Sumaiyya Bint Khayyat: The First Female Martyr of Islam

 

By Afroz Khan, New Age Islam

25 July 2025

Sumaiyya Bint Khayyat, a former slave, was among the first to embrace Islam. Despite brutal torture by Abu Jahl, spitting in his face, she remained steadfast. Stabbed to death, she became Islam's first martyr, exemplifying unwavering faith and courage.

Main Points:

1.    Sumaiyya Bint Khayyat, born 550 AD, was a former slave who embraced Islam early.

2.    She, her husband Yasir, and son Ammar faced brutal torture for their faith.

3.    Abu Jahl tortured them to renounce Islam, but they remained steadfast.

4.    Sumaiyya was martyred by Abu Jahl’s spear, becoming Islam’s first martyr.

5.    Her courage and faith inspire steadfastness against oppression.

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When Prophet Muhammad ( PBUH ) started preaching Islam, one of the few people who accepted Islam was Sumaiyya Bint Khayyat (R.A.) who had the honour of being the first martyr of Islam.

Sumayya Bint Khayyat was born in 550 AD in Abinisia (present day Ethiopia). She was a black woman. At that time Islam had not emerged and slavery was prevalent. Sumaiyya Bint Khayyat (R.A.) was also a victim of slavery. She was the slave of Abu Huzaifah who lived in Mecca.

Abu Huzaifah married Sumaiyya to Yasir. Yasir was a resident of Yemen and came to Mecca in search of his brother and settled there.

Sumaiyya and Yasir had a son Ammar ibn Yasir. After the birth of their son, Abu Huzaifah freed them because at that time tribal tradition was prevalent in Mecca and Sumaiyya and her husband Yasir did not belong to any tribe. So they were extremely insecure. So even after freedom, they started serving the people of Abu Huzaifah's tribe Banu Hashim.

When Prophet Muhammad ( PBUH ) started preaching Islam, Sumaiyya Bint Khayyat (R.A.) and her husband Yasir were among the first seven people to accept Islam.

Sumayya Bint Khayyat faced slavery and discrimination throughout her life, but Islam gave her freedom and equal status for which she kept striving throughout her life. Islam gave her that opportunity.

Another Meccan tribe, the Banu Makhzum, was a very powerful and anti-Muslim tribe and used to harass and humiliate those who converted to Islam.

At a time when conversion was extremely dangerous, Sumaiyya Bint Khayyat (R.A.) and her family not only accepted Islam but also made a public announcement of it, which infuriated Abu Jahal.

Abu Jahal was a powerful man of the Banu Makhzum tribe whose job was to torture the people who accepted Islam and make them insult Islam and Prophet Muhammad ( PBUH ) . Since it was not easy to torture people belonging to the Banu Hashim tribe and Islam was in its initial stages, Abu Jahal started torturing Sumaiyya, her husband Yasir and son to accept Islam.

At the time when Sumaiyya Bint Khayyat (R.A.) was being tortured, she was about 60 years old. Abu Jahal made Sumaiyya, her husband Yasir and son Ammar stand in the scorching sun and heat by making them wear iron armour, their hands were tied with ropes and they were kept in the scorching sun and pressure was exerted on them to leave Islam and condemn Islam.

She and her husband were flogged, beaten mercilessly, and were forced in every way to commit a crime against Islam or Prophet Muhammad ( PBUH ) and give up their faith and accept Abu Jahal’s words. But Sumaiyya was a courageous woman of strong faith. Even at the age of 60 and after facing all the tortures, she did not give up her resolve.

Abdullah ibn Ja’far said, Prophet Muhammad ( PBUH ) saw them in a tortured and helpless state and said, “O family of Yassir, have patience! Paradise is destined for you.

The more Abu Jahal tortured her, her faith grew stronger and she bore every torture with a smile. Abu Jahal got infuriated by her faithful nature and steadfast attitude and tortured her more.

Sumayya and her husband Yasir were tied to a tree by Abu Jahal. Her husband looked very weak. Then Abu Jahal turned to Sumayya and said, "Your husband will die before you. When he dies you will probably be very happy because you love Muhammad very much; you want to marry him after your husband dies.”

On hearing this absurd and ridiculous statement of Abu Jahl, Sumaiyya spat on Abu Jahl's face and said, "Enemy of Allah, may Allah disgrace you. What a vile and dirty person you are. In my eyes you are smaller than a beetle that I step on the ground."

On hearing this, Abu Jahal became so angry that he took a spear and stabbed Sumaiyya in the stomach,

Sumaiyya Bint Khayyat (R.A.) became the first martyr to sacrifice her life for Islam and Prophet Muhammad ( PBUH ) .

In the Quran Allah says:

And never think of those who are killed in the way of Allah as dead, but they are alive with their Lord, having sustenance.

[Quran | Surah Al 'Imran | 3:169]

Sumaiyya's husband Yasir also sacrificed his life for the glory of Islam after some time and he too attained martyrdom and his son Ammar ibn Yasir (R.A.) became the beloved companion of Prophet Muhammad ( PBUH ) .

Sumaiyya Bint Khayyat (R.A.) was an amazingly courageous woman who very beautifully completed the journey from slavery to Islam and then martyrdom and achieved the status of the first martyr in the history of Islam.

She knew that Abu Jahal wanted to turn other people against Islam by using her to scare them. She never let Abu Jahl's intentions come true and remained firm on her decision until her martyrdom. Even after suffering so much torture, she never uttered a word against Prophet Muhammad ( PBUH ) . With her courage, passion and her faith in Allah SWT, she took herself to great heights. The life of Sumaiyya Bint Khayyat (R.A.) and her family teaches us that even in the most difficult situations, we have to remain firm on our faith. Indeed, keeping faith in our God, we should not accept defeat in front of an oppressor.

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Afroz Khan is a teacher by profession. She primarily writes about women and Islam. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Education

 

URL:   https://www.newageislam.com/islamic-personalities/sumaiyya-khayyat-female-martyr/d/136286

 

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