Ramlah bint Abi Sufyan: faith, migration and transmission.
Life away from Makkah
Umm Habibah, whose personal name was Ramlah, was the daughter of Abu Sufyan. She joined the early Muslims and migrated to Abyssinia. The biographical account describes the difficulties of living there with her child, separated from her family in Makkah.
Marriage and learning
Her marriage to Prophet Muhammad was arranged while she was in Abyssinia, with the Negus involved in the arrangements on the Prophet’s behalf. She subsequently became part of his household in Madinah. Umm Habibah also transmitted hadith, and the TDV entry identifies later narrators and collections preserving her reports. Her biography illustrates the connections between the Makkan community, the migration across the Red Sea and life in Madinah.
Sources and further reading
Aynur Uraler — Ümmü Habîbe, TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (Turkish)