Part 102

When approaching to embrace him she found him wearing a shield. She said, "This is not the behavior of whoever wants what

Therefore, he took off his shield and went forward to fight He kept fighting until he was killed. Al-Hajjaj issued a command to have him crucified. Then he came to Asma’ and said, "O mother, the leader of the believer commended me to treat you well. Do you want any thing. She replied, "I am not your mother. I am only the mother of this crucified man." Then she said, I heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) as saying, "There will be in Thageef a liar and a destroyer." We knew the liar and there still you the destroyer.

In another version when Al-Hajjaj came to Asma’ (may allah be pleased with her) he said, "How did I punish your son, Asma!?" She replied quietly, "You spoiled his life but he spoiled your next."

She (May Allah be pleased with her) died in Makka shortly after the death of her son, Abdullah. May Allah have mercy on her.

She was Fatima bint al-Khattab Ibn Nufail Ibn ‘Abd al-'Uzza she was of the noble women. She faced the harshest enemy of Islam and turned him to a great model. Fatima was brought up in the house of Al-Khattab ibn Nufayl al-Makhzumi, one of the noble and elite house of Quraish.

When she became young, Sa‘id, Ibn Zayd married her. Said embraced Islam at the hands of the honorable companion, Khabbab Ibn al-Arat (may Allah be pleased with him) who took him to declare the testification of faith the Prophet (pbuh) Said went back to his wife Fatima and told her about the new faith. She was impressed and no sooner did he finish his speech than she uttered the testification

of faith as well.

Khabbab used to pay frequent visits to them in order to teach them the Glorious Quran and the tenets of Islam. They concealed their belief lest they might be put into torture especially at the hands of ‘Umar, who meditated eradicating Islam and slaying the Prophet (pbuh).

One day, he went out carrying his sword towards the house of AlArqam where the Prophet teaching his companions. Someone asked him, “Where are you going, ‘Umar? Why do you carry your sword? ‘Umar replied, "I am going to kill Muhammad who dispersed us and insulted our gods.

The man said, "Do you think that Banu ‘Abd Manaf (The Prophet family) would allow you doing that without taking vengeance. The man, then, suggested to him that instead of killing Muhammad, it is better to reform his kin. He suggested to him that there were near relations of his that had embraced Islam: his sister Fatima and her husband Sa'id Ibn Zayd. Enraged with anger, he went forward to them meditating to slay them. When ‘Umar went to their house, he heard them reciting some words he did not understand. All of sudden, he

tushed into their house calling loudly upon his sister. Khabbab, who was teaching them at that time immediately, hid himself. Fatima concealed the copy from which they read. ‘Umar, then asked, "What was the murmuring I heard?

They replied, "Nothing." ‘Umar said, I heard that you followed Muhammad." He then attacked his sister and her husband, but they bore the attack with exemplary patience, and declared their faith He punched his sister so violently that she bled.

‘Umar was so struck with their sincerity and fortitude that he asked to see the leaf from which they had been reading. Fatima refused and said, "You are impure. You have first to do ablution." Having done ablution and read the copy, his soul was touched, the leaf contained some portion of the surah of Ta-Ha Having read up to Allah's saying,

KES on ae th ek oA ee Re OG 4@ GS ty EF oh Gal 3A Le eat lp

éFor every soul to receive its reward by the

measure of its endeavor. -

He commented, "What an honorable words!" Upon hearing ‘Umar's comment, Khabbab Ibn al-Arat appeared from his hidden placed saying, O ‘Umar, I hope that the Prophet's supplication be answered as he invoked to Allah saying, "O Allah! May you support

Islam with the closest one to you either Abu Jahl Ibn Hisham or ‘Umar Ibn al-Khattab. The latter was the closest one."

‘Umar went foreward to the Prophet (pbuh) to utter the testification of faith before him and to join the Muslim community. He not only came into the faith but also became one of its strongest supporters and champion. It was Fatima who confronted ‘Umar and changed the course of his life. May Allah be pleased with her.

Umm Kulthum bint Ali Ibn Abu Talib

She was Umm Kulthum bint Ali ibn Abu Talib. She was the daughter of Fatima, the best of the womankind and the mistress of women in paradise. Her grandfather was the Prophet (pbuh) and her brothers were the masters of youths in Paradise, al-Hassan and al-Hussain.

She was born and brought up among those noble kin who molded her to be an example of piety, and righteousness. ‘Umar Ibn al-Khattab betrothed her but Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) disagreed because of her young age. However, he longed for marrying her by saying, "give me her in marriage, Abu Al-Hassan since I can appreciate her, no one else can treat her like me." Thereby, Ali agreed. He consummated the marriage with her in the month of Dhu-Qi' dah, 17 AH. She gave birth to Zayd Ibn ‘Umar and Ruqayyah Ibn ‘Umar.

Once, ‘Umar went out as usual to check the people, when he was the leader of the believers. He heard a woman cry coming out from a hut where a man standing at its door. ‘Umar greeted the man and asked where he came from? The man said that he was a nomad and came to get something from the leader of the believers. ‘Umar asked him about the woman cry he heard. The man said, "Off you go (may Allah have mercy on you) and do not be nosy."

The man did not know who the questioner was? ‘Umar longed to ask and offered his help if it was possible. The man said, it was my wife giving birth and there was no one to help her. ‘Umar went home and said to his wife, "Would you like to gain a reward from Allah? She asked, him pleasantly, what this reward was. Having told her, she soon went to the woman carrying what she might need in

this situation. ‘Umar also carried a pot full of oil and grains and accompanied his wife to the hut.

Umm Kulthum got inside the hut to help the woman whereas, the leader of the believers sat down with the man cooking outside. When the woman gave birth Umm Kulthum called upon her husband, O the leader of the believers tell your companion that Allah blessed him with a boy. The nomad got amazed when hearing the title of the man cooking and plowing in the fire. The woman also was surprised when knowing that the midwife who looked after her was the wife of the leader of the believers. May Allah have mercy on Umm Kulthum, the Muslim midwife.

Safiyya Bint “Abd Al-MutTalib

She was Safiyya bint ‘“Abdel-Muttalib ibn Hashim ibn ‘Abd Manaf, the Prophet's aunt, the sister of Hamzah ibn ‘Abdel-Muttalib and the mother of Az-Zubair ibn AlAwwam. She (may Allah be pleased with her) was brought up in a noble house which was responsible for drinking the pilgrims.

Such nobility and deep-rooted lineage influenced the character of Safiyya (may Allah be pleased with her). She was eloquent, educated, brave and knight. She was among the first to enter Islam. She migrated with her husband to Madina.

She joined the Muslim army at Uhud to treat the wounded and serve the warriors. When the Muslims started to withdraw from the battlefield, she held an arrow and waved it against their faces saying, "Would you leave the Prophet (pbuh) alone"*!

When she knew that her brother Hamzah ibn ‘Abd al-MutTalib had been killed from his back and was disfigured after death, she kept patient and steadfast. "To Allah we are destined to return" was her only comment. She then asked Allah to forgive him.

She had another heroic action in the battle of the Trench. When a Jewish man attempted to attach the women camp. The Muslim women and children at the battle of the Trench were left at a fort guarded by Hassan ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him). Watching the Jewish man walking around the fort, Safiyya at once went to Hassan and said, "1 doubt that man, since he might lead the enemy to us; you have to kill him." Hassan replied, "May Allah forgive you, I could not do that".

Accordingly, she decided to get rid of that Jewish man alone. She veiled herself, picked up a huge cudgel and went down the fort. All of sudden, she hit the Jewish man on the back of his head several times until he died. Then she went back to the fort pleasantly

because she managed to protect the Muslim women by killing the Jewish spy. In the battle of khabybar, she went with the other Muslim

women to encourage the Muslim army and to treat the wounded. The Prophet (pbuh) admired their contribution and assigned them a share of war spoils.

Safiyya, as a matter of fact, led a life of sacrifice and achievements until she died at the era of ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). She was about seventy by then. May Allah have mercy on her.

She was Sumayya bint khayyat, the servant of Abu Hudhayfa ibn al-Mughira. She got married to Yassir, one of the immigrants to Makka. Because he was an immigrant, Yassir had the feeling of alienation. Therefore, he resorted to Abu hudhayfa seeking sponsorship. Abu Hudhayfa in tum gave him his female servant, Sumayya in marnage. They soon give birth to ‘Ammar and ‘Ubaidellah.

When ‘Ammar grew up, he knew about the new faith, he embraced Islam after a long period of meditation. He went home to clarify what he heard from the Prophet (pbuh) to his parents. At once, Yassir and Sumayya embraced Islam .Sumayya was the seventh person to enter Islam. Here started the climax of Sumayya's story. ‘Ammar and the members of his family did not keep their belief secret. Banu Makhzum knew that they had adopted the new faith. Thereby, they put them into severe torture to convert them. They started to take them all, Yassir, Sumayya and ‘Ammar, to the buming desert of Makka, where they would pour upon them different kind of severe torture. However, Sumayya maintained a firm stance.