She belonged to one of the highest-ranking families in the Makkan society which attached great importance to family descent and tribal order. Hence, when she was to marry, her husband had to belong to a family of equal status. Thus, Ramlah bint Abu Sufyan married Ubaydellah ibn Jahsh. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) began delivering God’s message, both Ramlah and her husband accepted Islam. Like other new Muslims who belonged to distinguished families, they suffered social and family pressures aimed at persuading them to retract their footsteps and rejoin the idolatrous society in Makkah. However, both were convinced of the fallacy of idolatrous beliefs. Therefore, when the Prophet suggested to his companions that they could do well to immigrate to Abyssinia, where they were certain to live in peace and could establish a new base for their faith, both Ramlah and her husband joined the Muslim immigrants on their arduous trip. Ramlah was pregnant as she began her trip, and in Abyssinia she gave birth to her only daughter, Habeebah.
Ramlah kept thinking about the people she left behind in Makkah. She knew that her father was a determined opponent of the new faith, but she was a firm believer and hoped that one day her father would see that Islam is the truth. However, a totally unexpected event was to trouble her immensely. Her husband decided to convert to Christianity. Apparently, he was befriended in Abyssinia by some priests who were able to persuade him to join their faith. He started to taunt the Muslims from Makkah, telling them that they had their eyes half open, while he himself saw the splendid light of the truth. As if this was not enough for Ramlah. Her husband then died.
By this time, Makkah had become a very hot bed for the Muslims who had to migrate to Madinah, where they found a welcoming place. The unbelievers in Makkah viewed this very seriously and began to raise armies against the fledgling Muslim state. With the first battle at Badr claiming many of the leaders and elders of Makkah, Ramlah’s father, Abu Sufyan, became its undisputed leader. Thus, her father was engaged in fighting her faith. After her husband’s death, she was in a really difficult situation. She was in a foreign land, alone with a young daughter and unable to go back to her own family. She realized that the Muslims who were with her would take care of her, but her situation was far from comfortable. Even if she wanted to join the Muslim community in Madinah, she would be in difficulty, as she had no relatives there whom she could join. Hence, she sought help from the One who provide an easy way out of even the most difficult and intricate of situations.
How God answers the prayer of a forlorn heart remains a mystery that leaves even the most enlightened of minds exceedingly puzzled. Yet many a helpless individual feeling the heaviest of burdens discovered that God’s compassionate hand could easily wipe away all their troubles and provide them with light and hope. Thus did Ramlah, better known as Umm Habeebah, realize as she heard a knock on her door. She opened the door to find a woman from the palace bringing her a message from Negus, the King of Abyssinia. We will learn what the messenger had to say next week, God willing.