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

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 The last of the mothers of believers

Maymuna bent al-Harith [AAH]

Her name and relations [AAH]:

She is Maymuna bent al-Harith ibn Huzn ibn Gabir ibn al-Hazm ibn Rubaiyaibn Abdullah ibn Helal ibn Amer ibn Sa'sa'h al-Helaliya. Her mother was Hend bent Awf ibn Zuhair ibn al-Harith. Her sisters are: Om-el-Fadl [Lubabah al-Kubra] the wife of al-Abbas [AAT], Lubabah as-Sughra the wife of al-Walid ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumi and she is the mother of Khalid ibn al-Walid, Asmaa bent al-Harith the wife of Obay ibn Khalaf, and Ghurrah bent al-Harith the wife of Zeyad ibn Abdullah ibn Malik al-Helali… those are her sisters from her mother and father. Her sisters from her mother are: the mother of believers Zaynab bent Khuzayma al-Helaliya, Asmaa bent Omays the wife of Gafar [AAH] then he died so she married Abo-Bakr as-Siddiq [AAH] then he died so she married Ali [AAH], Salma bent Omays the wife of Sd. Hamza ibn Abdel-Muttalib [AAH] then he died so she married Shaddad ibn Osama ibn al-Had, and Sallama bent Omays the wife of Abdullah ibn Ka'b ibn Enabah al-Khath'amy.

For this her mother, Hend bent Awf, was known as the best old woman with in-laws on earth. As her in-laws are: the most honorable created man the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH], his companion as-Siddiq, his two uncles: al-Hamza and al-Abbas, his cosines Gafar and Ali, and Shaddad ibn al-Had [AAT] all. These are good gifts that cannot be beaten of high relations and ranks.

Her husbands before the Messenger [PPBUH]:

She [AAH] first married Mas'oud ibn Amro ath-Thaqafy before Islam, they were separated and she married Abo-Raham ibn Abdel-Ozza, then he died while she was very young. Then her heart was filled with the light of faith, and her self was lighted until Allah testified for her with faith, and how not while she was one of the leading group in the record of faith. So she won the honor of marrying the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] when he had just completed the Umra of al-Qadaa in the seventh year of Hijra.

The whisper of the heart and the talk of the self:

In the seventh year of Prophetic Hijra, the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] entered Mecca for Umra. The Beloved Chosen One circulated the Old House, the Sacred House of Allah [Ka'ba]. Maymuna was in Mecca too. She saw the Messenger of Allah while he was doing the Umra, and she visualized the idea of having the honor of marrying him [PPBUH], and should stop her from fulfilling a dream she dreamt; awake and asleep, and she is one of the leading group in the record of faith and the list of believers? At those moments when she had these self-whispers in filled heart with faith. Maymuna this wish to her sister; Om-el-Fadl, and she told her about her love and her wish to be a wife for the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH]. Om-el-Fadl did not hid that from al-Abbas. Al-Abbas did not hid that from his nephew and he told him the wish of Maymuna bent al-Harith. The Messenger of Allah sent his cosine Gafar ibn Abo-Talib to ask her for marriage. As soon as Gafar [AAH] left her, she rode her camel and went to the messenger of Allah. As soon as she laid her eye on him, she said: the camel and what it carries are for Allah and his Messenger.

Maymuna [AAH] in the Holy Qur'an:

At-Tabarany narrated from az-Zuhry that she [AAH] gave herself to the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH], so Allah revealed a verse about her [and a believing woman if she give herself unto the Prophet and the Prophet desire to ask her in marriage - a privilege for you only, not for the believers] al-Ahzab 50. Maymuna made her matters in the hand of al-Abbas ibn Abdel-Muttalib, and so he married her to the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH]. It was said that al-Abbas said to the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH]: Maymuna bent al-Harith has been a widow from Abo-Rahm ibn Abdel-Ozza, would you marry her? So the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] married her.

She was 26 years old at that time, while he [PPBUH] was 59 years old. He made a banquet with more than one ship for her. And he gave her 400 Dirham as a dowry, some say it was 500 Dirham.

Maymuna [AAH] and the blessed marriage:        

The Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] stayed in Mecca for three days with his companions. On the morning of the fourth day, some of the people of Quraish came to him [PPBUH] with Huwayteb ibn Abdel-Ozza -who later embraced Islam- and told the Messenger [PPBUH] to leave because the agreed time was up, and he has completed the Umra in Zu-el-Qe'da of the seventh year of Hijra, which was agreed upon in the peace settlement of Hudaybiya.

He [PPBUH] said (what would harm you if you let me make the wedding among you, and make some food and you attended). They said: we do not need your food, so leave us. The Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] left and left behind his servant to carry Maymuna to him in the evening.

Maymuna caught up with him at Saref -a place near at-Tan'im 10 miles away from Mecca- in that place the Messenger [PPBUH] wedded her in that blessed area. In that day he named her Maymuna after she was named Barrah. It is narrated that she said "the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] married me while we were staying in Saref". Muslim.

Maymuna [AAH] and the blessed journey to Lighted Medina:

Maymuna [AAH] entered the prophetic house while she was no more than 26 years old. It is an honor that is not matched with any honor for her, so she felt very joyful and happy, when she became one of the pure mothers of believers [AAT] all. When she arrived at Medina the women received her with welcomes and congratulations, and were so kind and generous to her for the sake of the Messenger [PPBUH] and seeking the acceptance of Allah, Almighty.

The mother of believers entered the room that the honorable Messenger [PPBUH] prepared for her to be her home like the rest of mothers of believers. Thus stayed Maymuna enjoying the closeness of the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] learning the book of Allah, hearing the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH], and being guided by his sayings. She used to pray in the Prophetic Mosque because she heard the Prophet [PPBUH] say (a prayer in my mosque, this one, is better than one thousand prayers in any one else except the sacred mosque). Maymuna stayed in the Prophetic House with high prestige for the Messenger of Allah until he got very sick, he went to her home and then Aisha asked her to have the Prophet [PPBUH] moved to her -Aisha's- home to be treated there with his permission and where he liked.

Her memorizing of the Hadith [AAH]:

After the passing of the Messenger [PPBUH] to the Highest Companion, Maymuna [AAH] lived to spread the Sunna of the Prophet [PPBUH] among the companions and the followers. As she was one of those who understood the honorable Hadith as she received from the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH]. She was tightly sticking to the Prophetic guidance and the Muhammadian merits, with the memorizing of the Prophetic Hadith and narrating it to the great companions, followers, and scholar Imams. So the mother of believers Maymuna [AAH] was one of those who memorized and narrated many Hadith.

Maymuna [AAH] and the testimony of faith:

The mother of believers kept on worshiping and praying in the Prophetic home and went on guided by the guidance of the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] and quoting from his good manners. She was very keen to apply the boundaries of Allah; nothing could stop her of mercy, pity, or relations. It is narrated that one of her relatives entered to her once and she smelled the smell of drinking from him. She said to him: if you do not go out to the Muslims so that they whip you, then do not come to me again. This situation is an evidence of her sticking to the commands of Allah, Almighty, and the application of the purified Sunna, so she would not be lenient with her relative on the account of disabling one of the boundaries of Allah. The Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] praised the faith of Maymuna [AAH] and testified for her and her sisters with the belief. Ibn Abbas [AAT] said that the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] said (the believing sisters: Maymuna the wife of the Prophet [PPBUH], Om-el-Fadl, Salma the wife of Hamza, and Asmaa bent Omays their sister from their mother). An-Nasa'I in his Great Sunan. [AAT] all.

It was mentioned in the two Sahihs that the Prophet [PPBUH] was in her home when the pain became too hard in the sickness of death, and she accepted that he moves to where he liked in the home of Aisha.

Her merits and the reasons of her fame [AAH]:

The mother of believers Maymuna [AAH] had a great fame and history testified to her greatness. Some of the reasons for that are:

Maymuna's mother; Hend bent Awf was known, as we mentioned earlier, the best old woman with in-laws on earth.

She [AAH] was one of the great ladies and an example for the righteousness and the deep faith.

There was also the testimony of the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] for her and her sisters of the faith and belief, the Hadith mention above.

Also she was the last one to marry the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] and the last of the mothers of believers, and a good ending. She was pious and kind to her kinship as the testifying of Sd. Aisha [AAH] for her when she said "by Allah, she was one of the most pious of us and the kindest to the kinship". Al-Hakim and ibn Saad.

From what is to be remembered for her [AAH] is that she was one of the memorizing people and much narrating for Hadith. Az-Zahaby said: she has seven Hadith in the two Sahihs, one sole for al-Bukhary, five sole for Muslim, and a total of 13 Hadith. No one exceeded that of the mothers of believers except the mother of believers Sd. Aisha [AAH] and the mother of believers Om-Salama [AAH].

The final days and dear memories:

The mother of believers Maymuna [AAH] lived honorably through the orthodox caliphate with the respect of all the caliphs and scholars. She lived to the caliphate of Mu'awia [AAH]. It was said that she died in the year 51H in Seraf, while she was 80 years old. She was buried in the same place of her wedding [AAH], Yazid ibn al-Assum said: we buried Maymuna in the same place where the Messenger of Allah [PPBUH] had his wedding.

Maymuna was the last one of his wives to die after him. Abdullah ibn Abbas gave her the funeral prayer and entered her grave with Yazid ibn al-Meqdad ibn Shaddad ibn al-Had who were the sons of her sisters, and Ubaid-Allah Atta' said: Maymuna died in Seraf, so I went there with ibn Abbas and he said: if you raised her coffin do not shake her. It was also said that she died in Mecca and was carried to Seraf by the order of ibn Abbas and he said: be easy on her as she is your mother.

That is our mother and the mother of all believers Maymuna bent al-Harith al-Helaliya [AAH] the last of the beads of the unique necklace, the purified Prophetic necklace and one of the mothers of believers who go under the verse [O you wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women] al-Ahzab 33:32.

Written by Rawya Ramadan

Translated by Ahmed