There are figures in the sīrah whose greatness does not come through public sermons or military banners, but through quiet loyalty, patient love, and a lifetime of unseen service. Among them stands Umm Ayman, also known as Barakah bint Thaʿlabah (radiyaAllahu taʿala ʿanha), a woman whose life was woven into the life of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ from his earliest breath until his final days.

She was not merely a caretaker. She was not simply a servant who passed through his household. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ named her with words that still echo through Islamic history:

“She is my mother after my mother.”
هي أمي بعد أمي

These words alone place her among the most honored women of this Ummah.

Umm Ayman was still a young woman, barely nineteen, when she found herself comforting a child marked by repeated loss. She was there when Āminah (radiyaAllahu ʿanha), the Prophet’s mother, passed away. She held him then, steadying a heart that had already tasted separation.

Not long after, the Prophet ﷺ was taken into the care of his grandfather, ʿAbdul Muṭṭalib. When he too passed away, leaving the Prophet ﷺ an orphan once again at the age of nine, it was Umm Ayman who remained. Loss after loss unfolded, and she stayed present through all of it.

This constancy shaped something profound. For the Prophet ﷺ, she was not replaceable. She was familiar love. She was safety.

When the Prophet ﷺ later married Khadījah (radiyaAllahu taʿala ʿanha), he introduced Umm Ayman to his wife with those immortal words: “She is my mother after my mother.”

This was not symbolic language. This was lived reality.

Though Islamic law would later classify her as technically inherited from his father’s estate, the Prophet ﷺ freed her without hesitation. Freedom, dignity, and choice were returned to her fully. She remained by his side not out of obligation, but out of love.

Umm Ayman herself would later say:

“I never left him, and he never left me.”
ما تركته ولم يتركني

This was a bond of the heart, not of status.

For years, Umm Ayman chose not to marry. Just as the Prophet ﷺ delayed marriage in his youth to care for family and responsibilities, she did the same, dedicating her life to his care.

When the Prophet ﷺ later encouraged her to marry, she resisted. She wished to remain with him and Khadījah, to continue the life she had always known. Even Khadījah (radiyaAllahu taʿala ʿanha) insisted gently, offering to arrange the marriage and cover all expenses, as she often did for women of limited means.

Only after their insistence did Umm Ayman agree.

Her first husband, ʿUbayd ibn Zayd from the tribe of al-Khazraj in Yathrib, was a noble man. From this marriage she bore a son, Ayman, from whom she became known as Umm Ayman. Ayman would later embrace Islam and be martyred in its cause. Her husband, however, passed away before revelation.

Once again, Umm Ayman returned to the household of the Prophet ﷺ, now with her son, just as revelation descended upon his heart.

When the Prophet ﷺ received the first revelation and returned shaken to Khadījah (radiyaAllahu taʿala ʿanha), belief soon followed among those who knew his truth intimately. Umm Ayman did not hesitate. She is counted among the earliest believers and is recognized as the second woman to embrace Islam.

She believed because she knew him. Character preceded command.

Faith, for her, was not an intellectual leap. It was recognition.

After becoming widowed again, the Prophet ﷺ noticed her advancing age and her solitude with only her son. In Makkah, before migration, he made a remarkable statement:

She had no known lineage, no wealth, no youth. By worldly standards, she offered little. But the Messenger of Allah ﷺ declared her a woman of Jannah.

It was then that Zayd ibn al-Harithah, himself freed and beloved by the Prophet ﷺ, stepped forward. At least twenty years younger and never married before, Zayd said words that reveal true faith: if she is from Paradise, then being with her is worth everything.

Their marriage defied social norms. And through it, Allah brought forth a child no one expected.

Though Umm Ayman was beyond the expected age of childbearing, Allah blessed her with Usama ibn Zayd.

The Prophet ﷺ loved Usama deeply, calling him “the beloved son of the beloved.” Usama sat on his lap alongside al-Ḥasan and al-Ḥusayn (radiyaAllahu ʿanhum), climbed upon his back, and was treated like family in every sense.

Near the end of the Prophet’s ﷺ life, Usama was appointed commander of the Muslim army, despite his young age. Some objected. The Prophet ﷺ did not waver.

This was the son of Umm Ayman. This was the legacy of loyalty.

Umm Ayman teaches us that closeness to Allah is not measured by public roles, but by constancy. That dignity lies in faith, not lineage. That sacrifice, when offered sincerely, is never lost.

She lived through grief, freedom, widowhood, motherhood, migration, and faith. And through it all, she remained near the heart of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

She was not simply present in his life.

She helped shape it.

Who was Umm Ayman in Islam?
She was Barakah bint Thaʿlabah, a close companion of the Prophet ﷺ whom he called “my mother after my mother.”

Why is Umm Ayman so significant?
She cared for the Prophet ﷺ from childhood, was among the earliest believers, and was promised Paradise.

Who did Umm Ayman marry?
She first married ʿUbayd ibn Zayd, then later married Zayd ibn al-Harithah (radiyaAllahu ʿanhum).

Who was Usama ibn Zayd?
He was her son with Zayd ibn al-Harithah, beloved to the Prophet ﷺ and appointed commander of the Muslim army.

What lesson does her life teach?
That sincerity, loyalty, and faith outweigh all worldly measures of worth.

May Allah (swt) be pleased with Umm Ayman, raise her rank among the women of Paradise, and allow us to learn from those whose lives were spent in quiet devotion and enduring love.