Wives of the Prophet ﷺ
Umm Habeebah bint Abi Sufyan (RA) and the peace she made before the end
Nobody asked her to do this. She just didn't want to leave it unsaid.
The story
When Umm Habeebah felt her time drawing near, she sent for 'A'ishah. Whatever tension had built up between them over the years — the ordinary friction of sharing a husband with several other women — she didn't want to carry any of it with her.
"There might have been, between me and you, what usually happens between rivals," she said. "Will you forgive me?" 'A'ishah forgave her at once and prayed for her. Umm Habeebah answered simply, "You've made me happy. May Allah make you happy too."
She sent the same message to Umm Salamah next, unwilling to let even one relationship stay unfinished while she still had the chance to close it herself.
Nobody had asked her to do this. There was no ritual that required it, no one keeping score of who apologized to whom. She simply decided that whatever had been left unspoken between her and the women she'd shared a household with for years wasn't going to stay that way — not while she still had a voice to say it with.
If this resonates with you
Umm Habeebah didn't wait to be asked — she reached out herself while she still could. Is there a relationship in your life carrying old friction that you could resolve now, rather than leaving it unsaid?
Search “I want to make peace with someone before it's too late” →This account draws on authenticated Islamic sources and established scholarly works. This is a retelling for reflection — not a substitute for reading primary sources.