The Hadith of the Naval Warriors
The Prophet was resting in Umm Haram’s home (the tradition in Bukhari and Muslim) when he awoke smiling. She asked what made him smile. He said: “People from my nation were shown to me — warriors in the cause of God, riding the sea like kings on thrones.” She said: “O Messenger of God, pray that God makes me one of them.” He prayed for her.
He then slept again, awoke smiling again, and said the same thing. She asked again, and he prayed for her again. Then she asked: “Am I among the first group or the second?” He replied: “You are among the first.”
The Expedition to Cyprus (28 AH)
During Uthman’s caliphate, Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan organized the first Muslim naval expedition, targeting Cyprus — then under Byzantine control. Umm Haram joined the expedition with her husband Ubada ibn al-Samit.
After the landing, as the Muslim army was disembarking, Umm Haram was thrown from her horse or mount and died of her injuries. She was buried in Cyprus, fulfilling the prophecy — she was indeed among the first Muslim naval warriors.
Her tomb in Cyprus (in present-day Hala Sultan Tekke near Larnaca) became a significant pilgrimage site, revered by both Muslim and Cypriot communities across the centuries.
Her Relationship with the Prophet
Classical scholars puzzled over the intimacy described — the Prophet resting in her home, letting her groom his hair. The standard explanation: she was a mahram (a woman whom the Prophet could not marry, such as a foster-relation or close blood relation through Khadija’s family connections). The hadith is accepted across all schools of hadith criticism as sound.
See also: Seerah Umm Sulaym, Seerah Usama Ibn Zayd, Seerah Dihya Al Kalbi, Seerah Khalid Ibn Walid, Seerah Al Zubayr Ibn Al Awwam