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 --> 00:00:19,929 to present to you 4 00:00:19,929 --> 00:00:23,059 "Portraits from the Lives of the Female Companions" 5 00:00:23,059 --> 00:00:27,059 by Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 6 00:00:27,059 --> 00:00:31,679 may Allah have mercy upon him. 7 00:00:31,679 --> 00:00:33,679 Nusaybah al-Maziniyyah. 8 00:00:49,289 --> 00:00:56,710 "You have an appointment to meet the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 9 00:00:56,710 --> 00:00:58,710 at al-Aqabah, 10 00:00:58,710 --> 00:01:01,840 at the end of the first third of the night." 11 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:04,840 Mus'ab Ibn 'Umayr whispered these words 12 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:06,840 to one of the Muslims of Yathrib, 13 00:01:06,840 --> 00:01:09,840 and the news spread among them like a gentle breeze, 14 00:01:09,840 --> 00:01:12,840 swiftly, discreetly, and quietly. 15 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:16,840 The Muslims who had slipped away from Medina were duly informed, 16 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:20,840 having blended among the crowds of polytheist pilgrims arriving 17 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:22,840 in Mecca from every direction. 18 00:01:22,840 --> 00:01:24,870 Night fell, 19 00:01:24,870 --> 00:01:28,870 and the polytheist pilgrims surrendered to slumber, 20 00:01:28,870 --> 00:01:31,870 sinking into a deep sleep 21 00:01:31,870 --> 00:01:33,870 after an exhausting, grueling day 22 00:01:33,870 --> 00:01:36,870 spent circumambulating idols 23 00:01:36,870 --> 00:01:38,870 and slaughtering sacrifices for false gods. 24 00:01:38,870 --> 00:01:40,969 Yet the companions of Mus'ab Ibn 'Umayr, 25 00:01:40,969 --> 00:01:42,969 the Muslims of Yathrib, 26 00:01:42,969 --> 00:01:44,969 did not close an eye. 27 00:01:44,969 --> 00:01:47,969 And how could their eyelids close 28 00:01:47,969 --> 00:01:50,969 when their hearts fluttered with joy for the meeting 29 00:01:50,969 --> 00:01:54,969 for which they had crossed barren deserts and wilderness, 30 00:01:54,969 --> 00:01:57,969 and their hearts almost took flight from their chests 31 00:01:57,969 --> 00:02:02,969 out of yearning to see their beloved Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him? 32 00:02:02,969 --> 00:02:07,000 For most of them had believed in him before being blessed with meeting him, 33 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:11,000 and had become devoted to him before their eyes had been honored with his sight. 34 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:14,129 At the end of the first third of the night, 35 00:02:14,129 --> 00:02:16,129 in the middle of the Days of Tashriq, 36 00:02:16,129 --> 00:02:18,129 at al-Aqabah in Mina, 37 00:02:18,129 --> 00:02:23,129 the momentous meeting took place away from Quraysh's sight. 38 00:02:23,129 --> 00:02:29,129 Seventy-two men stepped forward to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 39 00:02:30,129 --> 00:02:34,129 placing their hands in his, one after another, 40 00:02:34,129 --> 00:02:39,129 pledging allegiance to defend him just as they defended their own women and children. 41 00:02:39,129 --> 00:02:42,129 When the men had completed their pledge, 42 00:02:42,129 --> 00:02:44,129 two women stepped forward 43 00:02:44,129 --> 00:02:47,129 and pledged allegiance to the same terms the men had pledged to, 44 00:02:47,129 --> 00:02:50,129 but without shaking hands, 45 00:02:50,129 --> 00:02:55,129 because the Messenger, peace be upon him, did not shake hands with women. 46 00:02:55,129 --> 00:02:58,129 One of these two women 47 00:02:58,129 --> 00:03:00,129 was known as Umm Mani', 48 00:03:00,129 --> 00:03:01,129 while the other 49 00:03:01,129 --> 00:03:04,129 was Nusaybah bint Ka'b al-Maziniyyah, 50 00:03:04,129 --> 00:03:07,129 whose kunyah was Umm 'Umarah. 51 00:03:07,129 --> 00:03:10,189 Umm 'Umarah returned to Yathrib, 52 00:03:10,189 --> 00:03:16,189 overjoyed with the honor Allah had granted her by meeting the Greatest Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 53 00:03:16,189 --> 00:03:20,189 fully determined to fulfill the conditions of the pledge. 54 00:03:20,189 --> 00:03:23,189 Then the days passed swiftly, 55 00:03:23,189 --> 00:03:25,189 until the Day of Uhud arrived, 56 00:03:25,189 --> 00:03:29,189 and Umm 'Umarah played an extraordinary role in it. 57 00:03:29,189 --> 00:03:32,189 Umm 'Umarah set out for Uhud 58 00:03:32,189 --> 00:03:37,189 carrying her waterskin to quench the thirst of the warriors striving in the cause of Allah, 59 00:03:37,189 --> 00:03:41,189 with bandages in hand to dress their wounds. 60 00:03:41,189 --> 00:03:42,189 And this was no surprise, 61 00:03:42,189 --> 00:03:47,189 for present in the battle were her husband and three dear to her heart: 62 00:03:47,189 --> 00:03:51,189 the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 63 00:03:51,189 --> 00:03:54,189 and her two sons, Habib and Abdullah, 64 00:03:54,189 --> 00:03:59,189 in addition to her Muslim brethren defending the religion of Allah, 65 00:03:59,189 --> 00:04:02,189 championing the Messenger of Allah. 66 00:04:02,189 --> 00:04:05,189 Then took place what took place on the Day of Uhud, 67 00:04:05,189 --> 00:04:08,189 and Umm 'Umarah saw with her own eyes 68 00:04:08,189 --> 00:04:12,189 how the Muslims' victory turned into a grave defeat, 69 00:04:12,189 --> 00:04:16,189 and how the killing intensified within the Muslim ranks, 70 00:04:16,189 --> 00:04:20,189 as they fell on the battlefield, martyr after martyr, 71 00:04:20,189 --> 00:04:23,189 and how feet trembled, 72 00:04:23,189 --> 00:04:27,189 and the men scattered away from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, 73 00:04:27,189 --> 00:04:32,189 until no more than ten or so remained with him, 74 00:04:32,189 --> 00:04:35,189 leading a disbelieving herald to cry out: 75 00:04:35,189 --> 00:04:39,189 "Muhammad has been killed!" 76 00:04:39,189 --> 00:04:43,259 At that moment, Umm 'Umarah cast aside her waterskin 77 00:04:43,259 --> 00:04:48,259 and sprang into battle like a tigress whose cubs were under attack. 78 00:04:49,290 --> 00:04:54,290 Let us leave the account of these decisive moments to Umm 'Umarah herself, 79 00:04:54,290 --> 00:04:59,350 for none can depict them with such precision and truthfulness as she. 80 00:04:59,350 --> 00:05:01,350 Umm 'Umarah said: 81 00:05:01,350 --> 00:05:03,350 "I went out to Uhud in the early part of the day, 82 00:05:03,350 --> 00:05:07,350 carrying a waterskin from which I gave drink to the fighters, 83 00:05:07,350 --> 00:05:11,350 until I reached the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 84 00:05:11,350 --> 00:05:14,350 while the tide of battle was in his favor and with those beside him. 85 00:05:14,350 --> 00:05:19,350 Soon thereafter, the Muslims were routed away from the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, 86 00:05:19,350 --> 00:05:24,350 and none remained with him except a small group of no more than ten. 87 00:05:24,350 --> 00:05:27,350 So my sons, my husband, and I turned toward him, 88 00:05:27,350 --> 00:05:31,350 surrounding him just as a bracelet surrounds a wrist, 89 00:05:31,350 --> 00:05:36,350 and we began defending him with all the strength and weapons we possessed. 90 00:05:36,350 --> 00:05:40,350 The noble Messenger, peace be upon him, saw me 91 00:05:40,350 --> 00:05:45,449 without a shield to protect myself from the strikes of the polytheists. 92 00:05:45,449 --> 00:05:49,449 Then he saw a fleeing man who had a shield and said to him: 93 00:05:49,449 --> 00:05:52,449 'Give your shield to someone who will fight!' 94 00:05:52,449 --> 00:05:55,449 The man dropped his shield and ran off, 95 00:05:55,449 --> 00:06:01,449 so I picked it up and began shielding the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, with it. 96 00:06:01,449 --> 00:06:04,449 I continued striking with the sword in defense of the Prophet 97 00:06:04,449 --> 00:06:06,449 and shooting arrows to shield him, 98 00:06:06,449 --> 00:06:09,480 until wounds finally overwhelmed me. 99 00:06:09,480 --> 00:06:11,480 While we were in that state, 100 00:06:11,480 --> 00:06:15,480 Ibn Qami'ah approached like a blazing ember, shouting: 101 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:19,610 'Where is Muhammad? Point Muhammad out to me!' 102 00:06:19,610 --> 00:06:22,610 Mus'ab Ibn 'Umayr and I blocked his path, 103 00:06:22,610 --> 00:06:26,610 and he struck Mus'ab with his sword and struck him down dead. 104 00:06:26,610 --> 00:06:31,610 Then he struck me a blow that left a deep wound upon my shoulder, 105 00:06:31,610 --> 00:06:34,670 so I struck him several blows in return, 106 00:06:34,670 --> 00:06:38,740 but the enemy of Allah was wearing two coats of armor." 107 00:06:38,740 --> 00:06:41,740 Nusaybah al-Maziniyyah continued, saying: 108 00:06:41,740 --> 00:06:46,740 "While my son was defending the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 109 00:06:46,740 --> 00:06:51,740 one of the polytheists struck him a blow that nearly severed his upper arm, 110 00:06:51,740 --> 00:06:54,740 and blood began gushing from the deep wound. 111 00:06:54,740 --> 00:06:57,740 I rushed over to him and dressed his wound, 112 00:06:57,740 --> 00:07:01,740 saying to him: 'Rise, my son, and fight the enemy!' 113 00:07:01,740 --> 00:07:06,740 The Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, turned to me and said: 114 00:07:06,740 --> 00:07:10,740 'Who could endure what you endure, O Umm 'Umarah?' 115 00:07:10,740 --> 00:07:13,740 Then the man who had struck my son approached, 116 00:07:13,740 --> 00:07:16,740 and the Messenger, peace be upon him, said: 117 00:07:16,740 --> 00:07:19,740 'This is the one who struck your son, O Umm 'Umarah!' 118 00:07:19,740 --> 00:07:21,740 I quickly intercepted his path 119 00:07:21,740 --> 00:07:24,740 and struck his leg with my sword, 120 00:07:24,740 --> 00:07:27,740 bringing him crashing down to the ground. 121 00:07:27,740 --> 00:07:30,740 We then fell upon him, taking turns striking him with swords 122 00:07:30,740 --> 00:07:34,740 and piercing him with spears until we finished him off. 123 00:07:34,740 --> 00:07:38,740 The greatest Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, turned to me, 124 00:07:38,740 --> 00:07:40,740 smiling, and said: 125 00:07:40,740 --> 00:07:43,740 'You have avenged him, O Umm 'Umarah! 126 00:07:43,740 --> 00:07:46,740 Praise be to Allah Who granted you victory over him 127 00:07:46,740 --> 00:07:48,740 and let you witness your vengeance with your own eyes!' " 128 00:07:48,740 --> 00:07:51,829 Umm 'Umarah's two sons were no less 129 00:07:51,829 --> 00:07:55,829 brave and selfless than their mother and father, 130 00:07:55,829 --> 00:07:58,829 nor were they any less devoted in sacrifice and ransom; 131 00:07:58,829 --> 00:08:01,829 for a son reflects the spirit of his mother and father, 132 00:08:01,829 --> 00:08:03,829 and is a true image of them both. 133 00:08:03,829 --> 00:08:06,829 Her son Abdullah narrated, saying: 134 00:08:06,829 --> 00:08:10,829 "I was present at Uhud with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 135 00:08:10,829 --> 00:08:13,829 and when the people scattered from around him, 136 00:08:13,829 --> 00:08:16,829 my mother and I drew close to him to defend him. 137 00:08:16,829 --> 00:08:19,829 He said: 'The son of Umm 'Umarah?' 138 00:08:19,829 --> 00:08:22,829 I replied: 'Yes.' He said: 'Throw!' 139 00:08:22,829 --> 00:08:25,829 So I threw a stone at a polytheist directly in front of him, 140 00:08:25,829 --> 00:08:27,829 and the man fell to the ground. 141 00:08:27,829 --> 00:08:30,829 I kept pelting him with stones 142 00:08:30,829 --> 00:08:33,830 until I piled a heavy mound upon him, 143 00:08:33,830 --> 00:08:37,830 while the Prophet, peace be upon him, looked at me and smiled. 144 00:08:37,830 --> 00:08:40,899 Then he turned 145 00:08:40,899 --> 00:08:44,899 and saw the wound on my mother's shoulder gushing blood, 146 00:08:44,899 --> 00:08:47,899 so he said: 'Your mother! Your mother! 147 00:08:47,899 --> 00:08:51,899 Bind her wound! May Allah bless you, members of this household! 148 00:08:51,899 --> 00:08:55,899 Your mother's stand is better than the stand of so-and-so and so-and-so. 149 00:08:55,899 --> 00:08:58,899 May Allah have mercy upon you, members of this household!' 150 00:08:58,899 --> 00:09:01,899 My mother turned to him and said: 151 00:09:01,899 --> 00:09:05,899 'Supplicate to Allah for us that we may accompany you in Paradise, O Messenger of Allah!' 152 00:09:05,899 --> 00:09:10,899 So he said: 'O Allah, make them my companions in Paradise!' 153 00:09:10,899 --> 00:09:16,899 My mother then said: 'After this, I do not care what befalls me in this worldly life.' " 154 00:09:16,899 --> 00:09:19,899 Umm 'Umarah then returned from Uhud 155 00:09:19,899 --> 00:09:21,899 with her deep wound 156 00:09:21,899 --> 00:09:27,899 and this supplication made for her by the greatest Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 157 00:09:27,899 --> 00:09:31,899 The Prophet, peace be upon him, returned from Uhud saying: 158 00:09:31,899 --> 00:09:35,899 "I did not turn right or left on the Day of Uhud 159 00:09:35,899 --> 00:09:40,090 without seeing Umm 'Umarah fighting in my defense." 160 00:09:40,090 --> 00:09:45,090 On the Day of Uhud, Umm 'Umarah grew skilled in combat and mastered it, 161 00:09:45,090 --> 00:09:48,090 tasting the sweetness of striving in the cause of Allah, 162 00:09:48,090 --> 00:09:51,090 such that she could no longer stay away from it. 163 00:09:51,090 --> 00:09:57,090 It was decreed for her to witness most major expeditions with the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him; 164 00:09:57,090 --> 00:10:00,090 she was present with him at al-Hudaybiyyah, Khaybar, 165 00:10:00,090 --> 00:10:03,090 the Compensatory Umrah, Hunayn, 166 00:10:03,090 --> 00:10:05,090 and the Pledge of Ridwan. 167 00:10:05,090 --> 00:10:11,090 Yet all of that pales in comparison to what she did on the Day of al-Yamamah, 168 00:10:11,090 --> 00:10:15,090 during the era of al-Siddiq, may Allah be pleased with them both. 169 00:10:15,090 --> 00:10:19,090 Umm 'Umarah's story with the Day of al-Yamamah begins 170 00:10:19,090 --> 00:10:23,090 back in the lifetime of the Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 171 00:10:23,090 --> 00:10:29,090 For the greatest Messenger, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, had sent her son Habib Ibn Zayd 172 00:10:29,090 --> 00:10:32,090 with a letter to Musaylamah the Liar. 173 00:10:32,090 --> 00:10:34,090 Musaylamah betrayed Habib 174 00:10:34,090 --> 00:10:38,090 and killed him in a horrifying manner that makes the skin crawl. 175 00:10:38,090 --> 00:10:42,090 Musaylamah bound Habib in chains and said to him: 176 00:10:42,090 --> 00:10:45,090 "Do you bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah?" 177 00:10:45,090 --> 00:10:47,090 He replied: "Yes." 178 00:10:47,090 --> 00:10:49,090 Musaylamah then said: 179 00:10:49,090 --> 00:10:51,090 "Do you bear witness that I am the messenger of Allah?" 180 00:10:51,090 --> 00:10:54,090 He replied: "I cannot hear what you are saying." 181 00:10:54,090 --> 00:10:56,090 So he cut off one of his limbs. 182 00:10:56,090 --> 00:11:00,090 Musaylamah kept repeating the same question to him, 183 00:11:00,090 --> 00:11:03,090 and he kept giving him the exact same answer, 184 00:11:03,090 --> 00:11:06,090 neither adding to it nor taking away, 185 00:11:06,090 --> 00:11:09,090 while with each refusal, a limb was severed from his body, 186 00:11:09,090 --> 00:11:12,090 until his pure soul departed, 187 00:11:12,090 --> 00:11:15,090 after enduring torture 188 00:11:15,090 --> 00:11:18,090 that would make solid rocks tremble. 189 00:11:18,090 --> 00:11:23,149 The bearer of the tragic news brought word of Habib Ibn Zayd's martyrdom to his mother, Nusaybah al-Maziniyyah, 190 00:11:23,149 --> 00:11:26,149 and she merely said: 191 00:11:26,149 --> 00:11:29,149 "For such a stand I prepared him, 192 00:11:29,149 --> 00:11:31,149 and with Allah I seek his reward. 193 00:11:31,149 --> 00:11:34,149 He pledged allegiance to the Messenger, peace be upon him, 194 00:11:34,149 --> 00:11:37,149 on the night of al-Aqabah as a boy, 195 00:11:37,149 --> 00:11:39,149 and he fulfilled it today as a grown man. 196 00:11:39,149 --> 00:11:42,149 If Allah grants me power over Musaylamah, 197 00:11:42,149 --> 00:11:46,149 I will surely make his daughters beat their cheeks in grief over him." 198 00:11:46,149 --> 00:11:50,149 The day Nusaybah longed for was not long in coming, 199 00:11:50,149 --> 00:11:53,149 when Abu Bakr's caller made the proclamation in Medina: 200 00:11:53,149 --> 00:11:57,149 "Rally forth to fight the false claimant to prophethood, the liar Musaylimah!" 201 00:11:57,149 --> 00:12:01,149 The Muslims hastened their march to confront him, 202 00:12:01,149 --> 00:12:05,149 and among the army was Umm 'Umarah, that valiant warrior, 203 00:12:05,149 --> 00:12:08,149 along with her son, 'Abdullah ibn Zayd. 204 00:12:08,149 --> 00:12:10,149 When the two hosts met 205 00:12:10,149 --> 00:12:12,149 and the heat of battle raged, 206 00:12:13,149 --> 00:12:16,149 a group of Muslims lay in wait for Musaylimah, 207 00:12:16,149 --> 00:12:19,149 foremost among them being Umm 'Umarah, 208 00:12:19,149 --> 00:12:22,149 who sought vengeance for her martyred son, 209 00:12:22,149 --> 00:12:24,149 as well as Wahshi ibn Harb, 210 00:12:24,149 --> 00:12:26,149 the one who had slain Hamzah on the day of Uhud. 211 00:12:26,149 --> 00:12:30,149 Wahshi wished to slay the worst of men as a believer, 212 00:12:30,149 --> 00:12:34,149 just as he had slain one of the best of men while a polytheist. 213 00:12:34,149 --> 00:12:38,149 Umm 'Umarah was unable to reach Musaylimah, 214 00:12:38,149 --> 00:12:41,149 as her hand was severed in the battle 215 00:12:41,149 --> 00:12:43,149 and she was severely weighed down by wounds. 216 00:12:43,149 --> 00:12:45,149 However, Wahshi ibn Harb 217 00:12:45,149 --> 00:12:47,149 and Abu Dujanah— 218 00:12:47,149 --> 00:12:50,149 the bearer of the sword of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)— 219 00:12:50,149 --> 00:12:54,149 reached Musaylimah and struck him together as one. 220 00:12:54,149 --> 00:12:57,149 Wahshi pierced him with his spear, 221 00:12:57,149 --> 00:13:00,149 and Abu Dujanah struck him down with his sword, 222 00:13:00,149 --> 00:13:03,149 so he fell lifeless in the blink of an eye. 223 00:13:03,149 --> 00:13:06,149 After the Battle of al-Yamamah, Umm 'Umarah returned to Medina 224 00:13:06,149 --> 00:13:08,149 with only one hand, 225 00:13:08,149 --> 00:13:10,149 accompanied by her only surviving son. 226 00:13:10,149 --> 00:13:12,149 As for her other hand, 227 00:13:12,149 --> 00:13:14,149 she sought its reward with Allah, 228 00:13:14,149 --> 00:13:17,149 just as she had previously sought the reward for her martyred son. 229 00:13:17,149 --> 00:13:19,149 And why would she not seek their reward? 230 00:13:19,149 --> 00:13:22,149 Had she not said to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): 231 00:13:22,149 --> 00:13:25,149 "Pray to Allah that we may accompany you in Paradise"? 232 00:13:25,149 --> 00:13:29,149 To which the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: 233 00:13:29,149 --> 00:13:32,149 "O Allah, make them my companions in Paradise." 234 00:13:32,149 --> 00:13:34,149 Whereupon she said: 235 00:13:34,149 --> 00:13:38,149 "After that, I do not care what befalls me in this world." 236 00:13:39,149 --> 00:13:42,149 May Allah be pleased with Umm 'Umarah and grant her contentment, 237 00:13:42,149 --> 00:13:46,149 for she was a singular exemplar among the believing women, 238 00:13:46,149 --> 00:13:50,149 and an extraordinary model among the steadfast female warriors. 239 00:13:55,149 --> 00:13:58,149 "I did not turn to the right or to the left on the day of Uhud 240 00:13:58,149 --> 00:14:02,409 without seeing Umm 'Umarah fighting to defend me." 241 00:14:02,409 --> 00:14:06,529 Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, 242 00:14:13,529 --> 00:14:17,529 and can any praise ever do justice to them?