'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.

You can find all special expressions in the Glossary. We need your comments to develop this site for you.

In the company of the Female Companions (cont') 4

We continuing our speech about the biography of the great female companions, with a simple presentation of how they sought to please Allah and get His acceptance through caring for their husbands, raising their children, and also participating in Jihad at war and in peace.

Let's continue our sweet speech about the female companions of the Prophet [PBUH] by talking about how they raised their kids, took care of Muslim sisters and joined in war and peace.

The female companions raised their kids on the love of Islam, defending it and being courageous in facing enemies. One of such female companions is Khansa' bent Amr ibn al-Hareth, known as al-Khansa', who witnessed the war led by Saad ibn Abi Waqqas, after she was old, with her four sons, whom she raised to dignified and honorable. She gave her sons an amazing speech before the war of al-Qadsiya. She said "You have chosen to be Muslims and immigrated willingly. I swear by Allah, the only God, that you are all the sons of one father. I never cheated on your father, never disgraced your uncle and never altered your race or changed your origin. You may know the reward that Allah has prepared to those fighting the disbelievers. You should know that the hereafter is eternal and the worldly life is mortal. Be patient, hold out, be stationed, and fear Allah so that you may succeed! If the war begins, fight fiercely and bravely and standup for its heads, so that you may win the gain and dignity in the hereafter". After such a provocative speech, the four kids headed into the war, fought bravely and got killed one after the other until they were all martyred. When their mother knew of their death, she was not grieved or softened. She said her famous sentence "Alhumd lel-lah who honored me with their martyerdom. I hope we will be gathered again in the Mercy of Allah, in the hereafter". from "the Correct Recognition of the Companions"

The second famous situation is the one between Asma' bent Abo-Bakr and her son, Abdullah ibn az-Zubeir, when he was besieged inside Maccah by Al-Hajj ibn Youssef and abandoned by most of his companions. He was declared before that as Caliph in many of the Islamic countries and was entitled "the prince of believers". When all these happened, Abdullah went to his mother and said "O, Mother, I am disappointed by all people, even my sons and family. I have few people beside me, who cannot stand a fight for more than an hour. I am offered all I want in the worldly life. what do you think?" His big-hearted and patient mother replied "You, my son, know yourself better. If you are sure that you are after the truth, go ahead! Your friends are killed for its sake. Do not let the people of Omeya deceive you! However, if you are after the worldly life, shame on you! You have perished yourself and all who was killed with you. If you say: I was after the truth, but when my friends disappointed me, I got weak, this is not how the free people or the people of religion behave. How long shall you live? your death is better". She reminded him of his father, al-Zubeir, his grandfather, Abo-Bakr as-Seddiq, his grandmother, Safeiya bent Abdel-Mottalib, and his aunt, al-Sayyda Aisha [AAH] and of the fact that he would be with them, if he martyered. Her son liked what she said, kissed her head and paid her farewell. He said to her, in order to rest assured of her patience, "I am afraid that they would crucify me, when I am dead". She gave her famous reply "O, son, the goat is not harmed by being skinned after being slaughtered". 

Female companions were fair among all their kids in order to create love among them. Abo-Na'em narrated that al-Sho'aby said "Syyduna Ali married Asma' bent Omays after Abo-Bakr. Her two sons, Mohamed ibn Abo-Bakr and Abdullah ibn Ja'far, were once showing off. Each of them said to the other "I am better than you and my father is better than yours". Ali [AHHF] asked Asma' to judge between them. She said to ibn Ja'far "O, son, I have never seen a young man among the Arabs better than your father", and said to Mohamed ibn Abo-Bakr "O, son, I have never seen an old man among the Arabs better than your father". Imam Ali said to her "You have not left anything for me. But, if you said anything else, I would have hated you". from the book "the Jewelery of the Saints". Such a female companion gives us an example of the wisdom in dealing with the kids, so that no one feels that his parents favor the other.

Al-Rabi' bent Me'waz [AAH] said about fasting the day of Ashura "We used to fast and let our young kids fast, too. We made them a toy of wool so that if someone cries for food, we gave it to him in order to wait until Iftar". al-Bukhary and Muslim. We notice here that the female companions' dedication, to raise their kids to be obedient to Allah, was very common. They were keen on teaching them voluntary and obligatory hard worships, the fact that means that they were doing that for the easy ones. Fasting was not only good deed that they taught kids. It was narrated that a woman took her son to the Prophet [PPBUH] and asked him whether he can do Hajj and will be credited for it. The Prophet [PPBUH] replied "yes! and you will be rewarded for it". This woman wanted her son to join in the prosper of Hajj. The Prophet [PPBUH] said to her "and you will be rewarded for it" in order to encourage mothers to guide their kids to the path of obediences.

The female companions did not only care for their husbands and children but for their sisters in Islam as well. In this regard, Abo-Na'im narrated that ibn Abbas [AAH] said "On the wedding day of Fatma , the daughter of the Prophet [PPBUH], and Ali [AAT] when Ali entered the house of the Prophet, all women left except Asma' bent Omays, while there was a veil between them and the Prophet [PPBUH]. The Prophet [PPBUH] said to her: (As you are, do not worry. who are you)? She replied: "I am the one who guards your daughter. It is her wedding day, and a girl needs a woman to be close to her on that day. If she needs something, she can confide in her". The Prophet [PPBUH] was pleased with what she said and prayed for her saying: (I ask Allah to guard you from before you, behind you, on your right and on your left against the cursed devil). This is how a female companion was helping a Muslim sister in her wedding day in order not to feel lonely. This was very common among them.

Let's talk about how these female companions were keeping their religion and sacrificying everything for its sake. The Prophet [PPBUH] told women about the alternatives of Jihad, as the mother of the believers, Aisha [AAH], said: "I asked the Prophet [PPBUH]: can't we join you in Jihad?" He replied (The best and the most graceful Jihad is Hajj; an accepted Hajj). Sayyda Aisha said "I never left Hajj, since I heard that from the Prophet [PPBUH]".

Regarding Jihad for the sake of belief, Osman ibn al-Qasem said "Om-Ayman immigrated from Maccah to Medina, walking on feet and without food or water. She was fasting that day, and it was a very hot day. She got too much thirsty to the extent that she was going to die. When it was sunset and she was in al-Rawha' or close to it, she said, she heard a whish sound above her head and saw a bucket hung from heaven by a white rope. When it approached her, she took it and drank until she was quenched. Since that day, she used to wander in the sun, trying to get thirsty, but she never did". from "the Best of the Best"

One of the great examples is sayyda Somaya bent Khayat, the mother of Ammar ibn Yasir. She stood torture with her family from the disbelievers at the beginning of Islam, and was killed by Abo-Jahl. She became one of the first martyrs and the absolute first martyr in Islam.

Let's talk about what sayyda Naseyba bent Ka'ab Om-Omara [AAH] did in the day of Uhud. She said "I saw the Prophet [PPBUH] got exposed except by around ten Muslims. I, my husband and my two sons were defending Him, while people were passing by Him defeated. The Prophet saw me without a shield, and He saw a pro-man with a shield, so He said to him (give your shield to someone who is fighting). The man threw his shield to me and I used it to defend the Prophet [PPBUH] against the hits of the polytheists. A man on horse tried to hit me, but I blocked his hit with the shield, then I hit his horse, until he fell on his back. The Prophet shouted for my son: (O, son of Om-Omara. Your mother, your mother). So my son helped me, until I killed him". "the biography of the Noble figures" and "the Classes, the grand". See how brave and steadfast this woman was!

Let's see what sayyda Safiya bent Abdel-Mottalib, the aunt of the Prophet [PPBUH], did in  the quest of al-Khandaq, when one of the Jews, who broke the treaty with the Prophet [PPBUH], tried to climb the citadel where the Muslim women and their kids were. He made use of the fact that the Muslims were busy confronting the polytheists in the al-Khandaq. sayyda Safia hit this man with one of the pillars of the citadel and killed him. This spread fear among the Jews who were following him, and they escaped. "the wellbeing of the nation by the high determination". What courage she had that derived back the Jews!

Asma' bent Yazeyd ibn as-Sakn joined Muslims in the war of al-Yarmuk. She killed with her tent pole, the only thing she found, nine of the Romans. al-Haythamy. She had a strong faith and courage. 

Om-Heram bent Malhan, the aunt of Anas ibn Malek [AAH], joined her husband in the Muslim invasion of Syprus. She died and got buried there. Her grave is known there as the grave of the good woman [AAH]. 

The female companions also served Muslim warriors and healed their injuries. Anas ibn Malek said "in the day of Uhud, Muslims were defeated from around the Prophet [PPBUH]. I saw Aisha bent Abo-Bakr and Om-Saleym going back and forth, filling buckets of water and giving them to Muslims to drink". Om-Atiya said "I joined the Prophet [PPBUH] in seven wars. I cooked for Muslims and nursed the sick and injured". 

Written by Samia as-Sa'id

Translated by Nahed Abul-Hasan