Women who nursed Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

Beyond the maternal love of Ameenah, his biological mother, Muhammad (PBUH), was blessed with the maternal love and care of four fortunate women throughout his early life. The first was Umm-e-Ayman, the second was Thuwaybah, the third was Halimah as-Sa’diyah and the fourth was Fatimah Bint Asad. Thuwaybah originally was a maidservant to Abu Lahab, the uncle of our beloved Prophet (PBUH). When the infant Muhammad (PBUH) was born, she rushed to nurse the newborn baby with deep affection and gave the good news to Abu Lahab, and Abu Lahab freed her from slavery out of immense joy at the good news of the birth of his nephew Muhammad (PBUH). She fed Muhammad (PBUH) breast milk with his son Masruh. Hamzah bin Abdul Muttalib, the uncle of Muhammad (PBUH), also drank her breast milk. After suckling our beloved Prophet (PBUH), the fortunate lady Thuwaybah suckled Abu Salamah. In a Hadith, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) himself recognised Thuwaybah as a milk-mother. Umm Habiba (RA), the wife of the Prophet (PBUH), narrated, "When the Prophet of Allah was asked about marrying Durra, the daughter of Abu Salama, he replied, 'Even if she were not my stepdaughter, she is unlawful for me, for she is my foster niece.' " Thuwaiba suckled me and Abu Salama..." (Sahih Bukhari: 5372).

The Messenger of Allah and His first wife, Khadijah (RA), treated Thuwaybah with immense respect throughout their life. They used to visit her and send her gift regularly. Thuwaybah also would visit the house of the Prophet (PBUH). 
Another fortunate woman who nursed the Prophet (PBUH) during his childhood is Fatimah Bint Asad, the wife of Abu Talib and the mother of Ali (RA). When Muhammad (PBUH) entered the household of Abu Talib and Fatimah Bint Asad, she would welcome him not as a nephew but as her own son. Despite having many children of her own, Fatima Bint Asad always prioritised the young Muhammad (PBUH). If there was a shortage of food or fruits in the house, she would bypass her own children to ensure Muhammad (PBUH) was fed first. She would comb his hair, oil it, and ensure he was always dressed in neat and clean garments. Even during the brutal three-year social boycott at Shi'b Abu Talib, where the Banu Hashim clan faced near-starvation, Fatima stood by the Prophet (PBUH) like an immovable fortress, enduring extreme hunger to shield him. Anas Ibn Malik (RA) narrated that, when Fatimah Bint Asad bin Hashim, the mother of Ali (RA), passed away, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) entered upon her and said, "May Allah have mercy on you, O my mother. You were a mother to me after my own mother. You would go hungry while feeding me to my fill; you would go poorly clothed while clothing me; and you would deny yourself the best of food just to feed me, seeking by that only the Countenance of Allah and the Home of the Hereafter.” (Mu’jam Al-Kabeer: 1159).
When Muhammad (PBUH) got revelation and became a prophet, Fatima Bint Asad did not hesitate to to accept Allah’s message. She accepted Islam just after Khadijah (RA). She was the very first woman to pledge her allegiance (Bay'ah) directly to the Prophet (PBUH) in Makkah. Despite her advancing age, she became one of the pioneering women to migrate from Makkah to Madinah on foot. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) never addressed her as an aunt; he beautifully called her "Ummi" (My Mother). The Prophet (PBUH) made it a routine to visit her home regularly to inquire about her well-being.
Fatima Bint Asad passed away in Madinah in the 4th year of Hijrah. Her burial witnessed two extraordinary acts of devotion by the Prophet (PBUH). The first one is: The Prophet (PBUH) took off his own blessed Qamees (garment) and commanded that it be used as part of her burial shroud. The second one is that after the grave was dug in Jannat al-Baqi, the Prophet (PBUH) personally descended into it and lay down in the soil for a few moments. Abdullah Ibn Abbas (RA) said, "When Fatimah, the mother of Ali ibn Abi Talib, passed away, the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) took off his shirt and clothed her with it, and he lay down with her in her grave. When the soil was levelled over her, some of them (the companions) said, 'O Messenger of Allah, we saw you do something that you have never done for anyone else.' He replied, 'I clothed her in my shirt so that she may wear the garments of Paradise, and I lay down with her in her grave so that the pressure of the grave might be lightened for her. Indeed, she was the best of Allah's creation to me in her treatment (of me) after Abu Talib" (Tabrani, Al Mu’jamul Awsat: 6935/Siyaru A’lamin Nubala: 2/118).
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The writer is an M.Phil researcher, Kahtib of Baitus Shafiq Mosque and principal of Baitul Hikmah Academy, Gazipur