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