“Is there anyone left who hasn’t taken a baby?”
This was a tall man with a saintly face and white beard…Halima asked those near her, “Who is this old man?”
“Abdulmuttalib!” they answered, “One of the nobles of Quraish!”
Halima walked towards Abdulmuttalib and greeted him.
“Salam O Abdulmuttalib!”
“Salam O woman, who are you of?”
“I am of the sons of Sa’d!”
“And what is your name?”
“Halima!”
“Dear Halima, I see two good attributes to you. The first is gentleness and the second is good manners and morals! The greatness of this world and the life after is hidden in these two attributes… Now listen to me carefully… I have an orphan grandson. I showed him to the women who came before you but they did not take him (because he is an orphan). They did not believe he will be beneficial to them. If you like, take my orphan, perhaps the Creator will bring benefit to you through him…”
Halima was silenced… She thought to herself and then asked, “May you allow me to ask my husband please…”
When she went next to her husband, he was sitting with his nephew. When Halima told him about the situation, the nephew said, “All of the women of the Sa’d tribe took babies from wealthy families. Why take an orphan and trouble yourself?”
However, Halima’s husband, Haris, was not of the same opinion…
“We cannot go back empty handed… Go and take that orphan! Surely there must be some good in this…”
When Halima came back to Abdulmuttalib and told him she will take the orphan baby, Abdulmuttalib took a breath of relief and said, “May Allah be pleased with you!”
They then went to Amina’s house. When Halima saw Amina, she was taken aback by her beauty… Amina smiled and greeted her, “Welcome dear Halima…”
Together they went to the room where our Master was peacefully sleeping… He was wrapped in a soft white swaddle and his face was covered with a piece of green silk… Halima slowly and softly approached him and lifted the silk cover on his face. She had never seen a baby with such a bright and saintly face before… Instantly she fell in love with him…
She gently picked him up and held him… At that moment she felt a weird movement in her breasts… Her empty breasts immediately and miraculously began to grow with milk. She couldn’t believe it! She took out her right breast and started breastfeeding our master. Then remembered her own son, Hamza, whom she was carrying on her back, so she put him on her left breast. What an amazingly auspicious event! Let the rich women of the Sa’d tribe take all the babies they like, she thought, I would not exchange this baby to the world…
As she bid farewell to Amina and Abdulmuttalib, they shed a few tears and prayed, “O Rabb… Take him to his new home in good health, raise him in good health, and bring him back to us in good health…”
Halima came to her husband and told him about what happened… Haris advised, “Halima, don’t tell anyone about this lest they project an evil eye…” as they set off back to their home.
It was as if the donkey with which they came in great difficulty was not the same donkey! It was almost flying, like a bird, light and speedy… Before they knew, they had passed their tribe who had left much earlier and reached their home before everyone.
That week, Halima’s house was filled with abundance… Everything miraculously became abundant. Her sheep and camels gave plenty and bountiful milk, their food stock didn’t lessen no matter how much they ate, their home was filled with joy and happiness…
This is how four years passed for our Master with Halima and the Sa’d Tribe. He was raised in the best conditions. He spent a lot of his time playing with his milk siblings in the nature of the village. Halima cared for him better than she did for own children and protected him with her life…