A contrast of Khansa who cried for years on the death of her 2brothersand made everyone cry with her to a Khansa who said alhamdulillah on the martyrdom of her 4 sons and made everyone wonder! I learnt how Islam can bring peace in your life – even amidst the chaos – if you fully embrace it. What did you learn from this short story? Stories of Famous Sahabiyat 1) Fatima bint Muhammad (رضي الله عنہا)

Two men from the Jews of Medina came to me one day and they told me, Bring out for us Ahmad so that we can see him. They then looked at him and scrutinised him. One of them told his companion, "This is the prophet of this ummah and that is the place of his migration [referring to Medina]. There will be many killings and captives taken there." When the Quraysh were defeated in the Battle of Badr, most of their chieftains were killed or captured. But they insisted on revenge and prepared a huge army. That army marched towards Madinah with the sole intention of uprooting Islam. When Umm Ayman left, the Prophet turned to his Companions and asked, Should one of you desire to marry a woman from the people of Paradise, let him marry Umm Ayman. Those who remained around the Messenger (peace be upon him) became fewer, but Umm 'Imarah, together with her husband and two sons, remained firm to the last. The situation proved difficult for anyone to tolerate, and only Umm 'Imarah and a few dauntless men could remain staunch.

5

Narrated Jabir bin `Abdullah: The Prophet ﷺ said, “I saw myself (in a dream) entering Paradise, and behold! I saw Ar-Rumaisa’, Abu Talha’s wife… Lessons learned from her story:

She narrated 378 ahadith and she used to often inquire Prophet ﷺ about the matters of cleanliness etc. Khansa (رضي الله عنها – may Allah be pleased with her) was an eloquent sahaabiyah. Her beautiful poetry refined with her sorrow over the death of her brothers Sakhr andMu‘aawiyah. So much so that famous Arab poets used to call her “the best of all poets among humans and jinns” (meaning the best of the best).She used towriteelegiesfor the dead and recite them for the tribe. She gained fame for her heart-melting compositions. The Ansar, including Umm 'lmarah, devoted every moment of their lives to fulfill their oath. The following incidents only prove how far she went to do so.

Is there any formula for the equality between men and women which is more perfect than that for the contemporary women to strive for? As a young woman of such prestige and lineage, Amina was much sought after in marriage. Abdul Muttalib, who was a man respected and honoured for his generosity and integrity by the Quraysh, considered Amina as the only potential bride for his cherished son, Abdullah – the son he had previously vowed to sacrifice, but who was ransomed from slaughtering. But then, the unexpected happened! The archers disobeyed the Prophet (saws) by abandoning the position he commanded them to stay in and fled to collect the war booty instead, thinking that the Muslims have won. The tide then turned against the Muslims and many sahaabas got martyred. Baraka returned with Muhammad to Mecca and took him to his grandfather’s house, where she stayed to care for him. Abdul Muttalib once told her, Baraka, be mindful of my son for I had seen him with children near the lotus tree. The people of the Scripture are saying that my son is the prophet of this generation. STORIES FOR KIDS: I absolutely LOVE Miraj Stories/Audio(they have a story on Maryam (peace be with her) – although she wasn’t a sahabiyah, but it could be a great intro for your kids to noble women in Islam). I wrote a detailed post HERE.

Amina and Abdallah’s marriage was very happy, but it was short-lived. Abdullah was to join a trade caravan that was leaving for Syria. Amina was reluctant to be parted from her husband so soon into the marriage, even more so as she was expecting a child, but she knew Abdul Muttalib wished for his son to go. Abdullah was never to see his bride again. He contracted a disease on the return journey and died in Yathrib, later known as Medina. There were also great scholars like Umm Waraqa, expert medical practitioners like Rufayda al-Aslamiya and, of course, above all, the exemplary and inspirational wives and daughters of the Prophet.It was narrated that Asma’ bint ‘Umais said:“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ taught me some words to say at times of distress: Allah! Allahu Rabbi la ushriku bihi shay’an (Allah, Allah is my Lord, I don’t associate anything with Him).” .

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without written permission from the publisher. This is the "women's lib" age as the West preferm to term it. But is it true? Is it not a lip-service age turning women practically to "dolls" or something like "real-life dolls"? Baraka knew in her heart that Muhammad was special. When she was in Medina with Amina and Muhammad, she said, Without faltering, he answered no to all the questions until he died as a martyr whose faith was as firm and steady as a mountain. In December 2018, Shaykh Akram Nadwi taught a three-day seminar on Women around the Messenger. It was a course combining both History and Politics. Shaykh Akram Nadwi made the course as relevant as possible to our current times to ensure we extract lessons from the great history of Islam. The wives of the Messenger and the pious people who followed his way were brought to the fore with plenty of reflection made to best understand why they were indeed a golden generation.The women around the Messenger were his pillars of support, his protectors and his confidants. The first person to believe in the Prophet was the noble Lady Khadija, who was as firm as a mountain by his side. She encouraged him, lifted him and strengthened him through the most challenging and crucial part of his mission. The Prophet said of Khadija, She believed in me when no one else did. She accepted Islam when people rejected me. She comforted me and supported me when people denied me.