Mother of the Believers

Ḥafṣah bint ʿUmar

حفصة بنت عمر

Dates: 605–665 CE / 18 BH–45 AH
Relation to the Prophet ﷺ: Wife of the Prophet ﷺ; daughter of ʿUmar

Umm al-MuʾminīnKeeper of the Muṣḥaf

Known for

The wife to whom the first collected muṣḥaf of the Qurʾan was entrusted after Abū Bakr's death.

Life

Ḥafṣah was widowed young when her first husband died of wounds sustained at Badr. The Prophet ﷺ married her — in part, the scholars say, to honor ʿUmar and his house. She was literate, which was rare, and she memorised the whole Qurʾan.

When Abū Bakr commissioned the first complete written muṣḥaf, it was stored in Ḥafṣah's house after his death. When ʿUthmān later produced the canonical standard, he borrowed Ḥafṣah's copy to verify against. She died in Madinah around 665 CE.

References in the library

Passages that mention Ḥafṣah

"Allah, peace be upon him, two units before Dhuhr, two after it, two after Maghrib in his house, and two after Aisha in his house. Hafsa informed Ibn Umar that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, would pray two units when dawn broke and the caller called out. Ayyub added, and I think he said they were light. Ibn Umar also memorized from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, eight units, two before Dhuhr, two after it, two after Maghrib, and two after Aisha. He mentioned that Hafsa informed him about the two units of the dawn prayer, which he had not seen from the Prophet, peace be upon him. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her,"

Source in The Sublime Beauty →
"Khalifa Ibn A'di al-Khazraji, Kulayd Ibn Qais Ibn al-Numan Ibn Sinan Ibn Ubaid al-Ansari al-Salami, and Kunays Ibn Hudhafas Ibn A'di Ibn Sa'd Ibn Sa'm Ibn Amr Ibn Hussays Ibn Kab Ibn Luway al-Sami, who was killed that day, leaving Hafsa, the daughter of Umar Ibn al-Khattab. Qawad Ibn Jubayr al-Ansari struck him with his arrow and received his reward, although he did not witness the battle himself."

Source in First Revelation to Badr →
"She replied, Indeed, the wives of the Messenger of God, peace be upon him, argue with him, and he is better than you. Umar then said, Hafsa is doomed if she argues with him. He advised Hafsa not to be influenced by the daughter of Ibn Abi Qohafa, as she was beloved to the Messenger of God, peace be upon him, and warned her against arguing."

Source in Etiquette of Marriage →
"me, greet her, and ask for Umar's permission. If she grants it, bury me, if not, return me to the Muslims' burial grounds. And when Um al-Mumin in Hafsa and the women came to veil him, we rose to leave, but then entered. We heard her weeping. People asked, Make a will, O leader of the believers, appoint a successor. He said, I see no one more eligible for this matter than these individuals who were pleased by the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, naming Ali, Uthman, Zubayr, Talha, Sa'd, and Abd al-Rahman, and involve Abdullah ibn Umar, though he shall have no say except to comfort them. If the leadership falls to"

Source in The Book of the Remembrance of Death and the Afterlife →
"for a needle to mend Joseph's torn shirt, he would not give them one. It is said that Marwan ibn Abi Hafsa would not eat meat due to miserliness except when he craved it. In such cases, he would send his servant to buy a head and eat it. When asked why he only ate heads in both summer and winter, he replied, I know the price of the head, so I feel secure from the servant's deceit and cannot be deceived about its price. It is not like meat that the servant cooks and could consume some. If he touches an eye, ear, or cheek, I will notice, and I enjoy its different colors, its eye one color, its ear another, its tongue"

Source in Miserliness and Wealth →
"including his brother Sa'd ibn al-Khattab, Amr and Abdullah, the sons of Suraka ibn al-Mutamir, and Qunaiz ibn Hudhafa al-Sahmi, the husband of his daughter Hafsa, and his cousin Sa'd ibn Zayd ibn Amr ibn Nufail, and Waqid ibn Abdullah al-Tamimi, who was an ally to them, and Khali ibn Abi Khali and Malik ibn Abi Khali, who were allies to them from Banu Ijl, and the sons of al-Bukair, Ayas, Khalid, Aqil, Amir, and their allies from Banu Sa'd ibn Laith, settled with Rafi'ah ibn Abd al-Mundir ibn Zubayr and Banu Amr ibn Auf in Cuba."

Source in First Revelation to Badr →

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