2 of 2 · c. 17 AH · Madinah
Umm Kulthum bint 'Ali رضي الله عنها
The Wife of 'Umar
Ibn Sa'd and the biographers report that 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, while he was caliph, asked 'Ali for Umm Kulthum's hand, and that he said he wanted a tie of kinship with the Prophet ﷺ, because he had heard him say that every tie of lineage and marriage would be cut off on the Day of Resurrection except his. 'Ali agreed, and the marriage took place around 17 AH. She bore 'Umar a son, Zayd, and a daughter, Ruqayyah.
Sahih al-Bukhari preserves a glimpse of her as 'Umar's wife. Tha'labah ibn Abi Malik reported that 'Umar was dividing woollen garments among the women of Madinah, and one fine garment was left over. Someone said, "Commander of the Believers, give it to the daughter of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ who is with you", meaning his granddaughter, Umm Kulthum bint 'Ali. 'Umar said that Umm Salit had more right to it, an Ansari woman who had pledged allegiance to the Prophet ﷺ and had carried water skins for the Muslims at Uhud (Sahih al-Bukhari 2881).
She was with 'Umar until he was killed in 23 AH. That he gave the garment to Umm Salit says something about both of them: the caliph would not favour his own wife, and she lived as the wife of a man who held the public's wealth to account.
Being close to the ruler brought Umm Kulthum no special share; 'Umar gave first to those who had served Islam first.
When you have something to give, do you give it to those closest to you, or to those who have earned it most?
- Sahih al-Bukhari 2881 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih al-Bukhari 4071 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabaqat al-KubraHistorical report
- Ibn 'Abd al-Barr, al-Isti'abHistorical report
What the hadith grades mean
- Sahih (authentic): an unbroken chain of trustworthy, precise narrators, free of hidden flaws or contradiction. It is acted upon.
- Hasan (good): like sahih, but a narrator's precision is slightly lighter. It is also accepted and acted upon. "Hasan sahih" means it reaches sahih by its routes.
- Da'if (weak): a break in the chain or a narrator who is not reliable enough. It is not used to establish beliefs or rulings.
- Very weak (munkar, matruk): a seriously flawed chain or a narrator accused of lying. It is not relied on at all.
- Mawdu' (fabricated): falsely attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. It may not be narrated as his words except to warn against it.
- The two Sahihs: every hadith with a full chain in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim is accepted as sahih by the scholars of hadith.
- Historical report: biographies and histories (Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabari) record events with chains that are often incomplete. They are used for the story, not for rulings.
- Hadith scholars grade a narration; the four madhhabs do not. Where a hadith carries a ruling, the page shows which schools act on it.
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