Hafsa bint Umar

Who was Hafsa bint Umar?

Hafsa bint Umar was a wife of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the daughter of Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second caliph. As a wife of the Prophet ﷺ she holds the honoured rank of a Mother of the Believers (Umm al-Mu'minin). She is especially remembered for her devotion to worship and for the great trust placed in her: the first complete written copy of the Quran was kept in her safekeeping.

Her Life

Hafsa was born in Mecca a few years before the beginning of the Prophet's mission. She first married Khunays ibn Hudhafa, a sincere early Muslim who emigrated to Abyssinia and then to Medina and fought at Badr; he later died of his wounds, leaving Hafsa a young widow. Her father Umar, concerned for her, offered her in marriage first to Uthman and then to Abu Bakr, but the time was not right. The Prophet ﷺ then married her, around the third year after the migration (Hijra), uniting the households of his two closest companions, Abu Bakr (through Aisha) and Umar (through Hafsa).

Hafsa was known to be literate — able to read and write at a time when this was rare among both women and men — and was devoted to fasting and night prayer. She had a frank and strong character, much like her father. The Quran gently corrected an episode that took place among the Prophet's wives, and the early verses of Surah at-Tahrim (chapter 66) are connected by the commentators to this incident; it is recorded in the sources with honesty and without diminishing her noble rank.

Guardian of the Quran

Hafsa's most lasting legacy is her role in the preservation of the Quran. After the Battle of Yamama, in which many memorisers (huffaz) were killed, Abu Bakr ordered the first complete written compilation of the Quran, carried out by Zayd ibn Thabit. These pages (the suhuf) were kept by Abu Bakr, then by Umar, and after Umar's death they were entrusted to Hafsa. Years later, the caliph Uthman borrowed this very copy from Hafsa to produce the standardised written copies (the Uthmanic mushaf) that were sent to the major cities of the Muslim world — the foundation of every copy of the Quran in use today.

Her Virtues

• The angel Jibril described her to the Prophet ﷺ as "one who fasts often and prays much at night, and she will be your wife in Paradise" (reported in the books of Sunan).
• She was entrusted with the first complete written copy of the Quran — a sign of the trust and honour she held in the community.
• As a Mother of the Believers, she taught and transmitted knowledge, narrating hadith from the Prophet ﷺ.

Her Legacy

Hafsa bint Umar embodies devotion to worship, the value of learning and literacy, and trustworthiness. The fact that the written Quran was kept in her care links her name forever to the preservation of the divine revelation. She passed away in Medina around 45 AH (665 CE). For Muslims she remains an honoured Mother of the Believers and a model of a worshipping, knowledgeable, and trusted woman.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was the Quran kept with Hafsa?

After the first written compilation under Abu Bakr, the pages passed to Umar, and on his death they were placed with his daughter Hafsa rather than handed to the next caliph directly. She was a trusted Mother of the Believers, literate, and devoted to the faith, which made her a fitting guardian. Uthman later borrowed this copy from her to prepare the standard copies of the Quran.

Was Hafsa the daughter of a caliph?

Yes. Hafsa was the daughter of Umar ibn al-Khattab, the second caliph of Islam. Through her marriage to the Prophet ﷺ, she also became a Mother of the Believers, linking the family of Umar directly to the household of the Prophet ﷺ, just as Aisha linked the family of Abu Bakr.