Career
He was nicknamed Zad ar-Rakib (the one who provides food to travellers) because of his generosity. The only other two people who also shared the same title were al-Aswad ibn Muṭṭalib and Musafir ibn Abu 'Amr. His real name was Ḥudhaifah or Suhayl, Abu Umayya being his kunya.
Abu Umaiyyah also married ‘Ātikah bint 'Amir ibn Rabī'ah of the clan of Firas ibn Ghanam of Banu Kinanah, who was the mother of Umm Salama, Hishām, Mas'ūd and 'Abdullah. Abu Umaiyya played a key role in settling a major dispute among the tribes of Quraysh involving the restoration of Ka'bah. Abu Umaiyyah was at that time the oldest man of Quraysh who urged them to make the first man to enter the gate of the mosque umpire in the matter in dispute.
They did so and the first to come in was the apostle of Allah. When they saw him they said, “This is the trustworthy one. We are satisfied. This is Muhammad.” When he came to them and they informed him of the matter he said, “Give me a cloak,” and when it was brought to him he took the black stone and put it inside it and said that each tribe should take hold of an end of the cloak and they should lift it together.
They did this so that when they got it into position he placed it with his own hand, and then building went on above it.
