Umm Kulthum bint Jarwal

Not to be confused with Umm Kulthum bint Ali, Umm Kulthum bint Abi Bakr, or Umm Kulthum (name).

Umm Kulthūm bint Jarwal (Arabic: أم كلثوم بنت جرول), also known as Mulayka (Arabic: مليكة), was a wife of Umar and a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.

Umm Kulthum bint Jarwal أم كلثوم بنت جرول
Born	Hejaz, Arabia
Died	Hejaz, Arabia
Other names	Mulayka
Spouse	Umar
Children	Zayd ibn Umar Ubayd Allah ibn Umar
Parent	Jarwal

Biography

She was born in Mecca as a member of the Khuza'a tribe. Her father was either Jarwal ibn Malik^[1]: 204 or his son 'Amr ibn Jarwal.^[2]: 92

She married Umar ibn al-Khattab before 616,^[2]: 92 and they had two sons, Zayd and Ubayd Allah. Umar was concurrently married to Zaynab bint Maz'un, who bore him three children,^[1]: 204 and to Qurayba bint Abi Umayya,^[3]: 510 who was childless. Umar converted to Islam in 616.^[1]: 207 The whole family emigrated to Medina in 622,^[3]: 218 although Umm Kulthum and Qurayba were still polytheists.^{[3]: 510 [4]}

Soon after the Treaty of Hudaybiya in 628, Muhammad announced a revelation that Muslims were ordered to "hold not to the cords of disbelieving women." Accordingly, Umar divorced Umm Kulthum and Qurayba, and they both returned to Mecca.^{[1]: 204 [3]: 510 [4]}

The sources do not indicate the order of Umm Kulthum’s subsequent marriages. She married Abu Jahm ibn Hudhayfa in Mecca "while they were both polytheists," i.e., before January 630.^[2]: 92 Abu Jahm was, like Umar, a member of the Adi clan of the Quraysh.^[3]: 510 He was known in the community as "a great beater of women."^{[5][6]: 192 [7][8]}

Whether before or after this, Umm Kulthum was also one of the wives of Safwan ibn Umayya, a member of the Juma clan^[2]: 92 who was a leader in the Quraysh opposition to Muhammad.^{[3]: 318–319, 370 [9][10]} He became a Muslim after the Conquest of Mecca^[2]: 185 but continued to live in Mecca.^[11]

References

1. Muhammad ibn Saad. Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir vol. 3. Translated by Bewley, A. (2013). The Companions of Badr. London: Ta-Ha Publishers.
2. Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari. Tarikh al-Rusul wa'l-Muluk. Translated by Fishbein, M. (1998). Volume 8: The Victory of Islam. Albany: State University of New York Press.
3. Muhammad ibn Ishaq. Sirat Rasul Allah. Translated by Guillaume, A. (1955). The Life of Muhammad. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
4. Bukhari 3:50:891.
5. Muslim 9:3526.
6. Muhammad ibn Saad. Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir vol. 8. Translated by Bewley, A. (1995). The Women of Madina. London: Ta-Ha Publishers.
7. Muslim 9:3512.
8. Nasa'i 4:26:3247.
9. Muhammad ibn Umar al-Waqidi. Kitab al-Maghazi. Translated by Faizer, R., Ismail, A., & Tayob, A. K. (2011). The Life of Muhammad, pp. 217, 284-286, 295. London & New York: Routledge.
10. Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari. Tarikh al-Rusul wa'l-Muluk. Translated by McDonald, M. V., & annotated by Watt, W. M. (1987). Volume 7: The Foundation of the Community, pp. 78-80, 106. Albany: State University of New York Press.
11. Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari. Tarik al-Rusual wa'l-Muluk. Translated by Landau-Tasseron, E. (1998). Volume 39: Biographies of the Prophet's Companions and Their Successors, p. 81. Albany: State University of New York Press.