Umm Salamah (Hind bint Abi Umayyah)

Umm Salamah and her first husband Abu Salamah were among the early Muslims who migrated to Abyssinia. They later migrated to Madinah, but her story of the second hijrah is heartbreaking — her husband's clan took her son from her, and her own clan prevented her from leaving. She spent a year separated from both husband and child, sitting at the spot of their separation and weeping daily, until her relatives relented. Her first husband Abu Salamah was a courageous Companion who was wounded at Uhud. As he was dying, he prayed: 'O Allah, replace me for my family with someone better.' After his death, the Prophet proposed, and she initially hesitated, saying she was old, had children, and was prone to jealousy. The Prophet addressed each concern and married her. Her most famous moment of wisdom came at Hudaybiyyah. After the treaty was signed with terms that distressed the Muslims, the Prophet told his Companions to shave their heads and sacrifice their animals (to exit ihram without performing Umrah). No one moved — they were too upset. The Prophet entered his tent distressed and told Umm Salamah what had happened. She advised: 'Go out, O Messenger of Allah, and do not speak a word to anyone. Shave your own head and sacrifice your animal.' He did so, and when the Companions saw him, they immediately followed suit, racing to comply. She was the last of the Prophet's wives to die and was known as one of the wisest and most measured women of her time.