A Blessing to Her People

When the Muslims marched against Banu al-Mustaliq, who had been gathering to attack Madinah, the tribe was defeated at the well of al-Muraysi' and many of its people were taken captive (Sahih al-Bukhari 2541). Among them was Barrah, the daughter of their chief al-Harith ibn Abi Dirar, whose husband had been killed in the fighting. She fell to the share of Thabit ibn Qays ibn Shammas, and agreed with him on a price for her freedom.

She came to the Prophet ﷺ to ask for help with the payment, introducing herself plainly as the daughter of her people's chief and saying that he knew what had befallen her. He offered something better: to pay her price himself and marry her. She accepted.

When the news spread, the Companions said that Banu al-Mustaliq were now the Messenger's ﷺ in-laws, and they released the captives they held. 'A'ishah said that a hundred households of the tribe were freed because of the marriage, and that she knew of no woman who was a greater blessing to her people (Sunan Abi Dawud 3931). The Prophet ﷺ also changed her name from Barrah to Juwayriyah (Sahih Muslim 2140).

01Why it matters

Juwayriyah lost everything in a single day, yet within days her marriage had set her whole people free.

02Reflection

Whose freedom or relief could be tied to a choice you make?

03Sources

Sunan Abi Dawud 3931 Graded by Al-Albani: Hasan · Muhammad Muhyi Al-Din Abdul Hamid: Hasan · Shuaib Al Arnaut: Hasan · Zubair Ali Zai: HasanHasan
Sahih al-Bukhari 2541 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
Sahih Muslim 2140Sahih · in the two Sahihs
Ibn Hisham, al-Sirah al-NabawiyyahHistorical report
Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabaqat al-KubraHistorical 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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