al-Khansa bint Amr

Introduction

Tumadir bint Amr, nicknamed al-Khansa, was a poet of Banu Sulaym in Najd. Before Islam she became famous for her elegies for her brothers Mu'awiyah and Sakhr, which are among the most admired in Arabic.

Biographies relate that she came to Madinah with a delegation from her tribe around 8-9 AH and accepted Islam, and that the Prophet liked to hear her poetry. She is later said to have attended the battle of al-Qadisiyyah with her four sons, advising them to fight for Allah, and, on hearing of their martyrdom, thanking Allah.

These stories are told in the biographical literature and not in the main hadith collections. Note that the Khansa of the hadith books is Khansa bint Khidam al-Ansariyyah, a different woman, so we do not use those narrations here.

The story

1. Pre-Islamic Najd

   Composed celebrated elegies on her brothers Mu'awiyah and Sakhr (biographical reports).

2. c. 8-9 AH

   Reported to have met the Prophet in Madinah with a delegation of Banu Sulaym and accepted Islam (biographical reports).

3. 16 AH

   Reported to have been present at Qadisiyyah, urging her sons on; all four were killed; Umar continued her allowance for them (biographical reports).

4. c. 24 AH

   Died in the desert (date and place differ between sources).

A day in their footsteps

Virtues

• When told her four sons had died in battle, she thanked Allah for honouring her with their martyrdom.

Sayings and moments

• Reported advice to her sons before Qadisiyyah: the lasting home is better than the passing one.

Words on this page

Hadithحديث

A report of what the Prophet ﷺ said, did or approved, passed down through a chain of narrators.

Madinahالمدينة

The city, formerly Yathrib, to which the Prophet ﷺ migrated and where the first Muslim community was built.

The full glossary

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