Abu Salamah (may Allah have mercy on him) and Yahya (may Allah have mercy on him) say that when Hazrat Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) passed away, Khawlah bint Hakim (may Allah be pleased with her)—who was the wife of Hazrat Uthman bin Maz’oon (may Allah be pleased with him)—came to the service of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said,“O Messenger of Allah! Why do you not marry?”The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,“With whom?”She replied,“If you wish, there is a virgin girl and there is also a previously married woman.”The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked,“Who is the virgin girl?”She replied,“The daughter of the person most beloved to you among Allah’s creation, i.e., Aisha bint Abi Bakr.”The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked,“Who is the previously married woman?”She replied,“Sawda bint Zam’ah, who believes in you and follows your Shariah.”So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,“Go and mention me to both of them.”Accordingly, Khawlah (may Allah be pleased with her) went to the house of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and said,“O Umm Ruman! How much goodness and blessing Allah is about to bring into your house!”Umm Ruman asked,“How is that?”She replied,“The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has sent me with a proposal for Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her).”Umm Ruman (may Allah be pleased with her) said,“Wait for Abu Bakr to come.”Shortly after, Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) also arrived. The same questions and answers took place between Khawlah (may Allah be pleased with her) and him. Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) asked,“Is it permissible for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to marry Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her)? For she is his niece.”Khawlah (may Allah be pleased with her) returned to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and mentioned this to him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,“Go and tell them that you are my brother in Islam and I am yours, so it is permissible for me to marry your daughter.”She returned and conveyed this answer to Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). He said,“Wait a little,”and went outside. After he left, Umm Ruman (may Allah be pleased with her) said that Mut’im bin ‘Adi had asked for Aisha’s (may Allah be pleased with her) hand for his son, and by Allah, Abu Bakr had never made a promise and then broken it. Therefore, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) first went to Mut’im bin ‘Adi. His wife, Umm al-Fati, was also present. She said,“O son of Abi Quhafah! If we marry our son to your daughter, perhaps you will also bring our son into your religion.”Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) asked Mut’im bin ‘Adi,“Do you also hold this opinion?”He said,“What she says is correct.”So Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) left from there, and the burden of breaking a promise that was on his mind, Allah removed in this way. He returned and said to Khawlah (may Allah be pleased with her),“Go and bring the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to my house.”Khawlah went and brought the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and Hazrat Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) married Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). At that time, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) was six years old.

After that, Khawlah (may Allah be pleased with her) went to Sawda bint Zam’ah (may Allah be pleased with her) and said,“How much goodness and blessing Allah is about to bring into your house!”Sawda (may Allah be pleased with her) asked,“How is that?”Khawlah (may Allah be pleased with her) said,“The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has sent me to you with a marriage proposal.”She said,“It is better that you go to my father and mention this to him.”Sawda’s father was very old and so advanced in age that he could not perform Hajj. Khawlah went to him and, according to the custom of the Age of Ignorance, greeted him. He asked,“Who is it?”She replied,“I am Khawlah bint Hakim.”He asked,“What is the matter?”Khawlah said,“Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) bin Abdullah has sent me with a marriage proposal for Sawda.”Zam’ah said,“That is the best match. What does your friend think?”Khawlah said,“She likes this proposal.”Zam’ah said,“Call her to me.”Khawlah called her, and Zam’ah asked her,“Dear daughter! She says that Muhammad bin Abdullah has sent her to you with a marriage proposal, and he is the best match. Do you want me to marry you to him?”Sawda (may Allah be pleased with her) agreed. Zam’ah said to me,“Go and bring the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to me.”So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came, and Zam’ah married Sawda (may Allah be pleased with her) to him. A few days later, Sawda’s brother, Abd bin Zam’ah, returned from Hajj. When he learned of this marriage, he began to throw dust on his head. After accepting Islam, he used to say...