Hafsah bint Umar

Hafsah was the daughter of Umar ibn al-Khattab. She was widowed when her first husband Khunays ibn Hudhafah died from wounds sustained at the Battle of Badr. Umar offered her in marriage first to Uthman, who declined, and then to Abu Bakr, who remained silent. Umar was hurt, but the Prophet himself proposed to her. She was known for her devotion to worship — she fasted frequently and stood in prayer at night. The angel Jibril said of her: 'She is frequently fasting, frequently praying, and she will be your wife in Paradise.' Her most significant historical role came after the Prophet's death. During Abu Bakr's caliphate, the Qur'an was compiled into a single written manuscript (mushaf) under Zayd ibn Thabit's supervision. This master copy was entrusted to Hafsah's care. When Uthman later needed to produce standardised copies of the Qur'an, he borrowed Hafsah's mushaf as the reference text, returning it to her after the copies were made. She thus played a pivotal role in the preservation of the Qur'an.