Barra binte Samawal
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Barra binte Samawal was the mother of a prominent figure in the life of Muhammad and a member of an Arab Jewish tribe that interacted with Muhammad.
[edit] Biography
Barra came from a very distinguished family from among the Jews of Arabia. She was married to Huyayy ibn Akhtab, who was the chief of the Banu al-Nadir—one of the biggest Jewish tribes of its time.[1] Together, they had a daughter named Safiyya bint Huyayy.
Safiyya was initially married to Ka'b ibn As'ad, the leader of the Banu Qurayza, another prominent Jewish tribe. When the Banu Qurayza tribe fell, its leaders were among the people executed by the Muslims, at which point she became a prisoner of war (Ma malakat aymanukum).
Her prisoner of war status ended with her marriage to the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Thus Barra binte Samawal became a mother-in-law to Muhammad.
