Safiyyah bint Huyayy

Safiyyah bint Huyayy (c. 610-670 CE) was one of the Mothers of the Believers (Ummahat al-Muminin), a woman of noble lineage who descended from the Jewish tribe of Banu al-Nadir and was a direct descendant of the Prophet Harun AS (Aaron) through the priestly lineage. Her father, Huyayy ibn Akhtab, was the chief of Banu al-Nadir and one of the principal figures who worked to undermine the Muslim community in Medina. She was first married to Sallam ibn Mishkam and then to Kinanah ibn al-Rabi, the latter of whom was killed during the Expedition of Khaybar in 7 AH. After Khaybar, Safiyyah was taken as a captive, and the Prophet ﷺ offered her freedom and the choice either to return to her people or to embrace Islam and marry him. She chose Islam and accepted his proposal of marriage. The Prophet honored her greatly, seating her behind him on his camel and spreading his cloak around her as a gesture of protection and dignity — a signal to the companions that she was now his wife. She is recorded to have said that she never had reason to doubt the Prophet's honor or fairness toward her. She was known for her intelligence, nobility of character, and devotion to her new faith. She faced occasional provocations from some companions who reminded her of her Jewish origin, and the Prophet ﷺ instructed her to respond: 'My father is Harun (Aaron) AS, my uncle is Musa (Moses) AS, and my husband is Muhammad ﷺ — how could they have any claim over me?' She lived until approximately 50 AH / 670 CE, surviving well into the caliphate of Muawiyah, and is buried in al-Baqi in Medina.