Al-Rubayyiʿ bint Muʿawwidh, of the Ansar of Medina, took the pledge under the tree. The Prophet ﷺ visited her the day after her wedding, while little girls beat the tambourine lamenting her forefathers fallen at Badr (al-Bukhari 5147). She relates: “We were with the Prophet ﷺ: we gave water, treated the wounded and brought the dead back to Medina” (al-Bukhari 2882).
Al-Rubayyiʿ is the diminutive of rabiʿ, “spring”, the season of rains and green pastures for the Arabs: “little spring”, with a note of tenderness. The root r-b-ʿ, which also gives arbaʿa, “four”, and Rabiʿa, “the fourth”, occurs in the Quran. Rare today, the name is pronounced with a doubled y (Rubayyiʿ) and should not be confused with Rabiʿ, a man’s name.
They [i.e., people] will say there were three, the fourth of them being their dog; and they will say there were five, the sixth of them being their dog - guessing at the unseen; and they will say there were seven, and the eighth of them was their dog. Say, [O Muḥammad], "My Lord is most knowing of their number. None knows them except a few. So do not argue about them except with an obvious argument and do not inquire about them among [the speculators] from anyone."
And [recall] when We made an appointment with Moses for forty nights. Then you took [for worship] the calf after him [i.e., his departure], while you were wrongdoers.
For those who swear not to have sexual relations with their wives is a waiting time of four months, but if they return [to normal relations] - then indeed, Allāh is Forgiving and Merciful.
