Part of Glimpses from the Lives of the Female Companions (Sahabiyyat) (series completed)
· Lesson 7 of 8
Pictures from the lives of female companions - Episode (7) - Al-Ghumisa bint Milhan, may God be pleased with her
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
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Mawaddah Association is pleased
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to present to you:
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"Portraits from the Lives of the Female Companions"
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by Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
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may Allah have mercy upon him.
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Al-Ghumaysa' bint Milhan, may Allah be pleased with her.
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Al-Ghumaysa' bint Milhan was,
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when Islam illuminated the earth with its light,
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a mature woman approaching forty years of age.
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Her husband, Malik ibn al-Nadr,
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used to shower her with his abundant love and tender affection,
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filling her life with radiance, ease, and comfort.
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The people of Yathrib envied that happy husband
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for his wife's exceptional intellect,
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foresight, and exemplary devotion as a spouse.
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Then, on one of Allah's immortal days,
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there arrived in Yathrib with the Meccan caller Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr
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the first ray of Muhammadan guidance.
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Al-Ghumaysa's heart opened to it,
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just as garden blossoms open to the first light of dawn,
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and she soon declared her Islam
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back when the Muslims in Medina could be counted on one's fingers.
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The loyal wife then invited her beloved husband
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to drink alongside her from this pure, sweet, divine spring,
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and to attain the happiness of faith that she had found.
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Malik ibn al-Nadr, however,
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felt no inclination toward the new religion,
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nor was he pleased with it;
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instead, he urged his wife to renounce Islam
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and return to the religion of their forefathers.
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Each spouse firmly held their ground:
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Al-Ghumaysa' detested returning to disbelief after having believed,
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just as one would detest being cast into the Fire,
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while Malik stubbornly clung to the faith of his ancestors.
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Al-Ghumaysa'
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possessed such strength of argument that she would silence her husband,
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and her call carried such light of truth
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as to expose his flimsy, crumbling falsehood.
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Malik had an idol made of wood
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which he worshiped besides Allah,
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and she would debate him regarding it, saying:
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"Do you worship a tree trunk that sprouted from the earth you trample beneath your feet
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and onto which you cast your waste?
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Do you invoke besides Allah a piece of wood carved for you by an Abyssinian carpenter among the craftsmen of Medina?"
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When the husband could no longer endure his wife's irrefutable arguments,
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he left Medina,
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wandering aimlessly toward the lands of the Levant.
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He did not remain there long before he died upon his polytheism.
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As soon as the news of al-Ghumaysa's widowhood spread throughout Medina,
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many men eagerly sought to marry her,
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were it not that they feared she would turn them away disappointed
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on account of the difference in religion between her and them.
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However, Zayd ibn Sahl, known by the kunya Abu Talhah,
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was emboldened to seek her consent by the kinship between them,
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as both belonged to the Banu al-Najjar.
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Abu Talhah went to al-Ghumaysa's house
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and addressed her by her kunya, saying:
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"O Umm Sulaym, I have come to you as a suitor,
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and I hope I will not be turned away disappointed."
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She said: "By Allah, a man like you is not turned away, O Abu Talhah!
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But you are a disbelieving man and I am a Muslim woman,
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and it is not lawful for me to marry you.
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If you embrace Islam, that shall be my dowry,
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and I will demand no bridal gift from you other than Islam."
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He said, "Let me consider my matter," and he departed.
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The next day, he returned to her and declared:
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"I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, without partner,
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and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger."
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She said: "Now that you have embraced Islam,
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I accept you as my husband."
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The people began to say:
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"We have never heard of a woman
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who had a more noble dowry than Umm Sulaym,
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for her dowry was Islam!"
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Abu Talhah rejoiced in all that Umm Sulaym possessed
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of noble character and virtuous traits,
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and his joy was further heightened when she bore him
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a baby boy who became the apple of his eye and the delight of his heart.
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But while he was preparing for one of his journeys,
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the little boy fell ill with an ailment that struck him,
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and Abu Talhah grieved over him so intensely
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that it almost kept him from traveling.
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During his brief absence, that tender branch withered,
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and the child was laid to rest in the earth.
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Umm Sulaym said to her household:
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"Do not inform Abu Talhah of his son's death
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until I break the news to him myself."
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Abu Talhah returned from his journey,
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and Umm Sulaym received him cheerful and smiling,
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full of warmth and good cheer.
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He immediately asked her about the boy,
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and she replied: "Leave him be,
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for he is now in the quietest and most tranquil state you have ever known him."
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She then set dinner before him
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and kept him company, bringing joy to his heart.
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When she saw that he had eaten his fill and was well rested,
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she said to him:
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"O Abu Talhah,
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tell me: if people lend something to others and then ask for it back,
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do the borrowers have any right to become angry or withhold it from them?"
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He said: "No."
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She said: "Indeed, Allah has reclaimed what He bestowed upon you,
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so seek your reward with Him for your son."
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Abu Talhah received the decree of Allah with contentment and submission.
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When morning came,
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he went to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and informed him of what Umm Sulaym had done.
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The Prophet prayed for him and her that Allah grant them a better compensation for what they had lost,
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and that He bless them in that replacement.
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Allah, Mighty and Majestic, answered the prayer of His Prophet, peace be upon him,
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and Umm Sulaym became pregnant.
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When her term was complete,
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she was returning to Medina from a journey,
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together with her husband and the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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As they drew near Yathrib,
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her labor pains came upon her.
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Abu Talhah stayed behind with her,
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while the noble Prophet, peace be upon him, continued on,
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wishing to enter Medina before nightfall.
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Abu Talhah raised his eyes toward the heaven and said:
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"Indeed, You know, O Lord,
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that I love to depart whenever Your Messenger departs,
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and to enter whenever he enters,
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but I have been detained by what You see."
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Umm Sulaym said to him:
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"O Abu Talhah,
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by Allah, I no longer feel the labor pains of this child
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that I was feeling before!
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So let us proceed,
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and do not fall behind the company of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him."
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They set out, and as soon as they reached Medina, she gave birth,
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and it was a boy.
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She said to those around her:
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"Let no one nurse him until you take him to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him."
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When morning came,
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his brother Anas ibn Malik carried him to the Prophet.
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When the Prophet, peace be upon him, saw him approaching,
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he said: "Perhaps Umm Sulaym has given birth?"
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Anas replied: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah."
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He placed the baby in his lap,
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called for a date of the 'Ajwah variety of Medina,
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chewed it in his noble mouth until it softened,
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and placed it into the infant's mouth,
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and the baby began to smack his lips on it.
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He then stroked his face with his noble hand
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and named him 'Abdullah.
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From his lineage came ten distinguished scholars of Islam.
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Such was the devoted love of Umm Sulaym
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that she loved the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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with a love that permeated her flesh and bones
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and dwelled in the depths of her heart.
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Such was the depth of her love for him
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that her son Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, recounted:
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"The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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was sleeping in our house one afternoon,
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and the heat was intense.
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Sweat began to pour from his forehead,
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so my mother brought a small glass bottle
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and began to collect the sweat into it.
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The Prophet, peace be upon him, awoke
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and asked: 'What are you doing, O Umm Sulaym?'
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She said: 'This is your sweat;
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I collect it and mix it with our perfume,
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and it becomes the sweetest of scents.'"
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Among the many testimonies to her love for the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him
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—and they are abundant indeed—
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was that her son Anas had a lock of hair dangling over his forehead.
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Her husband asked her to trim it for him after it had grown long,
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but she refused,
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because the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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whenever Anas came to him,
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would stroke his head with his hand
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and touch that lock of hair hanging over his forehead.
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Nor were Umm Sulaym's virtues limited
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to being a believer of steadfast faith,
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a woman of profound wisdom,
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and a first-rate wife and mother;
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rather, she was above all that
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a warrior in the path of Allah.
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How often were her lungs filled with the dust of battle fragrant with the scents of Paradise!
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How often were her fingertips dyed with the blood of the mujahideen
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as she tended to their wounds and bound them firmly!
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How often did she pour water into the throats of the thirsty
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as they offered their lives in the path of Allah,
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carried provisions for them, and repaired their arrows!
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She took part in Uhud alongside her husband Abu Talhah with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him;
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she and 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with them both, would continuously
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carry waterskins on their backs
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and pour water into the mouths of the wounded men.
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She was also present at the Battle of Hunayn,
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having taken a dagger that day and strapped it around her waist.
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When her husband Abu Talhah saw it,
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he said: "O Messenger of Allah, this is Umm Sulaym, carrying a dagger!"
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The Prophet, peace be upon him, asked her:
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"What is this, O Umm Sulaym?"
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She replied: "It is a dagger I took
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so that if any of the polytheists comes near me,
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"I will rip open his belly with it!"
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The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) began
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laughing with delight at what she said.
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Furthermore, do you think that upon the face of the earth
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there was any woman more blissful in happiness and more radiant in her final end
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than Umm Sulaym,
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especially after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said regarding her:
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"I entered Paradise
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and heard a rustling sound within it,
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so I asked, 'Who is this?'"
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They said:
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"We have never heard of any woman
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who had a more noble dowry than Umm Sulaym,
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for her dowry was Islam itself."
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The people of Madinah