Defender of the Prophet ﷺ at Uhud
Nusayba bint Ka’b — Umm Umara — was an Ansari woman of Banu Najjar who had pledged herself to the Prophet ﷺ at Aqaba. At Uhud she had come out with a water-skin to tend the wounded; but when the Muslims were scattered and the Prophet ﷺ exposed, she drew close and fought in his defence with sword, bow and shield, taking about twelve wounds — one of them deep in the shoulder from Ibn Qami’a. 1 Stories of the Sahabah · pp. 230–231 — Zakariyya Kandhlawi — Umm Umara fights at Uhud in defence of the Prophet with sword and shield, taking about twelve wounds. The Prophet ﷺ bore witness to her valour, saying that whichever way he turned at Uhud, to right or left, he saw her fighting in his defence. 2 Hayatus Sahaba · Vol 1 · pp. 569–570 — Kandhlawi — the Prophet's testimony that wherever he turned at Uhud he saw Umm Umara fighting for him.
A Lifetime of Striving
She took part in Hudaybiyya, Khaybar, Hunayn, and finally Yamamah against the forces of Musaylama, where she lost a hand and bore eleven more wounds — a warrior of faith to the last. 3 Stories of the Sahabah · pp. 232–233 — Zakariyya Kandhlawi — Umm Umara's later battles; at Yamamah she loses a hand and takes eleven wounds.
Life Timeline
Born in Madinah
Of Banu Najjar, the Khazraj.
Among the women who pledged to the Prophet ﷺ
Defends the Prophet ﷺ at Uhud
With sword and shield, taking about twelve wounds.
Fights at Yamamah
Loses a hand and takes eleven more wounds.
References
- Hayatus Sahaba — Kandhlawi — Umm Umara fights in defence of the Prophet ﷺ at Uhud; the Prophet's testimony to her valour Vol 1 · pp. 569–570
- Stories of the Sahabah — Zakariyya Kandhlawi — Umm Umara's pledge at Aqaba; her wounds at Uhud; her sword and shield; later battles and Yamamah pp. 229–233