Who Was the First Wet-Nurse of the Prophet (PBUH)?
ما اسم أول مرضعة للرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم؟
Thuwaybah, the freedwoman of Abu Lahab, the uncle of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
Then Abd al-Muttalib found him a wet-nurse from Banu Sa'd: Halimah al-Sa'diyyah.
ثويبة، وهي مولاة أبي لهب عم الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم
ثم استرضع له عبد المطلب امرأة من بني سعد، وهي حليمة السعدية.
1. Thuwaybah's Role as the First Wet-Nurse | ثويبة أول مرضعة للمصطفى بعد أمه آمنة
Ibn Kathir writes that Thuwaybah, the freedwoman of Abu Lahab, nursed him, together with his mother, before Halimah al-Sa'diyyah. The Prophet confirmed it himself: "Thuwaybah nursed me and Abu Salamah" (Sahih al-Bukhari 5101).
وَأُمَّهَاتُكُمُ اللَّاتِي أَرْضَعْنَكُمْ (سورة النساء: 23)
ذكر ابن كثير أن ثويبة مولاة أبي لهب أرضعته ﷺ مع أمه قبل حليمة السعدية، وقد أخبر ﷺ بذلك فقال: «أرضعتني وأبا سلمة ثويبة» (صحيح البخاري 5101).
2. Shared Nursing with Hamzah and Abu Salamah | إرضاعها لحمزة بن عبد المطلب وأبي سلمة
The scholar's answer on the Prophet's foster brothers says his uncle Hamzah ibn Abd al-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him) was nursed by Thuwaybah too, so Hamzah was both his uncle and his foster brother. The Prophet said of Hamzah's daughter: "She is not lawful for me... she is the daughter of my brother through nursing" (Sahih al-Bukhari 2645). Abu Salamah ibn Abd al-Asad was his foster brother through Thuwaybah as well (Sahih al-Bukhari 5101).
وَأَخَوَاتُكُم مِّنَ الرَّضَاعَةِ (سورة النساء: 23)
يذكر الشيخ في جوابه عن إخوته من الرضاعة أن عمه حمزة بن عبد المطلب رضيعه من جهة ثويبة، فكان عمه وأخاه من الرضاعة معًا، وقد قال ﷺ في بنت حمزة: «لا تحل لي... هي بنت أخي من الرضاعة» (صحيح البخاري 2645)، وكذلك أبو سلمة بن عبد الأسد أخوه من الرضاعة من ثويبة (صحيح البخاري 5101).
3. Abu Lahab Manumits Thuwaybah | عتق أبي لهب لثويبة
Urwa ibn al-Zubayr adds, in the same report in Sahih al-Bukhari (5101), that Abu Lahab had freed Thuwaybah and that she then nursed the Prophet ﷺ. Ibn Kathir notes that al-Suhayli and others say Abu Lahab freed her the moment she brought him the news of his nephew's birth.
زاد عروة بن الزبير في رواية البخاري (5101): وثويبة مولاة لأبي لهب، كان أبو لهب أعتقها فأرضعت النبي ﷺ. وذكر ابن كثير أن السهيلي وغيره قالوا: لما بشرته ثويبة بميلاد ابن أخيه أعتقها من ساعته.
4. Then Halimah of Banu Sa'd | ثم حليمة السعدية
The scholar's answer adds that Abd al-Muttalib then sought a wet-nurse for him from Banu Sa'd: Halimah al-Sa'diyyah. The Quran allows a child to be nursed by someone other than the mother: "If you decide to have your children nursed by a wet-nurse, it is permissible as long as you pay fairly" (2:233).
وَإِنْ أَرَدتُّمْ أَن تَسْتَرْضِعُوا أَوْلَادَكُمْ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذَا سَلَّمْتُم مَّا آتَيْتُم بِالْمَعْرُوفِ (سورة البقرة: 233)
ويذكر الشيخ أن عبد المطلب استرضع له بعد ذلك امرأة من بني سعد هي حليمة السعدية، والاسترضاع جائز في القرآن: (وَإِنْ أَرَدتُّمْ أَن تَسْتَرْضِعُوا أَوْلَادَكُمْ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذَا سَلَّمْتُم مَّا آتَيْتُم بِالْمَعْرُوفِ).
Frequently Asked Questions | الأسئلة الشائعة
Who was the first wet-nurse to nurse Prophet Muhammad after his mother?
Thuwaybah, the freed maidservant of his uncle Abu Lahab.
Who else was nursed by Thuwaybah alongside or before the Prophet?
His uncle Hamzah ibn Abd al-Muttalib and his companion Abu Salamah ibn Abd al-Asad.
Who nursed him after Thuwaybah?
Halimah al-Sa'diyyah of Banu Sa'd, whom Abd al-Muttalib found for him, as the scholar's answer says.
Why did Abu Lahab free Thuwaybah?
Al-Suhayli and others, quoted by Ibn Kathir, say he freed her out of joy when she brought him the news of his nephew's birth; the report in Sahih al-Bukhari (5101) says only that he had freed her.