Her name was first Barrah, but the best of men— b., etc.—changed it to Maymûnah. She was the daughter of Alhâreth B. Hazan B. Bahyr B. Enhazam B. Rubah B. A’bdullah B. Hallâl B. A’mer B. Ssa’ssa’h. Her mother, Hinda, was the daughter of A’wuf B. Zohayr B. Alhâreth, of the tribe Hemyar, but others say of the tribe Konânah.
Hinda was considered to be the happiest old woman on earth, because God the Most High had vouchsafed her a son-in-law of high station. She had first two daughters by Hâreth: Maymûnah and Ommu-l-fadzl, the former being married to the prince of the world— b., etc.—and the latter to A’bbâs—A. r. h. By A’mys Khasha’y, who was her second husband, Hinda had also other daughters, one of whom was Asmâ, the first wife of Ja’fer B. Abu Ttâleb, afterwards married to Ssiddyq the greater* —A. r. them both—but when the Commander of the Faithful Abu Bakr died, she was married to [A’li] the sovereign of all virtues. Zaynab, another daughter of Hinda, whom she had by A’mys, was wedded by the Amir Hamzah, the prince of martyrs—A. r. h.—and Solmah, yet another daughter by the same husband, was given in marriage to Sadad B. Alhadâd.
In short, during the time of ignorance,* Maymûnah was married to Masu’d B. A’mru Saqfy, but after they had separated it happened that Abu-dirham, or A’bdu-l-u’zza, or Sarab, the son of Abu-dirham, or A’bdu-l-layl, the son of A’mru, married her. After the decease of her second husband, Maymûnah was, however, in consequence of her propitious destiny, in the seventh year after the exile [A.D. 629], exalted to the happiness of becoming the spouse of his lordship the prophet—b., etc.—who consummated the marriage on his return from the O’mratu-l-qadzâ [the decreed pilgrimage] in the noble habitation of Maymûnah; but she died likewise in the same place, and was buried there, according to the author of the Guzidah. That event, however, took place in the year 38 [A.D. 658], and according to another tradition in 61 [A.D. 681]. If, therefore, the last tradition be correct, Maymûnah must have been the last of the mothers of the Faithful who died, and not Omm Solmah; the knowledge, however, is with the Most High and Holy.