| Umm Ubays | |
| Native Name: | أُمُّ عُبَيْسٍ |
| Birth Place: | Mecca, Arabia |
| Death Place: | Medina |
| Resting Place: | Medina |
| Religion: | Islam |
Umm ʿUbays (Arabic: أُمُّ عُبَيْسٍ) or Umm ʿUmays was a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
She was a slave in Mecca who became an early convert to Islam. After 614 she was tortured in an attempt to force her to renounce her faith.[1] Abu Bakr bought and manumitted her. It was in response to the purchase of these slaves that Abu Bakr's father protested: "I see that you are freeing weak slaves. Why don't you free powerful men who could defend you and protect you?" Abu Bakr replied, "I am only trying to do what I am attempting for God's sake."[2]
Umm Ubays had a sister, Harithah bint al-Muammil.[3]
It is sometimes asserted that Umm Ubays was the daughter of Al-Nahdiah. This is apparently due to the ambiguous wording of Ibn Saad.[4] However, Ibn Ishaq makes it clear that Umm Ubays and Al-Nahdiah's daughter were two different people, both of whom were purchased and manumitted by Abu Bakr.[5]