Part 6

e Jubayr ibn Nufayr said that Ummud-Dardaa’ said to [her husband] Abud-Dardaa’: “You asked my hand in marriage from my parents in this life, and so they gave me in marriage to you, and I ask to marry you in the hereafter.” He said to her: “So do not marry anyone after [my death].”

When Mu’awiyyah proposed to her she told him about what happened between her and her husband. To this Mu’awiyyah said: “So observe fasting.” *

¢ Jbn Hajar said: Ibn Sa’d reported with an authentic chain of narrators (isnad) that Mujaahid said: “The first martyr

in Islam was Sumayyah, the mother of “Ammaar ibn Yaasir. She was a very old and weak woman. When Abu Jah! was killed on the day of the Battle of Badr, the Prophet (SAW) told “Ammaar: “Allah has killed the killer of your mother.”

There were also many woman who suffered for Allah’s sake, even more than Sumayyah did.

Some of them would be made to drink honey, chained and then thrown on the hot sands until they died from thirst.” Amongst these women who went through these sufferings was Umm Shareek.

e Umm Ayman migrated [for Allah’s sake] without any food or water on her. She was fasting on that day and she

nearly died from thirst. When it was iftar time, she heard something over her head. She looked up and found a bucket of water dangling. She drank from it, until she quenched her thirst. She never felt thirsty for the rest of her life.”

¢ ‘Urwah ibnuz-Zubair said: “I have not seen someone with a beiter knowledge of figh [jurisprudence], medicine or poetry than ‘Aisha (RA).””*

e Abu Salamah narrated that ‘Aishah (RA) said: “Once Allah’s Messenger (SAW) said [to me], “O ‘Aishah! This is Gabriel greeting you’ I said: ‘Allah’s Peace, Mercy and Blessings be on him, you see what I don’t see.” she was addressing Allah’s Messenger.”””

e az-Zuhree said: “If we compare the knowledge ‘Aishah has with that of all people, including the mothers of the believers [the Prophet’s wives], we will find that ‘Aishah (RA) is more knowledgeable.” ””

” Hityatul-Awliyyaa’ , 2/67, Tabaqaat ibn Sa’d, 8/162.

” Al-Bukhari, 7/73, Muslim, no. 2446; at-Tirmidhee, no. 3887. * Al-Bukhari, 7/83, Muslim, no. 2447.

* Musa ibn Talhah said: “I have not seen anyone more fluent than ‘Aishah.”

e ‘Abdulkareem ibn Mu’aawiyyah said: “I was told that Hafsah [bint Seereen] used to recite half the Qur’an every night. She also used to fast all year round except for the two-Eid days and also the days of Tashreeq {that is, the three days following Eid-ul-Adhaa].”

e al-Haafidh adh-Dhahabee said: “We heard that [Mu’aadhah bint Abdullah] used to spend all night in prayer and say: ‘I wonder how could an eye sleep when it knows of the long sleep in the darkness of the grave.’. When her husband Silah and her son were martyred in one of the battles, women came to see her and she told them: “You are welcome if you have come to congratulate me; but if you have come for something else you had better go back.” She also used to say: ‘By Allah! I like to stay alive only to get closer to my Lord through good deeds in the hope that I get reunited with Abush-Sha’taa’ and his son [her husband and son] in paradise.’”

e Tbnul-Haytham said: “I had a wife who used to stay up the night, and I did not have enough patience to do so. If I slept she would sprinkle water on me, wake me up with her feet, and say: ‘Do you not fear Allah? Till when will you carry on snoring?’ By Allah I used to be ashamed of what I had done.“

¢ Abul-Waleed al-‘Abdee said: “Perhaps I saw Ghusnah and ‘Aliyah, one of them would stand in the nocturnal prayers and recite al-Baqarah, ‘Aal-‘Imraan, an-Nisaa’, al-Maa’idah, al-An’aam, and al-‘A’raaf in one single rak’ah.”*?

* Surah Ya-Sin (36), ayat 58.

* Surah Az-Zumar (39), ayat 23.

“Glorified (and Exalted) be He (Allah) who took His slave (Muhammad) for a journey by night from alMasjidul-Haram (at Makkah) to the Farthest Mosque (in Jerusalem)”**.

I then understood that she had performed Hajj and was going to the sacred house in Jerusalem. I then asked her: “How long have you been here?”

“T cannot see any food with you.”

“And if you do not find water, then take for yourselves clean earth (tayammum)”””

“I have some food with me. Would you like to have some?”

“Then complete your fast till the nightfall.”””

“But we are allowed not to fast while making a journey, you know.”

“And that you fast is better for you if only you know.””

“Why do you not talk to me as I talk to you?”

“Not a word does he (or she) utter, but there is a watcher by him (or her) ready (to record ity”

“Who are you then?”

“And follow not (O man, i.e. say not, or do not or witness not, etc.) that of which you have no knowledge (for example one’s saying: ‘I have seen’ or ‘I have

*” Surah Maryam (19), ayat 10.

heard’, while he has not seen or heard). Verily! The hearing, and the sight, and the heart, of each of those of you will be questioned (by Allah).”*

“Tam sorry. I have made a mistake.”

“Would you like to mount my camel so that you can catch up with the caravan?”

“And whatever good you do, (be sure) Allah knows it.”

When I made the camel kneel down, she said:

“Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things).”**

I lowered my gaze and when she was about to mount the camel, this latter got startled and as a result of this, tore her clothes, She said: