Aqdam أقدام

Companion of the Prophet ﷺ

سمية بنت خياط

رضي الله عنها

Sumayyah bint Khayyat

Sumayyah bint Khayyat (also given as Khubbat), mother of Ammar ibn Yasir

Early believer in Mecca who held to Islam under torture and became the first martyr of the Muslim community.

  • The first martyr in Islam
A day in her footsteps
  • KunyaUmm Ammar
  • Family and tribeOriginally from the 'Ans (Madhij) of Yemen; a client of Banu Makhzum in Mecca
  • Bornc. 550 CE (approx.)
  • Diedc. 615 CE (approx.)
  • Resting placeMecca (exact grave not recorded)
  • Counted amongMuhajirun

Introduction

Sumayyah bint Khayyat lived in Mecca as a slave of a clan of Banu Makhzum, married to Yasir ibn Amir and mother of Ammar, who would himself become a great Companion. Together with her husband and son, she accepted Islam in its earliest years, at a time when the believers were few, and when those without tribal protection were left defenceless.

The early authentic reports describe the believers who were not shielded by a tribe being seized, dressed in armour and exposed to the scorching sun, pressed to take back their faith. The reports of the Seerah say she refused to renounce her belief under this abuse and was killed, the first person in Islam to die for it. She was then roughly sixty years old.

Authentic hadith about her are very few, which is why her page is short. What the sources do agree on is her steadfastness, which has made her a lasting example for believers facing hardship for their faith.

The story

  1. c. 610s CE, Mecca

    Accepted Islam in its earliest years, along with her husband Yasir and son Ammar.

    Read the wording
    Sunan Ibn Majah 150Hasan Sahih
    Arabic text

    … ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعَمَّارٌ وَأُمُّهُ سُمَيَّةُ وَصُهَيْبٌ وَبِلاَلٌ وَالْمِقْدَادُ فَأَمَّا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فَمَنَعَهُ اللَّهُ بِعَمِّهِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ وَأَمَّا أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَمَنَعَهُ اللَّهُ بِقَوْمِهِ وَأَمَّا سَائِرُهُمْ فَأَخَذَهُمُ الْمُشْرِكُونَ وَأَلْبَسُوهُمْ أَدْرَاعَ الْحَدِيدِ وَصَهَرُوهُمْ فِي الشَّمْسِ فَمَا مِنْهُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ …

    “'Ammar and his mother Sumayyah”

    Grade: Hasan Sahih (Al-Albani); Hasan (Muhammad Fouad Abd al-Baqi)

  2. c. 615 CE, Mecca

    Was tortured for her faith and killed, becoming the first martyr of Islam according to the Seerah literature.

A day in their footsteps

1 small, repeatable practices from Sumayyah bint Khayyat's life. Each comes with the Arabic text and English wording of its source, and links to read the full report.

  1. Standing by her faith openly, with no concession

    Among the first seven to declare Islam publicly, she and her family faced the heat and the chain-mail the idolaters used against those who had no protector. Her practice was simply steadfastness on what she believed.

    Try this today

    When you are pressured to hide or abandon your faith, hold to it calmly, whether in a small way or a large one.

    Sit with this

    In what small way are you tempted to hide your faith?

    Source

    Sunan Ibn Majah 150Hasan Sahih

    قَالَ كَانَ أَوَّلَ مَنْ أَظْهَرَ إِسْلاَمَهُ سَبْعَةٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعَمَّارٌ وَأُمُّهُ سُمَيَّةُ وَصُهَيْبٌ وَبِلاَلٌ وَالْمِقْدَادُ فَأَمَّا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فَمَنَعَهُ اللَّهُ بِعَمِّهِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ وَأَمَّا أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَمَنَعَهُ اللَّهُ بِقَوْمِهِ وَأَمَّا سَائِرُهُمْ فَأَخَذَهُمُ الْمُشْرِكُونَ وَأَلْبَسُوهُمْ أَدْرَاعَ …

    “The first people to declare their Islam publicly were seven”

    Grade: Hasan Sahih (Al-Albani); Hasan (Muhammad Fouad Abd al-Baqi)

Virtues

  • She is named among the first seven who made their Islam public in Mecca, and who remained firm under persecution.

    “'Ammar and his mother Sumayyah”

    Arabic text

    … ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعَمَّارٌ وَأُمُّهُ سُمَيَّةُ وَصُهَيْبٌ وَبِلاَلٌ وَالْمِقْدَادُ فَأَمَّا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فَمَنَعَهُ اللَّهُ بِعَمِّهِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ وَأَمَّا أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَمَنَعَهُ اللَّهُ بِقَوْمِهِ وَأَمَّا سَائِرُهُمْ فَأَخَذَهُمُ الْمُشْرِكُونَ وَأَلْبَسُوهُمْ أَدْرَاعَ الْحَدِيدِ وَصَهَرُوهُمْ فِي الشَّمْسِ فَمَا مِنْهُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ …

    Sunan Ibn Majah 150Hasan Sahih

Words on this page

Hadithحديث
A report of what the Prophet ﷺ said, did or approved, passed down through a chain of narrators.
Makkahمكة
The city of the Ka'bah, where the Prophet ﷺ was born and revelation began.

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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