'And some of the females held my banner' (qasida 6:6)

This is the motto for this section, which is either for the women view points or for the things that matter the most for them.

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In the company of the Female Companions

We explore today the biography of some of the great female companions of the Prophet [PPBUH], who lived during His great life, had the privilege of seeing Him, and fulfilled the conditions of the companions. Imam Ahmed said that whoever accompanied the Prophet for just one hour or even seen Him he would be considered as a companion. We will see how these female companions were never behind and how they were competing with men over Him. We will also see how they did Jihad with their selves, sons, and families. How they were asking him about their religion and Fiqh, and if it weren't for them, we would not have missed a great deal of our religion.

One of those is Asma' bent Omais. Her mother is Hend bent Aof ibn Zohair ibn al-Hareth, the Kananian [from Kenana trip]. Asma' had an early Islam. She also migrated to Habasha [Ethiopia] with her husband; Ja'far ibn Abi-Talib. She gave birth there to Abdallah, Awn, and Mohammad. Then she migrated to Medina. When Ja'far was killed, Abo-Bakr as-Seddiq married her, and she gave birth to Mohammad ibn Abo-Bakr. When Abo-Bakr died, Ali ibn Abi-Talib married her, and she gave him Yahia. So she was there in all phases of Jihad participating with her husbands and sons. She had the best in-laws, as from her in-laws were the Prophet [PPBUH], Hamza, al-Abbas [AAT], and others. Among those who narrated from her are Omar ibn al-Khattab, Ibn al-Abbas, her son; Abdallah ibn Ja'far, al-Qasim ibn Mohamed, her nephew; Abdallah ibn Shaddad, Orwa ibn az-Zobair, Ibn al-Mosaiyab, and others. Omar ibn al-Khattab once said to her: You are the best of people, if we had not migrated before you. She mentioned that to the Prophet [PPBUH] and said to her: (But you have had two migrations: to Habasha [Ethiopia] and to Medina). So He gave her the advantage of the early Jihad and the early migration to Ethiopia.

And here we have Asma' bent Abo-Bakr as-Seddiq who was older than her sister Aisha, the mother of believers. Aisha was her half sister from her father, and Abdallah ibn Abo-Bakr was her full brother. She migrated to Medina while she was pregnant with Abdallah ibn az-Zobair, and she gave birth to him in Qiba'. She was called "the one with two girdles" because at the time of migration of the Prophet [PPBUH] and her father, she made them some food and she did not find anything to carry it in, so she split her girdle in halves and carried the food in one half. The Prophet then called her "the one with two girdles". Many narrated Hadith from her, like Abdallah ibn Abbas, her son Orwa, Abbad ibn Abdallah ibn az-Zubair, Abo-Bakr & Amer sons of Abdallah ibn az-Zubair, al-Mottalib ibn Hantab, Mohamed ibn al-Munkader, Fatema bent al-Munzir, and others. With all their striving and dedication, those pious righteous conpanions never had even a trace of conceit or arrogance. On the contrary, their attitude always showed humbleness to Allah and feeling of delinquency to His rights. Ibn Molikah said: When Asma' had headache, she used to put her hand over her head and say: "That is for my sins and what Allah forgives is more". She also taught us that being kind to a mother is due even if she is a polytheist, as she told us that she asked the Prophet [PPBUH]: My mother came to me, wanting me, but she is a polytheist like Qurish, would I be kind to her? the Prophet said: (Yes!).

Asma' [AAH] lived long life and she became blind. When her son Abdallah ibn az-Zubair was under the siege of al-Haggag ibn Yousuf ath-Thaqafi, he consulted her if he should accept the peace offering. He told her that he is not afraid to die but he is afraid that she may have to see him mutilated. She said her famous brave words: "O, son! a lamb is not harmed when it is skinned after it is slaughtered".  She lived after his death for ten, some say twenty, days, which was long enough for Abdel-Malik ibn Marwan, the caliph at that time, to respond to her request for bringing down the body of her son from its hanging. After that she died, with a hundred years of age. This event with her son showed a very wise mind, wide knowledge of religion, a patient heart, and a strong belief capable to endure all distresses in spite of her love to her son. That love which caused her to die right after him.

We can also mention Asma' bent Yazid, the Ansarian [the original people of Medina], from the trip of Abdel-al-Ashhal. She was the message of all women to the Prophet [PPBUH]. Muslim ibn Asad narrated from her that she came to the Prophet [PPBUH] while he was among his companions. She said to Him: I am the delegate of the women to you. Allah Almighty has sent you to all men and women, and we believed in you and in Allah. We women are confined to your homes, we please you, and carry your children. You men have privilege over us; you attend the Friday prayer, you do the group prayers, you visit the sick, attend the burials, do Hajj after Hajj, and better than all of that, you go for Jihad for the sake of Allah Almighty. And when you go for Hajj or Jihad, we keep you money for you, sew your cloth, and raise your children. Do not we share this goodness and recompenses with you? The Prophet [PPBUH] turn his whole face to his companions and said: (Have you ever heard any women's words better than this woman's query, in the matters of her religion?) They said: O, Messenger of Allah, we did not think that a woman would be rightly guided to this. Then the Prophet said to her: (O, woman, Understand this well and tell it to all the women behind you. Keeping the marriage rights to a woman's husband, seeking to please him, and following his acceptance will worth all of that). Asma' left the Prophet very pleased with this knowledge. Now speculate this companion's eloquence and bravery in her religion at a time when all men and women were respecting the Prophet to extend of fear. But she spoken in brief and collected with finalization. And look at the Prophet who treated all people equally; men and women.

And here is Borirah, the servent of Aisha bent Abi-Bakr as-Seddiq [AAT]. She was a slave for some people and they contracted her then sold her to Aisha. Then Aisha manumitted her. Her husband Moghithan. He was also, a slave. So the Messenger of Allah gave her the choice and she chose to leave him. But he was in love with her, so he used to walk crying in the roads of Medina. He asked the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] to intercede for her. The Prophet asked her to be back with him. She said: Is it an order? The Prophet said: (No, I am interceding). She said: Then I do not want him. So, What an evidence to the freedom Islam brought to women, and to the insight of those companions and how they could argue and differentiate between the religious orders and recommendations, and how they knew their rights and stand for it. It was narrated from Abdel-Malik ibn Marwan that he said: I used to sit with Boraira in Medina, before he became caliph, and she used to say to me: O, Abdel-Malik! I see in you the right characters, and you deserve to assume this matter. So if you take over, you be careful of the blood, as I heard the Messenger of Allah saying: (A man would be pushed away from paradise after he sees it because of a very small amount of blood that he caused a Muslim to loose without a lawful right). So look at her sound mind, wisdom, and her good presentation of the advice to the expected caliph without periphrasis or fear.

And look at Gowaira bent al-Harith who was married to the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] after Zainab bent Gahsh. She narrated from the Prophet [PPBUH], that He passed by her in her prayer place. Then he passed by her again around midday and said: (You are still in your same position!) She said: Yes. He said: (Would I teach you some words to say: Subhan Allah [Allah be glorified] by the number of His creations, Subhan Allah by the number of His creations, Subhan Allah by the weight of His throne, Subhan Allah by the weight of His throne, Subhan Allah by the weight of His throne, Subhan Allah by the extent of His words, Subhan Allah by the extent of His words, Subhan Allah by the extent of His words). So examine how she was aiming for Allah and she was taught by the Prophet that only some prayers were enough to leave her enough time to fulfill her task in obeying her husband for the sake of Allah, and so she would not be busy away from her husband thinking that this would get her closer to Allah. These companions and their true intentions gave us the opportunity to learn from the Prophet [PPBUH].

Anas ibn Malik [AAH] told us a story about Abo-Talha proposing for Om-Salim. She said to him: "By Allah, no one like you could be refused, but you are a polytheist man and I am a Muslim woman, and I am not allowed to marry you. So if you are to embrace Islam, this will be my dowry, and I would not ask you anything else". So he became Muslim and that was her dowry. Thabet said: And I have never heard of a woman having a better dowry than Om-Salim; Islam. So he married her and gave birth to a child.

Anas ibn Malik [AAH] also, said: When the waiting period [period a divorced woman may not remarry] of Zaynab bent Gahsh [AAH] was over, the Prophet [PPBUH] told Zaid - who was the servant of the Prophet and also was her ex-husband - to mention Him for her - this meant proposing. Zaid went to her and fond her rising the dough. Zaid said: when I saw her, she became so great for me that I could not look at her, also knowing that Prophet [PPBUH] wanted to propose to her. So I gave her my back and said to her: O, Zaynab! The Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] sent me to mention you. She said: I will not do anything until I consult my Lord - the meant the consultation prayer for Allah, and she went to her praying place. The Qur'an then came with the verse that ordered the Prophet [PPBUH] to marry her. Then the Prophet [PPBUH] came to her... and the story continued. So think this companion's attitude over to see how she agreed with her God and how He agreed with her.

Anas ibn Malik [AAH] told us another story about a woman, a perfume seller, who lived in Medina and was called al-Hawla' [a sign of beauty]. She came to Aisha [AAH] and said: O, Mother of believers! Every night I wear perfume and adorn myself as if I am a pride going to her wedding. Then I come to my husband's bed seeking the acceptance of my Lord, but then he turns his face away from me. So I come to him appealing and he turns away from me. I think that he hates me. Aisha told her to wait until the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] came. The Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] said: (I can smell the perfume of al-Hawla', Did she come to you? Did you buy anything from her?) Aisha said: No, we did not. O. Messenger of Allah! But she came complaining from her husband. The Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] said to her: (What is with you, O, Hawla'?) She said: O, Messenger of Allah! I adorn myself... and she told him something like what she told Aisha. The messenger of Allah [PPBUH] said to her: (O, Woman! you go and listen to you husband and obey him) She said: O, Messenger of Allah! What do I have as a reword from Allah?... and the Hadith continues with the Messenger of Allah tell her - and us - about the rights of the husband from his wife, the rights of the wife from her husband, and the rewards from Allah to the pregnancy and child feeding. So examine the destination regarded by this companion, as she is fearing Allah in her husband. So, she was kind to him, wishing Allah's acceptance in him, looking for the right thing to do, and investigating the opinion of the Prophet [PPBUH] to help her do the right thing.

Written by Samia Sa'id

Translated by Ahmed