinia, she gave birth to a daughter, Habibah. Her husband converted to Christianity and subsequently separated from her. After his death, Prophet Muhammad proposed marriage to her, and the marriage was conducted in Abyssinia, with the Negus (king of Abyssinia) acting as his proxy (en.wikipedia.org).

Her marriage to Muhammad, as one of his wives, accorded her the esteemed title “Mother of the Believers”. This marriage also symbolized a reconciliation between the nascent Muslim community and her powerful father’s Quraysh faction (en.wikipedia.org).

Umm Habiba passed away in Medina around 44 or 45 AH (circa 664–665 CE) and was buried in the Jannat al-Baqi cemetery (islamicpedia.org).

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In summary, Ramla bint Abi Sufyan (Umm Habiba) stands remembered as a steadfast early Muslim, a wife of the Prophet Muhammad, and Mother of the Believers, whose life bridged significant early Islamic movements from Mecca, to Abyssinia, and finally to Medina.