Thuwayba, first wet nurse of the Prophet

Thuwayba al-Aslamiyyah was a slave-woman belonging to Abu Lahab, the Prophet's uncle. She was the first woman to nurse the infant Muhammad after his mother Aminah bint Wahb, nursing him for several days in the earliest period of his life. According to the biographical sources, when Abu Lahab heard the news of his nephew Muhammad's birth through his slave Thuwayba, he was so pleased that he freed her on the spot. This act of joy would have consequences: it is reported that after Abu Lahab's death, he was seen in a dream in a pitiful state. When asked if he had any relief from punishment, he replied that he sucked water from his finger — the finger with which he had pointed to free Thuwayba. This narration, mentioned in Sahih al-Bukhari in a chapter on wet-nursing, is cited as evidence that even a disbeliever's joy at the Prophet's birth brought some diminishment of punishment. Thuwayba also nursed Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib, the Prophet's uncle, making Hamza and Muhammad milk-brothers — a bond the Prophet acknowledged throughout his life. She had a son named Masruh who died before her. After Thuwayba, Halimah al-Sa'diyyah took over as the Prophet's primary wet nurse and raised him in the desert. Thuwayba is thought to have embraced Islam and died around 7 AH. The Prophet showed her kindness throughout his life, sending her gifts from Madinah, and continued to care for her memory after her death.