Copyright © Rabee' ath-Thani

1415/October
199*> Ta-Ha
Publisher Ltd

Published by

Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd.

1 Wynne Road
London SW9 OBB ..... 5
UK
..... 6
..... 11
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publishers. .... 19
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By: Jameelah Jones
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General Editor: Afsar Siddiqui
Edited by: Abdassamad Clarke
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....30

....35
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Jones, Jameelah
Sahabiyat, During The Prophet’s Era, The
I. Title

ISBN: 1 897940 23 8

Typeset by: BookWright, Isle of Lewis. Tel: 0851-870198.

Printed by: Deluxe Printers, London. Thl: 081-965 1771

For 10—15 years old

 Foreword
t might be wise to view the lives of some of the

I Sahabiyat (female companions) of the Prophet

Muhammad, salla'llahu calaihi wa sallam, during the

era in which Islam was nascent, to determine the breadth
and depth of women's roles. In my view, the few exam­
ples which follow are a testimony to the vibrancy of Islam
and the essential spiritual equality which exists between
men and women in Islam. One sees that Muslim women
were able to rise to the occasion when the situation de­
manded it. These women were the counterparts of their
men — courageous, strong, thoughtful and ready to give
all for the cause of truth.
Women usually carried water, nursed the wounded,
and buried the dead during times of war; however, it
was not absolutely unheard of for women to go forth
into battle as was the case of Umm Tmarah, Kanza and a
few others.
Muslim women also encouraged their husbands to
stand up for truth against the unbelievers and invited
non-Muslim men who loved them to consider the mes­
sage of Islam and enter the fold. Thus, we would like to
present a few stories of the early women of Islam.
Jameelah Jones
1990
 nils of war and felt

happened, they le t, as h ibn Jubair, was

ished. Their commander, Aonu
with only a few archers. happening, they
When the enemy realise re stationed and
set off for the post where the ar h caValry at.
killed the remaining few. Th believers. Some of
™^x^red-~x
tacked the unguarded ranks of d the battle.
Quraysh, who had begun to fie , J Manv
Nusaybah bint Kab converted to Islam during the early Some Muslims lost heart and began to run a '• j
atayh h6 h 35 Presen‘at the £econd P^dge of faithful Muslims fought on, but the tide had turned
at which she swore allegiance to the Prophet, may Allah against them, and they were pushed back step by step.
bless him and grant him peace, along with her first hus­ Once Nusaybah realised that the Muslims were being
band, Zaid ibn cAsim who died after the Battle of Badr defeated she joined the Prophet with a sword, a bow and
She was also present at the Battle of Uhud with her sec­ her quiver full of arrows. She began shooting arrows until
ond husband, Ghaziyah ibn cAmr and her sons, they were all used up. Ibn Qamicah, a man from one of
cAbdullah and Habib. They left early in the morning so the clans from the outskirts of Makkah, was shouting,
that she could give water to the injured. Nusaybah had "Where is Muhammad? May I not survive if he sur­
brought a sword, a bow and a quiver of arrows, in add: vives." Then Ibn Qamicah recognised the Prophet and
tion to her water skin and bandages. Not long after the struck at him. The blow was averted by Talhah, who was
battle had begun, she reached the place where the Pro­ standing next to the Prophet. Talhah then threw himself
phet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had in the direction of the sword and the Muslims closed in
taken up his position on relatively high ground. He was around the Prophet to protect him. Umm Tmarah was a
with some of his closest companions and the battle w as pari of the human barrier which protected the Prophet
Ibn Qanu ah struck her and she struck him, but hewas
going in favour of the Muslims. .
The Muslims continued to advance until the way in S^ocoatsofarmourwHchprotectedtafZ
the enemy camp was open. They were tempte
be“lt"a^8ab°“' ** Bat-
booty and began to surge into the enemy of the
plunder. The fifty archers chosen to guard t and only a few, not more than PrOphel “Posed
bnsband, my sons and 1 mys^ remai"«i and my
were among them. w'
Saluibiyat

defended him and the people □ the prophet

defeated state. I did not hate ™°virig around in
Prophet may Aliah bless him and dh With
a man wtth a shield, so he said, GivFvour^™ «•*
one who is fighting.' So the man gave htO S°me'
and I used it to defend the Prophet'^ Shleld to
So Nusaybah continued fighting treat™ m Muslims swore to stand by qjthman s pro-
was bemuse they »OT/0"XtXwi'1'QU’a>'Sh
and carrying water for them. Hefson wJ? Wounded
longed absence when he wentjo g^ gran, Wm
his blood began to flow. However she v W°unded and
hvious to her son's condition until the Pro^117 °b" while the Prophet, may Allah HudmlbiWilt- In­
peace, and other ’Allah be
Allah bless him and grant him peace said rT'
your wounded." Thereupon, shf went to her son deed, rumours circulated that Utrni , j
pleased with him, had treacherously been killed by
wrapped the wound while the Prophet, may Allah bS
Makkans.
him and grant him peace, stood looking at her. After she Nusaybah then later took part m the fighting agains
had bandaged the wound, she said to her son, "Rise and Musailimah in Yamamah. She went to Abu Bakr who was
fight the people." Khalifah at the time, to seek permission to join the expe­
The Prophet said, may Allah bless him and grant him dition with Khalid against Musailimah. Abu Bakr said,
peace, "And who is capable of bearing what you bear, may Allah be pleased with him, "We know your worth
Umm Tmarah?" in war, so go out, in the name of Allah." Abu Bakr com­
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, mitted her to Khalid ibn Al-Walid's charge and she
used to say, "The position of Nusaybah today is better fought bravely at Yamamah. She was wounded in eleven
than so and so. I saw her on the Day of Uhud fighting different places and had her hand chopped off. Her son,
fiercely and she had wrapped her dress around her waist Habib, was killed.
as an obstruction. She had been wounded thirteen times. After Musailimah had been defeated and killed and
He used to say, "I saw Ibn Qamicah striking her on her Kha^arhWa i °W,r'Nusaybah returned to her house.
shoulders, and her most serious would took one yeai to Khalid ibn al-Walid came there to treat her hand with
hot oil, to seal the wound and stop the bleeding The h
heal."
The people thought well of Nusaybah also. en
'Umar ibn Al-Khattab came with some very fine clo , went to the Prophet, may All’hbTss'htmt TUSaybah
some people said, "Surely, this cloth 1S w^rth®- jah Peace, and said, "I see that ever J h and §rant him
such. Why don't you send it to Safiyah bint '
I do not see anything mentioned fn"8 t0 men' and
the wife of cAbdullah ibn Umar?" Someone el^ej^ verse was revealed:8 d f°r w°men." Then the
"Send it to one who has more right to it t '

io)
8
Sahabiyat

“For Muslim men and Muslim

men and believing <m women for be|.
vout women, for truthful me
for patient men and patient
women who humble themseh/T
women who give sadaqab.Mor fash™ for men and
•ng women, for men who guardTe l men and fast-
and women who guard h r private parts umayyah was a great woman who P^^l^and
ber Allah much and women X^mh
^preparedforthem fotgivenessTn^^

(Surah Ahzab 33: 35)

S faith in Allah. She accepted Islam in Makkahan
was the seventh of the first sevent0 e^ter Is^ .
Yasir was a confederate of Abu Hudhaifah of the Bam
Makhzum. He married Sumayyah, who was one of the
slaves of Abu Hudhaifah.
Sumayyah, Yasir and cAmmar, their son, were poor.
They had no tribe or family to support them or come to
their aid. Ammar heard the Prophet's message, listened
to the Qur 'an and he and his parents believed in the rev­
elation sent to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant
■p
e him peace. To take such a stand in the early days of Islam
when few believed or were willing to follow the Pro­
phet shows that they had very strong Iman
,erribly by the Polytheists of
Makkah although she was an old woman at the time
Despite torture visited on her by Quravsh she Hid I
renounce Islam Onravch jt aVsn she did not
and Sumayyah herself on '?Ammar'Yasir'
The PropCmaXh^T

passed them one day and Wm peace'

were promised ParaX aX f° be pati^t as they
we've experienced the extrelT^ "° ProPhet
Phet, may Ailah bless an/ °f t°5t^e." The Pro-
grant him peace, said,

10
"Patience, O Abu'l-Yaqdhan; Allah will not punish any
member of the family of Yasir by fire."
Then one day Abu Jahl pierced Sumayyah through the
heart and she died. All of this took place before the mi­
gration to Madinah. Quraysh tortured Sumayyah and
Yasir until they martyred them, but the two of them re­
fused to give up their faith in Allah.
When Abu Jahl was killed during the Battle of Badr, |—I intelligence, integr y, Madinah for the
the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, llemigrated to Abyss ma d f;rst to
said to Ammar, "Allah has killed your mother's mur­ sake of Allah. Her camel-borne sed
derer." enter MatUnahtomMakfeh^^^.^,^,!.
Sumayyah was the first to be killed for the sake of Allah
^a“asAbuSsnep^Ahu—
in Islam; however not all Muslims were able to with­
stand the torture which Quraysh inflicted. Some found Abu Talib's protection from Quraysh when he acxepte
themselves saying anything at all to gain their release Islam. When this happened, Abu Salamah s tri e
from torture. Allah acknowledges with mercy, those who Bani Makhzum, went to Abu Talib and said, You are
say things against Islam even going back on their protecting your nephew, Muhammad, from us but why
shahadah though belief is still in their hearts, in this ayah: are you protecting our tribesman?" Abu Talib replied,
"He asked for my protection, and he is my sister's son."
“Anyone who, after accepting faith in Allah, utters At this Abu Lahab stood up and said, "O Quraysh, you
unbelief, except under compulsion his heart remain­ have continually attacked this Shaykh for giving his pro­
ing firm in belief; but such as open their breast to tection among his own people. By Allah, you must stop
unbelief, on them is wrath from Allah, and theirs this or we will stand with him until he gains his object."
will be a dreadful punishment.” The people stopped protesting because they did not want
(Surah An-Nahl 16: 106) to annoy Abu Lahab who was their chief supporter
against the Prophet.
Abu Salamah, may Allah be pleased with him, went to
Madinah a year before the Pledge at Al <An i, t.
having emigrated to Abyssinia previously He m1'
“ Madinah because Qutaysh SnX^dly
 Umm zw....
Sahabiyat

o.
and also because he had heard ‘Abdu'd-Dar, who asked AUah
of Madinah had accepted Islam Sorne of the people
ifAbdu'd-Dar,
she were all alone. She told him
Umm Salamah, may Allah be olea^H •
*>) that when Abu Salamah decided to set od H her' said
and her little boy she was entirely •
she ought not to be left alone and helpless Ilk
he took hold of her camel's halter and went along with
he saddled his camel for her, mounted h? for Madinah,
son, Salamah, then set out leading the came? Wh^
I men of Bani Al-Mughirah of Ba^ Makhzum^ k her. . ,
Umm Salamah later said, "Never have I met an Aral?
more noble than him." When they halted, he would make
they got up and said, "So far as you are concerned X
can do what you like, but what about your wife? Do vo? the camel kneel for her and then go away from her. When
they reached a stopping place, he would lead her camel
suppose that we shall let you take her away?" So th??
snatched the camel s reins from his hand and took Hind away, unload it, and tie it to a tree. Then he would go a
from him. Abu Salamah's family, the Bani cAbduT-Asad distance from her and lie under a tree. When evening
came, he would bring the camel, tell her to mount, and
were angry at this and said, "We will not leave our son
with her seeing you have torn her from our tribesman." when she was firmly established in the saddle, he would
So they dragged her little boy, Salamah, so forcefully that take the halter and lead it until he brought her to a halt.
they dislocated his arm, and took him away, while the He did this all the way to Madinah. When he saw the
Bani Al-Mughirah kept Umm Salamah with them, and hu abaend 1-Amn ibn ‘Auf in Quba' he ^id, "Your
Abu Salamah went to Madinah. Allah " Th?" hbS V1 age' S° enter with the blessing of
Thus, Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her,
was separated from both her husband and her son. She
used to go out every morning and sit in the valley weep­ ^hdid,nSXXnobrhat of
ing continuously. When a year had passed, one of her ibn Talha." en a nobIer man than TJthman
cousins belonging to the Bani Al-Mughirah passed, saw
her plight and took pity on her. He said to his tribesmen,
"Why don't you let this woman go? You have separate Once Umm Salamah said to Abu Salamah, may Allah
husband, wife and child." So they said to her, "You may be pleased with them, "I have been told that if a wom­
rejoin your husband if you like." She saddled her-came, an's husband dies and he is one of the inhabitants of
took her son in her arms and set out making ° , t Paradise and she does not marry after him, Allah will
nah, not a soul with her. She thought that she join them in Paradise. And likewise, if a woman dies first
and the husband is left." Umm Salamah said, "I'll not
food from anyone whom she met on t e roa
marry after you." Abu Salamah said, "Marry after me if
reached her husband. Makkah), I die first." He prayed, "0 Allah, grant Umm Salamah a
When she was in Tancim (about brother of Bani better man than me and do not let her be harmed "
she met cUthman ibn Talha ibn Abi Talha,__

14
 Hmm Salatnah

I am afflicted with the same problem as you. As for

Salamah When Urni* O
your children, your family is my ami y. stuffed
Badr, he said to her: I heard the Messen^ Battle of O So she married the Prophet who gave her a bed sm
Allah bless him and grant him peace sTJ ° v|Uah' may /P1 with palm-leaves, a bowl, a dish and a handmill. Whe
calamity afflicts anyone, he should say-T^^^6' a IC the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peac ,
long to Allah and to to Him we are return 7* be' O came to spend the wedding night with her, he said, Do
would pray, 'O Lord, grant me something he not feel that you are unimportant among your people,
which only You, Exalted and Mighty, can gfve/" "" * for if you wish, I will spend seven days (with you) and
seven days with the rest of my wives, or if you wish, I
(O
Abu Salamah fought in the Battle of Badr, in which the will spend three days with you and divide the time
Muslims were victorious and in the Battle of Uhud in W equally after that." She said, "Make it three."
which he was severely wounded, eventually dying from The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
those wounds. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and O married Umm Salamah during the sixth year of the
grant him peace, visited Abu Salamah during his final Hijrah. A ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, was quite
illness and was with him when he died. He prayed for ( upset when she heard people talking about how beauti-
Abu Salamah, "O Lord, forgive Abu Salamah. Raise him i u Umm Salamah was. However, when cA'ishah saw
up among those who are near You. Let someone among 1 sa7d."he Said' By AHah' She iS not as beauhful as they
those who survive him fill his place. Forgive us and him,
O Lord of the Worlds. Widen his grave and enlighten it ; ^3^cyAuahb,esshimand^
for him." I prayed ‘dsr. He always started'Ve n,0.1)' by °ne' af,er he
When Umm Salamah had completed the waiting pe­ j WM ended S £
riod for widows of four months and ten days, Abu Bakr
proposed to her. She refused his proposal. Then Umar
proposed and she turned him down too. When the F>ro“ j She counselted^Xpta o^h" “d ’ g00d ad™°r
phet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, proposed
to her, she said, "O Messenger of Allah, I have three c ar-
acteristics. I am a woman who is extremely jealous an
I am afraid that you will see in me something tha^wdl
a
anger you and cause Allah to punish me. I am a worn
who is already advanced in age and I_ama him
has young children.” The Prophet.may^AllahH f
and grant him peace, replie , J question of
Allah to let it go away from you. As for tne
an got up, even

O')
16 17
 __ _
Sa ha biya t "_J'U'—i,A
(oj

keen very X>Tked^ They had

^ofAUah^
h‘‘S“
She said to him, -If you want them to do that, yoiTmut
have sla^2htnd H°* Say “ WOrd ‘° any of them until Vou
e slaughtered your animals and called your barber ■f-h her was the
to shave your head." z-t afiyyah, nay be Ktl® him and gait
The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, “^Xre children of Hah,
□him peace. She and Hana bee„ <Abdu 1-
followed her suggestion. He left the group of Compan­
ions without speaking to anyone, slaughtered his ani­ wife ol 'Abdu'1'“1'j’heweddmg had taken place on
mals and called his barber to shave his hair. When the Muttalib's last wife and th the&prophet's parents
Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, saw this, the same day as the weddi g a ted Isiam early
they all arose and slaughtered their animals and began Safiyyah was a great a y, Prophet, may Allah
shaving each other so eagerly that they were in danger
of killing each other, out of anxiety.
Umm Salamah took part in the Conquest of Khaibar Then she —
and said, "I wish that Allah had made jihad obligatory ibn Khuwaylid ibn Asad, who was the brother o
for us as he did for men, and that we would receive the Khadijah, the Prophet's wife. She had Az-Zubayr, As-
same reward." Then the following ayah was revealed. Saib and cAbdu'l-Kacbah by Al-cAwwam.
She was present at the Battle of Llhud when the Mus
“Do not seek that with which Allah has favoured lims suffered defeat. At one stage in the battle, she stood
some of you over others. up with a lance in her hand and said, "Are you trying to
defeat the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him
Umm Salamah narrated liadith peace?" She waved the lance in the enemies' faces. When
phet, may Allah bless him and grant lu p be the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
saw her, he told her son Az-Zubayr to take her back be­
Abu Salamah and Sn the year 59 AH or 61
pleased with them all. She* Abu Hurayrah cause he did not want her to see her brother, Hamza,
who had been killed during the battle. Az-Zubayr met
AH when she waa e« y overVher and she was buried her and told her that the Prophet, may Allah bless him
prayed the funeral prayer ov
and grant him peace, had ordered her to go back. She
in ■
Sahabiyat safiyyah bint ’

asked, "Why? I have heard that my brother has been cUmar ibn Al-Khattab allocated 6,000 dirhams, as <
mutilated and that has happened for Allah's sake. He /early stipend, for her during his khilafah. She narratec
the Most High, has fully reconciled us to what has hap­ laditli from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and gran
pened. I will remain calm and patient if Allah wills." aim peace, and others narrated from her. She was a grea
When Az-Zubayr returned to the Prophet and reported poetess and recited poetry on the deaths of her fathe
this to him, he, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
told him to leave her alone. So she came and looked on and her brother,
Safiyyah Hamza.the khilafah of Umar in the yea
died during
Hamza and prayed over him and said, "Truly, we be­ 26 AH when she was 73 years old. cUmar buried her i
long to Allah and we are returning to Him." She asked Al-Baqi, the cemetery of Madinah. However some otf
Allah's forgiveness for him. Then the Prophet, may Allah ers say that she died in the khilafah of Uthman.
bless him and grant him peace, ordered the Muslims to
bury Hamza.

kfart ‘n the Batlle of the K/wndno (the Trench)

When the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant Wm
peace, went to the battle, he put his wives and women­
folk in a fortress which belonged to Hassan ibn Thabit.
A Jewish man walked around the fortress when the
women were inside. The Jews had broken their treaty
with the Prophet and were acting with the enemies of
Islam. So, Safiyyah said, "O Hassan, this Jew is going
around the fortress and the Prophet, may Allah bless him
and grant him peace, and his companions are busy, so
go down and kill him." Hassan said, "May Allah for­
give you, you know that I cannot be involved in this.
So when Safiyyah heard what Hassan had to say, she
got up and took a pole. She went down and out of the
fortress to the Jew, hit him with the pole and killed him.
On her return to the fortress, she said to Hassan, o
down and strip him of his weapons and clothes. I wouio
strip him, but he is a man." Hassan said,' I haveno
to strip him, O daughter of «Abdu'l-Muttal>b. She also

participatedjn the

21
 uqayyah was born almost tweru

R Abe

divorce her.
She Was ™"‘ed <°'Ulbah^
Abu Lahab before her father fir*

7
Utbah lbn
elation. Abu Lahab, the enemy of Allah told h^ r6V‘
' told his son to
Ruqayyah may Allah be pleased with her, accepted
Is am with her mother, Khadijah, and took the oath of
allegiance to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace. Then she married cUthman ibn cAffan in
Makkah and emigrated to Abyssinia and then to Madi-
nah with him. She had become sick with measles during
the period of the Battle of Badr and the Prophet, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, went to Badr and
left cUthman behind to tend Ruqayyah. She died while
the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,
was at Badr, during the month of Ramadan, only seven­
teen months after the emigration of the Prophet to Madi-
nah.
When she died the women cried over her. Lmar came
along and started beating them. The ^ophet may
bless him and grant him peace, gra e h devil

23
 I sWear by Allah that I will never forget you

Adons
And as the
as long the rises
assun ring-necked dove coos.

I cannot imagine one such as me divorcing one like her

Nor one like her being divorced without any reason

She is chaste, religious and noble

uring the early years of Tsbrr, She has a balanced personality and a logical mmd.
aged their husbands to go forward Ten.enC°Ur'
of Islam. These women fike th^ d f°F the Cause After hearing this, Abu Bakr advised his son to take
rageous, strong and thoroughly readv Tre COu_ herback. 'Abdurrahman obeyed his father and they were
sake of truth. The Sahabhjat had perslnaHtieswh’ reunited. 'Atikah remained with him until he was killed
is * by an arrow while out with the Prophet, may Allah bless
him and grant him peace, on the Day of Ta'if.
^Atikah bint lAmr ibn Nafil was one of the most beau­ cAtikah later married 'Umar during his khilafah. Their
tiful women of Quraysh. She married 'Abdurrahman ibn union ended with his death at the hands of an assassin
Abi Bakr, who was extremely fearful of Allah, handsome
and considerate of his parents. 'Abdurrahman was very
much in love with cAtikah. One day his father passed by
and visited him in his home. When he saw how taken coXynt50 -
his son was with cAtikah, he advised him to divorce her, uPset him to see her leaving i / J possessive. It
as she had run away with his reason and overcome his mosque-He appeal to pray the
senses. cAbdurrahman told his father that he was not
able to do it. His father said, "I adjure you to do so."
Since cAbdurrahman was not humanly able to oppose
his father he divorced his wife. However, after the di­ 8A2-zXyr SXX”
vorce, he became extremely unhappy and even stopped ™»X'dbX' f°r Kd
eating and drinking. When Abu Bakr went to him on S-anti p^ Xy A k"« the
Tay, b8ut his son did not even notice hirejea>.«d that
his son was ‘^“y^^^X^tuowing verses:
rahman was lymg in the sun recin g
Sahabiyat

Asm
he story of Asma' bint Abi Bakr is a story of brav­

T
ery, faith and human endeavour. She was one of
the great female companions of the Prophet, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace. Asma' was born
twenty-seven years before the Hijrah. Her father, Abu
Bakr As-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, was
one of a kind. He was one of the vanguard of Islam, first
Khalifcih of the Muslims and one of the best of creation
after the prophets. He was the closest companion of the
Prophet. Qutailah bint cAbdul-TJzza, a Qurayshi lady
from the tribe of Bani cAmir ibn Luwiyah, was Asma's

mother.
Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, was the first
adult in a to
raisedman Muslim Islam. Needless
acceptenvironment As to sav t
Ahn Acrr>a'
daughter, she grew to Hp l- i j Abu Bakr S eldest
in .hr z i ndgeabie-pa,Knt and
Muslims, i„tent upon“'S' She upright
morals, all around her in h« fl,h? T and high
) is hardly surprising that Asma' h ' S house- Certainly, it
1 most figures in fcl became one of the fore.

the Muslim quarter.

I without hesitation Accord pted Isla™ in Makkl fi
Jerusalem

5 ,1Unh« sister, .A-ishah

26
Snhabiyai
Asn* w

noS: and'a^TsHne'? ‘"^gent d 'I 5 the

known about her physical^

she was tall and ant ,.Cal aPPearance Otho is $
? . ... SSSsS. 1
Al-cAwwam mav Alt r?’ She married Az Zi b^ that I

»*** ahundred years. |

part she played in the emigraHon ojh °pBe‘tS' d« >» the •
nah. When the Prophet, may Allah bll ??het tO Madi' Asma' lived a long full life almost^ L
tum peace, and Abu Bakr mav Allah k and §rant fi
him hid in a cave in Mount T/,L wHle^eS/ W‘,h J / narrated «ty®8h‘eacc. She lived to see M

looking for them, Asma' brought food to them Not h"' I Allah bless him and gran hi P icularly turbu- A
her son assume thekhtlafali d P lived t0
ing a strap to tie up the bundle with, she tore her belt or r ^^^ahbepl^ I
girdle, in two and used a half to carry the food
At that time, Abu Bakr took his entire wealth with him (1
which was approximately 5,000 or 6,000 dirhams. After £
Abu Bakr's flight, his father came to inquire after the v
family and their financial situation. He was anxiou for
them. He was blind. Asma' took some stones, co red ?
them with cloth and placed his hands on the bund ■/- ig
ing, "Feel how much he has left to take care of u . it, W
Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, had n< -ft ?
anything with them. She only wanted to reassu w
grandfather about their situation. k

Az-Zubayr was somewhat stern and severe >..rh S

Asma', yet she bore it patiently. Once she complame
her father, and he advised her ““"““‘/woman is |

saying, "O my daughter dP’ d'she does not marry 8

married to a good man wot - incd in Paradise." s
anyone after him, they will be joined in 1 a ,
Asma' was pregnant when they J

29
28
 $

,v ■■■ 'TO'V’^'J'' n the side of

I

g PrisonefS' TA and,alongwithita weddmg-

/■1
aynab was the second child

Z may Allah bless him and graTTO "* ProPh«-

Khadijah, may Allah be J?*™ peace' and
came to marry Abu'l-'As ibn Ar Rahd, Wlth her- She
of Mala bint Khuwaylid Khadiiah^ Was the SOn
§
H
would like W'XdX/ The people at
and return her money t TO sent the money back.
elation, Khadijah
Uh “'‘‘'TO Wh° WaS °f ^wenXe^1?
I
wealthy traders of Makkah. So, the Prophet, may Allah
bless him and grant him peace, married him to his daugh­ -As promised to honour hrs condition. Allah hud macle
ter, Zaynab. 6 |J it clear that a Muslim woman could not be the wife of a
When prophethood descended upon Muhammad, ma W non-Muslim man.
Allah bless him and grant him peace, Khadijah and her M After AbuTAs returned to Makkah, he informed
daughters believed in him and in his message; howevc M Zaynab of his promise to her father and they agreed that
Abu'l-cAs did not convert. The Quraysh went to him an TO their little daughter, Umamah, should go with her. At TO.

told him to divorce Zaynab, promising him any other TO the time, Zaynab was expecting another child. When all
woman he desired. He refused, saying that he did not the preparations had been made for the journey, Abuzl-
TO cAs's brother, Kinanah was sent as an escort. Their plans
want any other woman of Quraysh. The Prophet, may
1 had been kept secret, but they set off in broad daylight
Allah bless him and grant him peace, always used to
speak warmly of him due to the stand he took against
the Quraysh. _ g Muttalib struck at her with hk CAbdu'p
Nevertheless, Islam had made a sPht^etween. a^ re_ 8 camel sedan. Kinanah dismounted?' the
and her husband; but little shariah had as.yet b B Abu Sufyan and some others ask a ° Protect ^er. Then
vealed, so Abu'l-'As and Zaynab “ntin“®a the I ^ematter calmly with them Ab's t0 discuss
Muslim and kafir, wife and husband unhl after the ;
TO mS a ?Stake t0 bring Zaynab n argued ^at it
Pe°Ple WOuld take it L? Publicly.
''-T a Slgn of weakness

31
^nha biya t ' 'L V ‘p'

1 they allowed 7-> fnal"As'salarrl11 "Didy0^

Said that thev di<^ab to le^e in h
h« b'dUthey Want -vengn: ThkeeP h

&
father. Ki^X fe*
returned to Makkah. Shortt Pr°P°sal «d tfe
earned due to the fright L Lh 1 ards' Zaynab V binding ona“.? Receive him «>th
When enough time had "1 L by Hab’r mis- (jenwhid1 a d ughter and said, husband, for
ered sufficiently, Kinanah tXher had ro­ * “?clSnot come to you as
under the cover of night and escorted “*n.tHs,byla«; bu,|,Aswas worried about
valley on the outskirts of Makkah Th Sm aS far as a
YShe told h«fathcr.,ha‘ Hdl he himself had ac
Zaid ibn Harithah who escorted thenX CTL met by the loss of the '’“^‘ fQ^ysh who had entrusted
to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and granum peace quradbybarteronbetalfo U fderedoneofthen,ost
Almost five months after the Battle of Trench, a rich their goods to him. for So the Prophet, may Allah
caravan of Quraysh was returning on its way from Syria,
rtrid Zaid was sent to way lay it with a h’ . r eci and sev­
had taken part in the expedition and had taken the prop
enty men. Zaid and his men captured the < tire caravan
erty of Abu'PAs that, "This man is related to us as you
and most of the men were taken captive As was
know, and you have taken this property of his. If you
among them; however, he managed to ' Never­ should be so good as to return it to him, that would please
theless, as he passed Madinah, he was A. with the me, but if you will not, it is booty which Allah has given
desire to see his former wife and little daughter. So he you, so that you have the better right to it."
entered the city under the cover of night and somehow They said that they would give it back to him and eve­
or other found the house of his former wife. It was near rything was returned, without exception. They noticed
the time of Fajr and when Bilal made the? callI to that there were signs that he had thoughts of entering
Zaynab went into the mosque, leaving^Abu - Asw.*
s am, so one of the men said to him, "Why don't vou
Umamah. After the Prophet may A^h Wess^
grant him peace, said, 14 m”ment of silence and
■XSLy::;Leawbegtan7^xAk xo
peated it after him, t ere - . ut "Q people, I give
Tn this brief moment Zayna^^ (oo „Allahu Ak-
»«‘X7"Shdand «> their
nrotection to Abu 1 As.
bar", and entered into the him and grant him <?2
When the Prophet, my ___

33
Sah»biya^~

him and grant h ’

a^SSE:;:::

;E p~phe‘- Xtehatb-nP^d^°E°- e An intelli"

the Prophet,
shc Edwok'11'"*
led the funeral nravp ess and grant h °r buriaf
grieved deeply for her prayed W her g™^

her, although he was still not a Muslim. She““ “ ’

said to him, "0 Abu Talha, don’tyou know that the lord
that you are worshipping is only stone and cannot harm
or help you? Or it is merely wood brought to you by a
carpenter who has carved it for you. It cannot harm you
or help you. Aren't you ashamed of worshipping this?"
She went on to say, "If you accept Islam, I do not want a
dower from you other than your acceptance of Islam."
Shortly afterwards, Islam descended into the heart of
Abu Talha and he said the Shahadah (he bore witness that
ere is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the
slave and messenger of Allah)
 he A-of PayAllahh U’rl’n‘J‘’ vee^
lr>g the P he Battle „cePteased, .
Peace hP °Phet m tftW,th ,
his shield tKAbu Talh^ A,|ah’t>1fPeopleia':Ported,"0
eXpeHeX^d ^ fronr? anS>i4?
experienced akheAho~ ™ha “ —8
• -- ” .J - ,, ° 11 — w strungwith
ie Prophet and -•**11

j^f^ahSX^ S
e two or three bows,
a quiver full of arrows,
the Prophet —
him, 'Empty
_ -uy TOstarted oiess
it in
looking him
atfrontand grant
of Abu
the enemy him
Talha.'
by peace,
When
raising his
AV --- ger of Allah! her my

n-
your sake! Please don't raise
it visible, in case an arrow of the \ ӣ:s-3sS.-iK5S
y neck and chest be wounded in-
Un™ Sulaim ..,
^ne brought v oresent at the Battle of Uhtd-
wounded. Ana. thirsty and bandaged the
.aton^DayofUhui"^ ■ phet and hi P & few foaVes oft and
JA'ishah, the daugrr
both lifting ther dresses Abu Bakr, and Su
i SXE^*'telwalnotbeenoug
.
ornaments of their legs Tup so tha Hat I was able to see u
waterskins
PeOrterThT\h POU? Wat6r-hey 'ntO were carry °<
(he mouths & >^>y
„. . ' ^appearedonthefaeeofAbuTalha.andtesrid,
p pie. Then they would go back and refill them and
"Some loaves of flat bread and dates. What are we go
return to pour water into the mouths of the thirsty again."
ing to do? The Messenger of Allah has bandaged his
stomachoutofhunger andhis companions are withhim.
Umm Sulaim gave her son, Anas ibn Malik to the Pro­ They have not found enough to satisfy their hunger."
phet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, so that Umm Sulaim was quiet for a moment as she thought,
Anas could serve him. Anas continued to serve the Pro­ then she said, "We will send Anas to the Prophet to in­
phet for ten years and is known as the Servant of the vite him and to inform him of what we have and he can
decide what is the best thing to do"
Prophet. , __
 i

I
Talha was
lol
said, ''The plribarrassed pr

pSheanswered^.,he"' ’ d We don Aran‘h>m

se:xTa?path of A,lah-
P^ph^andAbu Talasi?
* - P^h,' U* Sul€Se^‘if anX
and the Prophet, T%Ci'b'ou8h,±lAtomach.ru
P-ce,Said<' „Bringm( ' V > .
QI
ou^”“dm~
kiH those who flee y at deserve,"
. The Pro-
a „ £ave 111111 what food ;,said, "0
Allah bless him and the Prophet' may
eace, prayed to Allah to
bless it. Then they g r ision to the people to en- Umm Sulaim, surely Allah suffice .
ter group by group < dad all eaten. Next, the
Prophet, may Allah i AbuTalha and Umm Sulaim were later accompanying
d grant him peace, and
the Messenger of Allah on a journey. When the party
his household ate. Yet had eaten, Umm Sulaim
came near Madinah, Umm Sulaim felt labour pains. Abu
and Abu Talha still had food to give to their neighbours.
Talha remained with her and the Messenger of Allah,
Abu Talha and Umm Sulaim had a son. Anas tells us may Allah bless him and grant him peace, carried on
with the rest of the group. Abu Talha said, "0 Lord, You
that one day this son died. Umm Sulaim said to the mem-
know that I love to go along with the Messenger of Allah

bthitUmmSulaimsaid 'Ab„Talh» M "reSp011se

water. She dressed and pe love (Q her then she pah) as 1 „s feeling befoL i ° “*feel <as
,o
not done before. Abu borrow something from
• . "Abu Talha, if some pe p return, would
Ar family and then they she said,'Tn-teU.
another hum?" He said, _ „ He was annoyed
about the

3 39
 1Q<3^
si/ml'twt

Allah bless him and grant him peace, tomorrow morn­

ing.' And when it was morning I carried the baby and
went with him to the Messenger of Allah. He said, may
Allah bless him and grant him peace, 'This is perhaps
the one Umm Sulaim has given birth to.' I said, 'Yes.' I
brought the child to him and placed him in his lap and
the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant
him peace, asked that cAjwa dates of Madinah be brought
and he softened them in his mouth. When these had be­
come palatable, he placed them in the mouth of the baby.
The baby began to taste them. So the Messenger of Allah,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'See what
love the Ansar have for dates.' Then he wiped his face
and named him cAbdullah."

Umm Sulaim was an example of courage, faith, con­

tentment, and wisdom in all spheres, whether on the bat­
tlefield of war or in everyday life. The Messenger of
Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said
about her, "I entered Paradise and heard the noise of
steps. I asked, 'Who is it?' They said, 'She is Ghumaisa,
the daughter of Milhan, the mother of Anas ibn Malik.'"

40
 /4 iA
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