The First Female Martyr In Islam

We’re going to look into the  life of Summayah (R.A.), because we do not hear about her too often and even less is known about her.

The Prophet (S.A.W.) said that when dimensions and disputes appeared among the people, Ibn Summayah (R.A.) would always stand by the right and just.

Her early Life

Summaya (R.A.) was the wife of Yasir (R.A.) whom she met when she was a slave girl under Abu Huthaifah.  She was also amongst the first 7 people to accept Islam. Most importantly, she was the first female to be martyred in Islam. She had 3 sons, named Ammar, Abdullah and Hareeth.  Ammar was the only one who lived, as the other two were murdered at a young age before Islam came into place. This death of her family members were just the beginning of murderous events which would later haunt Summaya (R.A.) in her later years.

Her personality

The most common traits I’ve come across for Summaya (R.A.) was her bravery and imaan (faith), also her fearlessness. She never ever gave in to the torture placed upon her and had an exceptional amount of patience, withstanding all the evil hurt that her frail self endured. Such, was her love for her religion, that suffering severely was nothing to her.

Torture

When Rasulallah (S.A.) and Abu Bakr (R.A.) entered in to the fold of Islam they were fortunate to have Abu Talib as a protector, but for the common muslim like Summayah (R.A.) who had no support, torture was the call of the day. She was forcefully baked in the blazing heat of Makkah with iron shields only to worsen the pain. The Prophet (S.A.W.) would often pass by and advise Summaya (R.A.) to be patient, as Jannah was awaiting her.

Her Brutal Death

Summaya (R.A.) was murdered in the most brutal way possible, especially considering the fact that she was a weak fragile old lady. For me, this was too heartless to picture .  Abu Jahl, could not take the fact that she did not fear him at all and could resist him. She wouldn’t give up her religion against all odds, and because of this in a fit of rage he thrust his spear into her private parts, killing her…

Thus died, the first female martyr in Islam, an extremely brave and fearless women…

When something goes wrong in our lives, we should think of Summayah (R.A.) and her pain, and how our petty issues are quite nothing compare to the agonizing burns on her skin.

May Allah (S.W.T.) awaken our souls and make our Iman as strong as hers, Inshallah . Ameen.

Love, Ayesha

A Woman Warrior in Islam

 

 

Umm Umaarah (R.A.) - A Woman Warrior in Islam

“The Prophet(S.A.W.) said that in whichever direction he turned to on the battlefield he could see her defending and protecting him”

I thought it would be interesting to share with you a story about a female warrior in Islam, as I have not been exposed to many female heroines and throughout history we always read about the achievements of brave men. I often wondered whether there were any females who had the same bravery.

 Hopefully after you read this, you will understand that women in those days were just as active as men in pursuing the establishment of our beautiful religion Islam.

What better an example or subject than Nasibah Bint Ka’b Al – Maziniyah aka Umm Umaarah.

Umm Umaarah (R.A.) was a brave woman who belonged to the Khazraj tribe of Madinah. She along with 73 other Ansaar swore allegiance to the Prophet (S.A.W.) to support him when he came to Madinah.

Her Courageous Love for Rasulallah (S.A.W.)

When the battle of Uhud began, all the women brought water to the wounded, one of those women was Umm Umaarah. As the battle went on, the Muslims were winning but due to the archer’s disobeying Muhammed (S.A.W.) the victory were turning into defeat as is stated in the Quran

“[Remember] when you [fled and] climbed [the mountain] without looking aside at anyone while the Messenger was calling you from behind. So Allah repaid you with distress upon distress so you would not grieve for that which had escaped you [of victory and spoils of war] or [for] that which had befallen you [of injury and death]. And Allah is [fully] Acquainted with what you do.” (Surah Ali Imran: 153)

Umm Umaarah (R.A), brave as she was, pulled out her sword and stepped forward. She ran to join the group who were shielding Muhammed (S.A.W.) from the arrows of the Mushrikeen. She fought fiercly on either side making sure no harm came to Beloved Muhammed (S.A.W.). The Messenger (S.A.W.) saw this and later remarked “: Whenever I turned to the left or to the right, I saw her fighting for me”

Umm Umaarah’s love for Muhammed (S.A.W.) was so deep that after she had gotten injured 12 times, severly, she fainted, although the moment she awoke, the first thing she asked was whether the Prophet (S.A.W.) was okay.

 

Her  Personality

She was a rare kind of woman with a very strong personality. She was an excellent narrator of hadith, intelligent, sincere and extremely loyal as a wife, mother and companion.

She was so truthful that till the very end she stuck to her promise to sacrifice her own life for our Beloved Prophet Muhammed (S.A.W.), fighting fiercely and striking fatal blows to any enemy in sight. She used to pray frequently and would spend her time teaching and training other women to Allah’s oneness. She had an excellent memory and harbored a large amount of patience.

 

Her love for her Children

Umm Umaarah (R.A.) just like any other mother loved her children dearly. Her son tells us about how she ran to his aid at the sight of his wounds. He said, "I was wounded during the battle of Uhud, and the blood would not stop. The Prophet, Sallallahu Alayhe Wasallam, said, 'Bandage your wound.' My mother was busy fighting the enemy, but when she heard the Prophet, Sallallahu Alayhe Wasallam, she came toward me carrying bandages tied to her side, she bandaged my wound while the Prophet, Sallallahu Alayhe Wasallam, was standing by. She then told me, 'Get up my son, and fight’ The Prophet, Sallallahu Alayhe Wasallam, said, 'Who can endure what you are enduring, Um Umaarah'

 

Passing On

Thus passed on, a true believer, whose exact date of departure from this world is not known, a woman who fought so fiercely and was stabbed 12 times against men who were probably twice her size. Her fearless heart leaves me in total admiration for the level of Iman her heart contained and her story makes an excellent example of how we should develop in our faith. It also made me realize how important it is to stay true to our words and not to break promises,to speak the truth, just the way she kept hers till the very end..

 

May Allah (S.W.T.) grant us to obtain the same level of patience and honesty Inshallah, Ameen.

 

Love Ayesha

Umm Sulaym Bint Malhan (R.A)

Asallam Mualaykum,

I hope everyone is having a beautiful day today , you’re going to read about an outstanding woman whose life was filled with courage and many amazing qualities ..

Umm Sulaym (R.A.) was the mother of the famous companion of Rasulallah (S.A.W), Anas ibn Malik.

She was an intelligent, strong minded woman who was first married to Malik ibn an-Nadr. It was during this time that Rasulallah (S.A.W.) migrated to Madina and word reached her about this new religion called Islam. She noticed how Islam gave women their rights and dignity and became very interested in it. She decided to shun idol worship and to follow the Oneness of Allah (S.W.T.)

Umm Sulaym loved her husband Malik dearly, but when he refused to accept Islam after much persuasion from her, she had no choice but to leave him. He later passed on.

Then one day, came along a wealthy and most honourable man by the name of Abu Talha who belonged to the same clan as Umm Sulaym. He was an excellent horseman and skillfull archer who  possessed a striking house. He was almost certain that if he proposed to her, she would definitely accept.

On the way to her house, he remembered that she had become muslim. “So what?” he thought to himself, was her deceased husband not of the old faith?” When he explained to her why he had come, she said “A man like you is not easily turned down Abu Talha, but I shall never marry you while you are a non-believer!”

He did not believe her really, and asked her if the gold and silver he possessed put her off. She then said “I swear to you Abu Talha, that if you accept Islam, I would be pleased to accept you as a husband, without any gold or silver. I shall consider your acceptance of Islam as my mahr.”

I loved this part! Because, which woman would ever say this?? Accept Islam and you don’t have to give me any of the gold or silver you possess! We could definitely learn from her J

She went on to say” Don’t you know Abu Talha that the God you worship besides Allah, grew from the earth? “That’s true…” he replied.

“And don’t you feel stupid while worshipping part of a tree while you use the rest of it for fuel to bake bread or warm yourself???”

He left, and thought deeply about what she said, and returned to her, radiating happiness he said” I have taken your advice to heart. I declare that there is no God but Allah and I declare that Muhammed (S.A.W.) is the Messenger of Allah (S.W.T.).

Umm Sulaym and Abu Talha were married, and everyone was pleased as she was the only woman who had the most valuable gift as her Mahr, the gift of Islam. That is so beautiful..

Her Love for Rasulallah (S.A.W.)

Rasulallah (S.A.W.) would often visit them and sometimes take a nap while he was there, during which he would perspire and she would wipe his forehead and on awakening he would say “Umm Sulaym, what are you doing? “I am taking these drops of perspiration as a blessing which comes from you. The Prophet (S.A.W.) in return, had a special place for her in his heart as well. When asked about this, He replied “Her brother was killed beside me.”

The Type of woman she was - Extraordinary

I was very pleased to read about how, even before Islam, she was well known for having an excellent character and very powerful intellect.  She was an independent decision maker, which is great and shows us women, how important it is to educate yourself. When troubles hit her, she always had a sense of calmness and content displayed.

As a mother, an incident occurred which was sad, but displayed her true strength. Her young son Umayr fell ill and it was at this time that Abu Talha had to go on a mission in the cause of Islam, and he was therefore hesitant and didn’t want to leave little Umayr. While away, little Umayr passed on causing Umm Sulaym to feel very heartbroken. She gave him a bath and wrapped him in shrouds and thereafter begged the other’s in the house to control their emotions infront of their father as she would be the one to break the news to him. She was so considerate that the reason for this, was that she felt he needed rest after his long journey. So when he arrived, she assured him things are okay and hid her tears. After he had rested she said “Suppose that we borrowed something. Can we keep it?” He answered, “Certainly not. For a loan has to be returned.” She then said:”Know then that our child who was loaned to us from Allah has returned to his real owner.” He looked at her in shock and just as he was about to blame her, he saw the hurt she was feeling and how all this time she was silently suffering... this made him understand her words and also how caring and considerate she was, not bothered about her own hurt for a moment.

She was also a heroin who played an unforgettable role in war. She was a nurse serving the wounded soldiers and when defeat was close, she stood firm as a rock, while men fled from the enemy in all directions. During  the Battle of Uhud, she carried a dagger in the folds of her dress, thus displaying her  great courage and braveness. During the Battle of Khandaq, the Prophet (S.A.W.) saw this and asked her what she was doing? She replied that it was for those who desert”, meaning, she was not scared to take the place of a man on the Battlefield. “May Allah grant you satisfaction in that “was Rasulallah’s (S.A.W.) reply. During the Battle of Hunain, she was pregnant, but did not worry about that, and stood firmly with her husband next to Muhammed (S.A.W.) making sure no harm touched him.  This truly touched me, I actually had to stop writing for a bit to come to terms with this because I felt a few  tears  flow , at the amount of selflessness a woman could hold in her heart..

She is a perfect example of the values a true woman should display..

After writing this one, I felt like I understood the true meaning of how a woman ought to be.. intelligent, brave , courageous but most importantly independent minded enabling you to make decisions which are right and not to be influenced by anyone, to be caring, kind and to have a heart of gold..

Love,

Ayesha

The Leader of Women of Paradise

Im going to tell you about a woman, whereby I couldn’t help being brought to tears at the great amount of maturity and courage her little heart contained.

Her name was Fatima (R.A.) and she was the youngest and beloved daughter of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.).

Narrated by Aisha (R.A.)”: She bore a remarkable resemblance to Allah (S.W.T.) Messenger. Her way of speaking, sitting, standing and walking – in other words all her manners and gestures were exactly like his.”

Her Sparkling Personality

What I have come across numerous times about her remarkable personality was her undying perseverance and courage, patience and maturity. She would protect her father against all odds because when Rasulallah (S.A.W.) became the Messenger of God, she was not even 10 years old. His life kind of turned around, because he immediately became the most unpopular man in Makkah.

A typical example, is when Abu Jahl’s evil friends piled the filth and bowels of a camel on Muhammad (S.A.W.) while he was praying. When Fatima (R.A.) came to hear about this, she rushed to him and with her clean little hands, removed the filth and cleaned his back, furiously scolding the disbelievers.

Like Ahmed Ghadanfar wrote in his book “Great Women of Islam” about Fatima (R.A.) “She fought like a courageous little tigress to defend her father and protect him. She would stand infront of him to shield him from the attacks of devilish men like Abu Jahl, Utbah and Shaibah.”

So basically, Fatima (R.A.) passed her childhood years in the shadow of all these events. Being  at a tender age of 6/7, where young girls were normally found playing and having fun, she would always be found following her father, so that she could try and help him if he needed anything and protect him if anyone tried to harm him. Her love for her father was so great, that once, 10 non-believers gathered around the Prophet (S.A.W.) and one started hitting him and the other punching him, Fatima (R.A.) became angry & started reprimanding them . The Prophet (S.A.W.) said to her” Make it easy upon yourself, for verily Allah (S.W.T.) will make your father victorious.”

Her Patience

Fatima (R.A.) had an enormous amount of patience. She went through a lot, as her mother Khadija (R.A.) died when she 10 years old and she had to constantly see her father being hurt. She lost her 3 sisters and her brothers as well. Her husband Ali (R.A.) was not rich, and she would often have nothing to eat, although this didn’t stop her from having a happy marriage.

The Prophet (S.A.W.)’s love for Fatima (R.A.)

He loved her dearly. They were really close. Whenever she visited him, he would stand up to welcome her. If he saw her happy he was pleased and if he saw her sad it grieved him. He would often say |”Fatima is a part of me and he who upsets her, upsets me”.

In his book, Asad Al – Ghabah Ibn Atheer writes that after the Prophet (S.A.W.) passed away, no one ever saw Fatima (R.A.) smile and her grief remained visible on her face till she passed away, 6 months later. When Rasulallah (S.A.W.) told her that his life on earth was coming to an end, she wept bitterly but when he told her that she would be the first to meet up with him, she smiled. He, (Muhammad [S.A.W.] said “ One day, the Angel came to me and told me the glad tiding that Fatimah (R.A.) will be the leader of the Women of Paradise.”

Her Passing On

When I got to the part of her death, it made me sad but at the same time I thought it was the most beautiful way a person could be taken away from this world. It was peaceful and what more of a better way to leave, knowing you would move on to meet Muhammad (S.A.W.) in Paradise, 

the place where happiness is absolute.

Fatima (R.A.) woke up one morning unusually happy.  During that day she had a bath and asked for her bed to be placed in the centre of their courtyard. When her husband saw her , he asked her what was wrong,  and she smiled and said “ I have an appointment today with the Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.). Ali (R.A.) then began crying and she tried to console him. She then turned to face the Qiblah, closed her eyes, and fell fast asleep, never to awake…

May Allah (S.W.T) grant us all the courage, piety, patience and maturity of Hadhrat Fatima (R.A.) I.A.

Love, Ayesha

Asiya (R.A.) - The Wife of the Pharaoh

 Prophet Muhammed (S.A.W) described her as one of the four most pious women in the world and will be one of the first to enter Paradise.


Asiya (R.A.) was the wife of the Egyptian Pharaoh who ruled Egypt in ancient times. She was a beautiful and gentle Queen who had a very good heart, thus he loved her dearly. Although, this Pharaoh was a tyrant King who killed the innocent and imprisoned women and children because he claimed to be God and ordered all the people to worship and glorify him. If they believed in anything else, he would have them crucified.

The cradle on the Nile

One day the maids of Asiya (R.A.) found a cradle floating in the Nile river.  They brought it to her, and the baby inside it was the most beautiful one she had ever seen which made her immediately fall inlove with it. Little did she know, that this little baby boy would be the Prophet Musa (A.S.) who would guide the people to the Oneness of Allah (S.W.T.).  Yet, due to the humility of  Asiya (R.A) she was chosen by Allah to look after little Musa (A.S). Meanwhile, the Pharaoh was informed that one day a Prophet would come and overpower him and lead his people to a new creed. Immediately he became very angry and ordered all new born boys to be killed because he truly believed he was the only God. At the same time, he also loved Asiya (R.A.) so much that he would fulfill any wish of hers, so she pleaded for him not to kill the little baby boy that she had found in the river. She said “: A comfort to the eye for me and for you. Kill him not, perhaps he may be of benefit to us, or we may adopt him as a son.” And they perceived not (What they were doing) (Surah 28: 7- 9)

Years Later…

As years passed by, Prophet Musa (A.S.) who lived in Egypt then, would call the people to Allah’s Oneness and to establish love one earth. To this new religion, he only had a few followers, as many feared the Pharaoh and his torture. The news reached Asiya (R.A.) and she came to know about Musa’s (A.S.) new religion. She liked this new religion and her heart started to believe in it. For years she kept her beliefs a secret as she worshipped Allah under the guidance of Musa (A.S). It’s really unimaginable, the amount of fear she must have lived under for all this time, being afraid of severe punishment. She felt sorry for those who were being tortured for believing in Islam and her steadfast devotion to her husband was beginning to fade, day by day. Soon, the only thing which remained between them was a wall of hatred. Her secret was finally disclosed, and the Pharaoh attempted numerous means of leading her astray and persuaded her not to believe, but her belief just grew stronger and stronger. Nothing in the world could tear her apart from her new creed which she firmly believed in, not all the clothes, jewls or luxury that he offered her.

She turned away..

She turned away from his world as she was not afraid anymore and gave away her status as Queen, thus now suffering with everyone else. Ibn Anas narrates that she even ran away to seek guidance from Allah, but he found her and arrested her, and tortured her for 3 days burning her body and yet, she still said “: I reject you! And do not want anything to do with you! By now, he knew, she would not come back to him, and this enraged him so much that, he ordered his men to nail her to the ground and put a heavy boulder on her chest under the scorching sun.

Her last words...

During the last painful seconds of her life, she said to her Lord, “: My Lord, Build for me a home with thee in paradise, and deliver me from Pharaoh and his work, and deliver me from the unjust people.”Asiya (R.A.) has set a perfect example for us to follow, because she was a Queen and could have had anything that her heart desired. Despite this, she gave up her Throne, freedom, all the luxuries in the world just to gain Allah’s mercy so that she could have a place in Jannah. So much was her love for her religion, that when it came to her last moments, being beaten and tortured so bad, meant nothing to her, because she was wise and knew that it  was no  use being attached to this world and its luxury,  when the hereafter and its beauty  is eternal. . .


Love, Ayesha