When a Roman slave attempted to force himself upon Umm al-Ḥakīm bint al-Ḥārith, the niece of Khālid ibn al-Walīd and the wife of ʿIkrimah ibn Abī Jahl:
After the Conquest of Makkah, when ʿIkrimah ibn Abī Jahl fled, it is reported that his newly converted wife, Umm al-Ḥakīm bint al-Ḥārith, sought permission from the Prophet ﷺ to go in search of him (i.e., her husband, ʿIkrimah), and he granted her permission.
ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr said:
فخرجت برومي لها فراودها عن نفسها، فلم تزل تمنيه وتقرب له حتى قدمت على أناس من مكة فاستغاثتهم عليه فأوثقوه، فأدركت زوجها ببعض تهامة وقد كان ركب في سفينة
“So she set out with a Roman slave belonging to her, and he attempted to have his way with her. She continued to put him off and draw him closer (i.e., she deceptively kept him engaged to delay him) until she reached some people from Makkah. She sought their help against him, and they restrained him. She then caught up with her husband in part of Tihāmah, where he had boarded a ship.”
— al-Mustadrak of al-Ḥākim (4/264); Ibn ʿAsākir narrated it with a different chain in Tārīkh Madīnat Dimashq (70/224). Both reports are mursal.
Note: This is the same Umm Ḥakīm bint al-Ḥārith who later single-handedly killed seven Roman soldiers with a tent pole after her second husband was martyred.
1. Al-Balādhurī (d. 279 AH)
In Futūḥ al-Buldān, Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā ibn Jābir al-Balādhurī recounts the events of the Battle of Marj al-Ṣuffar, saying:
واستشهد يومئذ خالد بن سعيد بن العاص بن أمية، ويكنى أبا سعيد، وكان قد أعرس في الليلة التي كانت الواقعة في صبيحتها بأم حكيم بنت الحارث بن هشام المخزومي امرأة عكرمة بن أبي جهل، فلما بلغها مصابه انتزعت عمود الفسطاط فقاتلت به، فيقال إنها قتلت يومئذ سبعة نفر، وإن بها لردع الخلوق
“On that day, Khālid ibn Saʿīd ibn al-ʿĀṣ ibn Umayyah, whose kunyah was Abū Saʿīd, was martyred. He had married Umm Ḥakīm bint al-Ḥārith ibn Hishām al-Makhzūmiyyah, the widow of ʿIkrimah ibn Abī Jahl, on the very night before the battle. When news of his martyrdom reached her, she tore out a tent pole and fought with it. It is said that she killed seven men that day, while traces of bridal perfume (khalūq) were still upon her.”
2. Ibn al-Athīr
Ibn al-Athīr said:
وقاتلت أم حكيم يومئذ فقتلت سبعة بعمود الفسطاط الذي عرس بها خالد فيه
“Umm Ḥakīm fought on that day and killed seven men using the pole of the tent in which Khālid had consummated the marriage with her.”
— Usd al-Ghābah fī Maʿrifat al-Ṣaḥābah, biography of Umm Ḥakīm bint al-Ḥārith.
3. Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr
Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr stated that Khālid ibn Saʿīd went forth, fought bravely, and was killed. He then said:
وشدت أم حكيم عليها ثيابها وتبدت وإن عليها أثر الخلوق
“Umm Ḥakīm wrapped her garments tightly around herself, revealing traces of perfume (khalūq) upon her, and went forth to fight.”
— al-Istīʿāb fī Maʿrifat al-Ṣaḥābah
(He also mentions that she killed seven Romans.)
4. Ibn Manẓūr
Ibn Manẓūr said regarding her:
فاقتتل الناس قتالاً شديداً، فقاتلت نساء بالسيوف حتى دخل العسكر منهن أم حكيم بنت الحارث بن هشام
“The people fought a fierce battle, and women fought with swords as well. Among those who entered the army camp was Umm Ḥakīm bint al-Ḥārith ibn Hishām.”
— Mukhtaṣar Tārīkh Dimashq
See also IslamQA, Question No. 302074, for details regarding the acceptance and treatment of historical narrations.