Safiyya bint Huyayy (ra)
Safiyya daughter of Huyayy (chief of Banu Nadir) said, ‘None of the children of my father or my uncle were more popular with them both than I was. Whichever child of theirs wanted their attention it was always me they put first. When the Prophet ﷺ came to Quba, my father and uncle, Abu Yasir, went to him early in the morning and only returned at sunset, so tired out that they could scarcely walk, staggering from exhaustion. I raced over to greet them as was my custom, but I swear, neither so much as looked at me. I heard my uncle ask my father, “Is it he then?”
“Yes, I swear by God,” he replied.
“You recognise him from his character and description?”
“I certainly do, I swear it!” he responded.
“So how will you relate to him?” he asked.
“With enmity, I swear by God, for as long as I live!”’ [Ibn Kathir Sira]🌙
Fast forward, grown up, Safiyya appeared before the Prophet ﷺ at Khaybar having lost her father, brother and husband during battle against the Muslims. She revealed herself to be a daughter of the tribe’s chief. The Prophet ﷺ invited her to Islam and said:
“If you want, you may go back to your clan or otherwise stay married to me.”
She said, “I wished for the blessed Prophet ﷺ when I was a disbeliever, so how can I return now that I am a Muslim?”
Surprised? When as a child Safiyya (ra) had listened, she fully grasped what passed between her father and uncle; confirmation that the Prophet ﷺ was the Messenger. It stayed with her long after. She realised her father was driven by superiority, unable to accept a Prophet from the Arabs, through Ismail’s (as) lineage.
We shouldn’t underestimate a child, their open mind not yet shaped by prejudice, nor set in ways as adults may be. Contrary to what some might think a child at discerning age has the ability to listen, comprehend and spot contradictions from adults a mile off, just as Safiyya did hearing her father and uncle. So later when finally meeting the Prophet ﷺ in person, Safiyya (ra) saw the truth for what it was without arrogance or prejudice, unlike her father. She readily accepted Islam to become his ﷺ wife and Mother of the Believers.🌹
𝑴𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 of 𝗦.𝗡.𝗝𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗹𝗶 ✍🏼 (𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓 of 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗯𝗻 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, Islamic chapter books for kids📚)
