Umm Salama bint Ya'qub
أم سلمة بنت يعقوب المخزومية
The Makhzumi widow of two Umayyads who wooed al-Saffah with seven hundred dinars — his sole wife, dominant counsel, and the power behind Khalid ibn Safwan's famous beating 1.
At a glance
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Overview
Umm Salama bint Ya'qub ibn Salama ibn Abd Allah ibn al-Walid ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi 2.
Her marriages
She was married to Abd al-Aziz ibn al-Walid and he died and left her; then to Hisham, and he died and left her. She offered herself to Abu al-Abbas for seven hundred dinars, and he married her and gave her a dowry of five hundred 2.
With Abu al-Abbas
al-Mas'udi reports that she found favour with him, and he swore not to marry anyone over her nor take a concubine. She bore him Muhammad and Rayta, and he did not decide any matter except on her advice 2.
It was because of her that he came to Khalid ibn Safwan, when he described women to him, until he began describing their harm 2.
Sources
- Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi, p. 247-250
- Muruj al-Dhahab — al-Masʼudi, p.247-250
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Umm Salama bint Ya'qub”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/umm-salama-bint-yaqub/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.