Abu Talha and Umm Sulaim
Abu Talha was the hero of one of the stories from the lives of the Companions of the Prophet. He had a young boy whom he loved dearly, and he was married to Umm Sulaim. One day, by the will of Allah, the young boy fell ill with a serious disease. The boy suffered from this illness for days, and Abu Talha was deeply grieved by the situation. One day, he went to pray the Isha prayer with the Prophet (peace be upon him), and at the same time, his son passed away. His wife decided not to inform her husband of this when he returned, and she asked everyone in the house not to say anything to him.
When Abu Talha returned from prayer, he asked Umm Sulaim about the condition of the young boy and how his health was. She told him that he was fine and that he was surrounded by the mercy of the Creator. She then adorned herself, applied perfume, and prepared dinner for her husband. He consummated the marriage with her that night. The next morning, the wife decided to tell him, but in a compassionate manner. She said to him that wealth and souls are nothing but provisions that Allah grants to whom He wills and takes from whom He wills.
Abu Talha then went to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and told him everything that had happened that night. The Prophet (peace be upon him) responded by making supplications for him. This story is clearly reflected in the following noble hadith: “He [the Prophet] said, ‘Did you consummate the marriage last night?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘May Allah bless you both.’ A boy was born. Abu Talha said to me, ‘Take care of him until you bring him to the Prophet (peace be upon him).’ So they brought him to the Prophet (peace be upon him), and they sent with him some dates. The Prophet (peace be upon him) took the boy and asked, ‘Is there anything with him?’ They said, ‘Yes, dates.’ The Prophet (peace be upon him) took them, chewed them, then took some from his mouth and placed it in the boy’s mouth, rubbing it against his palate, and named him Abdullah.” (Narrated by Anas ibn Malik).
