It was the custom among the Arab nobility to send their young with wet nurses who came to Mecca to take children and raise them in the desert. This strengthened their bodies and made them resilient, as well as perfected their Arabic.
When the wet nurses came to Mecca, they all rushed to obtain a child from a prosperous family who would be able to pay the fees. Each woman selected the child she desired, except Halima al-Sa’diyyah (the fortunate).
Halima left the lands of her tribe, Bani Sa’d, accompanied by her husband and their child on a weak donkey and a camel that could hardly walk. They both dreamed of finding a wealthy family who wanted to send their child to the desert.
Halima’s husband: How remarkable is this child, Muhammad! Ever since he has entered our home, we have been endowed with goodness and blessings, and have had no cause to complain of anything!
