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Hafsa (RA)’s first husband was the brave Companion from the Quraysh tribe, Khunays ibn Hudhafa as-Sahmi (RA). He embraced Islam in its early days, migrated first to Abyssinia and later to Madinah, and took part in the battles of Badr and Uhud. During the Battle of Uhud, he was severely injured and later attained martyrdom. At that time, Hafsa (RA) was only eighteen years old. Her father, Umar ibn al-Khattab (RA), was deeply saddened by the loss of his young daughter’s husband. Wanting to bring peace and stability back to her life, he sought a suitable husband for her.
Umar (RA) first approached Abu Bakr (RA), a close companion of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), with a proposal for Hafsa’s marriage. However, Abu Bakr (RA) gave no reply, which hurt Umar (RA). He then went to Uthman ibn Affan (RA), but Uthman (RA) had just lost his wife Ruqayyah (RA), the daughter of the Prophet (SAW). Grieving, he politely declined, saying, “This is not the right time for marriage.” Disappointed by both responses, Umar (RA) mentioned the matter to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). The Prophet (SAW) smiled and said, “Hafsa will marry someone better than Uthman, and Uthman will marry someone better than Hafsa.” (Sahih al-Bukhari)
A few days later, the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) himself married Hafsa (RA), while Uthman (RA) married another daughter of the Prophet (SAW), Umm Kulthum (RA). This brought immense joy to Umar (RA), who proudly shared the news that his daughter had become one of the wives of the Messenger of Allah (SAW). Later, Abu Bakr (RA) explained why he had remained silent earlier: “The Prophet (SAW) had already spoken to me about Hafsa. I could not disclose his secret. If he had not married her, I would have done so.”
In the third year after Hijrah, during the month of Sha‘ban, Hafsa (RA) entered the Prophet’s household as one of the Mothers of the Believers. At that time, the Prophet (SAW) had two other wives — Sauda bint Zam‘ah (RA) and Aisha (RA). Sauda (RA) warmly welcomed Hafsa, but Aisha (RA), being close in age and status, initially felt a bit uneasy. However, over time, the two became very close friends and shared a deep bond.
According to a narration in Sahih al-Bukhari, Aisha (RA) said, “The Prophet (SAW) used to eat honey at the house of Zaynab bint Jahsh (RA). Hafsa and I agreed that whenever he came to us, we would say, ‘We smell the odor of maghafir (a kind of plant sap) on your breath.’ When we did this, the Prophet (SAW) said, ‘No, I have only eaten honey at Zaynab’s house.’ However, he disliked any unpleasant smell and therefore stopped eating it.
