They
were sparkling gems in their own times, and
they continue to glisten beyond their age with
everlasting appeal. Each of these women was a
legend in her own right. They were all
declared the best of women by the Last Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him). What were
the special characteristics these illustrious
women had and how can we follow in their
footsteps?
What
are the most famous women of today celebrated
for? The women we see being held up as role
models for modern woman include actresses,
singers, footballers WAGs (wives and
girlfriends) and glamorous models. They are
all celebrated for their physical appeal. It
is rare that a woman is considered
'successful' for other than what is
superficial and then when she ages and her
physical beauty fades, she will fall out of
favor with the media and younger women will
replace her as the icons of their era.
However,
Almighty Allah shows us in His book that a
woman is so much more than just the outer
shell that is her body. Our history is replete
with examples of great women who were gems of
their times and whose sparkling appeal remains
timeless. Islam tells us that the people who
are truly successful are those who have
integrity, who fulfill the purpose of their
creation and rise to the challenges that are
presented to them throughout life with
firmness, thereby gaining the pleasure of
their Creator and everlasting success in the
next life.
Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)
said in an authentic hadith:
"The best women of the
women of Paradise are Khadijah bint Khuwaylid,
Fatimah bint Muhammad, Maryam bint `Imran, and
Asiyah bint Muzahim (the wife of the
Pharaoh)."
(Ahmad)
Almighty
Allah specifically mentions two of these great
women in the Qur'an as role models for
believing men and women. In Surat At-Tahrim
Almighty Allah says:
(And
Allah has set forth an example for those
who believe: The wife of Pharaoh, when she
said: "My Lord! Build for me a home
with you in Paradise, and save me from the
Pharaoh and his actions, and save me from
the people who are oppressors.
And Maryam, the daughter
of Imran who guarded her chastity. And we
breathed into the sleeve of her garment
through our Ruh, and she testified to the
truth of the words of her Lord and
believed in His books and was of those who
are obedient to Allah)
(At-Tahrim 66:11-12)
What
were the characteristics that made them worthy
of this acknowledgement? What made Almighty
Allah and His Messenger single out these women
above all others? And more importantly, how
can we benefit and learn from their examples?
They Immediately Affirmed the
Truth
The
four greatest women immediately submitted to
the truth and to the commands of Almighty
Allah, without any hesitation. We see from
their stories that Maryam accepted the huge
task that Almighty Allah had given her. She
underwent pregnancy and childbirth by herself,
unsupported by a man and then she presented
her child to the people who would inevitably
accuse her of being unchaste.
Khadijah
accepted Islam immediately and was the first
Muslim. When the Prophet (peace and blessings
be upon him) returned from Mount Noor having
received the first revelation from Angel
Jibreel, it was Khadijah who immediately
accepted his message and believed in him even
though he himself was shaken by the event.
Lesson I:
Today, there is a culture amongst us of '
fatwa shopping'. In other words, when an
Islamic ruling makes us feel uncomfortable,
instead of saying 'we hear and we obey', we
just go and ask someone who has another
opinion until we find the opinion that
coincides with our desires. We must become
women who, when faced with the truth in any
matter, sincerely accept it and submit without
hesitation.
Their Strong Relationship With
Almighty Allah
Their
knowledge of Almighty Allah and His attributes
brought them close to Him. When the Prophet
(peace and blessings be upon him) returned
from the Cave of Hira, fearing something bad
had happened to him, Khadijah knew that
Almighty Allah would never forsake him. She
said: "Allah would never humiliate you,
for you are good to your relatives, you are
true to your word, you help those who are in
need, you support the weak, you feed the guest
and you answer the call of those who are in
distress." She knew that Almighty Allah
is just and does not humiliate the righteous.
Asiyah
knew, when Pharaoh was torturing her to turn
her away from her faith, that Almighty Allah
could hear her cries and her du`aa’. She
asked Almighty Allah to build for her, with
Him a house in Paradise. Throughout her
ordeal, Almighty Allah showed her the house in
Paradise, which made her smile, just as she
was being martyred at the hands of her
husband.
Maryam
had such a close relationship with her Lord
that he would provide her with the fruits of
summer in winter and the fruits of winter in
summer. When Prophet Zakariyyah (peace be on
him) saw this he asked her from where she got
the food. She answered, [This
is from Allah. Verily, Allah provides
sustenance to whomsoever He wills without
limit.]
(Aal `Imran 3:737)
Lesson II:
If we are to draw close to Almighty Allah we
too must have correct knowledge of Him and His
names and attributes and mention Him often
through dhikr. If we remember Him much in
times of ease, only then we will be able to
remember Him in times of difficulty.
They Submitted to Allah
Almighty
Allah describes the true believing women as
being obedient and He described Maryam in
particular as having the characteristic of
obedience. Almighty Allah says in Surat Aal
`Imran,verse 43:
[O
Maryam! Submit yourself with obedience
(Uqnuti) to your Lord and prostrate yourself,
and bow down along with those who bow down.]
(Aal `Imran 3:43)
This
means to stand for long periods of time in
prayer and this was a particular
characteristic of Maryam and Fatima. It also
means to be devoutly obedient and to submit to
Almighty Allah.
Lesson III:
We must become true worshippers of Almighty
Allah, not only striving to establish our
prayers, but striving to concentrate and to
lengthen our prayers, in particular, the Night
Prayer (Tahajjud). We must have soft hearts
that accept Allah's commands and obey Him with
devotion.
They Supported the Believing
Men in Their Lives
Asiyah
saved baby Musa from Pharoah, brought him up
and believed in him. Maryam was pivotal to the
message of `Isa and she brought him to the
people as a sign from Almighty Allah. Fatima
defended her father when the idolaters in
Makkah threw the blood and intestines of a
dead camel on her father's back while he was
praying. She removed the filth and stood up to
the men who had attacked her father, only to
be slapped in the face by Abu Jahl.
Khadijah
stood by the Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him) and spent her wealth for the sake of
his message. She endured the difficult period
of the boycott when the Muslims and their
supporters were forced to dwell in a valley
away from the people of Makkah and were
refused food or trade. The Muslims used to eat
leaves due to their extreme state of poverty.
Khadijah endured these hardships and stood by
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Lesson IV:
We must support our men folk and help them to
be 'real men'. We must stand by them in times
of difficulty and strengthen them when they
feel weak in their faith. A woman can have an
amazing effect on a man's self-esteem and
confidence. In sha’ Allah, we will be
rewarded for helping our men to be better
servants of Almighty Allah.
They Had Courage
Fatima
was often seen in the wars that the Muslims
fought. She used to treat the wounded and she
stood up to Abu Jahl when he attacked the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Maryam had the courage to bring `Isa to her
people after her difficult ordeal. She knew
they would accuse her of being unchaste, yet
she bravely obeyed Allah's command. Khadijah
had the courage to follow and encourage the
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in
his mission even though she endured hardship
because of it. Asiyah courageously stood up to
Pharoah, the greatest tyrant of that time and
refused to become a disbeliever.
Lesson V:
We have to be prepared to do difficult things
in our lives. We must have the courage to
speak out to defend the oppressed and to tell
people about Islam without compromising it and
we must be prepared to sacrifice anything for
the sake of the truth.
They had Istiqamah and Sabr
Istiqamah
means to stand firm upon the straight path and
sabr is patient perseverance. In other words,
they tenaciously held on to the truth
regardless of what might happen.
Asiyah
remained firm on the faith of Musa throughout
her torture and martyrdom. Maryam remained
patient when facing her peoples' accusations
and throughout the tests she faced. Khadijah
and Fatima endured the three-year boycott that
was imposed on them and patiently bore the
persecution of Makkah and retained their
faith.
Lesson VI:
We live in a time when we need Istiqamah. We
need to stay true to the message of Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and
not be tempted to compromise our faith to
appease other people. This means we will have
to be patient and sometimes people will be
displeased with us, but ultimately we will
have pleased Almighty Allah and He will grant
us success.
They Had Tawakkul
(Reliance Upon Allah)
When
she was being persecuted for worshipping
Almighty Allah, Asiyah's reliance on Almighty
Allah made her stay firm on her faith and not
yield under the intense pressure. Fatima faced
poverty and physical hardship after her
marriage to `Ali to the point that her hands
became rough and her face changed color due to
the physically demanding work she had to do.
Despite this she was not allowed to receive
zakah and was not granted a servant when she
wanted one. Instead the Prophet (peace and
blessings be upon him) taught her and `Ali to
say ' subhan Allah’ 33 times and al-hamdu
lillah 33 times and ' Allahu Akbar’ 34
times. He reminded them that Almighty Allah
was the One who would make things easier for
them so they should put all their trust in
Him. All four women were able to persevere
through the tests they faced due to their
reliance upon Almighty Allah and the knowledge
that He would rectify their affairs.
Lesson VII:
We must learn to truly put our trust in
Almighty Allah and trust that after we have
done our part, He will make everything turn
out right as long as we are conscious of Him.
They Were not Attached to the
Worldly Life
The
Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) once
told Fatima to remove the gold bangles she was
wearing as he wanted to teach her not to
desire this life. She immediately removed the
bangles and gave them away in charity.
Khadijah spent her wealth in supporting the
da`wah during the Makkan period. She gave up
her status as one of the most noble and
esteemed women of the Quraish in order to
stand by the Prophet (peace and blessings be
upon him).
Asiyah
could have had a life of luxury as she was
married to the richest and most powerful man
in the world. However, she gave up the
material delights she could have enjoyed if
she had complied with Pharaoh's wishes. She
chose what was with Allah over this worldly
life.
Lesson VIII:
We must be willing to give up all we have for
the sake of Almighty Allah. We must avoid
joining in the race to have the best and
latest commodities and realize that what is
with Almighty Allah is so much more.
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