A Day in the Life of Prophet Muhammad(SAW)

To Quba'

Every Saturday, the Prophet went in midmorning to Quba',

either riding or walking. He prayed in the mosque there. The people

of Quba' who belonged to the clan of ' Awf ibn al-Harith might

come to see him in the mosque. They would greet him even when

he was praying and he would reply with a signal.

When he went to Quba', he would take his nap at the home of

Umm Haram bint Milhan, Umm Sulaym's sister and the wife of

' Ubadah ibn al-Samit. She also was one of his relatives who was

unlawful for him to marry. One day, he visited her. She gave him

some food and she groomed his hair. As she was doing that, he

dozed off. He then woke up smiling. She asked him: "What causes

you to laugh, messenger of God?" He said: "I was shown people

from among my community, going on jihad for God's cause, sailing

in the sea, like kings on their couches." She said: "Please pray to

God to include me with them." The Prophet prayed for her. He

then dozed off a second time. Again he woke up smiling. She asked

him the reason for laughing and he said again: "I was shown people

from among my community going on jihad for God's cause." Once

more she requested him to pray that she would be among them. He

said: "You are with the first ones." Umm Haram actually travelled

in the sea with the Muslim fleet during the reign of Mu 'awiyah ibn

Abi Sufyan. After landing in Cyprus, she fell off her mount and died

a martyr.

What sort of great news of future events the Prophet was

giving in a little hamlet deep in the middle of Arabia, at a time when

the Muslim community was in poverty and lack of resources. Yet he

was telling his woman companion that his people would be sailing

the Mediterranean, the sea that was furthest from Madinah, in a

state of strength and pride, 'like kings on their couches'.

At that time, seafaring was far removed from the minds of the

Arabs, let alone fighting sea battles. Which was more remarkable:

this news given by the Prophet which was far beyond all

probabilities, expectations and surrounding conditions, or the

certainty that Umm Haram showed when she heard the news? She

did not question the Prophet about it. She did not ask how could  that be when the conditions of the

Muslim community were so unhelpful. Nor did she ask about the time when it would happen.

She simply asked for a prayer that she would be among this group,

as though she could discern the event.