Aqdam أقدام

Companion of the Prophet ﷺ

رفيدة الأسلمية

رضي الله عنها

Rufaydah al-Aslamiyyah

Rufaydah (also recorded as Kuaybah) bint Sa'd al-Aslamiyyah al-Ansariyyah

Rufaydah al-Aslamiyyah, an Ansari companion remembered for her tent of care for the wounded in Medina, with the hadith on women who treated the wounded.

  • Companion known for caring for the wounded
A day in her footsteps

Introduction

Rufaydah al-Aslamiyyah was a woman of the Ansar who is remembered in the biographical tradition for treating the sick and wounded. She is also recorded under the name Kuaybah bint Sa'd al-Aslamiyyah in works such as those of al-Waqidi and Ibn Sa'd.

According to Ibn Ishaq and later writers such as Ibn Hajar, she kept a tent in or beside the mosque in Medina where the wounded were cared for. When Sa'd ibn Mu'adh was hit in the arm by an arrow at the Trench, the Prophet had him placed in this tent so that he could visit him easily and ask how he was.

Very little is established about her life beyond this. The authentic hadith do not name her; the hadith used here describe the tent and the women of the Ansar who treated the wounded on campaign, which is the context of her care. Dates of her birth and death are not known from the sources I was able to open, so this page is deliberately short.

The story

  1. 5 AH / 627 CE

    Sa'd ibn Mu'adh was wounded at the Trench and the Prophet had a tent pitched for him in the mosque; the biographical tradition identifies this as Rufaydah's tent.

    Read the wording
    Sahih al-Bukhari 463Sahih
    Arabic text

    قَالَتْ أُصِيبَ سَعْدٌ يَوْمَ الْخَنْدَقِ فِي الأَكْحَلِ، فَضَرَبَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم خَيْمَةً فِي الْمَسْجِدِ لِيَعُودَهُ مِنْ قَرِيبٍ، فَلَمْ يَرُعْهُمْ ـ وَفِي الْمَسْجِدِ خَيْمَةٌ مِنْ بَنِي غِفَارٍ ـ إِلاَّ الدَّمُ يَسِيلُ إِلَيْهِمْ فَقَالُوا يَا أَهْلَ الْخَيْمَةِ، مَا هَذَا الَّذِي يَأْتِينَا مِنْ قِبَلِكُمْ فَإِذَا سَعْدٌ يَغْذُو جُرْحُهُ دَمًا، فَمَاتَ فِيهَا.

    “the Prophet (ﷺ) pitched a tent in the mosque to look after him”

    Grade: Sahih (Sahih al-Bukhari)

A day in their footsteps

2 small, repeatable practices from Rufaydah al-Aslamiyyah's life. Each comes with the Arabic text and English wording of its source, and links to read the full report.

  1. Caring for the wounded in a place of mercy

    When Sa'd ibn Mu'adh was struck in the arm vein during the siege of Medina, the Prophet had a tent pitched in the mosque so that he could be near and visit him. The biographical sources (Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Sa'd, Ibn Hajar) say the tent was Rufaydah's and that he was cared for by her.

    Try this today

    Be someone whose home or space is open for people in need of care.

    Sit with this

    Could your home or time be open to someone who needs care?

    Source

    Sahih al-Bukhari 4122Sahih

    … عليه وسلم خَيْمَةً فِي الْمَسْجِدِ لِيَعُودَهُ مِنْ قَرِيبٍ، فَلَمَّا رَجَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنَ الْخَنْدَقِ وَضَعَ السِّلاَحَ وَاغْتَسَلَ، فَأَتَاهُ جِبْرِيلُ ـ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ ـ وَهْوَ يَنْفُضُ رَأْسَهُ مِنَ الْغُبَارِ فَقَالَ قَدْ وَضَعْتَ السِّلاَحَ وَاللَّهِ مَا وَضَعْتُهُ، اخْرُجْ إِلَيْهِمْ. قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " فَأَيْنَ". فَأَشَارَ إِلَى بَنِي …

    “The Prophet (ﷺ) pitched a tent (for Sa`d) in the Mosque so that he might be near to the Prophet (ﷺ) to visit”

    Grade: Sahih (Sahih al-Bukhari)

  2. Women of the Ansar treating the wounded

    The hadith about women of the Ansar during the campaigns with the Prophet is the closest authentic picture of Rufaydah's work: providing water, treating the wounded and bringing the killed and wounded back to Medina.

    Try this today

    Offer practical help in whatever skill you have, whether medical, logistical or comfort.

    Sit with this

    What skill do you have that could serve people in need?

    Sources

    Sahih al-Bukhari 2882Sahih

    قَالَتْ كُنَّا مَعَ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم نَسْقِي، وَنُدَاوِي الْجَرْحَى، وَنَرُدُّ الْقَتْلَى إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ.

    “providing the wounded with water and treating them”

    Grade: Sahih (Sahih al-Bukhari)

    Sahih Muslim 1810Sahih

    قَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَغْزُو بِأُمِّ سُلَيْمٍ وَنِسْوَةٍ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ مَعَهُ إِذَا غَزَا فَيَسْقِينَ الْمَاءَ وَيُدَاوِينَ الْجَرْحَى.

    “they would give water (to the soldiers) and would treat the wounded”

    Grade: Sahih (Sahih Muslim)

Virtues

  • The Prophet personally visited the wounded Sa'd in the tent in the mosque, showing the importance of care for the injured.

    “so that he might be near to the Prophet (ﷺ) to visit”

    Arabic text

    … مِنْ قَرِيبٍ، فَلَمَّا رَجَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِنَ الْخَنْدَقِ وَضَعَ السِّلاَحَ وَاغْتَسَلَ، فَأَتَاهُ جِبْرِيلُ ـ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ ـ وَهْوَ يَنْفُضُ رَأْسَهُ مِنَ الْغُبَارِ فَقَالَ قَدْ وَضَعْتَ السِّلاَحَ وَاللَّهِ مَا وَضَعْتُهُ، اخْرُجْ إِلَيْهِمْ. قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم " فَأَيْنَ". فَأَشَارَ إِلَى بَنِي قُرَيْظَةَ، فَأَتَاهُمْ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ …

    Sahih al-Bukhari 4122Sahih

Words on this page

Ansarالأنصار
"The Helpers": the Muslims of Madinah, from the Aws and Khazraj tribes, who welcomed and sheltered the Prophet ﷺ and the emigrants from Makkah.
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

Sources and review

Hadith numbers follow sunnah.com. Each report links to sunnah.com, and, where the numbering matches, to al-Hadees or HadithUnlocked as well. Quran verses link to quran.com, Tafsir Ibn Kathir and Tanzil. The Arabic is taken from the hadith editions and trimmed around the quoted words, so read the full report at the source before relying on it. Grades are the ones those editions give.

This page is pending scholar review. It was compiled from public sources, and its citations were last checked on 7 October 2026. If you notice a mistake or a missing source, please tell us.

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