Umm Salamah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, when a calamity strikes a Muslim and he says — inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un, O Allah, reward me in my calamity and give me something better in its place — Allah gives him something better. When my husband Abu Salamah died, I thought: what Muslim is better than Abu Salamah? Still I said the prayer — and Allah gave me the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Sahih Muslim 918 · Sahih
The day of Hudaybiyyah
❝ Hadith
After the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ told the Companions to sacrifice and shave their heads. Disheartened by the treaty's terms, no one rose. He went to Umm Salamah and told her. She advised: go out without speaking to anyone, sacrifice your animal and call the barber to shave your head. He did so — and seeing it, the Companions all rose, made their sacrifices and began shaving one another's heads.
Sahih al-Bukhari 2731 · Sahih
The lesson Asking Allah for something better in loss, and leading by example rather than words — both are wisdom.
✦
Sources and review
• Muslim 918 — Sahih (Muslim) • Bukhari 2731 — Sahih (al-Bukhari) Based on hadith graded sahih. Reviewed by: Md. Zubaer Ahammed · 2026-11-11 How we choose sources · Report a mistake