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The Role of Women in the Prophetic Hijrah: Lessons and Insights
Author : Dr. Ahmad Al-Harasees
Date Added : 14-07-2024

 

 All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

The Prophet's Hijrah is one of the most significant events in Islamic history, marking a crucial turning point for Muslims. It is important to shed light on the role of women in this great migration, as they played a prominent and effective role in its success and achievement of its goals. Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her, was the first to excel and hold distinction in the Prophet's migration. She was the first to support the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, taking his hand, believing in him, confirming him, and supporting him with her wealth. She provided refuge for the Prophet, peace be upon him, and spared no effort or expense to support him in establishing his call and message. However, she did not live to witness the pivotal moments of the Prophet's statehood, having passed away three years before his migration. The role of women did not cease with the death of Lady Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her); rather, she was the beginning and the launching point for subsequent roles, efforts, and sacrifices that history has recorded. The following paragraphs highlight some of the roles of the Sahabiyat (The exalted ladies associated with the Prophet Mohammad and propagated Islam with him) who participated in supporting the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) during the completion of the Hijrah. At the outset, only Abu Bakr, his daughters Asma and Aisha, and Ali (may Allah be pleased with them) were aware of the Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) migration. This highlights Abu Bakr's trust in Asma and Aisha, as they were entrusted with the secret of the migration, which is one of the greatest events in Islamic history. The fact that the Prophet did not discuss the matter of migration with Abu Bakr until he knew that they were the only ones present underscores the importance and trust placed in women's roles in protecting and participating in the success of the Prophet's migration. In one of the accounts of the migration, Asmaa bint Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated: "When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and Abu Bakr set out, a group from the Quraysh, including Abu Jahl ibn Hisham, came to us and stood at the door of Abu Bakr's house. I went out to them, and they asked, 'Where is your father, O daughter of Abu Bakr?' I said, 'By Allah, I do not know where my father is.' Abu Jahl then raised his hand, a vile and evil man, and struck me with a blow that knocked off my earrings." [The Prophetic Biography by Ibn Hisham]. Since the journey was long, it required preparation and organization. Who better than a woman to excel in this role? Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with him, entrusted the two mounts he had prepared for the migration to his daughters, Asma and Aisha, may Allah be pleased with them, and they equipped them in the best possible manner. Asma, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated what she did, saying: "I prepared the provisions for the journey of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, in the house of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, when he intended to migrate to Madinah. She said: 'We did not find anything to tie the provisions or the water skin with, so I said to Abu Bakr, 'By Allah, I do not find anything to tie them with except my waist belt.' He said, 'Split it into two; use one part to tie the water skin and the other to tie the provisions.' So I did so, and for that reason, I was named 'the one with the two waist belts.'" [Sahih Bukhari]. Since the journey was to last three nights at the outskirts of Mecca, provisions could run out. Here, the role of women should not be confined to any particular stage of the mission, regardless of the magnitude of this role or the nature of the phase. In this situation, women were more capable of securing provisions, a role suited to them as women, just as her brother Abdullah was naturally more suited to conveying news and updates. Hence, we cannot help but highlight the remarkable character of Asma bint Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with her). She was a woman in the last months of her pregnancy, climbing a mountain that an average Muslim might struggle to ascend. Asma was a woman whose concerns were not about worldly matters and adornments, but rather a believer deeply engaged in the cause of the faith. It is no wonder that she kept secrets with courage, faced Abu Jahl and his companions with strength, tore her waist belt willingly, endured a slap on her cheek with patience, and was happy with what she did for the sake of her religion and mission. Among the significant events involving women during the migration is the story of Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her), which she narrated about herself and her husband. She said: "When Abu Salama decided to migrate to Medina, he prepared a camel for me, placed me on it, and put my son Salama with me. Then he set out, leading the camel. When some men from Banu Mughira saw him, they approached and said, 'You may have overpowered us regarding yourself, but concerning our companion (Umm Salama), how can we let you take her across the land?' They then seized the camel's reins from him and took me away from him. At that moment, Banu Abdul Asad, the clan of Abu Salama, got angry and said, 'By Allah, we will not leave the child with her when you have taken her from our man.' They then began pulling my son Salama between them until they dislocated his arm. Banu Abdul Asad then took him and kept me with Banu Mughira. Abu Salama went to Medina alone. Thus, the small family was separated: the wife with her people, the child with his father's people, and the husband migrated to Medina. She said, 'I used to go out every day and sit in the valley, crying until evening, for about a year or close to it. One day, a man from my relatives passed by and saw my condition and felt pity for me. He said, 'Will you not let this poor woman go? You have separated her from her husband and her child.' They then told me, 'Join your husband if you wish.' Banu Abdul Asad then returned my son to me. I prepared my camel and set out. When I reached Al-Tan'eem, I met Uthman ibn Abi Talha, who said, 'Where are you going, daughter of Abu Umayya?' I said, 'I want to join my husband in Medina.' He asked, 'Is there no one with you?' I replied, 'No one is with me except Allah and my son.' He said, 'By Allah, I will not leave you alone.' He took the camel's reins and led me. By Allah, I have never accompanied a more honorable Arab. Whenever we reached a resting place, he would make the camel kneel, move away from me, and wait until I dismounted. Then he would take the camel, unload it, tie it to a tree, and rest under another tree. When it was time to continue, he would prepare the camel, move away, and say, 'Ride.' When I was settled, he would come and lead the camel. He continued this way until he brought me to Medina. When he saw the village of Banu Amr ibn Awf in Quba, he said, 'Your husband is in this village.' Abu Salama was staying there." [The Prophetic Biography by Ibn Hisham, Vol.1/P.469]. The number of women who migrated to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) in the first migration was four women. Then, in the second migration, according to the historians, eighteen or nineteen women joined them. This is the Muslim woman in one of the major and most critical events in the history and stages of Islam. A fair and rational observer cannot overlook the role of women and their contributions to the spread of Islam. They participated in all stages of the propagation of the message, making them an integral part of the Muslim community built by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

The published article reflects the opinion of its author

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Summarized Fatawaa

Does the intention (niyyah) of the principal (muwakkil) suffice for the sacrifice (dhabḥ) of the udhiyyah?

Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
If a person appoints an agent (wakīl) to perform the slaughter (dhabḥ) on their behalf, the intention (niyyah) of the principal (the one appointing the agent) suffices, and there is no need for the agent to have this intention himself. In fact, even if the agent is unaware that he is performing the sacrifice on someone's behalf as an udhiyyah (sacrificial offering), this does not affect its validity. And Allah, the Most High, knows best.

What is the ruling of Islamic Law on a fictitious marriage for the purpose of obtaining citizenship?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
There is no such thing in our noble sharīʿah as a "nominal" or "fictitious" marriage or divorce. Marriage and divorce are among the sacred ordinances of Allah, and it is not permissible to manipulate them or use them as a stratagem to obtain worldly gains.
The foundational purpose of a marriage contract is the permanence and continuity of the relationship between the spouses — to establish a family, and to bring forth righteous offspring. So sacred is this bond that Allah the Almighty Himself described it as a solemn covenant (mīthāq ghalīẓ), saying {what means}: "And if you wish to replace one wife with another and you have given one of them a great amount of wealth, do not take any of it back. Would you take it in injustice and manifest sin? And how could you take it while you have gone in unto each other and they have taken from you a solemn covenant?" [Al-Nisāʾ/ 20–21]
Accordingly, it is not permissible to resort to manipulation and deception in contracts that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, has described as a "solemn covenant" — all for the sake of material and worldly benefit. Marriage is built upon permanence and does not admit of a fixed time limit. If a time limit is stipulated in the contract, the contract is rendered invalid by the consensus of the jurists. Similarly, marriage is impermissible when there exists a mutual, concealed intention to limit its duration — even if no time limit is explicitly mentioned in the contract — for this constitutes a form of unlawful circumvention of the sharīʿah. This is to say nothing of the lying and deception that such conduct involves, the prohibition of which needs no elaboration. Lying, deception, and fraud for the purpose of obtaining worldly gains are among the gravest of sins.
If, however, the marriage contract is first concluded in a valid sharʿī manner and then registered civilly, it is sound and fully valid. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the ruling on performing the night prayer (*qiyām al-layl*) between the first and second adhān of Fajr? And which is better: delaying the prayer until shortly before the Fajr adhān, or performing it earlier than that?

 

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
The time for night prayer (qiyām al-layl) begins after the Maghrib prayer and lasts until the second adhān of Fajr. The best time for it is the last third of the night, and best of all are the fourth and fifth sixths of the night. If the night is divided into two halves, the latter half is better.
Whoever intends to pray at night is encouraged to delay the Witr until he has prayed the night prayer. If he knows that he will not wake up, it is better for him to pray and perform Witr before sleeping, so that he does not miss both the night prayer and the Witr.
It is stated in Mughnī al-Muḥtāj (Vpl.1/p.462): “I say: The voluntary prayer of the night, that is, the absolute voluntary prayer (al-nafl al-muṭlaq), is better than the absolute voluntary prayer of the day, because of the report in Muslim: ‘The best prayer after the obligatory prayer is the night prayer.’ In another narration of his: ‘In the night there is an hour that no Muslim man meets while asking Allah for any good of this world and the next except that He gives it to him, and that is every night.’ It is also because the night is a time of heedlessness. I restricted the voluntary prayer to the absolute kind following the commentator, although what the ḥadīth and the underlying meaning require is that the night rawātib be preferred over the day rawātib, since the jurists preferred the two rakʿahs of Fajr over everything except Witr. The middle of the night is better than its two ends if it is divided into thirds, because heedlessness is greatest then and worship is hardest. If he wishes to pray during some third, the best is the fourth and fifth sixths, based on the ḥadīth in the two Ṣaḥīḥs: ‘The most beloved prayer to Allah the Exalted is the prayer of Dāwūd: he would sleep half the night, stand for a third of it, and sleep for a sixth.’ Then the latter part is better than the first if he divides it into two halves, because of the saying of Allah the Exalted: ‘And in the hours before dawn they would ask forgiveness’ [al-Dhāriyāt: 18], and the report of the two Shaykhs: ‘Our Lord, Blessed and Exalted, descends,’ meaning His command descends, ‘to the lowest heaven when the last third of the night remains, and says: Who calls upon Me, that I may answer him? Who asks of Me, that I may give him? Who seeks My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?’”
It is also stated in ʿUmdat al-Sālik (p. 60): “It is better to perform it [the Witr] immediately after the sunnah of ʿIshāʾ, unless he has tahajjud, in which case it is better to delay it so that he performs Witr after it. If he performs Witr and then wishes to pray tahajjud, he prays two rakʿahs at a time and does not repeat the Witr, nor does he need to cancel it with a single rakʿah before the tahajjud. It is recommended that he not deliberately pray after it.”
Qiyām al-layl is a term applied to any prayer performed at night. Tahajjud, on the other hand, refers to the night prayer that follows sleep, whether it is prayed after Maghrib or after ʿIshāʾ, or the prayer performed after ʿIshāʾ without sleep. On this basis, the Witr is also called tahajjud, since it is only prayed after ʿIshāʾ.
It is stated in al-Majmūʿ (Vol.4/p.84): “The sound position, as stated in al-Umm and al-Mukhtaṣar, is that the Witr is called tahajjud.”
It is stated in Nihāyat al-Zayn (Vol.1/p.114): “Among the absolute voluntary prayers is qiyām al-layl. If it is performed after sleep, even during the time of Maghrib and after having prayed ʿIshāʾ early (taqdīman), it is called tahajjud.”
And it is stated in Ḥāshiyat al-Bujayrimī ʿalā al-Khaṭīb (Vol.1/p.418): “His statement: ‘(the night prayer)’: the genitive construction (iḍāfah) carries the sense of fī, meaning a prayer in the night. His statement: ‘(it would be more fitting)’: the reason it is more fitting is that the night prayer includes both tahajjud and other prayers.” And Allah Almighty knows best.

What are the valid excuses for abstaining from congregational prayer in the mosque?

 
Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
 
Concessions (Rukhsah) are granted to abstain from congregational prayer in the mosque due to general excuses, such as: rain that causes hardship in going out, strong winds at night, heavy mud that cannot be traversed without the risk of soiling oneself, hot winds, and extreme heat or cold. There are also specific individual excuses, such as: illness that makes walking as difficult as walking in the rain, severe drowsiness, evident hunger or thirst, the suppression of bodily wastes (urine, stool, or gas), and fear for one's life, limb, physical faculty, wealth, or honor, among other valid excuses. And Allah the Exalted knows best.

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