1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,000 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. 2 00:00:15,509 --> 00:00:17,510 The Mawaddah Association is pleased 3 00:00:17,510 --> 00:00:19,510 to present to you 4 00:00:19,510 --> 00:00:22,510 Portraits from the Lives of the Female Companions, 5 00:00:22,510 --> 00:00:26,640 by Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha, 6 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:28,640 may Allah have mercy upon him. 7 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:33,500 Safiyyah bint Abd al-Muttalib, 8 00:00:33,500 --> 00:00:35,500 may Allah be pleased with her. 9 00:00:47,350 --> 00:00:52,240 Who was this formidable and dignified lady, 10 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:55,240 whom men held in such high regard? 11 00:00:55,240 --> 00:00:58,240 Who was this courageous Companion 12 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:02,240 who was the first woman in Islam to kill a polytheist? 13 00:01:02,240 --> 00:01:04,239 Who was this resolute woman 14 00:01:04,239 --> 00:01:07,239 who raised the first knight for the Muslims 15 00:01:07,239 --> 00:01:10,239 to draw a sword in the cause of Allah? 16 00:01:10,239 --> 00:01:13,239 She is Safiyyah bint Abd al-Muttalib, 17 00:01:13,239 --> 00:01:15,239 the Hashimite, the Qurayshite, 18 00:01:15,239 --> 00:01:19,239 the paternal aunt of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. 19 00:01:19,239 --> 00:01:24,299 Glory surrounded Safiyyah bint Abd al-Muttalib from every side. 20 00:01:24,299 --> 00:01:27,299 Her father was Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim, 21 00:01:27,299 --> 00:01:30,299 the grandfather of the Prophet and the leader of Quraysh, 22 00:01:30,299 --> 00:01:32,299 their obeyed master. 23 00:01:32,299 --> 00:01:34,299 Her mother was Halah bint Wahb, 24 00:01:34,299 --> 00:01:38,299 the sister of Aminah bint Wahb, the mother of the Prophet. 25 00:01:38,299 --> 00:01:41,299 Her first husband was al-Harith ibn Harb, 26 00:01:41,299 --> 00:01:43,299 the brother of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, 27 00:01:43,299 --> 00:01:45,299 the leader of the Banu Umayyah, 28 00:01:45,299 --> 00:01:47,299 and he passed away while married to her. 29 00:01:47,299 --> 00:01:51,299 Her second husband was al-Awwam ibn Khuwaylid, 30 00:01:51,299 --> 00:01:53,299 the brother of Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, 31 00:01:53,299 --> 00:01:56,299 the mistress of the women of the Arabs in the pre-Islamic era, 32 00:01:56,299 --> 00:01:59,299 and the first of the Mothers of the Believers in Islam. 33 00:01:59,299 --> 00:02:02,400 Her son was al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, 34 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,400 the disciple of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him. 35 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:07,400 After such nobility, 36 00:02:07,400 --> 00:02:11,400 is there any honor that souls might aspire to other than the honor of faith? 37 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:15,500 Her husband, al-Awwam ibn Khuwaylid, passed away, 38 00:02:15,500 --> 00:02:18,500 leaving her with a young child, 39 00:02:18,500 --> 00:02:19,500 who was al-Zubayr. 40 00:02:19,500 --> 00:02:22,500 She raised him to be rugged and tough, 41 00:02:22,500 --> 00:02:25,500 and trained him in horsemanship and warfare. 42 00:02:25,500 --> 00:02:29,500 She made his play consist of sharpening arrows and repairing bows. 43 00:02:29,500 --> 00:02:33,500 She was diligent in thrusting him into every fearful situation, 44 00:02:33,500 --> 00:02:35,500 and pushing him into every danger. 45 00:02:35,500 --> 00:02:38,500 If she saw him hold back or hesitate, 46 00:02:38,500 --> 00:02:40,500 she would strike him severely. 47 00:02:40,500 --> 00:02:44,500 So much so that one of his uncles reproached her for it, 48 00:02:44,500 --> 00:02:46,500 saying to her: 49 00:02:46,500 --> 00:02:48,500 "This is not how a child is struck." 50 00:02:48,500 --> 00:02:52,500 "You strike him with the blow of one who hates, not the blow of a mother." 51 00:02:52,500 --> 00:02:54,500 She then recited in verse: 52 00:02:54,500 --> 00:02:57,500 "Whoever says I hate him has lied; 53 00:02:57,500 --> 00:03:00,500 I only strike him so that he may become wise, 54 00:03:00,500 --> 00:03:03,500 defeat armies, and bring back spoils." 55 00:03:03,500 --> 00:03:07,979 When Allah sent His Prophet with the religion of guidance and truth, 56 00:03:07,979 --> 00:03:10,979 and sent him as a warner and a bringer of glad tidings to the people, 57 00:03:10,979 --> 00:03:13,979 and commanded him to begin with his closest kin, 58 00:03:13,979 --> 00:03:15,979 he gathered the Banu Abd al-Muttalib, 59 00:03:15,979 --> 00:03:19,979 their women, their men, their elders, and their young. 60 00:03:19,979 --> 00:03:21,979 He addressed them, saying: 61 00:03:22,979 --> 00:03:24,979 "O Fatimah bint Muhammad, 62 00:03:24,979 --> 00:03:27,979 O Safiyyah bint Abd al-Muttalib, 63 00:03:27,979 --> 00:03:29,979 O Banu Abd al-Muttalib, 64 00:03:29,979 --> 00:03:32,979 I possess no power to help you against Allah in anything." 65 00:03:32,979 --> 00:03:35,979 Then he called them to believe in Allah, 66 00:03:35,979 --> 00:03:38,979 and urged them to affirm his message. 67 00:03:38,979 --> 00:03:42,979 Some of them turned toward the divine light, 68 00:03:42,979 --> 00:03:44,979 while others turned away from its radiance. 69 00:03:44,979 --> 00:03:47,979 Safiyyah bint Abd al-Muttalib was 70 00:03:47,979 --> 00:03:50,979 among the first rank of the believing, affirming ones. 71 00:03:52,039 --> 00:03:56,039 At that point, Safiyyah gathered glory from all its corners: 72 00:03:56,039 --> 00:03:59,039 the nobility of lineage and the might of Islam. 73 00:03:59,039 --> 00:04:03,139 Safiyyah bint Abd al-Muttalib joined the procession of light, 74 00:04:03,139 --> 00:04:06,139 she and her young son, al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam. 75 00:04:06,139 --> 00:04:09,139 She endured what the early Muslims endured 76 00:04:09,139 --> 00:04:12,139 of the might, oppression, and tyranny of Quraysh. 77 00:04:12,139 --> 00:04:16,139 When Allah gave permission to His Prophet and the believers with him 78 00:04:16,139 --> 00:04:18,139 to migrate to Medina, 79 00:04:18,139 --> 00:04:21,139 the Hashimite lady left Mecca behind, 80 00:04:21,139 --> 00:04:24,139 with all the memories it held for her, 81 00:04:24,139 --> 00:04:27,139 and all its various glories and achievements. 82 00:04:27,139 --> 00:04:30,139 She set her face toward Medina, 83 00:04:30,139 --> 00:04:33,139 migrating with her religion to Allah and His Messenger. 84 00:04:33,139 --> 00:04:36,259 Even though the great lady 85 00:04:36,259 --> 00:04:41,259 was at that time approaching 60 years of her long and eventful life, 86 00:04:41,259 --> 00:04:45,259 she had positions in the fields of jihad 87 00:04:45,259 --> 00:04:51,259 that history continues to mention with a tongue moist with admiration and fresh with praise. 88 00:04:51,259 --> 00:04:55,300 Two scenes are sufficient for us from these positions: 89 00:04:55,300 --> 00:04:59,300 the first was the day of Uhud, and the second was the day of the Trench. 90 00:04:59,300 --> 00:05:02,329 As for what she did at Uhud, 91 00:05:02,329 --> 00:05:05,329 it is that she went out with the Muslim army 92 00:05:05,329 --> 00:05:09,329 among a group of women, striving in the cause of Allah. 93 00:05:09,329 --> 00:05:12,329 She began carrying water and quenching the thirst of the thirsty, 94 00:05:12,329 --> 00:05:16,329 sharpening arrows, and repairing bows. 95 00:05:16,329 --> 00:05:19,329 She had, along with that, another purpose: 96 00:05:19,329 --> 00:05:23,329 to watch the battle with all her emotions. 97 00:05:23,329 --> 00:05:25,329 And no wonder, 98 00:05:25,329 --> 00:05:29,329 for on its field was her nephew, Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, 99 00:05:29,329 --> 00:05:33,329 her brother, Hamzah ibn Abd al-Muttalib, the Lion of Allah, 100 00:05:33,329 --> 00:05:38,329 and her son, al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwam, the disciple of the Prophet of Allah. 101 00:05:38,329 --> 00:05:42,329 And in the battle, before all that and above all that, 102 00:05:42,329 --> 00:05:46,329 was the fate of the Islam she had embraced willingly, 103 00:05:46,329 --> 00:05:49,329 and for which she had migrated, seeking reward, 104 00:05:49,329 --> 00:05:52,680 and through which she had seen the path to Paradise. 105 00:05:52,680 --> 00:05:56,680 When she saw the Muslims retreating from the Messenger of Allah, 106 00:05:56,680 --> 00:05:58,680 except for a few of them, 107 00:05:58,680 --> 00:06:02,680 and found that the polytheists were about to reach the Prophet and finish him off, 108 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:05,680 she threw her water skin to the ground, 109 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:08,680 and sprang up like a lioness whose cubs had been attacked. 110 00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:11,680 She snatched a spear from the hand of one of the retreating men, 111 00:06:11,680 --> 00:06:14,680 and began to cut through the ranks with it, 112 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:16,680 striking faces with its tip, 113 00:06:16,680 --> 00:06:18,680 and roaring at the Muslims, saying: 114 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:22,779 "Woe to you! Have you retreated from the Messenger of Allah?" 115 00:06:22,779 --> 00:06:26,779 When the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, saw her approaching, 116 00:06:26,779 --> 00:06:30,779 he feared for her that she might see her brother Hamzah lying dead, 117 00:06:30,779 --> 00:06:33,779 for the polytheists had mutilated him in the most hideous way. 118 00:06:33,779 --> 00:06:36,779 He signaled to her son, al-Zubayr, saying: 119 00:06:36,779 --> 00:06:39,779 "The woman, O Zubayr!" 120 00:06:39,779 --> 00:06:42,779 Al-Zubayr went to her and said: 121 00:06:42,779 --> 00:06:45,779 "O Mother, go back, O Mother!" 122 00:06:45,779 --> 00:06:48,779 She said: "Get away, may you have no mother!" 123 00:06:48,779 --> 00:06:52,870 He said: "The Messenger of Allah commands you to return." 124 00:06:52,870 --> 00:06:55,870 She said: "And why?" 125 00:06:55,870 --> 00:06:58,870 "It has reached me that he has been mutilated, my brother." 126 00:06:58,870 --> 00:07:00,870 "And that is for the sake of Allah." 127 00:07:00,870 --> 00:07:02,870 The Messenger said to him: 128 00:07:02,870 --> 00:07:04,870 "Let her pass, O Zubayr." 129 00:07:04,870 --> 00:07:06,870 So he let her pass. 130 00:07:06,870 --> 00:07:09,870 When the battle laid down its burdens, 131 00:07:09,870 --> 00:07:12,870 Safiyyah stood over her brother Hamzah, 132 00:07:12,870 --> 00:07:14,870 and found that his stomach had been ripped open, 133 00:07:14,870 --> 00:07:16,870 his liver had been removed, 134 00:07:16,870 --> 00:07:19,870 his nose had been cut off, his ears had been severed, 135 00:07:19,870 --> 00:07:21,870 and his face had been disfigured. 136 00:07:21,870 --> 00:07:24,870 She sought forgiveness for him and began to say: 137 00:07:24,870 --> 00:07:26,870 "Indeed, that is for the sake of Allah." 138 00:07:26,870 --> 00:07:29,870 "I am content with the decree of Allah." 139 00:07:29,870 --> 00:07:31,870 "By Allah, I shall surely be patient," 140 00:07:31,870 --> 00:07:33,870 "and I shall surely seek reward, if Allah wills." 141 00:07:33,870 --> 00:07:39,129 That was the position of Safiyyah bint Abd al-Muttalib on the day of Uhud. 142 00:07:39,129 --> 00:07:41,129 As for her position on the day of the Trench, 143 00:07:41,129 --> 00:07:43,129 it has an exciting story, 144 00:07:43,129 --> 00:07:46,129 its warp is cunning and intelligence, 145 00:07:46,129 --> 00:07:49,259 and its woof is courage and firmness. 146 00:07:49,259 --> 00:07:53,350 So here is its news as the books of history have preserved it. 147 00:07:53,350 --> 00:07:57,350 It was the custom of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, 148 00:07:57,350 --> 00:08:00,350 when he resolved upon one of the expeditions, 149 00:08:00,350 --> 00:08:03,350 to place the women and children in the fortresses, 150 00:08:03,350 --> 00:08:05,350 for fear that someone might betray Medina 151 00:08:05,350 --> 00:08:08,350 in the absence of its protectors. 152 00:08:08,350 --> 00:08:10,350 When the day of the Trench came, 153 00:08:10,350 --> 00:08:12,350 he placed his wives, his aunt, 154 00:08:12,350 --> 00:08:15,350 and a group of Muslim women 155 00:08:15,350 --> 00:08:17,350 in a fortress belonging to Hassan ibn Thabit, 156 00:08:17,350 --> 00:08:19,350 which he had inherited from his forefathers. 157 00:08:19,350 --> 00:08:21,350 It was one of the most secure fortresses of Medina, 158 00:08:21,350 --> 00:08:24,350 in terms of fortification and inaccessibility. 159 00:08:24,350 --> 00:08:26,379 While the Muslims were 160 00:08:26,379 --> 00:08:28,379 stationed on the edges of the Trench, 161 00:08:28,379 --> 00:08:31,379 facing Quraysh and its allies, 162 00:08:31,379 --> 00:08:34,379 and were occupied away from the women and children 163 00:08:34,379 --> 00:08:36,379 by engaging the enemy, 164 00:08:36,379 --> 00:08:38,379 Safiyyah bint Abd al-Muttalib saw 165 00:08:38,379 --> 00:08:41,379 a shadow moving in the darkness of dawn. 166 00:08:41,379 --> 00:08:43,379 She strained her hearing for it, 167 00:08:43,379 --> 00:08:45,379 and fixed her gaze upon it. 168 00:08:45,379 --> 00:08:48,379 It was a Jew who had approached the fortress, 169 00:08:48,379 --> 00:08:52,379 and began to circle it, sensing its news, 170 00:08:52,379 --> 00:08:54,509 spying on those within it. 171 00:08:54,509 --> 00:08:57,509 She realized that he was a scout for his people, 172 00:08:57,509 --> 00:08:59,509 who had come to know if there were men in the fortress 173 00:08:59,509 --> 00:09:01,509 defending those inside, 174 00:09:01,509 --> 00:09:03,509 or if it contained within its walls 175 00:09:03,509 --> 00:09:06,509 nothing but women and children. 176 00:09:06,509 --> 00:09:08,509 She said to herself: 177 00:09:08,509 --> 00:09:09,509 "The Jews of Banu Qurayzah 178 00:09:09,509 --> 00:09:11,509 have broken the covenant that was between them 179 00:09:11,509 --> 00:09:13,509 and the Messenger of Allah." 180 00:09:13,509 --> 00:09:15,509 "They have supported Quraysh and its allies 181 00:09:15,509 --> 00:09:17,509 against the Muslims." 182 00:09:17,509 --> 00:09:19,509 "And there is no one between us and them 183 00:09:19,509 --> 00:09:21,509 of the Muslims to defend us." 184 00:09:21,509 --> 00:09:23,509 "The Messenger of Allah and those with him 185 00:09:23,509 --> 00:09:26,509 are stationed facing the enemy." 186 00:09:26,509 --> 00:09:28,509 "If this enemy of Allah is able to convey 187 00:09:28,509 --> 00:09:31,509 the reality of our situation to his people," 188 00:09:31,509 --> 00:09:33,509 "the Jews will take the women captive," 189 00:09:33,509 --> 00:09:35,509 "and enslave the children." 190 00:09:35,509 --> 00:09:38,539 "And that would be a catastrophe for the Muslims." 191 00:09:38,539 --> 00:09:41,539 At that, she hastened to her headscarf, 192 00:09:41,539 --> 00:09:43,539 wrapped it around her head, 193 00:09:43,539 --> 00:09:45,539 and went to her clothes, 194 00:09:45,539 --> 00:09:47,539 tightening them around her waist. 195 00:09:47,539 --> 00:09:50,539 She took a pillar onto her shoulder, 196 00:09:50,539 --> 00:09:52,539 and went down to the door of the fortress. 197 00:09:52,539 --> 00:09:55,539 She opened it with patience and skill, 198 00:09:55,539 --> 00:09:57,539 and began to watch through it 199 00:09:57,539 --> 00:10:00,539 The enemy of Allah, in wakefulness and caution, 200 00:10:00,539 --> 00:10:02,610 until she was certain he had become 201 00:10:02,610 --> 00:10:04,610 within her reach, 202 00:10:04,610 --> 00:10:08,610 she charged at him with a decisive, firm strike. 203 00:10:08,610 --> 00:10:10,610 And she struck him on the head with the pillar, 204 00:10:10,610 --> 00:10:12,610 throwing him to the ground. 205 00:10:12,610 --> 00:10:14,610 Then she reinforced the first blow 206 00:10:14,610 --> 00:10:16,610 with a second and a third, 207 00:10:16,610 --> 00:10:18,610 until she finished him off 208 00:10:18,610 --> 00:10:21,610 and extinguished the breath within his sides. 209 00:10:21,610 --> 00:10:23,799 Then she hastened to him 210 00:10:23,799 --> 00:10:26,799 and severed his head with a knife she had with her. 211 00:10:26,799 --> 00:10:29,799 And she threw the head from the top of the fort, 212 00:10:29,799 --> 00:10:32,799 and it began to roll down its slopes 213 00:10:32,799 --> 00:10:34,799 until it settled among the hands of the Jews 214 00:10:34,799 --> 00:10:37,799 who were lying in wait at its base. 215 00:10:37,799 --> 00:10:40,799 When the Jews saw the head of their companion, 216 00:10:40,799 --> 00:10:42,799 some of them said to others: 217 00:10:42,799 --> 00:10:44,799 "We know that Muhammad 218 00:10:44,799 --> 00:10:46,799 would not leave women 219 00:10:46,799 --> 00:10:48,799 and children without protection." 220 00:10:48,799 --> 00:10:50,799 Then they turned back. 221 00:10:50,799 --> 00:10:54,120 May Allah be pleased with Safiyyah bint 'Abd al-Muttalib. 222 00:10:54,120 --> 00:10:58,120 She was indeed a prime example for the Muslim woman. 223 00:10:58,120 --> 00:11:00,120 She raised her only son, 224 00:11:00,120 --> 00:11:02,120 and perfected his upbringing. 225 00:11:02,120 --> 00:11:04,120 And she was afflicted by the loss of her brother, 226 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:06,120 and she bore it with excellent patience. 227 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:08,120 And trials tested her, 228 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:13,120 and in them she was found to be a decisive, wise, and valiant woman. 229 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:17,279 Then history wrote on its most brilliant pages 230 00:11:17,279 --> 00:11:20,279 that Safiyyah bint 'Abd al-Muttalib 231 00:11:20,279 --> 00:11:24,279 was the first woman to kill a polytheist in Islam. 232 00:11:24,279 --> 00:11:32,799 Safiyyah was the first woman to kill a polytheist in defense of the religion of Allah.