al-Shayma bint al-Harith al-Sa'diyya
الشيماء بنت الحارث السعدية
A woman of Banu Sa'd ibn Bakr of Hawazin and foster-sister of the Prophet through nursing; taken among the Hunayn captives, she made herself known to him, he recognized her by a mark and honored her, spread his cloak for her to sit upon, then manumitted her and returned her to her people.
At a glance
- Era
- The Prophetic Era
- Region
- Arabia
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
WomenFamily, marriage and kinshipConverts and those who leave
Place in the story
- Family of the ProphetTradition
Roles are dated and sourced; the museum describes the act and attributes the judgement.
Summary
Al-Shayma' bint al-Harith al-Sa'diyya, a woman of Banu Sa'd ibn Bakr of Hawazin and the Prophet's foster-sister in Halima al-Sa'diyya's house; she fell among the captives of Hunayn in year 8 AH 1.
The Prophet's honour to her
Al-Shayma' was among the Hunayn captives held at al-Ji'rana; when she was brought to the Prophet she made herself known to him and he recognised her by a mark — he honoured her, spread his cloak for her and seated her on it, then granted her favour and returned her to her people 1.
The foster-kinship of Banu Sa'd ibn Bakr was among the strongest of what the Hawazin delegation invoked with the Prophet when they asked him to return their women and children 2.
For young visitors
Al-Shayma' was the Prophet's foster-sister, having lived with him as a child in Banu Sa'd's desert. When he found her among the captives he honoured her, seated her on his cloak and released her to her family.
Connections
- Member of
- Hawazin
- Participated in
- The Battle of Hunayn
People and things also explored
Malik ibn Awf al-NasriThe siege of Ta'ifBanu JushamBanu NasrHawazinDurayd ibn al-SimmaThe Battle of HunaynHalima al-Sa'diyya
Sources
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, p. 417
- al-Raheeq al-Makhtum — Safi al-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, p. 421
- Nisa' Hawl al-Rasul: Tarajim wa Qisas — al-Maktaba al-Asriyya
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “al-Shayma bint al-Harith al-Sa'diyya”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/al-shayma-bint-al-harith/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-12.