Marriage of Hazrat Abu Saleh and Hazrat Bibi Ummul Khair
It is said that one day Hazrat Abu Saleh (ra), who was renowned for his great piety, was walking along a riverbank when he came across an apple which he picked up and ate. Upon reflection, he became extremely worried as he feared that in eating the apple he may have taken something that was not rightfully his to take. Perhaps his worry was ignited by the following incident involving the Holy Prophet ﷺ :
The Prophet passed a date fallen on the way and said, ‘Were I not afraid that it may be from a Sadaqa (charitable gifts), I would have eaten it.’
In order to rectify the situation he searched for the owner of the apple until he came to a garden filled with apples which was owned by a man called Hazrat Abdullah Sauma’ee (ra). Hazrat Abu Saleh offered his sincere apology which Hazrat Abdullah (ra) said he would accept on the condition that Hazrat Abu Saleh (ra) spent some time maintaining his garden. Hazrat Abu Saleh (ra) agreed and obediently tended to the upkeep of the garden.
After some time had passed Hazrat Abu Saleh (ra) was released from his obligation but with the final condition that he should marry the daughter of Hazrat Abdullah who was said to be blind, deaf, and handicapped in both the arms and legs. With great obedience and humility Hazrat Abu Saleh accepted this condition and married the daughter of Hazrat Abdullah (ra).
On the wedding night he met his new wife for the first time and found that the lady in front of him was blessed with great beauty and seemed very able bodied. Her appearance was so far from the description he had originally been given that he immediately exited thinking that he had entered the wrong room. Hazrat Abdullah approached him and explained, to the astonishment of Hazrat Abu Saleh, that his original words were far from a deception saying,
O Prince, this is your wife and whatever I had said about her is true. She is blind in that she has never lifted her eyes towards a non-Mahram (non-marriageable relative). She is deaf in that she has never heard anything against the Shariah. She is handicapped in the hand in that she has never touched anything against the Shariah with them, and she is handicapped in the legs in that she has never stepped out of the house against the Shariah.
It was under these most blessed and heartwarming circumstances that Hazrat Abu Saleh al-Hasani (ra) and Hazrat Bibi Ummul Khair Fatima al-Husseini (ra) married. These were the righteous parents of a son called Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani (ra) and it was from their home that Allah gave the blessing of Wilayah (Sainthood) and Mujadidiyyah (Reformership).