Hafsah bint Umar ibn al-Khattab was born five years before the Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) became a prophet. She was six years older than her brother Abdullah. She was beautiful and a pious woman.

She got married to Khunais ibn Hudhafah Ibn Qays as-Sahami (radiAllahu anhu) who was from Quraish.

He was a part of the two emigrations (Abyssinia and Madinah). He fought in Badr and Uhud. In the latter battle he was fatally wounded and died shortly thereafter in madinah. Hafsah was 18 years old by that time.


Umar (radiAllahu anhu) was depressed for his daughter's affliction who became a widow at such a young age. Whenever he went home and saw his sad daughter, he grieved. After a long period of thinking he decided to choose a husband for her to provide her with what she had lost of repose a long 6 months or more.


When her waiting period came to an end, Umar approached Abu Bakr (radiAllahu anhu) the dearest person to the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam), and offered her hand in marriage to him.

Umar (radiAllahu anhu) thought that Abu Bakr would not refuse to marry a young pious woman who was the daughter of the man by whom Allah (Subhanahu wa Ta'ala) supported Islam. Having sympathetically listened to him, Abu Bakr (radiAllahu anhu) did not respond.

Umar went back with a broken heart and almost did not believe what had happened. He then went to Uthman Ibn Affan (radiAllahu anhu) whose wife, Ruqayyah (radiAllahu anha), the daughter of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) had recently died.
Having offered him his daughter to marry, he apologized by saying, "I think I would not like to marry at the present time."

Umar (radiAllahu anhu)'s gloom increased by Uthman's (radiAllahu anhu) refusal, which followed by Abu Bakr's (radiAllahu anhu). He became upset and angry with his two companions, mentioning it to the Prophet of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) complaining about Abu Bakr and Uthman (radiAllahu anhum).

Thereupon the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) smiled and said "Hafsah will get a husband who is better than Uthman and Uthman will get a wife better than Hafsah."
[Sahih al-Bukhari]

After that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) himself married Hafsah and Uthman in turn married Umm Kulthum the Prophet's other daughter.


Accordingly, Umar (radiAllahu anhu) was elated to receive such a great honor which he never thought about. He went off to tell whomever he met.

When Abu Bakr (radiAllahu anhu) met him, he realized the source of his joy. Umar told him of his unhappiness at Abu Bakr's refusal to reply when he offered Hafsah's hand to him.
Abu Bakr congratulated him and apologized by saying, "Do not be angry with me ya Umar, The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) mentioned Hafsah before and I could not disclose the Prophet's secret. Had he left her, I would have married her. "
Since the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) had mentioned Hafsah to him, he did not want to disclose the Prophet's secret.


All people in Madinah was pleased with the Prophet's (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) marriage to Hafsah bint Umar (radiAllahu anha). It was contracted in the month of Sha'ban in the 3rd year of Hijrah. They blessed the marriage of Uthman to Umm Kulthum bint Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) in the month of Jumad al-Akhirah in the same year as well.

Thus, Hafsah (radiAllahu anha) joined the rank of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam)'s pure wives, mothers of the faithful who were by then, Sawdah and A'isha (radiAllahu anha), and became a member of the Prophet's (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) household.


Sawdah was happy to see her but A'isha felt somehow betrayed because Hafsah was within her age range and she was upset that whilst the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) did not take another wife when he was married to Khadijah why should he then take another wife after her.

Umar knew very well that the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) loved A'isha more than any of the other wives and at times tried to make his daughter aware of this fact. He once said to her. "You are not like A'isha and your father is not like her father."

When the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) deserted his wives because they became too demanding, Umar once again advised Hafsah to be careful saying. "You should not be deceived by the one who has been motivated by her beauty and the love of the Prophet for her (referring to A'isha)."

When the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) married his other wives A'isha began to realise that her protestations were in vain and she made a friend of Hafsah.


Among the other wives of the Prophet salAllahu alayhi wasalam), A'isha (radiAllahu anha) was the most intimate and closest one to Hafsah (radiAllahu anha).
Her father, once said to her, "How would you be like Aisha and how would your father be like hers?


It is Hafsah and A'isha (radiAllahu anha) who backed up each other against the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) in a domestic intriguewhich is mentioned in the Qur'an.

It is also mantioned in a tradition reported in Sahih al-Bukhari;

A'isha narrated. "Allah's Messenger (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) used to drink honey in the house of Zainab bint Jahsh and would stay there with her.
So Hafsah and I agreed secretly that if he comes to either of us she would say to him. 'It seems you have eaten Mughofir (a kind of bad smelling resin) for I smell in you the smell of Moghofir,' (we did so) and he replied. 'No, but I was drinking honey in the house of Zaynab, the daughter of Jahsh, and I shall never take it again. I have taken an oath as to that, and you should not tell anybody about it."

According to another report, however, the story goes a little differently. The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) had a likening for honey. It was his habit to pass by the houses of his wives after the afternoon prayer (Asr).

One day he lingered at Hafsah's house longer than usual, A'isha became worried, and she tried to discover the reason for this. She was told that a woman from the family of Hafsah had brought honey to her (Hafsah), and she prepared a drink for the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam).

A'isha immediately planned revenge against Hafsah. She told Sawdah to say to the Prophet when he came to visit, "I smell maghafir on your breath."

The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) has always disliked strong smells especially on his breath, and said that he had only taken a drink made of honey which Hafsah had offered him. A'isha asked Safiyah and the other wives as well to say the same thing to the Prophet which disturbed him very much.

He then forbade honey unto himself for which Allah revealed verses of Surah at Tahrim to rebuke him, and to revoke his oath never to touch honey again.


However, the Qur'an mentions two women without specification;

"If you two [wives of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam), namely A'isha and Hafsa (radiAllahu anhuma)] turn in repentance to Allah (it will be better for you), your hearts are indeed so inclined [to oppose what the Prophet likes]; but of you help one another against him [Muhammad (salAllahu alayhi wasalam)], then verily, Allah is his Maula (Lord, or Master, or Protector, etc.), and Gabriel, and the righteous among the believers, - and furthermore, the angels - are his helpers."
[Surah Tahrim, 66: 4]

Who they were is explained in the following report:

Ibn Abbas narrated: “For the whole year I had the desire to ask Umar bin al-Khattab regarding the explanation of a Verse (in Surah Tahrim), but I could not ask him because I respected him very much.
When he went to perform the Hajj, I too went along with him. On our return while we were still on the way home Umar went aside to answer the call of nature by the Arak trees.
I waited until he had finished then I proceeded with him and asked him, ‘O Chief of the Believers, who were the two wives of the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) who aided one another against him?’
He said. ‘They were Hafsah and A'isha.'
Then I said to him, 'By Allah. I wanted to ask you about this a year ago, but I could not do so owing to my respect for you.' Umar said. 'Do not refrain from asking me. If you think that I have knowledge (about a certain matter), ask me; and if I know (something about it), I will tell you.'
Then Umar added, 'By Allah, in the pre-Islamic period of ignorance we did not pay attention to women until Allah revealed regarding them what He revealed regarding them, and assigned for them what He has assigned:

"O Prophet! Why do you ban (for yourself) that which Allah has made lawful to you, seeking to please your wives? And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
[Surah Tahrim, 66: 1]


Hafsah was very devoted and was regular in her prayer and fasting. The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) divorced Hafsah once when she backed up against him, but Jibra'il came to him, and told him to take her back and said;

"Take Hafsah back because she is keeping the fast and is observing prayer in the last watches of the night, and she is going to be your wife in Paradise."

Hafsah realized the gravity of what she had done to her noble husband when she disclosed his secret. But after the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) forgave her, she lived in tranquility and repose again.


Hafsah seemed to be much attached and close to her father who used to consult her matters relating to women. Once he noticed a woman reciting poetry about her husband who was away on jihad.
Umar was disturbed, and asked Hafsah how long a woman may remain without her husband. She said six months, upon which Umar issued a decree to all of his commanders to relieve every warrior after every six months.

When the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) died and Abu Bakr (radiAllahu anhu) succeeded him, it was Hafsah who was chosen to keepthe first copy of the Noble Qur'an.

She continued worshipping Allah (Ta'ala) devoutly, fasting, praying,and keeping the copy of the Muslims constitution, the immortal miracle and the source of legislation and belief.

When the second compilation of the Qur'an was made during Uthman's caliphate, she was asked to bring that copy which she did after putting the condition that once the work is finished her copy would be returned to her.
Uthman had decided that all the different versions of the Qur'an after the standard copy was made, but he was unable to do it with Hafsah's copy because of the condition she attached. It was only after her death that the copy was discovered and destroyed.


Hafsah reported Ahadith from the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam), but the number is much less than that reported by A'isha.


When her father the caliph of the Muslims (Umar ibn Al-Khattab) felt he was about to die after he was stabbed by Abu Lu'Lu'a the Zoroastrian in the month of Dhul-Hijjah 23 AH, Hafsah was the guard of what he left of inheritance.

Hafsah took custody of all his important documents including his copy of the mushaf which was compiled during the time of Abu Bakr's caliphate.


Hafsah passed away during the reign of Mu'awiyyah ibn Sufyan's (radiAllahu anhu) era after she commanded her brother Abdullah (radiAllahu anhu) with what she had been commanded by her father.
May Allah SWT shower His Mercy and Blessings upon her always, Ameen.

RadiAllahu anha.