Makkah
Sayyidah Halimah al-Sa'diyyah was the foster mother who nursed Nabi Muhammad ﷺ as a baby. It was the custom of the Quraysh to send infants to the desert…
Sayyidah Halimah al-Sa'diyyah was the foster mother who nursed Nabi Muhammad ﷺ as a baby. It was the custom of the Quraysh to send infants to the desert tribes to grow up in clean air and learn pure Arabic, and Halimah of Banu Sa'd took him home with her even though he was an orphan whom other nurses had passed over. Her family later spoke of the blessing that came to their flock and their household while he lived among them. The Prophet ﷺ spent the first four or five years of his life here in the lands of Banu Sa'd, in the hills south-east of Taif, and it was during these years that the well-known opening of his chest took place. The ruins shown to visitors are traditionally identified as Halimah's home. He kept a lifelong affection for his foster family and honoured Halimah whenever she came to see him.