As we said earlier, Umm Salamah was a woman of good character and sound mind. Her life experience, traveling to Abyssinia, sharing the hard times Muslims faced in Makkah, forced separation from her family, joining the Muslim community in Madinah, losing a noble husband and bringing up a closely-knit family — all this gave her an insight in life affairs that stood her in good stead. She could always rely on clear assessment of the situation in hand. Hence, the Prophet (peace be upon him) consulted her in difficult situations. The clearest example is that she gave him at the time of the signing of the Al-Hudaybiyah peace treaty with the Quraysh.
The treaty was achieved after hard struggle. It signified a major shift in the balance of power in Arabia, recognizing the fledgling Muslim state in Madinah as a major power, on equal terms with the Quraysh, the supreme power in the land. It was the culmination of a peaceful demonstration that the Quraysh saw as a challenge to its supremacy. With 1,400 of his companions, the Prophet left Madinah in the state of consecration, carrying no arms other than their swords, which were essential to any traveler in the desert. They aimed to perform the Umrah, an act of worship offered at the Kaaba, in the grand mosque in Makkah. The Quraysh decided to stop them at all costs. Determined opposition on the part of the Quraysh and a lenient and accommodating attitude on the Prophet’s part led to the signing of the treaty, which appeared at first sight as capitulation by the Muslims. The Prophet acted on divine orders, but his companions did not see the wisdom of his action. They were perturbed, particularly because the treaty stipulated that they would return home without having the chance to complete their worship. They were to return for that a year later.
When all this was settled, the Prophet said to his companions: “Slaughter your animals and shave and release yourselves from ihram.” This was the first step in implementing the treaty, but it also signified their acceptance of the terms imposed by the Quraysh. No one showed any sign of willingness to comply with this order. The Prophet repeated his command three times and still no one was willing to do as he was told. The Prophet was very angry indeed. He did not consider this as a challenge to his authority, but he realized that Muslims who did not obey him could incur God’s displeasure and earn His punishment.
The Prophet went into his tent where Umm Salamah, his wife who accompanied him on this expedition, was waiting. She immediately noticed how angry he was. She asked him the reason and he answered: “The Muslims are ruining themselves. I have given them a command and they have not obeyed.” He explained to her how his companions received his orders with indifference and how not one of them was willing to obey. She tried to pacify him: “Messenger of God, do not blame them. They have been under great pressure because of all the trouble you have taken to achieve this peace settlement and because they now realize that they have to take the long way home without achieving their purpose.” She then gave him a very sound piece of advice: She told him to go out and slaughter his own sacrificial animals and shave, without speaking to any one of them. The Prophet acted on his wife’s advice and went out and slaughtered his camels. He then called someone to shave his head. When his companions witnessed what he did, they rushed to do likewise. Some of them helped others to shave and they were extremely unhappy with themselves for not responding to the Prophet’s orders in the first place.
