FATIMA BINT QAYS

Fatima bint Qays was a Companion of the Prophet ﷺ  from Quraish and was among the early emigrants to Madinah. She was a jurist and a teacher and has narrated hadith from the Prophet ﷺ. She is most famous for two hadith, one about the Anti-Christ and another one that created a lot of controversy because it goes against the Quran.

Her first husband was killed in the first jihad. As soon as her waiting period was over, she started going to the mosque whenever she heard the athan. She narrated this story. “I was in the row of women. When the Messenger of God ﷺ  finished his prayer, he sat on the pulpit and he was smiling. Then he said, ‘Let everyone remain in his place’. Then he asked, ‘Do you know why I have gathered you?’ They said, ‘God and his Messenger ﷺ  know best.’ He said, ‘By God, I have not gathered you for anything you desire or for anything that you fear. Rather, I have gathered you because Tamim Al Dari, who was a Christian, came, pledged allegiance and embraced Islam, and told me a story which confirms what I have been telling you about Anti-Christ.’” Fatima then narrated the whole story of Tamim and she is well known for this hadith about the Anti-Christ.

Fatima is also famous for another hadith that caused a lot of controversy. According to the hadith, she says that a divorced woman has no right of accommodation and living expenses from her husband during iddah, the waiting period before the end of which she cannot remarry. She says that when her husband divorced her, he sent his agent with some barley to provide for her expenses. She didn’t like that and went to the Prophetﷺ  and told him about her situation. The Prophet ﷺ  replied, “You expenses are not an obligation on him.”

There are so many jurists among the Companions and scholars who have refused this hadith, even though it was technically sahih. Jurists like Omar ibn Al Khattab, Abdullah ibn Masud, Zaid ibn Thabit, Aishah (RA), and many others believe this hadith goes against the Quran. Even later scholars such as Ibrahim Al Nakhai, Sufyan Al Thawri, Abu Hanifah and his students, and other scholars in Kufa are siding with the scholarly opinion that it contradicts the Quran.

The verse in the Quran that they are referring to is:

{Oh Prophet! When you [men] divorce women, divorce them for their iddah, and count their iddah [accurately] and be wary of God, your Lord. Do not force them from their homes, nor should they leave [of their own accord], except in the case of blatant indecency (fahishah). And those are the bounds of God [..] You [the one divorcing his wife] do not know-it may be that God will later bring about some new affair [i.e. some reconciliation or eventual re-marriage]. […] Lodge them [divorced wives] where you dwell, according to your means, and do not be hurtful to them so you constrain them [forcing them to leave]. And if they are pregnant, then spend on them until they deliver their burdens. Then if they breast-fed the children for you, give them their due payment, and consult each the normal way (bil maruf). {Quran –Surat Al Talaq-65. 1,6}

The scholars maintain, according to the Quran, that a divorced woman has the right of accommodation and expenses, whether the divorce is final or provisional, and whether she is pregnant or not. Umar ibn Al Khattab said, “We are not to leave the Book of our Lord and Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ  for the word of a woman when we do not know for certain whether she preserved the matter fully or not.”

However, despite Umar’s strong objection to the hadith, he did not get in the way of her narrating it or other hadith in her teachings. There was a deep respect for the knowledgeable women of the time and their authority and no one was prevented from transmitting knowledge and understanding of the religion.

Aishah (RA) also critized Fatima for narrating this hadith and said that the ruling of the Prophet’s ﷺ  answer to her was based on some danger to Fatima for staying at her in-laws house. Other scholars over the years have said that maybe her hadith referred to women divorced finally and not provisionally. Other scholars said that maybe the Quranic verse meant the right of accommodation and Fatima’s hadith meant the women had no right of maintenance. Allahu A’lam (Allah knows best).

Nevertheless, Fatima was still able to teach and continued to narrate this hadith. Because of the senior rank her knowledge gave her, she was able to override some court decisions. Fatima bint Qays was an extremely respected teacher and used to travel as far as Iraq to spread knowledge about Islam.

Nadwī, Muḥammad Akram Al-. Al-Muḥaddithāt: The Women Scholars in Islam. Oxford [etc.: Interface Publications, 2007. Print.

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Zainab bint Mohammed ﷺ

Zainab was born into a happy home. She was the daughter of the most noble man, Mohammed ﷺ, and his noble wife, Khadejah (RA) and the oldest girl of seven children. When Zainab reached the age of marriage, her cousin Abu al As ibn Rabee, a wise, well known merchant whose conversations and jokes Zainab really enjoyed, asked for her hand. He himself was fascinated by her and never failed to notice her when he would visit his aunt Khadejah (RA). The Prophet ﷺ listened attentively to Abu al As but told him the decision was not his to make. He went to Zainab and asked what her opinion was and if she was interested too. She nodded shyly. The Prophet ﷺ smiled and understood her.

Zainab and Abu al As were married and live a happy life together. They had two children, Ali and Umamah, the Prophet’s ﷺ first grandchildren. As a merchant, Abu al As would travel a lot, often being gone for days on end, which was always difficult for Zainab.

During one of Abu al As’s long journeys, something happened back home that would shake the stability of Zainab and Abu al As’s marriage. Mohammed ﷺ was called to prophethood and Zainab, her mother and sisters were among the first to follow him. When Zainab’s husband came home, she told him about what happened, which he had also heard from other people on the road. However, Abu al As did not immediately pledge allegiance to Islam, like Zainab thought he would. “I have nothing against your father, and nothing would be dearer to me than following the same path with you, my dear. But I would hate for people to say that I have disappointed my clan by disbelieving in the deities of my ancestors in order to please my wife. Can you please excuse me?” Zainab did, but that night neither of them could sleep or any of the nights following. The bliss that filled their household was replaced by anxiety, tension and sorrow.

Years passed and the Muslims suffered through the years of boycott and endured the migration. Zainab didn’t migrate with her sisters but stayed at home with her husband and children because she was awaiting Allah’s decision on her situation. Later at the time of the Battle of Badr, Abu al As fought with Quraysh against the Muslims and was taken captive at the end of the battle. When the Prophet ﷺ saw that his son in law was one of the captives, he took him to the side and told all the guards to treat the captives well. Zainab back home was in such an emotional state. She wanted to ransom out her husband and was thinking about her father’s concerns as well. She decided to use a necklace her mother gave her on her wedding day as a ransom (bail) and had her brother in law take it over to where the captives where.

When the Prophet ﷺ saw the necklace he started to weep because it reminded him of Khadejah (RA). He asked the Muslims if they wouldn’t mind if they released Abu al As and also returned the necklace to Zainab. They agreed. He then turned to Abu al As and asked him to bring Zainab to him.  When Abu al As returned home, Zainab was overjoyed to see him. But their reunion was bittersweet as Abu al As told her that he promised her father he would send her to him. Zaynab reluctantly left to go to Madinah. As he was saying goodbye to her, Abu al As told her, “Zainab, whatever happens, I shall always love you as long as I live. Your spirit shall forever fill this house that has witnessed the sweetest and the most pleasant days of our life together.”

On the way to Madinah, she was captured by Quraysh and returned forcefully back to Mecca. She was pregnant and terrified and ended up having a miscarriage from the trauma. Abu al As took care of her at home until she regained her strength and was emotionally ready to leave again. He waited for the right moment where no one would notice she left and had his brother escort her to Madinah. When she arrived Zainab was very happy to see her father and sisters but missed her husband.

While Zainab was in Madinah, Abu al As left to another business trip to Syria on a Quraysh caravan. The caravan met with a group of 170 Muslims let by Zayd ibn Harithah and was disabled. Abu al As was able to escape and went at night to Zainab’s house for safety. In the morning, after fajr prayer, Zainab called out in the mosque, “I have given protection to Abu al As ibn Rabee!”

The Prophet ﷺ said, “Oh people did you hear what I have just heard?” They answered yes. “I swear by Him in Whose Hand is my life, I knew nothing of this matter until I heard what you have also heard now. The Muslims are like one hand against those who are outside their community, and the lowest of Muslims is entitled to give protection on behalf of the rest of his fellow Muslims. So we give protection to the one to whom she gives protection.” When the Prophet ﷺ went home, Zainab asked him to snure that Abu al As get back his possessions. He agreed, but told her that she could not have conjugal relations with him because she was not lawful for him. (This was after the verse came that said that a Muslim women could not be married to a disbelieving man).

That night, Abu al As was released and allowed to go home. However, in the middle of the night he tried to come back to Madinah and hid out in some trees. He wanted to be with Zainab, the only person with whom he had happiness and a peace of mind. He moved quietly in the night and knocked on her door. Zainab woke up startled at who was at her door and night but was relieved that it was Abu al As. They could not embrace but she let him in and made him food and made him as comfortable as he could be. He was worried about how he would be received from her family and the other Muslims. She told him that she would always intercede on his behalf.

At this point, Abu al As was already impressed by Islam. He had seen the ethics of how Muslims treat their captives and their ethics during war. He was impressed by his father in laws fair decisions and his strong love for Zainab made him realize that he wanted to be part of this religion. However, his strong Arab pride made him not want anyone to think that he was only doing it just to please his wife. He decided to announce his allegiance to Islam in Mecca in front of the assemblies. He also wanted to do it in Mecca because he still had the possessions of people that were in the caravan and he wanted to return it to them so they wouldn’t think that he was using Islam as a way out. So he returned to Mecca, gave the people back their possessions and proclaimed his allegiance to Islam for all to hear. Then he migrated back to Madinah to be with the love of his life and the Prophet ﷺ made them a new marriage contract.

The year that followed was such a happy year for Abu al As and Zainab and their two children. It was after that year, in the 5^th year of Hijrah, that Zainab passed away. Abu al As was completely heartbroken, as was the Prophet ﷺ who was immediately reminded of Khadejah’s (RA) death.

May Allah bless Zainab and please and be pleased with her.

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Proactive Women and the Prophet ﷺ

A group of women from the tribe of Ghifar approached the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him) to seek his permission to tend to the wounded during the battle of Khaybar. The Prophet ﷺ welcomed their request, giving them permission, stating, “By the blessings of God.”

With this group of women was a young girl named Umayyah bint Qays radi allahu `anhu (may God be pleased with her). She shares with us her own part of the story.

“Then we set out with him. I was a young girl. He made me sit on his she-camel behind the luggage. I saw the bag had got traces of blood from me. It was the first time I had a period. Then I sat forward on the camel [to hide it] and I was embarrassed. When the Messenger of God ﷺ saw what happened to me and the traces of blood, he said, “Perhaps you have had menstrual bleeding?” I said, “Yes.” He said, “Attend to yourself. Then, take a container of water, then put salt in it, then wash the affected part of the bag, then come back.” I did so. When God conquered Khaybar for us, the Prophet ﷺ took this necklace that you see on my neck and gave it to me and put it on my neck with his own hand. By God it will never be parted from me.” She wore the necklace her entire life and stipulated that she should be buried with it.¹

Let us take a few lessons from this incredible narration. From it, we can take lessons on the perspectives and proactive attitudes of these female companions of the Prophet ﷺ. From it, we can also take incredible lessons in chivalry and beautiful interactions between the Prophet ﷺ and the women in his community.

Let us begin by considering the perspective of the women who came to offer their skills to the Prophet ﷺ. They didn’t say, “What’s up with Islam? Why aren’t women obligated to fight in this battle just like men?!”

These women understood the wisdom of Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) in every ruling and situation. They knew they could participate and be rewarded if they did so (like Nusayba bint Kab who personally defended the Prophet ﷺ in the Battle of Uhud), but were not mandated to do so. They realized that there was mercy in the lifted obligation and they were of those who realized the wisdom in the fact that there were differences in obligations.

Nevertheless, simply because they were not mandated to participate in the battle did not stop them from doing their part, in whatever way they felt they could be most effective. They did not sit around complaining or waiting to be asked; they simply did. Perhaps we can take from their examples as Muslim women in our own communities.

How many of us complain about the men’s side of the prayer hall being vastly greater in size or in cleanliness? How many of us feel incredible frustration when we cannot hear the prayer because small children are screaming around us or because the microphone stops working? We have tangible issues to complain about, no doubt. However, what are we doing, as women, with the means that we already have? What are we doing in our current situation?

Are we talking throughout the khutbah (Friday sermon) when we know we are supposed to remain silent and listen attentively? When two of us cannot pray, are we speaking while everyone else is praying and potentially disturbing those struggling to concentrate in their prayers? Are we watching after our own children or helping other sisters watch after theirs? Are we bringing in food for ourselves or our children and leaving crumbs and spilled drinks on the once-clean prayer carpet, despite the specific signs which request that all food remain outside? Are we dumping our shoes in front of the shoe racks instead of on the shoe racks and creating potential blockages for the elderly and hazards in the case of emergencies? (I know of a masjid who had to call 911 because a child’s life was at risk and the firefighter could not access the child immediately because he tripped over a pile of women’s shoes!)

What are we doing with what we have, considering the situations that we are in? Look at these women. They proactively took a leadership position in offering to help in a battle and service the community. How can we also learn to follow their example in our own lives?

Additionally, let’s look at their approach and perspective. They didn’t say, “If we go out and offer to help in this battle, some men may be intimidated because we’re so aggressive.” They did not tie their responsibility to Allah (swt) and their community to the possibility of attracting or not attracting men. I am constantly approached by young women who are told by their parents or those in their communities that they should stop being involved with Islamic work because “men are scared by women who are assertive and passionate about activism.” In my personal role as the Muslim Student Association President, I was told more than once that men were intimidated by me because of my position in leadership. In some of our families and some of our communities, we sometimes focus on tying our sisters’ abilities to attracting or not attracting a potential spouse, instead of developing our sisters’ incredible skills and potentials for the sake of Allah (swt) and the benefit of the community.

On the other end, the women in this example also did not say, “We’re just going to sit around and once Prince Muslim comes along, then we’ll get involved and work on becoming better Muslimahs.” This might seem far-fetched, but how many of us have heard or said statements such as, “I want to get married because then my husband will wake me up for qiyam (late night prayer) and Fajr!” However, oftentimes, those of us who say things like this are not doing those actions on our own.

Getting married isn’t going to solve our inabilities to wake up for Fajr or get up for qiyam. We need to develop our own selves without expecting marriage to somehow magically change our lives. Marriage can be a great tool of self-improvement and can help us change for the best, with Allah’s will. Marriage is amongst the greatest blessings that Allah (swt) can bestow on a person; and the creation of a family, and taking care of that family, is amongst the greatest acts of worship. But if we are not personally working on ourselves now, how can we expect that it will be easier with the additional baggage of another individual who is also imperfect?

What we see in the example of these women is that they took action and sought to benefit the community through their work for the sake of Allah (swt). These women looked at their personal situations, considered their personal skill sets and realized that they could use the skills they had, in the time that they were needed, to benefit their society in a proactive manner. They did not dwell on how they could be perceived or make continuous excuses for why someone else should do it. How, too, can we follow their example?

Let us now look at the interaction of these women with the Prophet ﷺ and his conduct toward them. First, let’s address the incredible manhood of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. As “the walking Qur’an,” the Prophet ﷺ had such an incredible demeanor that the women knew they could easily approach him and offer their services to the community. The relationship he had built with women in his community was one of trust, empowerment, dignity and appreciation. This is evident, most specifically, in the way that he (peace and blessings of God be upon him) turned one of the most embarrassing moments Umayyah, the young girl, could have ever imagined into one of the fondest moments of her life.

When the Prophet ﷺ saw her blood, he did not embarrass her and shout, “Astaghfirillah! (I seek refuge in God!) Sister!Haraam! Now you are a fitna (trial)!” His first advice to her did not consist of ordering her to leave his presence now that she was an accountable young woman. Instead, he taught her purification in that moment. He showed her ease and naturalness in that moment. He gave her a necklace, which he personally placed on her with his blessed hands, and helped her feel honored and special in that moment.

How many young women do we know who are struggling with their self-esteem? What are we doing, as a community, to help build it up instead of tear it down? How many young women have we told, “Cover up,” because they are a temptation to men? Instead of linking hijab (modesty) to loving Allah, (swt), we have often linked it to protecting men from women within the Muslim community. How many men have made comments such as, “Fitna just walked in,” without realizing the painful consequences on a female’s psyche when the only frame of reference her Muslim brother has for her is that she’s temptation?

All of these experiences have happened to me personally within the Muslim community and also to many women that I know. The methodology in which women are made to feel that they are the ultimate fitna psychologically damages women’s understanding of Islam and their self-esteem. It cripples a natural, normative relationship in which men and women work together for the benefit of society and forces men and women to fear being around one another in unnatural ways. This is not from the Prophet ﷺ.

We take from the example of the Prophet ﷺ that he let people live comfortably around him so that even when something which could have turned into the most humiliating experience a woman could have ever imagined, that girl, in that moment, gained knowledge, nearness to Allah (swt), and love of being with the Prophet ﷺ in the Hereafter. In our communities too, we need to re-evaluate the ways through which men and women interact and the rhetoric we use to describe women.

Let us look at the rhetoric of the Prophet ﷺ when he was asked by the women if they could participate. In his interaction with them, he verbally encouraged them. He didn’t say, “No. The men might be distracted by you and be tempted to leave the battlefield.” Instead, he specifically gave them the blessings of God.

We need to begin truly exemplifying the incredible character of the Prophet ﷺ who didn’t imply that Umayyah (ra) and the women she was with would cause chaos in the battlefield if they were present. He knew his community; he had developed the men and women in his community. And the women in his community followed his example; they felt comfortable and confident approaching him (peace and blessings of God be upon him).

This is the type of respectful brotherhood and sisterhood we need to embody in our Islamic work, in our marriages, and in our lives.  Their example teaches that men and women both have something to contribute and we need to be supportive of one another’s contributions when used for societal benefit. Allah (swt) tells us in Surat al-Tawbah, “The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give zakah[charity] and obey Allah and His Messenger. Those—Allah will have mercy upon them. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.” (Qur’an 9:71)

The Prophet ﷺ taught us how to achieve natural, healthy, balanced and beneficial community relationships. He taught us how to teach people about Allah (swt) with mercy, humility and respect. How many more members of our communities are we going to lose before we follow his example?

The above narration is full of lessons for us as a community in the West especially. Transforming challenges into opportunities is the methodology of the Prophet ﷺ. The women in this example were empowered to take action because of the teacher who built them and taught them to do so. This is Islam; the liberating, societally-benefiting and revolutionary way of life which can transform even the most embarrassing experience into the fondest memory, cherished for life.

If this is Islam, if this is our religion, when will we put it into practice? When will we follow the example of these female companions of the Prophet ﷺ in our attitudes and our own lives? And even more urgently, is it not time that the beauty of the Prophet ﷺ began to touch those in our own communities through the virtue of our own actions?

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