Khutbah from Haramain

Great Women
Shaykh 'Abdul-Muhsin Al-Qaasim
26, Rabee'uth-Thaanee 1426 (3, June 2005)

All praise is due to Allaah, Lord of all the worlds. Peace and blessings be
upon the Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam), his household and
companions.

Fellow Muslims! Fear Allaah as He should be feared. Fear of Allaah is a

reminder for His devoted servants and it is safety from His punishment.

Dear brethren! Muslim woman attains prosperity by following the path of

the best women who lived in the best generation and got nurtured in the
house of Prophethood. They are women of high status and outstanding
estimation. Allaah praises them in the Qur'aan where He says,

"O wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women. If you keep
your duty (to Allaah), then be not soft in speech, lest he in whose heart is a
disease (of hypocrisy, or evil desire for adultery) should be moved with
desire, but speak in an honourable manner."
(Al-Ahzaab 33:32)

They are blessed and great women. Foremost among them is that
intelligent and wise woman, Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid, the religious and
noble woman. She grew up upon virtuous characters and manners. She
was chaste and gracious. She was known among Makkah women as 'the
pure woman'. The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam)
married her and she became an excellent wife for him. She supported
him with her life, wealth and wisdom. During his sorrowful days, he
would seek shelter with her and confide in her.

When the first revelation came to him he went to his wife shaking, and
he said, "O Khadeejah, I fear for myself." But Khadeejah responded to his
fear with a firm heart. And she told him, "By Allaah, Allaah will not
disgrace you."

Islaam started in her house and she was the first person to embrace it.
Ibn al-Atheer said, "Khadeejah was the first person to embrace Islaam,
according to the consensus of the Muslims. No man or woman ever
embraced Islaam before her."

At the beginning of the Prophet's mission, he was faced with many

tribulations. But she stood by him compassionately and supported him
with her outstanding intelligence. Whenever he heard any undesirable
words from the people and came to her, she would strengthen and
console him. The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam) said about her,
"She believed in me when the people denied me, she trusted me when
people belied me; she supported me with her wealth when people refused
to support me and I was blessed with children by her when I was denied
children by other women." (Ahmad)

Khadeejah was a great and dutiful wife to her husband and an

affectionate mother to her children. She gave birth to all the Prophet's
children except Ibraaheem. She was extremely good-mannered. She
never argued with her husband and she never bothered him. The
Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam) said, "Angel Jibreel
came to me and said: 'Give Khadeejah the good tidings that she will have
a palace made of hollowed pearls in Paradise and there will be neither
noise nor any trouble in it.'" (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

As-Suhaylee said, "She was given the glad tiding of a house in Paradise
because she never raised her voice over that of the Prophet and she never
bothered him." She was pleased with her Lord and Allaah is pleased with
her.

The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam) said, "Angel Jibreel told me:
'When you come to Khadeejah, convey my Lord's greetings to her and
mine as well." (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

Ibn al-Qayyim said, "Khadeejah was the only woman known to have this
honour."
Allaah loved Khadeejah, so did His angels. The Messenger of Allaah
(sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam) also loved her so much. He said, "I am
blessed with her love." (Muslim)

Whenever the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam) remembered her,

he would mention her in glowing attributes and would show gratitude for
her companionship. 'Aaishah said, "Whenever the Messenger of Allaah
(sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam) remembered Khadeejah, he would never
tired of praising her and invoking Allaah's forgiveness for her. He
appreciated her love and sincerity and he would honour her friends after
her death."

'Aaishah said, "He would often slaughter a goat, cut it into parts and
distribute it to Khadeejah's friends. And whenever I asked him, 'Are there
no other women in the world except Khadeejah?' He would say, 'She was
this and that and she bore me children.'" (Al-Bukhaaree)

After her death, Allaah's Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam) heard

her sister's voice. He them became sad and said, "She reminded me of
Khadeejah."

Khadeejah was perfect in her religion, wisdom and conduct. The Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam) said, "Many men attained perfection, but
only three women attained it: Maryam, daughter of 'Imraan [Jesus'
mother], Aasiyah, Pharaoh's wife and Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid." (Ibn
Mardooyah)

She preceded the women of this Ummah in righteousness, nobility and

splendour. Allaah's Messenger said, "Maryam [Mary, Jesus' mother] was
the best woman of her time, and the best woman of this Ummah is
Khadeejah." (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

Khadeejah was righteous and made her home righteous. She reaped the
fruit of her labour and she and her daughter became the best of the
women of the worlds in Paradise. The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa
sallam) said, "The best f the women of Paradise are: Khadeejah,
Faatimah, Maryam [Mary] and 'Aasiyah." (Ahmad and An-Nasaa'ee)
She occupied a great place in the Prophet's heart. He did not marry any
woman before her neither did he marry any woman or have any
concubine while she was still with him until she died. He was extremely
distressed with her death. Adh-Dhahabee said, "Khadeejah was
intelligent, gracious, religious, chaste and noble. She is one of the
dwellers of Paradise."

Dear brethren! Another great woman of the house of Prophethood is

'Aaishah, daughter of Aboo Bakr. She was born in the house of
truthfulness and piety and she was nurtured in the house of eemaan.
Her mother was a companion and her sister, Asmaa, Lady of the Two
Girdles and her brother were also companions. Her father is the truthful
man of this Ummah. She grew up in the house of knowledge, for her
father was the erudite scholar of Quraysh and the highest authority in
genealogy. Allaah endowed her with outstanding intelligence and a sharp
memory. Ibn Katheer said, "No nation has produced a woman as sharp,
knowledgeable, fluent and intelligent as 'Aaishah." She excelled the
women of her race in knowledge and wisdom. She was blessed with
understanding of Islaamic jurisprudence and memorisation of poetry.
She was in fact, a treasure of Islaamic sciences. Adh-Dhahabee said,
"The most knowledgeable woman of this Ummah is 'Aaishah. I do not
know any woman from the Ummah of Muhammad or from any other
nation more knowledgeable than her."

She excelled all women with her virtues and beautiful companionship.
Allaah's Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam) said, "The superiority
of 'Aaishah over other women is like the superiority of thareed [1] over
other kinds of food." (Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim)

The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam) loved her; and he

did not love anything but that which is pleasant.

'Amr ibn al-'Aas once asked Allaah's Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa

sallam), "Who is most beloved to you of all people?" The Prophet
answered, "'Aaishah." And he said, "And among men?" And he answered,
"Her father." (Al-Bukhaaree)

She was the only virgin the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa
sallam) married, and the revelation did not come to him in other
woman's blanket but hers. She was chaste and devoted to her Lord. She
did not go out of her house except in the night so that men could not see
her. She said of herself, "We did not use to go out but only in the night.
This is in line with Allaah's instruction,

"And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of the
times of ignorance."
(Al-Ahzaab 33:33)

Al-Qurtubee said, "There are resplendent evidences in Islaam that

require women to stay at home and not to go out except when necessary.
And when it becomes necessary for them to go out they should do so
with complete covering of themselves and their adornments."

Allaah puts whomever He wills to test, and the test is in accordance with
one's eemaan. 'Aaishah was slandered while she was only twelve. She
said, narrating her ordeal in this incidence, "I wept and I could not sleep
and I just kept weeping until my parents thought that my liver would
burst from weeping." She said that the trial was so severe that she would
weep but could not find any more tears to shed.

Ibn Katheer said, "So Allaah decided to defend her honour, and He
revealed ten verses to absolve her. This elevated her status and these
verses were recited and they shall continue to be recited till the Day of
Resurrection. Allaah testified that she was one of the purest women and
promised her forgiveness and a generous provision.

She spent nights caring for the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam) in
his illness until he died in her apartment, on her day and in her bosom.

Sawdah bint Zam'ah is another of the Prophet's noble wives. She was
pure-hearted and the first woman he married after the death of
Khadeejah. She was his only wife for about three years. She was gracious
and noble, and the purity of her heart manifested when she gave her
days with the Prophet to 'Aaishah out of consideration for her husband's
feelings and in order to earn reward of her Lord.

Another great woman in the Prophet's household is Hafsah, daughter of

'Umar. She was given to observing prayers in the night and performing
supererogatory fasting. She grew up in a house in which the cause of
Islaam was supported and truth was given prominence. Seven members
of her family participated in the battle of Badr. 'Aaishah said of her, "She
was my only competitor among the Prophet's wives."

There is also Zaynab bint Khuzaymah al-Hilaaliyyah who was very

generous and hastened to perform righteous deeds. She lived with
Allaah's Messenger for only two months and then died.

Another distinguished woman in the house of Prophethood is Umm

Habeebah daughter of Aboo Sufyaan, the emigrant and the one who was
given to performing meritorious deeds. She was the closest to the Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam) of his wives in terms of blood relation.
There was no one among his wives who was more generous than her as
far as charity giving is concerned. She migrated to Abyssinia, escaping
with her religion. The king of Abyssinia paid her bridal gift on the
Prophet's behalf and got her ready for him.

Another outstanding wife of the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam)

was Umm Salamah, the patient and noble woman. Her name is Hind bint
Abee Umayyah, one of the earliest emigrants. When she wanted to
migrate to al-Madeenah with her husband Aboo Salamah, her clan
separated between her and her husband and son. She said, "Every
morning I would go to Abtah [a valley in Makkah] and I would keep
weeping until evening. I did so for a whole year or close to a year. They
later pitied me and gave my son back to me."

Her sure faith in Allaah was firm-rooted. When her first husband died,
she said the invocation that Allaah's Messenger taught her, so Allaah
gave her a better husband in the person of Allaah's Messenger
(sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam). Umm Salamah narrated that the
Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam) said, "If any Muslim
who suffers some calamity says what Allaah has commanded him," We
belong to Allah and to Him shall we return; O Allaah, reward me for my
affliction and give me something better than it in exchange for it," Allah
will give him something better than it in exchange." When Abu Salamah
died she said: 'Which Muslim is better than Abu Salamah whose family
was the first to emigrate to the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayihi
wa sallam)?' I then said those words, and Allaah gave me the Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam) in exchange." (Muslim)
Make this supplication your treasure during afflictions, Allaah will
provide you with what is better.

Dear brethren! There is a woman among the Prophet's wives known as

Mother of the Poor. She is Zaynab bint Jahsh whose mother is the
Prophet's aunt. She enjoyed nobility of birth and character. She was
described by Aboo Nu'aym as, 'devoted and contented woman'. Allaah
married her to His Prophet through an explicit verse from His Book,

"So when Zaid had accomplished his desire from her (i.e. divorced her), We
gave her to you in marriage."
(Al-Ahzaab 33:37)

Her marriage to the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam) is a blessing

to the Muslim women till the day of Resurrection, for it was after her
marriage that Allaah ordained hijaab for the women so that it could serve
as a symbol of protection for their honour, chastity and purity.

Zaynab was extremely generous to the poor and the weak. She was
highly charitable. In spite of her nobility and high status, she used to
work with her hands, tanning and making beads. And she would spend
the proceeds for the poor. 'Aaishah said, "I have not seen a woman better
in her adherence to religion, more pious, kinder to the kith and kin and
more generous in giving charity than Zaynab."

Juwayriyyah bint al-Haarith from the tribe of Banoo al-Mustaliq is

another of the Prophet's distinguished wives. Her father was the
influential chief of his tribe. She was in herself blessed as she was
blessed to her tribe. 'Aaishah said, "I have not seen a woman who is
greater in blessing to her people more than her." She was given to
performing much acts of worship for her Lord. She sincerely and
devotedly worshiped her Lord. She would sit down in her prayer place
remembering her Lord after Fajr until mid-noon. She said, "The
Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam) came to me one
morning while I was glorifying Allaah. He then went out for some of his
needs. When he came back just before mid-noon he said, 'Are you still
there remembering Allaah?' And I said, 'Yes.'" (Muslim)

Another honourable wife of Allaah's Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa

sallam) is the beautiful Safiyyah bint Huyayy, a descendant of Prophet
Haaroon [Aaron]. She was a noble and intelligent woman. She was
highly-placed, religious, deliberate and peace-loving. The Messenger of
Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam) told her, "Indeed, you are a
daughter of a Prophet [meaning Aaron], your uncle is a Prophet [meaning
Moses]; and you are also married to a Prophet." (At-Tirmidhee)

The feast of her marriage to the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam)

comprised only of butter, cottage cheese and dates. But the marriage was
blessed.

Maymoonah bint al-Haarith al-Hilaaliyyah, the woman who was given to

being kind to the kith and kin is another eminent wife of the Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam). She was one the greatest women. Allaah
endowed her with pure heart and performance of much acts of worship.
'Aaishah said about her, "She was one of the most pious and most
generous to the kith and kin among us."

Fellow Muslims! That is the history of the outstanding women of Islaam,

mothers of the faithful. Their virtues are glowing. They had combination
of beauties and virtues. It is therefore, incumbent upon Muslim women
to make them their models in matters of their religion, their submission
to Allaah and His Messenger (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam), their
conduct, their consciousness of Allaah, their performance of acts of
worship, their truthfulness in words and their spending for the poor.
They need to emulate them in their alleviation of other people's
sufferings; and in their efforts to make their children righteous, correct
them with patience and in seeking fortification through knowledge and
learning from erudite scholars.

They need to emulate them in keeping themselves properly covered,

maintaining their chastity, staying at their homes and keeping away from
doubtful and lustful things. They should emulate them by avoiding
pinning their hopes on this world, heedlessness and forgetfulness or
being carried away by outward beauties while the inward is corrupt.

The Muslim women should avoid looking at forbidden things and

engaging in amorous conversations with alien men. They should beware
of those who are calling to the removal of hijaab and mixing with men.
Muslim woman's greatness and glory lie in her religion and her hijaab.
Allaah says,

"O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the
believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies (i.e. screen
themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way). That will
be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not
to be annoyed. And Allaah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful."
(Al-Israa 33:59)

Dear Muslims! The Prophet's wives lived with him humbly in apartments
built of brick and palm leaves, but full of eemaan and piety. They showed
patience with the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam)
over poverty and hunger. Sometimes, a month or two would pass with no
cooking fire kindled in their homes. They would spend days with nothing
to eat but only dates and water. Sometimes they would make do with
water only. Yet they lived in contentedness and patience upon Allaah's
promise that,

"The Hereafter is better for you than the present (life of this world)."

(Ad-Duhaa 93:4)

And His promise,

"And whosoever of you is obedient to Allaah and His Messenger

(sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam) and does righteous good deeds, We shall
give her, her reward twice over, and We have prepared for her a noble
provision."
(Al-Ahzaab 33:31)

Brethren in Islaam! The Prophet (sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam) married

five of his wives with their ages ranging between forty and sixty. By that
he was able to lay an example in taking care of the widow and their
orphaned children. He married Khadeejah while she was forty years old,
with three children from the previous marriage, while was unmarried
before. He married Zaynab bint Khuzaymah who was an almost sixty-
year-old widow. He married Umm Salamah who was a widow with six
children. He married Sawdah who was a fifty-five years old widow.
He married some relatives from among his cousins. And he married some
women who were not his relatives.

He was a compassionate, dutiful and honourable husband to them all.

He lived with them in the most beautiful way. He was always cheerful
and kind to them.

Therefore, let those who want to prosper emulate the Messenger of Allaah
(sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam), who is the best of all creatures. Let the
Muslim women follow the path of the righteous wives of the Prophet
(sallallaahu 'alayihi wa sallam). For, there is no success for any woman
except by following the path of these pious ladies in their righteousness
and God-consciousness and in their dutifulness to their husband and
children.

[1] Thareed is a dish of sopped bread, meat and broth.

From : Islaamic Propagation & Education Committee

Al-Madeenah Al—Munawwarah
(Sermons of the two Holy Mosques)

http://www.muslimaat.info/