Juwayriya bint al-Harith

Juwayriya bint al-Harith ibn Abi Dirar, the Khuza'iyya of al-Mustaliq. When the Prophet campaigned against Banu al-Mustaliq in the al-Muraysi' expedition — year 5 or 6 AH — and captured them, Juwayriya fell in the share of Thabit ibn Qays; she had been under Musafi' ibn Safwan al-Mustaliqi ¹.

Ibn Ishaq related from A'isha: when the Messenger of God divided the captives of Banu al-Mustaliq, Juwayriya fell in the share to Thabit ibn Qays or a cousin of his, and she contracted for her own ransom — she was "a woman sweet and fair, whom no one saw without her winning his soul" — and she came to the Prophet seeking his help with her contract. A'isha said: "by God, the moment I saw her I disliked her". She entered on the Messenger of God and said: "I am Juwayriya bint al-Harith, chief of his people; calamities have befallen me not hidden from you, and I have contracted for myself — so help me with my contract". The Prophet said: "or better than that — shall I pay your contract for you and marry you?" She said yes ¹.

When it reached the people that he had married her they said: "in-laws of the Messenger of God", and they sent out whatever of Banu al-Mustaliq was in their hands — God freed a hundred households through her; A'isha says: "I know no woman of greater blessing upon her people than her" ¹.

From the mursal of Abu Qilaba: the Prophet took Juwayriya captive and married her; her father came and said: "my daughter — one like her is not taken captive; let her go". The Prophet said: "what if I give her the choice — would that not be well done?" Her father came to her and told her, and she said: "I choose God and His Messenger" — its chain is sound ¹.

Her name was Barra; the Prophet renamed her Juwayriya — in Muslim, he disliked it being said "he came out from Barra's" ². Ibn Ishaq mentions her first husband was called "Ibn Dhi al-Shaqr"; al-Waqidi named him Musafi' ibn Safwan ibn Dhi al-Shaqr ibn Abi al-Sarh, killed on the day of al-Muraysi'. Ibn Sa'd narrated from al-Waqidi with his chain from A'isha much the same, but the husband is named Safwan ibn Malik ¹.

Juwayriya related hadiths from the Prophet, among them the hadith of the dhikr after the dawn prayer — "glory be to God, the number of His creation..." — at al-Tirmidhi; and Ibn Abbas, Jabir, Ibn Umar, Ubayd ibn al-Sabbaq and al-Tufayl her nephew related from her ¹. In Sahih al-Bukhari from her: the Prophet entered on her on a Friday while she was fasting and asked "did you fast yesterday?" — she said no — "then will you fast tomorrow?" — she said no — "then break your fast" ².