THE SECOND MIGRATION (PART FOUR)
The tent of ‘Ummu Ma^bad by the roadside
والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن
After three nights, the Messenger of Allah set out with ‘Abu Bakr As-Siddiq, accompanied by ^Amir ibnu Fuhayrah, who served them faithfully. They hired a man named ^Abdu l-Lah ibnu‘Urayqit, from the tribe of Bani ^Abdi bni ^Adiyy, to guide them on their journey. ^Abdu l-Lah was not a Muslim and was not known to have embraced Islam.
They all travelled towards the coastal road below ^Usfan, while their enemies searched for the Prophet in another direction.
However, Suraqah, son of Malik, son of Ju^sham al-Mudlijiyy, was informed that a group had passed by the coast. Seizing the opportunity, he rode his horse in pursuit, concealing his intentions from his people as he coveted the reward of one hundred camels that the Quraysh had promised to anyone who could capture or kill the Prophet. Yet, Allah Almighty protected His Prophet from harm.
While travelling along their route, the Prophet and those with him passed by the tent of ‘Ummu Ma^bad. ‘Ummu Ma^bad, whose real name was ^Atikah bintu Khalid Al-Khuza^iyah, had her tent by the roadside. She would offer water and milk to passersby. When they came upon her tent, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ noticed a ewe. He inquired, "What is this?" ‘Ummu Ma^bad replied, "It is a ewe weakened by fatigue!” Indeed, this ewe was frail, exhausted and had no strength to join the flock.
The Prophet ﷺ asked, "Does it have any milk?" She replied, " It is far too fatigued to produce any milk;" This sheep was indeed weak and emaciated. Then, the Prophet, supported by Allah, placed his blessed hand on the ewe's back and udder. He invoked the name of Allah and prayed.
Miraculously, the ewe began to produce milk. The Prophet ﷺ milked it, and enough milk flowed to satisfy all of them. He milked two containers, the first for himself, ‘Abu Bakr, and their companions, and the second for ‘Ummu Ma^bad and those with her. In this way, the Prophet left a full container of milk for ‘Ummu Ma^bad. This sheep, once weak and devoid of milk, now produced an abundance of it by the grace of Allah and the blessing of the Prophet.
The miracle did not end there. Historians have noted that this very sheep lived until the caliphate of ^Umar ibnu l-Khattab. During ^Umar's time, there was a severe drought, known as the Year of the Ashes, due to the lack of rain. During this hardship, no ewe produced milk except for this one. Its owner would milk it both morning and evening, while other ewe in the area produced no milk at all.
This extraordinary miracle, bestowed upon the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, was a sign of Allah's favour and a testament to the Prophet's honour. Allah granted him this miraculous event which demonstrates his esteemed status.
