Sacrifices of the Muslim Women

Sacrifices of the Muslim Women

When we look at the early seerah of our beloved Messenger Muhammad ﷺ, we see the example of the first man, Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه. The first woman to accept Islam, Khadija رضي الله عنها. The first child, Ali. The first slave, Bilal رضي الله عنه. The first freed slave, Zayd ibn Harithah.

And so when we see the early Muslims, we come to a conclusion that the responsibility of Islam does not solely lie upon just the men and the elders. But Islam is a universal religion, a diverse religion — a religion that expects responsibility from every single individual. And that also includes the Muslim women.

Believing Men and Believing Women

Allah عز و جل says:

The believing men and the believing women — they are allies to one another. And what do you expect from them, Ya Allah? They command good and they forbid evil. Not just men — women as well. They establish the prayer, they give zakah — not just men, women as well. And they obey Allah and His Messenger — these are all qualities that are expected not just of men, but of women as well.

Allah عز و جل also says:

And our beloved Messenger Muhammad ﷺ taught us:

That women are counterparts of men. (Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 236; Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 113)

So just as men have rights, women have rights. Just as men have responsibility, women have responsibility. And just as men get reward for the actions that they do, women also get reward for the actions that they do.

The Example of the Sahabiyyat

And when we look at the example of the sahabiyyat — the greatest females to live, رضي الله عنهم — we ask Allah to be pleased with all of the sahabah. We see from the early example of the seerah, Khadija رضي الله عنها, who was there for the Prophet ﷺ and believed in him when people disbelieved in him.

(Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 24864; reported by the Prophet ﷺ about Khadija رضي الله عنها)

When the Prophet ﷺ had no support, she was there. When the Prophet ﷺ was being belied and rejected, she was there believing in him and was there as his pillar ﷺ.

Sumayyah — The First Martyr in Islam

And when we look at the example of Sumayyah رضي الله عنها — the first shaheedah in Islam — the first one to ever be martyred in the path of Allah was a woman.

The Three Hijrahs

And we see this throughout the seerah of our beloved Messenger Muhammad ﷺ. We see this in the three different migrations, the three hijrahs as well. You have the first to Abyssinia where four women were also part of those that did the hijrah. And from them was the daughter of Rasulullah ﷺ with her husband Uthman, Ruqayya رضي الله عنها, where the Prophet ﷺ was pleased with their hijrah.

And he said: صَاحَبَهُمُ اللَّهُ — May Allah be in their company. And that Uthman رضي الله عنه is the first to travel with his family after Lut عليه السلام. And from those first people to migrate to Habesha was also Umm Salama, who later married the Prophet ﷺ as well.

And we see in the second migration to Habesha, 11 women participated. Eleven women left their homes. They sacrificed just as the men sacrificed. They worked for the pleasure of Allah just as the men worked.

The Pledge of Aqabah

And we see towards the end of the Meccan seerah at the Pledge of Aqabah, where they literally put their lives on the line in order to plan for the next steps for the Prophet ﷺ to come and do the hijrah to Medina. From them were two women who pledged their lives and their wealth for Rasulullah ﷺ.

The Hijrah of the Prophet ﷺ

And when the Prophet ﷺ himself was planning to do the hijrah — كل عام وأنتم بخير — of course, it is a new year, alhamdulillah. May Allah accept from us our actions, our righteous actions of the year prior. And may He allow us to fulfill our goals and aspirations in the coming year. Ameen.

The Prophet ﷺ did not make a public announcement in regards to his hijrah. He kept it secret. He told four people — two of them were women: Aisha رضي الله عنها and Asma رضي الله عنها. He entrusted women. He gave them responsibility ﷺ.

Asma bint Abi Bakr — Dhat al-Nitaqayn

And at a time where the Prophet ﷺ in his hijrah was seeking refuge in the cave with Abu Bakr رضي الله عنه — who came to give him food? Who came to give him drink? It was no man. It was Asma رضي الله عنها. And she did so towards the end of her pregnancy. Imagine a pregnant woman carrying her child, walking through the difficult and mountainous terrain to climb up and deliver food to Rasulullah ﷺ. Why did she do this except because of love of Allah and His Messenger ﷺ?

And when the Prophet ﷺ saw her — she had taken her waist belt and cut it in two to be able to carry the water and also the food — the Prophet ﷺ titled her ذَاتُ النِّطَاقَيْن, that Allah will bless her with two belts in Jannah and that she will be from the people of Jannah.

Umm Salama — A Year of Separation

And when we look at the example of the family of Salama and how much sacrifice Umm Salama had to go through — where Abu Salama had mounted himself, his wife, and his child, and for those parents with children, imagine yourself in this situation — he was mounted on his camel, ready to go and join the Prophet ﷺ in the hijrah.

And the family and clan of Banu Makhzum of Umm Salama refused to let him go with their daughter. "You can go yourself — that is not our problem. But you are not taking our daughter. She is from our tribe, she is from our clan. We are not letting her go."

As the Arabs said:

The oppression of those close to you is far more painful to a person than the strike of a sharpened Indian sword. (Arabic proverb cited in classical literature)

The zulm, the oppression that can occur from a family member, is far more painful — as the Arabs said — than even a sharp sword penetrating you. And this is exactly what Umm Salama went through: oppression from her own people. She was separated and dragged away from Abu Salama.

And when the family and clan of Abu Salama saw this, they said: "If you are going to take the wife away, there is no way we are going to let you take our son. We are not letting you take the child." And so both tribes — of Abu Salama and of Umm Salama — are fighting over their child, pulling in this direction and pulling in that direction. And she witnesses her child's shoulder being dislocated.

And Abu Salama — imagine as a father — the feeling of being separated from your wife, separated from your child who is being injured and harmed and wronged, and you are going with tears to the hijrah, going in tears to join Rasulullah ﷺ. This was the sacrifice of the Sahabah.

And imagine Umm Salama being torn away from her husband, torn away from her child — literally the child was taken and prevented from her for an entire year — where she would go to the plain of Abtah and cry every single day, morning to evening, over the grief and depression she was facing, being separated from her husband and her child, every single day for a year.

Until finally, a man from her own clan showed her some remorse, some mercy. He said: "What is this miskina going to do anyway? Let her go with her family." And they let her go after an entire year of sacrifice, an entire year of suffering.

And Umm Salama then goes, and because Banu Asad — the tribe of Abu Salama — now see her, they let the child go so that they can all join Abu Salama in Medina. And she now mounts herself and her child. Imagine: from Mecca to Medina, as a woman by herself with her child. How would she take that journey — a month's journey — where there could be bandits, animals, different forms of danger? And yet she still wanted to do it.

Uthman ibn Talha — A Man of Chivalry

And when she reached the outskirts of Mecca, there was a man who was not a Muslim — but he was a man with the character of a Muslim. He became Muslim later, and he was entrusted with the keys of the Kaabah: Uthman ibn Talha رضي الله عنه.

He had not yet accepted Islam, but he was a man of chivalry. He was a man who could not bear seeing a woman taking that journey by herself with no company. And so he himself did not allow Umm Salama to travel except that he was there to accompany her and make sure she arrived safely.

Umm Salama described: "I had not ever traveled with anyone more honorable than Uthman, more noble than Uthman. Whenever Umm Salama would mount on her camel, he would turn his gaze away. And whenever she would dismount, he would turn his gaze away. And whenever she would rest on that month-long journey, he would make sure that she rested in one area while he rested elsewhere."

Did he do this for some wealth? Did he do this for some benefit? No — because he was a man who knew how to honor women. And Uthman ibn Talha, when he reached there, did not go to Abu Salama and expect a prize, a reward, or thanks. He simply ensured that she reached safely and then returned back.

This was the sacrifice of the Sahabah رضي الله عنهم. When we see how Islam spread across the lands, it was not except through character like this, through sacrifice like this — the example of Uthman ibn Talha.

And I ask my men today: where is that chivalry today in the men of the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ? Where is that care for our mothers? Where is that care for our sisters and daughters?

And for the sisters — look at the examples of Khadija رضي الله عنها, and Sumayyah رضي الله عنها, and Umm Sulaym — who the Prophet ﷺ himself told "take it easy, take it easy" when she herself carried a dagger in the Battle of Uhud and was fighting off the enemies of Allah while she was pregnant. This is how Islam spread. And if we want Islam to return to izzah, this is the sacrifice that is required, my dear brothers.

We ask Allah to be pleased with all of the Sahabah.

Al-Khansa — From Mourning to Glory

My dear brothers and sisters, we spoke about the great sacrifice of the Muslim women of this Ummah, specifically in regards to the Hijrah. I will leave you with one more example: the example of al-Khansa رضي الله عنها — this was her title before Islam. She was at the time of Rasulullah ﷺ a sahabiyyah jalilah, a great lady, رضي الله عنها — Sayyida رضي الله عنها.

Al-Khansa before Islam — at the loss of her brother — would give poetry after poetry, mourning the loss of her brother. Now you may ask: what was so special about this brother of hers that would make her cry tears and sing poetry for him for years to come?

Because her husband was not supportive — he would lose all of their wealth in drinking and gambling. And when she needed support, she would go to her brother, and he would take all of his wealth, split it in half, and say: "Take whatever you want." Where are the brothers to their sisters today? Where are the brothers and their ikram, their generosity, and their care towards their own blood sisters today?

And she would say about her brother Sakhr:

(From the poetry of al-Khansa رضي الله عنها about her brother Sakhr)

That even at times of great difficulty he was the most generous. Even in the wintertime he would sacrifice camels. That is what she said about her brother.

After Islam — At the Battle of Qadisiyyah

After Islam, she completely changed رضي الله عنها. At the Battle of Qadisiyyah, she went to her four sons — her sons, her own blood — and she gave them a fiery speech. She told them: "When you go into battle, you march in, and you go in strong."

And when she found out the next day — and of course the Muslims won; we know what happened in the Battle of Qadisiyyah — all four of her sons were martyred. That same woman who had sung poetry mourning her brother now said:

All praise is due to Allah — the One who honored me with their martyrdom. And I ask Allah to gather me with them under His mercy.

And this is exactly the statement of every mother in Gaza: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ. All praise is due to Allah — the One who honored me with the martyrdom of my children. الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ is the statement of every mother who has no support of brother, father, or son, and she is working and taking care of herself. الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ.

A Call to Action

My dear brothers — let us not be like the example of Abu Jahl who slapped Asma رضي الله عنها, but rather be like Uthman ibn Talha who was there to support, and like the example of Sakhr — even though it was prior to Islam — who was there to support the women in his life.

We ask Allah to allow us to sacrifice, Ya Rabb, in His path, in His religion.