Umm Ḥabībah and the Softening of Abū Sufyān

Umm Ḥabībah (may Allah be pleased with her) should also be mentioned. She's the one who migrated to Abyssinia, and her husband ʿUbaydallāh ibn Jaḥsh converted to Christianity, and she went through a miserable time, very difficult moments—Umm Ḥabībah, being the daughter of Abū Sufyān, the head of Quraysh. So later on, her husband passed away. Muhammad (peace be upon him) sent a message with ʿAmr ibn Umayyah al-Ḍamrī to al-Najāshī, asking al-Najāshī to marry him to Umm Ḥabībah, because Muhammad (peace be upon him) had sympathy for what Umm Ḥabībah went through. Muhammad (peace be upon him) wanted to marry her even though she was hundreds of miles away. The scholars say that was the furthest marriage of Muhammad (peace be upon him)—she was in Abyssinia, he was in Madīnah. So it was symbolic: to, first of all, take care of Umm Ḥabībah. Also, Umm Ḥabībah was the daughter of Abū Sufyān, so Muhammad (peace be upon him) wanted to bring the staunchest enemies of Islam closer; he wants to soften their stance.

And when Abū Sufyān heard the news that Muhammad (peace be upon him) married his daughter—even though Abū Sufyān was now the leader of Quraysh, he was their leader in fighting Islam—Abū Sufyān was happy that this marriage took place. He said, "And who is better to marry than Muhammad (peace be upon him)?" Abū Sufyān knows the lineage of Muhammad (peace be upon him), so that's how he looks at it: this is from Banū Hāshim, it's an honour to marry a daughter to somebody from Banū Hāshim; his issue with him is because of religion. So he was proud and happy that his daughter got married to Muhammad (peace be upon him). So that softened Abū Sufyān a little bit, it brought him closer to Islam, and Muhammad (peace be upon him) also intended in taking care of Umm Ḥabībah in that difficult moment that she was going through.