Umm Khalid was a little girl who lived in Madinah. Her real name was Amah but she was known by everyone as Umm Khalid, which means “the mother of Khalid” even though she was not yet a mother and didn’t have a son called Khalid. Her parents, Khalid bin Sa’id and Umayma bint Khalaf, were among those who accepted Islam in the early days in Mecca. Things had got so difficult for them that they had migrated to Abyssinia. In Abyssinia they could practise their religion in safety under the just rule of the noble Najashi. It was there that Umm Khalid was born. When she was still small, the time came when they could all go to Madinah and join the Prophet ﷺ and his blessed community. What a joyful reunion it was, after so many years of being apart. Before they left, the Najashi gathered the Muslims together and requested that they pass on his greetings of salam to the Messenger of Allah, which Umm Khalid later did.
Today Umm Khalid was very excited. She was going to meet the Prophet of God! Her mother and father were always talking about him and saying what a wonderful person he was. She had heard many amazing things about him. He was the one that the great angel Jibril came to with verses of the Quran. He was the one who travelled by night to Masjid al-Aqsa and returned in the same night! He was the one who cared for orphans and widows. He was God’s chosen one, al Mustafa, the final prophet. He had a mark on his back called the Seal of Prophethood, which showed he was a prophet. Umm Khalid really wanted to see the Seal of Prophethood. Today Umm Khalid was going to visit the Prophet. Today was going to be a very special day!
Her mother gave her a wonderful yellow dress to wear. She wanted to look her best for the Messenger of God. Then she went with her father to the Prophet’s house. The Prophet stood up to meet her father and they embraced. Then the Prophet turned to Umm Khalid. He noticed her yellow dress. “Sanah, sanah!” he said smiling. “Sanah” was a word she would hear in Abyssinia and it meant “beautiful.” She didn’t think the Prophet knew how to speak Abyssinian. She was happy that the Prophet liked her dress.
The two men sat down and began to talk. Umm Khalid couldn’t take her eyes off the Prophet. He had so much light on his face and the way he spoke was so charming! Then she remembered the Seal of Prophethood. She really wanted to see it. She got up and walked behind the Prophet. The two men were still in conversation. She looked at the Prophet’s back. He was wearing a loose shirt without a collar and she could see a raised piece of flesh on his back between his shoulder blades. She couldn’t resist touching it. It was soft and smooth and smelt fragrant. She was rubbing it with her fingers when her father noticed what she was doing.
“Stop that at once, Umm Khalid,” he said.
The Prophet had felt her fingers on his back and hadn’t done anything to stop her. “Leave her,” he said to Khalid. The Prophet allowed her to satisfy her curiosity.
Then he prayed for her that she would wear the dress until it was worn out and that she keep on wearing dresses until they were worn out. This might sound like a strange prayer to make, but it was really a prayer that she live a long happy life.
Some time later the Prophet was gifted a variety of different garments. One of them was a fine black cloak with lovely green patterns on it. It was just the right size for a small girl. He held it up and asked the people present who they thought he should give it to. No one answered.
“Bring me Umm Khalid,” he said.
When she had come, he put the cloak on her shoulders with his own blessed hands. It fitted perfectly. Umm Khalid wasn’t sure what made her happier – the new cloak itself or the fact that it was a gift from Allah’s Messenger and he was putting it on her himself. She was so happy. The Prophet smiled and said again: “Sanah, sanah!”
Then he prayed once again that she wear the cloak until it was worn out and then she keep on wearing fine clothes until they were worn out.
The Prophet’s prayers were answered and Umm Khalid lived a long fruitful life. She ended up marrying Zubayr bin al-Awwam, one of the great Companions of the Prophet and one of the ten promised Paradise. Umm Khalid never forgot these two special meetings she had with the Best of Creation. Even in her old age, she would never tire of telling people about them. Tears would fill her eyes when she thought of the Prophet of God smiling at the little girl in the yellow dress.
References: Sahih Bukhari (hadith nos 3071, 3874, 5823, 5845, 5993) and Tabaqat Ibn Sa’d