'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 (cont') 3

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.

Islam has shown everyone his duties and rights. Allah says [And they - the women - have rights similar to those over them in equity; but men have a rank above them, and Allah is Mighty, Wise] al-Baqarah 2:228. Al-Haseen ibn Muhsin said that his aunt went to the Prophet [PPBUH] for some of her affairs. When she was done, He asked her: (Do you have a husband)? She said: “yes”. He asked her: (how are you with him)? She replied: “I don’t let him down unless I am unable to”. The Prophet replied: (See how you are with him, as he is your paradise and hell) Imam Ahmed. The hadith is quite clear. It means that the door of Paradise to the woman is what she does to please her husband for the sake of Allah. To confirm the husband’s right over his wife, the Prophet [PPBUH] showed that the woman's obedience to her husband, except in what Allah forbids, is equal to her prayers, fasting, and all other good deeds. The Prophet said: (If the woman prays her daily five prayers, fasts Ramadan, be chest, and obeys her husband, she will be told in the hereafter to enter the Paradise from any door) Imam Ahmed. 

In some Hadith, some duties were mentioned in detail. Ibn Abbas narrated, for instance, that a woman from Kha’tham came to the Prophet [PPBUH] and asked him about husbands’ rights, as she was single, and wanted to know so as to decide whether to marry or not. He [PPBUH] replied: (If he wants his wife, even if she is riding a camel, she has to give him herself. She can’t fast voluntarily. If she does, the only thing she takes from her fasting is hunger and thirst. She can’t leave her home without his permission. If she does, the angels of mercy and the angels of hell curse her until she gets back home). The woman decided to remain single. al-Haythami. These are some of the wife’s duties towards her husband mentioned by the Great Prophet [PPBUH] as limits. Our female companion was afraid not to be able to do them. The Prophet [PPBUH] summarized all of her duties in: (The best wife is the one, who pleases her husband, when he looks at her, obeys him, and gives him willingly herself and her money). an-Nisa'i and Imam Ahmed.

In return, these companion wives have won the highest ranks. Let's remind you of the Hadith of the Prophet [PPBUH] and Asmaa bent Yazid al-Ansariya [AAH]. She said to the Prophet [PPBUH]: "Allah has sent you to both men and women. We believed and followed you. We, women, stay limited to the covered home, satisfy men's lust and get pregnant with their kids. Men are given the group prayers, Jihad, and escorting the funerals. When men go to Jihad, we keep their money safe and take care of their kids. For that, do we share their reward"? The Prophet looked at his companions and said to them (have you ever heard a better question from a woman in her religion"? They said: "No, Messenger of Allah". He replied to her: (go Asmaa and tell all women that when they give their husbands their marital rights, seek to please them, and follow their agreement, this will be exactly equal to all you have mentioned that men do". al-Bayhaqi in Sho'ab al-Iman. In this Hadith the Prophet [PPBUH] has specified the ways through which women can elevate to the highest ranks. He actually warned against hurting husbands, as Mu'az ibn Jabel said: the Prophet [PPBUH] said: (when the wife hurts her husband in the worldly life, his fair maiden in the heaven says to her: do not harm him, Allah harm you. As he is only a guest with you in the worldly life. He will soon leave you to us). at-Turmouzi and Ibn Magah.

The female companions understood the Prophet’s lessons, and they followed them. Therefore, they were examples to be followed. Let’s mention, for example, the story of the wife of the lumberjack who was an example for how a woman should be good to her husband. She said: “when my husband goes to work, I feel his suffering to get our sustenance and I feel his thirst burning my throat, so I prepare the cold water, clean home and cook dinner for him. I also get dressed nicely. When he comes home, I receive him like a bride who receives her groom that she adore. If he wants rest, I help him rest and if he wants me, I give in to him as willingly as can be”. al-Gabry in his book.

The mother of the believers, sayyda Aisha, was dressing the Prophet’s hair while is staying at the mosque. He used to move his head close to her, while she was sitting in her room. al-Bokhary. She also said “I was perfuming the Prophet before He prepares for Hajj, and after He completes it to go to the circumambulation of Holy House”. al-Bokhary and Muslim. 

Ibn A'bad said that Ali [AAH] told him: "would you like to be told about me and Fatma? She is the dearest daughter of the Prophet [PPBUH], and she was my wife, yet she used to grind the seeds with the grinder until it affected her hands, carry the leather bag of water until a mark is left on her neck, clean the house until her clothes got dirty, set up the fire until her clothes got black and she got harmed because of all these". Ata' ibn Abi-Rabah said: "Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet [PPBUH] used to knead, until her hair is mixing with the dough and the earth". book of best of the best.

Asmaa bent Abi-Bakr said: "I married az-Zubeir, while he had no money, no servants and nothing but his horse. I was doing the house work, feeding his horse, giving it water, taking care of it, crushing the seeds for it, preparing the water for him, filling his bucket, and kneading ... I was transferring the seeds from his land that the Prophet [PPBUH] gave to him while it was a third of a league away [almost two kilometers] ...". 

Despite their prestige among their people and their position to their fathers, sayyda Fatma az-Zahra' [AAH] daughter of the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] and sayyda Asma' daughter of Abo-Bakr as-Seddiq [AAT], they never felt ashamed to work hard in their houses because of their husbands' poor conditions and low resources. They were doing so in order to please Allah through pleasing their husbands.  

The female companions were known for their wisdom and for helping their husbands with sincere advices. The most prominent example is the mother of the believers, sayyda Khadija, [AAH], who was a shelter to the Prophet [PPBUH], as she was helping him, before the revelation, to worship Allah in the cave of Hira' and providing him with all his needs. When he saw Gabriel and came shivering to her, saying (I feared for myself), she said her famous reply "No, Allah will never let you down, as you are taking care of your family, helping the needy, being generous to the guest and supporting the Truth". She took him to her cousin, Waraqa ibn Nawfel. The Prophet told him what happened, and Waraqa told him that this was Gabriel who used to visit Moses [PBUH], and that He was to be the Prophet of this nation. Sayyda Khadija was the first one to believe in him of all men and women. She also supported him with all her money, her power, herself and faced a lot of troubles for the sake of religion. She was besieged with the Prophet [PPBUH] in the hill of Abo-Talib for three complete years, until they were eating the leaves of the trees out of hunger and fatigue. She kept defending and supporting the Prophet [PPBUH], as she used to relieve him, when he was insulted and accused of being a liar.

Also there is the wise opinion of Om-Salama [AAH] in the peacemaking of al-Hodaybia. When the Muslims signed a treaty with the polytheists of Maccah, the Prophet [PPBUH] called on his companions to slaughter their offerings and cut their hair, i.e. get out of the state of ritual consecration. However, no one noticed this command, because they were disappointed of not being able to complete their Hajj. The Prophet [PPBUH] entered his tent to Om-Salama while He was sad, and said to her: (The people are perished, I ordered them to do something and they did not). So she told Him to go out and cut His hair and slaughter his offering in front of them. But He is not to speak of anything. The Prophet [PPBUH] took her advice and did what she said. Everyone started doing like what He did, when they saw him doing it. So with the honest sharing and advice of that righteous woman, Allah saved these people from being fall and relieved their trouble. That is what she taught us, this great companion, how a wife should be, an aid for her husband to the good and and a support for carrying on responsibilities in the call to Allah, Almighty. That is how she share his reword, as whoever set up a fighter for the sake of Allah then he himself is a fighter. What more important than the fight of self, objectivity, worldly life, and Satan.

Anas ibn Malik narrated the story of Om-Salim, he said: A son died for Abo-Talha from Om-Salim. She told her family not to tell Abo-Talha until I told him. So he came home, she gave him dinner. He ate and drank. Then she offered herself to him better than she ever did. so they exercised their marital relation. So when she saw that he had all is needs, she said: "Oh Abo-Talha! If some people lend some others something, and then asked for, can the other one prevent it"? He said: "No". She said: "Then commit your son to Allah". Abo-Talha went to the Prophet [PPBUH] and told Him what she did. The Prophet [PPBUH] said: (May Allah give what you did at your night His Blessings). Allah responded to His Prophet's [PPBUH] prayer, and Om-Salim gave birth to a child that she conceived from that night. The Prophet [PPBUH]named that child Abdallah, and from his offspring were nine men all of them carrying Qur'an and knowledge. So look at the wisdom of that companion and her craving after her husband and the pleasing of her Lord, and Allah reword her the righteous sons and grandsons.

The examples for this are many, of how these female companions were fully aware of their duties and how to get the credits with Allah. So now let us see another virtue of these companions; let us see how the taught their children:

Ibn Sa'd in his book: al-Tbaqat narrated from Om-Salim [AAH] that she said: I believed in the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH], while the father of Anas was away. When he came back he said: Did you renounce? I said: I did not, but I believed. And she kept teaching Anas: Say: there is no God but Allah! Say: I testify that Mohammad is the Messenger of Allah! So Anas did. His father told her: Do no ruin my son for me! She said: I am not ruining him. The father of Anas went out of the house and he met an enemy of his, so he was killed. She said: No harm. I will not wean Anas until he leaves my breast, and I will not marry until he permits me. Then This virtuous woman took Anas to the Prophet [PPBUH] while he was ten years old. She said: "O, Messenger of Allah! There have been no man or woman left of Ansar unless he has given you a gift. I can not give you anything except my son. So take him to serve you as you like". al-Haithamy. One day Om-Salim said to the Messenger of Allah: "Oh, Messenger of Allah! Anas is your servant, so ask Allah for him". The Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] said: (May Allah gives him a lot of money and sons and bless what He gives him). al-Bokhary and Muslim. So you can see how well this righteous companion did her son ever since he was a little boy, and how she set up all sources of goodness for him. She was keen to teach him the Muslim testimony ever since he started pronouncing his first words. Then she decided not to leave him until he is old enough not to need her. She even did not want to get married until he was the one to let her, and that is what happened when he married her to Abo-Talha after he embraced Islam. Then she chose for him the righteous company, as she gave him to the Prophet [PPBUH] to serve him, and drink from his prophetic spring. Then she asked the Prophet [PPBUH] to pray for him. So she opened for him all the doors of the good deeds. That was clearly reflected on that glorious companion, as he had long life full of good for him and his offspring which was over a hundred, as the prayer of the Prophet [PPBUH] which is a virtue that is attributed to this mother, and an example for all mothers.

The great female companions were keen to raise there children to love Islam, defend it, and be brave when facing its enemies. We will continue next time ISA...

Written by Samia Sa'id

Translated by Nahed