عربي
Home


Articles

Articles

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

Article Number [ Previous | Next ]

Read for Author




Comments


Captcha


Warning: this window is not dedicated to receive religious questions, but to comment on topics published for the benefit of the site administrators—and not for publication. We are pleased to receive religious questions in the section "Send Your Question". So we apologize to readers for not answering any questions through this window of "Comments" for the sake of work organization. Thank you.




Summarized Fatawaa

Is the Saying "Whatever is Taken by the Sword of Shyness is Forbidden" an Authentic Ḥadīth?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
The saying "Whatever is taken by the sword of shyness is forbidden" is not an authentic ḥadīth, though its underlying meaning is sound. The established sharʿī principle is that a Muslim's wealth is not lawful for anyone to take except with his wholehearted consent, as Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "O you who have believed, do not consume one another's wealth unjustly, but only [in lawful] business by mutual consent." [Al-Nisā/ 29] And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Listen to me and you will live well: do not wrong others, do not wrong others, do not wrong others. Indeed, a man's wealth is not lawful except with his full, willing consent." (Reported by Aḥmad in his Musnad.) Whatever is taken through the pressure of shyness or social embarrassment runs directly counter to genuine, wholehearted consent.
The jurists have explicitly stated that whatever is taken by means of the "sword of shyness" carries the same ruling as that which is taken by coercion — it must be returned to its rightful owner.
Ibn Ḥajar al-Haytamī, may Allah have mercy upon him, states in al-Fatāwā al-Kubrā (Vol.3/P.30): "Do you not see the reported scholarly consensus that whoever has something taken from him purely out of shyness, without his genuine consent, does not pass ownership of it to the one who took it? They reasoned that this constitutes a form of coercion through the 'sword of shyness,' comparable to coercion at the point of an actual sword. Indeed, many people would rather submit to the literal sword and endure the pain of its wound than submit to this first kind of coercion, out of fear for their dignity and standing — which people of sound judgment hold dear and guard most fiercely." And Allah the Almighty knows best.

Is it permissible for a woman to lead other women in prayer?

Yes, it is permissible for a woman to lead other women in prayer. The most knowledgeable among them in the rulings of prayer should act as the imam. She should stand in the middle of the row, slightly ahead of the others.

The Jurisprudential Significance of the Ḥadīth: "Whoever says, at the conclusion of the Fajr Prayer, while crossing his legs, before speaking..."
"Whoever says, at the conclusion of the Fajr prayer, while crossing his legs, before speaking: 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahu al-mulku wa lahu al-ḥamdu yuḥyī wa yumītu wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr' ten times — ten good deeds will be recorded for him, ten bad deeds will be erased from him, he will be raised ten levels, he will spend that day in protection from everything disliked and guarded from the devil, and no sin will be able to befall him on that day except associating partners with Allah" — does this noble ḥadīth apply to the imam, and what is meant by "extraneous speech"?

All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
It is recommended for both the imam and those praying behind him to recite, immediately after the final salām, the specific remembrance reported in the sunnah to be said before turning away from one's place of prayer. The imam then leaves his praying spot, and the act of "turning" is fulfilled when the imam faces the congregation — even without physically leaving his spot — by positioning his right side toward them and his left side toward the qiblah, and this applies even while he is engaged in supplication.
Al-ʿAllāmah Ibn Qāsim al-ʿAbbādī states in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā al-Tuḥfah (Vol.2/P.105): "It is most virtuous for the imam, once he has given the salām, to rise from his place of prayer immediately afterward." He adds that an exception must be made for the remembrances that are specifically required to be recited before he turns away. He then notes, citing Sharḥ al-ʿUbāb: "Yes, an exception to this rising immediately after the salām applies to the Fajr prayer, due to the authentic report that the Prophet ﷺ, when he prayed Fajr, would remain seated until the sun rose." He further cites, from al-Khādim, the ḥadīth concerning one who recites, at the conclusion of the Fajr prayer while still in the position of crossing his leg to rise: "Lā ilāha illā Allāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah..." and the rest of the well-known ḥadīth. He comments that this makes explicit that this particular remembrance is to be recited before the worshipper turns his legs to leave, and the same applies to Maghrib and ʿAṣr, as reported in those contexts as well.
What is meant by "speech" in the relevant ḥadīth is extraneous worldly speech that is not called for after the prayer and for which there is no legitimate excuse. The remembrances reported to be recited upon concluding the prayer, however, do not fall under this category of extraneous speech, since they are themselves required by the sharīʿah.
Al-ʿAllāmah ʿAlī al-Shabrāmalsī states in his Ḥāshiyah ʿalā al-Nihāyah (Vol.1/P.551): "If someone greets a person with salām while he is occupied with reciting this remembrance [i.e., 'Lā ilāha illā Allāh...'], should he return the greeting — without this causing him to forfeit the promised reward, since he is engaged in an obligatory matter — or should he delay returning the greeting until he finishes, this being a legitimate excuse for the delay?" He continues: "I say: the more likely view is the former, and the prohibition on speech is to be understood as applying to extraneous speech for which there is no legitimate excuse. Based on this, should the worshipper give precedence to this remembrance ('Lā ilāha illā Allāh...') or to reciting Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ ('Qul huwa Allāhu aḥad')? This requires consideration, though it is not unlikely that the remembrance takes precedence, given that the Lawgiver urged hastening to it through his words 'while crossing his leg.' This is not considered ordinary speech, since it is not extraneous to what is required after the prayer."
Accordingly, it is recommended for both the imam and those praying behind him to recite this remembrance and to give it precedence over the other remembrances of the prayer, ensuring it is said before they move from their place. And Allah the Almighty knows best.

What is the wisdom behind the legislation of fasting?

Fasting is a divine school from which the believer learns much and trains in virtues that may be needed in life. Among these virtues is patience, as it is the month of patience. Fasting also teaches honesty and consciousness of Allah in both private and public, for there is no observer over the fasting person in abstaining from lawful pleasures except Allah alone.
Fasting strengthens willpower, sharpens determination, and nurtures mercy and compassion among the servants of Allah. It is a struggle against the self, a restraint of desires, a purification of the soul, and a cultivation of goodness.
The Prophetﷺ said: "Allah, the Almighty, said: ‘Every deed of the son of Adam is for him, except for fasting; it is for Me, and I shall reward for it. Fasting is a shield. So when one of you is fasting on a day, let him not engage in obscene speech or raise his voice in anger. If someone insults him or fights him, let him say: I am a fasting person. By Him in whose hand is the soul of Muhammad, the breath of the fasting person is more pleasant to Allah than the fragrance of musk.’" [Bukhari and Muslim]
 

See More