7 NOVEMBER 2003

.: THE Female companions radhiallahu `anhum :.

1. She was one of the first among the Ansar to embrace Islam. Her husband left her as a result and later on passed away. She was approached for marriage by one of the richest and most handsome men of Madeenah who was then not a Muslim. She agreed to marry him only if he embraced Islam and said that this would be her mahr and nothing more. Who was this noble lady?

She was Umm Sulaym bint Milhan, radhiallahu `anha, mother of Anas bin Malik radhiallahu `anhu

She was married to Malik ibn Nadar, and bore him a son, Anas. She remained steadfast as a Muslim even though her husband was angry with her and left her. He died shortly thereafter. Later, she was approached by Abu Talhah, one of the richest, strongest and best-looking men of Madeenah, for marriage. She did not rush to accept his offer, however. It was narrated that Anas said: “Abu Talhah married Umm Sulaym, and the dowry between them was Islam. Umm Sulaym had become Muslim before Abu Talhah. He proposed marriage to her and she said, ‘I have become Muslim; if you become Muslim I will marry you.’ So he became Muslim and that was the dowry between them.” (al-Nasaa’i, 3288; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan al-Nasaa’i, 3133).

Umm Sulaym was present when the Muslims were victorious in Makkah and when they were tested at Hunayn. She was promised Paradise - the Messenger of Allah sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said, "I entered Paradise, and heard footsteps. I said, 'Who is this?' and they told me, 'It is al-Ghumaysa', the daughter of Milhan, the mother of Anas ibn Malik.'" [Muslim]

2. Allah conveyed greetings of salaam to this lady through Jibril `alayhis salaam and the Messenger sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam. She was promised a house of pearls in Jannah. Name this lady.

She was Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, radhiallahu `anha, the first wife of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu` alayhi wa sallam. Abu Hurairah radhiallahu `anhu narrated: "Jibril came to the Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam and said: 'O Messenger of Allah, Khadijah is coming to you with vessels containing food and drink. When she comes to you, convey to her the greeting of salam from her Lord and from me, and give her the glad tidings of a palace made of Qasab in Paradise, in which there is no noise or hard work.'" [Bukhari & Muslim]

She was the first to embrace Islam and supported her husband through hardship after hardship. Her death was a big blow to the Messenger of Allah. He continued to remember and honour her as well as her friends till he died. Narrated `Aisha radhiallahu `anha: "I did not feel jealous of any of the wives of the Prophet as much as I did of Khadijah (although) she died before he married me, for I often heard him mentioning her, and Allah had told him to give her the good tidings that she would have a palace of Qasab (i.e. pipes of precious stones and pearls in Paradise), and whenever he slaughtered a sheep, he would send her women-friends a good share of it." [Bukhari]

She is said to be one of the best women - The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) drew four lines and said, "Do you know what these are?" They said, "Allah and His Messenger know best." He said, "The best women of Paradise are Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid, Faatimah bint Muhammad, Maryam bint 'Imraan and Aasiyah bint Muzahim, the wife of Fir'awn." [Silsilat al-Hadith as-Saheehah, 4/13, no. 1508, from Ahmad at-Tahhaawi, al-Haakim from Ibn 'Abbaas, saheeh]

3. She was considered `Aisha's radhiallahu `anha 'rival' among the other wives of the Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam, but during the incident of al-ifk [the slander], she spoke well of `Aishah. She is said to be the one with the "longest hand", the first of the wives to join the Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam (after death). Who was she?

She was Zainab bint Jahsh radhiallahu `anha.

`Aishah radhiallahu `anha spoke about when she was slandered - "The Messenger of Allah sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam asked Zaynab bint Jahsh concerning me, saying: 'O Zaynab, what did you see? What have you learnt?' She said, 'O Messenger of Allah, I protect my hearing and my sight (by refraining from telling lies). I know nothing but good about her.'" Then `Aishah said: "She is the one who was my main rival, but Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala protected her (from telling lies) because of her piety." [Fath al-Bari, 8/455, Kitab al-tafsir, bab law la idh sami'timuhu zann al-mu'minina wa'l-mu'minat bi anfusihim khayran [al-Nur 24:12]]

`Aishah also said of Zaynab: "She was the one who was somewhat equal in rank with me in the eyes of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam. I have never seen a woman better in piety than Zaynab, or more fearing of Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala, or more true in speech, or more faithful in upholding the ties of kinship, or more generous in giving charity, or humble enough to work with her hands in order to earn money that she could spend for the sake of Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala. However, she was hot-tempered and quick to anger, but she would soon cool down and then take the matter no further." [Muslim]

Zainab radhiallahu `anha was the most generous of the Prophet's wives in giving freely and doing good deeds. According to a hadith narrated by Imam Muslim from `Aishah radhiallahu `anha, the Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam told his wives about Zaynab: "The first of you to join me (after death) will be the one who has the longest hand." `Aishah said: "They began to measure their hands against one another to see who had the longest hand, and the one who had the longest hands of all of us was Zaynab, because she used to work with her hands and give charity from her earnings." [Muslim]

4. The beginning of Surah al-Mujadilah was revealed concerning this woman and her husband. He had pronounced the Zihar on her - "You are like my mother's back to me." (i.e., you are unlawful to me for cohabitation just like my mother.) Who was she?

She was Khuwaylah bint Tha'labah radhiallahu `anha.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Khuwaylah bint Tha'labah said, "By Allah! Allah sent down the beginning of Surah al-Mujadilah in connection with me and `Aws bin as-Samit. He was my husband and had grown old and difficult. One day, he came to me and I argued with him about something and he said, out of anger, 'You are like my mother's back to me.' He went out and sat with some of his people. Then he came back and wanted to have sexual intercourse with me. I said, 'No, by the One in Whose Hand is the soul of Khuwaylah! You will not have your way with me after you said what you said, until Allah and His Messenger issue judgement about your case.' He wanted to have his way regardless of my choice and I pushed him away from me; he was an old man.

"I next went one of my neighbours and borrowed a garment from her and went to the Messenger of Allah sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam. I told him what happened and kept complaining to him of the ill treatment I received from `Aws. He said, 'O Khuwaylah! Your cousin is an old man, so have taqwa of Allah regarding him.' By Allah! Before I departed, parts of the Qur`an were revealed about me. Allah's messenger sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam felt the hardship of receiving the revelation as he usually did and then became relieved. He said to me, 'O Khuwaylah! Allah has revealed something about you and your spouse.'

"He recited to me, 'Indeed Allah has heard the statement of her that disputes with you concerning her husband, and complains to Allah. And Allah hears the argument between you both. Verily Allah is All-Hearer and All-Seer.' until 'And for the disbelievers, there is a painful torment.' [58:1-4]

"He, sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam them said to me, 'Command him to free a slave.' I said, 'O Allah's Messenger! He does not have any to free!' He said, 'Let him fast for 2 consecutive months.' I said, 'By Allah! He is an old man and cannot fast.' He said, 'Let him feed 60 poor people a wasq of dates.' I said, 'O Allah's Messenger! He does not have any of that.' He sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam said, 'We will help him with a basket of dates.' I said, 'And I, O Allah's Messenger! I will help him with another. He said, 'You have done a righteously good thing. So go and give away the dates on his behalf and take care of your cousin.' I did that." [Ahmad]

She was highly respected - she met `Umar al-Khattab radhiallahu `anhu one day outside the mosque, when al-Jarud al-`Abdi was with him. `Umar, who was the khalifah at that time, greeted her, and she said to him, "O `Umar, I remember you when you were called `Umayr in the marketplace of `Ukaz, taking care of the sheep with your stick. So fear Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala in your role as khalifah taking care of the people, and know that the one who fears the threat of punishment in the Hereafter realises that it is not far away, and the one who fears death fears missing some opportunity in this life." Al-Jarud said, "You have spoken too harshly to Amir al-Mu'minin, woman!" `Umar said, "Let her be. Do you not know that this is Khawlah, to whose words Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala listened from above the seven heavens? By Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala, `Umar should by rights listen to her."

Ibn Kathir mentions in his Tafsir that a man said to `Umar, when he saw him welcoming her warmly and listening to her, "You left a man of Quraysh to come to this old woman?" `Umar said, "Woe to you! Do you not know who this is?" The man said, "No." `Umar said, "This is a woman whose complaint Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala listened to from above the seven heavens: this is Khawlah bint Tha`labah. By Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala, if she did not leave me until night fell, I would not tell her to leave until she had got what she came for, unless the time for prayer came, in which case I would pray, and then come back to her until she had got what she came for."

5. This lady and her husband were among the first to embrace Islam and migrated to Abyssinia and later to Madeenah. Her husband was seriously wounded at Uhud and later passed away. She recited the du`aa: "Innaa lillaahi wa inna ilayhi raaji’oon. Allahumma ajurni fi museebati wakhluf li khayran minha (Verily to Allah we belong and unto Him is our return. O Allah, reward me for my calamity and compensate me with something better than it.)" and true enough was later married to one who was better. Who was she?

She was Umm Salamah radhiallahu `anha and the person whom she married after Abu Salamah had died was none other than the Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam.

Muslim narrated in his Saheeh that Umm Salamah said: I heard the Messenger of Allah sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam say, "There is no Muslim who is afflicted with a calamity and says that which Allah has enjoined, Innaa lillaahi wa inna ilayhi raaji’oon. Allahumma ajurni fi museebati wakhluf li khayran minha (Verily to Allah we belong and unto Him is our return. O Allah, reward me for my calamity and compensate me with something better than it), but Allah will compensate him with something better than it." She said, "When Abu Salamah died, I said, 'Who among the Muslims is better than Abu Salamah, the first household to migrate to the Messenger of Allah sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam?'" Then I said these words, and Allah compensated me with the Messenger of Allah sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam.

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