‘Aatikah bint Zayd al 'Adaweeyah

Full Name: ‘Aatikah bint Zayd ibn ‘Amr ibn Nufayl al Qurasheeyah al ‘Adaweeyah.

Mothers Name: Umm Kareez bint ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Ammaar ibn Maalik al Hadrameeyyah.

She is ‘Umar ibn al Khataab’s cousin and Zayd ibn Yazeed’s sister.

She was amongst those who migrated to Madeenah.

She was extremely beautiful. ‘Abdullah ibn Abu Bakr as Sideeq married her, he loved her so much that she overwhelmed him, he was occupied with her to the point that he did not participate in any of the battles, so his father ordered him to divorce her saying: ‘She has occupied you from the battles so divorce her.

So ‘Abdullah said:

His father insisted until he divorced her. One day his father passed by him and heard him reciting:

So his father softened his stance and permitted him to take her back. He said to her:

‘Abdullah then participated in the battle of Taa-if with the Messenger of Allah - صلى الله عليه وسلم – and was struck with a spear and later died in Madeenah, ‘Aatikah recited mourning him:

‘Umar ibn al Khataab then married her and had a Waleemah where he invited a group of people including ‘Alee ibn Abi Taalib who said:

‘O leader of the believers, let me speak to ‘Aatikah.’

‘Umar responded: ‘You may do so.’

So he stood beside the door and said to her: ‘Where is your saying:

So she started crying and ‘Umar said to him: ‘What caused you to do that O Abul Hasan, all women do this.’

He responded: ‘Allah said:

O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do? Most hateful it is with Allah that you say that which you do not do. [As Saff: 2-3]

She always used to attend the prayers in congregation, and she made it a condition upon ‘Umar to let her do so. When ‘Umar was murdered she recited in mourning:

Az Zubayr ibn ‘Awaam then married her with the same condition that she be allowed to pray in congregation.

She used to go to the Masjid at night and he used to dislike that, she was a woman of excellent mannerisms, when she prepared herself to go the Masjid he would say:

‘By Allah you are going out while I dislike that.’

So she would say:

‘You may disallow me and I will stay.’

He would respond:

‘How could I do that when you stipulated that I don’t prohibit you from praying in the Masjid.’

So she left one night to the prayer and he left after her, he overtook her and waited for her in a dark place on her way to the Masjid. When she passed by he touched her body, she returned home practicing Tasbeeh and stopped going out after that. He said to her:

‘How come you do not go to the Masjid anymore?’

She responded: ‘O Abu ‘Abdullah, the people have become corrupt.’

He said: ‘It was me who did that.’

She responded: ‘Aren’t other people able to do what you have done?’

She never went out again until he was killed [in the battle of al Jamal], she also mourned him and recited a poem.

‘Alee ibn Abi Taalib then proposed to her. She sent to him saying: ‘I will refrain O cousin of the Messenger - صلى الله عليه و سلم – for fear that you will be killed.’

It was also said that ‘Amru ibn al ‘Aas and Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr also proposed to her but she refused.

Al Hasan ibn ‘Alee then married her and passed away while she was still alive, he was the last of her husbands and Allah knows best.

Compiled from:

Ar Riyaad an Nadirah
Usud al Ghaabah and
Al Isaabah fee Tamyeez as Shahaabah.

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Notice how if a woman was widowed or divorced, the Sahaabah would not leave her in that state, they would propose to her regardless of her age or the number of her children, and the examples of this amongst the Sahaabah, may Allah be pleased with them, are many.

Note: Translating Arabic poetry is difficult as a stanza may carry a number of meanings, should you find an error or a better translation, please don’t hesitate to inform us.