I was a man whom many women were interested in marrying. One night, I was in the courtyard of the Ka‘bah Shareef, seated among a group of the Quraish, when someone came to us and gave us the news that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) had married his respected daughter, Hazrat Ruqayyah (radhiyallahu ‘anha), to ‘Utbah bin Abi Lahab. Hazrat Ruqayyah (radhiyallahu ‘anha) was blessed with outstanding beauty. On receiving the news, I was filled with remorse and regret as I thought to myself, “Why did I not precede him in attaining the honor of marrying the respected daughter of Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam)?” After some time elapsed, I returned home.

When I arrived at home, I found my aunt (mother’s sister) seated within. Her name was Su’daa bint Kuraiz, and she had studied soothsaying by her people. When she saw me, she recited the following couplets:

أبشر وحييت ثلاثا وترا      ثم ثلاثا وثلاثا أخرى

ثم بأخرى كي تتم عشرا      لقيت خيرا ووقيت شرا

نكحت والله حصانا زهرا      وأنت بكر ولقيت بكرا

Accept glad tidings and congratulations thrice, then thrice more, and then thrice more

And then once more to complete ten.You have encountered goodness and have been saved from evil

By Allah! You have married an extremely chaste and beautiful woman. You are a virgin and you have married a virgin.

(To be continued insha Allah)

(Isaabah vol. 4 pg. 327 and Al-Riyaadh-un-Nadhrah vol. 3 pg. 8)