1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,000 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 2 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:17,640 The Mawaddah Association is pleased 3 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:19,640 to present to you 4 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:22,640 "Portraits from the Lives of the Female Companions" 5 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:26,769 by Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 6 00:00:26,769 --> 00:00:28,769 may Allah have mercy on him. 7 00:00:28,769 --> 00:00:34,390 Asma' bint Abi Bakr, 8 00:00:34,390 --> 00:00:36,390 may Allah be pleased with them both. 9 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:57,329 This female Companion of ours encompassed glory from every side: 10 00:00:57,329 --> 00:00:59,329 her father was a Companion, 11 00:00:59,329 --> 00:01:01,329 her grandfather was a Companion, 12 00:01:01,329 --> 00:01:03,329 her sister was a female Companion, 13 00:01:03,329 --> 00:01:05,329 her husband was a Companion, 14 00:01:05,329 --> 00:01:07,420 and her son was a Companion; 15 00:01:07,420 --> 00:01:09,420 that alone suffices her in nobility and honor. 16 00:01:09,420 --> 00:01:11,459 As for her father, 17 00:01:11,459 --> 00:01:15,459 he was al-Siddiq, the intimate companion of the Noble Messenger during his lifetime, 18 00:01:15,459 --> 00:01:17,459 and his successor after his death. 19 00:01:17,459 --> 00:01:19,459 As for her grandfather, 20 00:01:19,459 --> 00:01:21,459 he was Abu Atiq, the father of Abu Bakr. 21 00:01:21,459 --> 00:01:23,459 As for her sister, 22 00:01:23,459 --> 00:01:25,459 she was the Mother of the Believers, Aisha, 23 00:01:25,459 --> 00:01:27,459 the pure and exonerated. 24 00:01:27,459 --> 00:01:29,459 As for her husband, 25 00:01:29,459 --> 00:01:31,459 he was the disciple of the Messenger of Allah, 26 00:01:31,459 --> 00:01:33,459 al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam. 27 00:01:33,459 --> 00:01:35,459 And as for her son, 28 00:01:35,459 --> 00:01:37,459 he was Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, 29 00:01:37,459 --> 00:01:39,459 may Allah be pleased with him and with them all. 30 00:01:39,459 --> 00:01:41,489 She is, in brief, 31 00:01:41,489 --> 00:01:45,489 Asma' bint Abi Bakr al-Siddiq—and that suffices! 32 00:01:45,489 --> 00:01:49,680 Asma' was among the earliest converts to Islam, 33 00:01:49,680 --> 00:01:53,680 for no one preceded her in this immense virtue 34 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:57,680 except seventeen people, both men and women. 35 00:01:57,680 --> 00:01:59,680 She was given the title "Dhat al-Nitaqayn" (She of the Two Girdles) 36 00:01:59,680 --> 00:02:03,680 because she prepared food for the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 37 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:07,680 and for her father on the day of their migration to Medina, 38 00:02:07,680 --> 00:02:09,680 and she prepared a waterskin for them. 39 00:02:09,680 --> 00:02:11,680 When she could find nothing with which to tie them, 40 00:02:11,680 --> 00:02:13,680 she tore her girdle into two pieces, 41 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:17,680 binding the provision bag with one and the waterskin with the other. 42 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:21,680 Thereupon, the Prophet, peace be upon him, prayed for her 43 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:25,680 that Allah would replace them with two girdles for her in Paradise, 44 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:27,680 and so she was titled "Dhat al-Nitaqayn." 45 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:31,900 Al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam married her 46 00:02:31,900 --> 00:02:33,900 when he was a poor young man, 47 00:02:33,900 --> 00:02:36,900 having no servant to attend to his needs, 48 00:02:36,900 --> 00:02:39,900 nor wealth to provide abundantly for his household, 49 00:02:39,900 --> 00:02:41,900 except for a single horse he owned. 50 00:02:41,900 --> 00:02:44,900 She was the best of righteous wives to him: 51 00:02:44,900 --> 00:02:46,900 serving him, grooming his horse, 52 00:02:46,900 --> 00:02:49,900 tending to it, and grinding date-stones for its fodder, 53 00:02:49,900 --> 00:02:51,900 until Allah bestowed abundance upon him 54 00:02:51,900 --> 00:02:54,900 and he became one of the wealthiest of the Companions. 55 00:02:54,900 --> 00:02:58,969 When the opportunity came for her to migrate to Medina, 56 00:02:58,969 --> 00:03:00,969 fleeing with her faith to Allah and His Messenger, 57 00:03:00,969 --> 00:03:04,969 she was full-term in her pregnancy with her son Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr. 58 00:03:04,969 --> 00:03:08,969 Yet that did not prevent her from enduring the hardships of the long journey, 59 00:03:08,969 --> 00:03:12,969 and no sooner had she reached Quba' than she gave birth to her child. 60 00:03:12,969 --> 00:03:15,969 The Muslims proclaimed the greatness of Allah and rejoiced with "La ilaha illa Allah," 61 00:03:15,969 --> 00:03:20,969 for he was the first child born to the Emigrants in Medina. 62 00:03:20,969 --> 00:03:24,969 She carried him to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 63 00:03:24,969 --> 00:03:26,969 and placed him in his lap. 64 00:03:26,969 --> 00:03:30,969 The Prophet took a little of his saliva and put it into the baby's mouth, 65 00:03:30,969 --> 00:03:32,969 then performed tahnik for him and prayed for him. 66 00:03:32,969 --> 00:03:38,969 Thus, the first thing to enter his stomach was the saliva of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. 67 00:03:38,969 --> 00:03:43,099 Asma' bint Abi Bakr combined such qualities of goodness, 68 00:03:43,099 --> 00:03:46,099 noble traits, and sound intellect 69 00:03:46,099 --> 00:03:50,099 as are rarely found except in a precious few men. 70 00:03:50,099 --> 00:03:52,099 She was so generous 71 00:03:52,099 --> 00:03:55,099 that her generosity became proverbial. 72 00:03:55,099 --> 00:03:58,129 Her son Abdullah narrated, saying: 73 00:03:58,129 --> 00:04:00,129 "I have never seen two women 74 00:04:00,129 --> 00:04:03,129 more generous than my maternal aunt Aisha and my mother Asma'. 75 00:04:03,129 --> 00:04:06,129 Yet their ways of giving differed: 76 00:04:06,129 --> 00:04:10,129 as for my aunt, she would gather thing upon thing, 77 00:04:10,129 --> 00:04:15,129 and once enough had accumulated, she would distribute it among the needy; 78 00:04:15,129 --> 00:04:19,129 whereas my mother would not keep anything until the morrow." 79 00:04:19,129 --> 00:04:25,379 Asma' was also deeply wise, conducting herself impeccably in critical situations. 80 00:04:25,379 --> 00:04:30,379 An example of this occurred when al-Siddiq set out on the migration accompanied by the Messenger of Allah; 81 00:04:30,379 --> 00:04:35,379 he took all his wealth with him, amounting to six thousand dirhams, 82 00:04:35,379 --> 00:04:38,379 leaving nothing behind for his family. 83 00:04:38,379 --> 00:04:41,379 When his father, Abu Quhafah, learned of his departure— 84 00:04:41,379 --> 00:04:44,379 and he was still a polytheist at the time— 85 00:04:44,379 --> 00:04:47,379 he came to his house and said to Asma': 86 00:04:47,379 --> 00:04:50,379 "By Allah, I see that he has distressed you with his wealth 87 00:04:50,379 --> 00:04:52,379 after having already distressed you by leaving himself!" 88 00:04:52,379 --> 00:04:53,379 She said to him: 89 00:04:53,379 --> 00:04:55,379 "Not at all, grandfather! 90 00:04:55,379 --> 00:04:58,379 He has left us abundant wealth." 91 00:04:58,379 --> 00:05:00,379 Then she took some pebbles 92 00:05:00,379 --> 00:05:04,379 and placed them in the niche where they used to keep their money, 93 00:05:04,379 --> 00:05:06,379 covering them with a cloth. 94 00:05:06,379 --> 00:05:08,379 Then she took her grandfather by the hand— 95 00:05:08,379 --> 00:05:10,379 and he was blind— 96 00:05:10,379 --> 00:05:11,379 and said: 97 00:05:11,379 --> 00:05:12,379 "Grandfather, 98 00:05:12,379 --> 00:05:15,379 feel how much wealth he has left for us." 99 00:05:15,379 --> 00:05:17,379 He placed his hand on it and said: 100 00:05:17,379 --> 00:05:18,379 "There is no harm then; 101 00:05:18,379 --> 00:05:22,379 if he has left you all of this, he has done well." 102 00:05:22,379 --> 00:05:26,379 By doing so, she intended to reassure the old man's heart 103 00:05:26,379 --> 00:05:29,379 and prevent him from offering her any of his own money, 104 00:05:29,379 --> 00:05:33,379 for she detested being beholden to a polytheist, 105 00:05:33,379 --> 00:05:36,420 even if he was her grandfather. 106 00:05:36,420 --> 00:05:41,420 And if history were to forget all the stances of Asma' bint Abi Bakr, 107 00:05:41,420 --> 00:05:45,420 it would never forget the soundness of her judgment, her resolute determination, 108 00:05:45,420 --> 00:05:47,420 and the strength of her faith 109 00:05:47,420 --> 00:05:51,509 when she met her son Abdullah for the very last time. 110 00:05:51,509 --> 00:05:54,509 For her son, Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, 111 00:05:54,509 --> 00:05:58,509 had been pledged allegiance as caliph after the death of Yazid ibn Mu'awiyah, 112 00:05:58,509 --> 00:06:01,509 and the Hijaz, Egypt, Iraq, 113 00:06:01,509 --> 00:06:04,509 Khurasan, and most of the Levant had submitted to his rule. 114 00:06:04,509 --> 00:06:09,509 But the Umayyads soon dispatched a massive army to wage war against him, 115 00:06:09,509 --> 00:06:12,509 led by al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi. 116 00:06:12,509 --> 00:06:15,610 Fierce battles raged between the two sides, 117 00:06:15,610 --> 00:06:21,610 in which Ibn al-Zubayr displayed forms of heroism befitting a valiant warrior of his stature. 118 00:06:21,610 --> 00:06:26,670 However, his supporters began to desert him little by little, 119 00:06:26,670 --> 00:06:28,670 so he retreated to the Sacred House of Allah 120 00:06:28,670 --> 00:06:32,670 and took refuge, along with those remaining with him, within the sanctuary of the Venerated Ka'bah. 121 00:06:32,670 --> 00:06:35,670 A few hours before his death, 122 00:06:35,670 --> 00:06:37,670 he entered upon his mother, Asma', 123 00:06:37,670 --> 00:06:41,670 who was then an elderly woman advanced in years and blind. 124 00:06:41,670 --> 00:06:46,670 He said: "Peace be upon you, mother, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings." 125 00:06:46,670 --> 00:06:50,670 She replied: "And upon you be peace, O Abdullah. 126 00:06:50,670 --> 00:06:53,670 What brings you at this hour, 127 00:06:53,670 --> 00:06:58,670 while the stones launched by al-Hajjaj's catapults at your troops in the Sanctuary 128 00:06:58,670 --> 00:07:00,670 are violently shaking the houses of Mecca?" 129 00:07:00,670 --> 00:07:03,740 He said: "I have come to consult you." 130 00:07:04,740 --> 00:07:08,740 She asked: "To consult me about what?" 131 00:07:08,740 --> 00:07:11,740 He said: "The people have deserted me 132 00:07:11,740 --> 00:07:14,740 and turned away, either out of dread of al-Hajjaj 133 00:07:14,740 --> 00:07:16,740 or coveting what he has to offer. 134 00:07:16,740 --> 00:07:19,740 Even my own children and family have dispersed from me, 135 00:07:19,740 --> 00:07:23,740 and none remain with me except a small band of my men. 136 00:07:23,740 --> 00:07:25,740 Yet no matter how great their endurance may be, 137 00:07:25,740 --> 00:07:29,740 they cannot hold out for more than an hour or two. 138 00:07:29,740 --> 00:07:31,740 Meanwhile, the emissaries of the Umayyads are negotiating with me, 139 00:07:31,740 --> 00:07:34,740 offering to give me whatever worldly wealth I desire 140 00:07:34,740 --> 00:07:36,740 if only I lay down my arms 141 00:07:36,740 --> 00:07:39,740 and pledge allegiance to Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan. 142 00:07:39,740 --> 00:07:40,740 What do you think?" 143 00:07:40,740 --> 00:07:42,740 Her voice rose as she said: 144 00:07:42,740 --> 00:07:45,740 "The matter is yours, O Abdullah, 145 00:07:45,740 --> 00:07:47,740 and you know yourself best. 146 00:07:47,740 --> 00:07:50,740 If you believe that you are upon the truth 147 00:07:50,740 --> 00:07:52,740 and calling to the truth, 148 00:07:52,740 --> 00:07:57,740 then endure and fight valiantly, just as your companions who were killed beneath your banner endured! 149 00:07:57,740 --> 00:07:59,740 But if you only sought worldly gain, 150 00:07:59,740 --> 00:08:01,740 then what a wretched servant of Allah you are— 151 00:08:01,740 --> 00:08:04,740 you have destroyed yourself and destroyed your men!" 152 00:08:04,740 --> 00:08:05,740 He said: 153 00:08:05,740 --> 00:08:08,740 "Yet I am surely to be killed this day." 154 00:08:08,740 --> 00:08:09,740 She said: 155 00:08:09,740 --> 00:08:14,740 "That is better for you than surrendering yourself to al-Hajjaj voluntarily, 156 00:08:14,740 --> 00:08:17,740 only for the Umayyad youths to toy with your head!" 157 00:08:17,740 --> 00:08:18,740 He said: 158 00:08:18,740 --> 00:08:20,740 "I do not fear death; 159 00:08:20,740 --> 00:08:23,769 I only fear being mutilated." 160 00:08:23,769 --> 00:08:24,769 She replied: 161 00:08:24,769 --> 00:08:27,769 "There is nothing after death for a person to fear, 162 00:08:27,769 --> 00:08:30,769 for a slaughtered sheep feels no pain from being skinned!" 163 00:08:30,769 --> 00:08:33,899 His face beamed with joy, and he said: 164 00:08:33,899 --> 00:08:35,899 "May you be blessed as a mother, 165 00:08:35,899 --> 00:08:38,899 and may your noble virtues be blessed! 166 00:08:38,899 --> 00:08:41,899 For I did not come to you at this hour 167 00:08:41,899 --> 00:08:44,899 except to hear from you precisely what I have heard. 168 00:08:44,899 --> 00:08:47,899 Allah knows that I have neither faltered nor weakened, 169 00:08:47,899 --> 00:08:49,960 and He is my witness 170 00:08:49,960 --> 00:08:54,960 that I did not undertake what I did out of love for this worldly life and its adornments, 171 00:08:54,960 --> 00:08:58,960 but out of anger for the sake of Allah that His sacred boundaries should be violated. 172 00:08:58,960 --> 00:09:01,960 Here I am, proceeding toward what you desire! 173 00:09:01,960 --> 00:09:03,960 So if I am killed, 174 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:05,960 do not grieve over me, 175 00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:07,960 and surrender your affair to Allah." 176 00:09:07,960 --> 00:09:08,960 She said: 177 00:09:08,960 --> 00:09:13,019 "I would only grieve over you if you were killed upon falsehood." 178 00:09:13,019 --> 00:09:14,019 He said: 179 00:09:14,019 --> 00:09:19,019 "Rest assured that your son never deliberately committed a vile deed, 180 00:09:19,019 --> 00:09:21,019 nor ever engaged in an immorality, 181 00:09:21,019 --> 00:09:23,019 nor ever deviated from the judgment of Allah, 182 00:09:23,019 --> 00:09:25,019 nor ever betrayed a covenant of safety, 183 00:09:25,019 --> 00:09:28,019 nor ever intentionally wronged a Muslim or a non-Muslim under covenant, 184 00:09:28,019 --> 00:09:33,019 nor was anything dearer to him than the pleasure of Allah, Glorified and Exalted. 185 00:09:33,019 --> 00:09:36,059 I do not say this to praise myself, 186 00:09:36,059 --> 00:09:38,059 for Allah knows me better than I know myself, 187 00:09:38,059 --> 00:09:42,059 but I only said it to bring comfort to your heart." 188 00:09:42,059 --> 00:09:43,059 She said: 189 00:09:43,059 --> 00:09:48,059 "Praise be to Allah Who has made you as He loves and as I love! 190 00:09:48,059 --> 00:09:50,059 Come close to me, my son, 191 00:09:50,059 --> 00:09:53,059 so that I may smell your scent and touch your body, 192 00:09:53,059 --> 00:09:56,059 for this may well be my final moment with you." 193 00:09:56,059 --> 00:10:01,059 Abdullah bent over her hands and feet, kissing them profusely, 194 00:10:01,059 --> 00:10:05,059 while she passed her face over his head, face, and neck, 195 00:10:05,059 --> 00:10:07,059 smelling him and kissing him. 196 00:10:07,059 --> 00:10:10,059 She stretched out her hands, feeling his body, 197 00:10:10,059 --> 00:10:14,059 but soon pulled them back, saying: 198 00:10:14,059 --> 00:10:17,059 "What is this you are wearing, O Abdullah?" 199 00:10:17,059 --> 00:10:18,059 He said, 200 00:10:18,059 --> 00:10:20,059 "My coat of mail." 201 00:10:20,059 --> 00:10:21,059 She replied, 202 00:10:21,059 --> 00:10:24,059 "O my son, this is not the attire of one seeking martyrdom!" 203 00:10:24,059 --> 00:10:25,090 He explained, 204 00:10:25,090 --> 00:10:30,149 "I only put it on to comfort you and put your heart at ease." 205 00:10:30,149 --> 00:10:31,149 She said, 206 00:10:31,149 --> 00:10:33,149 "Take it off! 207 00:10:33,149 --> 00:10:35,149 For that will ignite your zeal even more, 208 00:10:35,149 --> 00:10:37,149 make your charge more formidable, 209 00:10:37,149 --> 00:10:39,149 and allow you greater agility of movement. 210 00:10:39,149 --> 00:10:42,149 Instead, put on doubled lower garments, 211 00:10:42,149 --> 00:10:45,149 so that if you fall, your private parts will not be exposed." 212 00:10:45,149 --> 00:10:48,440 'Abdullah Ibn al-Zubayr took off his coat of mail, 213 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:50,440 tightened his lower garments firmly, 214 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:54,440 and headed toward the Sacred Sanctuary to resume fighting, calling out: 215 00:10:54,440 --> 00:10:57,440 "Do not cease praying for me, mother!" 216 00:10:57,440 --> 00:11:01,629 So she raised her hands to the heavens and prayed: 217 00:11:01,629 --> 00:11:06,629 "O Allah, have mercy on his lengthy standing in prayer and his intense weeping in the darkness of the night, 218 00:11:06,629 --> 00:11:08,629 while the people were fast asleep. 219 00:11:08,629 --> 00:11:14,659 O Allah, have mercy on his hunger and his thirst in the scorching midday heat of Medina and Mecca while fasting. 220 00:11:14,659 --> 00:11:17,659 O Allah, have mercy on his devotion and filial piety toward his father and mother. 221 00:11:17,659 --> 00:11:20,789 O Allah, I have truly surrendered him to Your command, 222 00:11:20,789 --> 00:11:23,789 and I am pleased with whatever You have decreed for him, 223 00:11:23,789 --> 00:11:26,789 so grant me for him the reward of the patient." 224 00:11:26,789 --> 00:11:29,950 The sun of that day had not yet set 225 00:11:29,950 --> 00:11:33,950 before 'Abdullah Ibn al-Zubayr had departed to the presence of his Lord. 226 00:11:33,950 --> 00:11:37,950 Barely a dozen or so days had passed after his death 227 00:11:37,950 --> 00:11:41,950 before his mother, Asma' bint Abi Bakr, also followed him. 228 00:11:41,950 --> 00:11:44,950 She had reached a hundred years of age, 229 00:11:44,950 --> 00:11:47,950 yet not a single incisor or molar of hers had fallen out, 230 00:11:47,950 --> 00:11:50,950 nor had she lost any of her mental faculties. 231 00:11:50,950 --> 00:11:56,700 Asma' lived for a hundred years, 232 00:11:56,700 --> 00:11:59,700 without losing a single front tooth or molar, 233 00:11:59,700 --> 00:12:02,700 and without suffering any decline in her intellect. 234 00:12:02,700 --> 00:12:05,090 The historians record: 235 00:12:17,039 --> 00:12:19,039 Not a single tooth had fallen from her mouth.